Yes, about once a week here would probably be OK but I’m not over that often - while it is possible to get over for a weekend without taking time off work it is a lot of travelling for less than 24 hours at the house.
When we bought theplace “lawn” would probably have been quite appropriate as the guy we bought from was retired and kept everthing immaculate.
We need a gardener - it’s on the “to organise” list.
I’m so glad that I no longer live 1000km from my grass. I made the journey about once every three weeks between holidays for many years. My excuse was that I was cutting the grass but it was actually to see a friend and to enjoy the weekend in my French home. Leaving after work on Friday meant hitting heavy traffic around Valenciennes and Paris but I was in bed by 2am ready to get up early to enjoy a day and a half before heading north on the Sunday afternoon.
??? We have gardeners down here in the deep South - worth every cent! 
We found one via the local garage/ mower etc suppliers near Super U Malansac Paul, relly good worker, I needed help for a few weeks after the ‘hip op’.
At present I am still finishing the kitchen off so coming over is useful - if the weather is against mowing I can do some tiling. It’s also not too expensive if I catch one of the Brittany Ferries 4-day offers, in any case I have to schedule visits around school holidays and work.
This year I’ve come over more frequently - and have made a visit every three weeks since Easter which has definitely helped keep (just) on top of the garden. We’re here until Saturday, then I’m back three weeks after but then there’s no visit possible until August.
When we’ve completely finished the house I’ll look at hiring someone to look after the grass when we’re not here.
It reads like a hectic schedule, Paul, even though doubtless very worthwhile. But I don’t envy it. We used to find the road trip from Essex to Portsmouth via the M25 tedious beyond words.
Are you from Essex Peter? I’m from Canvey Island.
I went to the meeting of Les Dames de lundi, which we had missed for a few weeks because of all the holidays.
I have made some gooseberry and elderflower ice cream, which tastes delicious.
Our fruit, our eggs and our elderflowers.
The trip down isn’t too bad - M5/A417/M4/A34/M3/M27/M275 to Portsmouth A84/D177/D777 down here - 2 hours driving UK side, 3 hours on the French side. If we catch the Friday night ferry we can be at the house by 10am on Saturday.
In fact if it were just the 5 hours in the car we’d probably be down every weekend.
However it does put the miles on the odometer and at £300 for an “ordinary” crossing puts a fair bit of wear and tear on the wallet as well. The £130 or so offers are a much better bet but you only get a few days in France - OK for a long weekend but not a more substantial visit.
I’m limited to about 6 weeks here at present and while 3x 2-week visits would be preferable in some ways it would mean me “hogging” the school holiday periods so not really possible.
So, for the time being fairly frequent visits and doing all the gardening ourselves is working tolerably well - I don’t plan on doing that forever though.
On the “what have you been doing…” front - drove over to Questembert for the market , still not nearly as busy as it gets in the summer but reasonable. Picked up some paella for lunch (we must try the food from the Vietnamese bunch), did some more tidying in the garden and took cuttings etc to the déchèterie, then the weather intervened.
On the island! We are almost neighbours, and I once worked on the island for five years, at “The Moorings” near the sea wall. We settled in Essex in 1981, and apart for a couple of years in Africa, lived there ever since. Our ‘second home’, occupied by our sons, is in Rayleigh just behind what used to be the Weir pub (now a Harvester and hotel).
We’re you born on Canvey, Mandy? It’s very much one of a kind, like the Islanders! They are very, very close, bit like the Bretons of Breizh.
My boys went to school in Rayleigh. I used to enjoy visiting Canvey Camping and once went for a trial sail on a Prout Snowgoise catamaran from their Canvey boatyard.
I was born in Forest Gate, East London but I grew up on Canvey Island. It’s a very special place, you either love it or hate it. My Mum and my brother & his family still live there. I left Canvey when I was 23 and have not lived their since but it’s the place I go to when I visit the UK.
I know the Harvester at Rayleigh Weir, have eaten there a few times.
Wow, small world isn’t it? 
Very inter-connected since the Internet and the establishment of social media and hand-held devices. What tends to surprise me is the ease of uptake, how quickly we get used to it, and how it becomes such an important part of our lives.
It’s almost scarey (awful neologism, so infantile, but it comes so easily to one’s lips, it’s really really scarey, djanoworramean ?) 
Been to Emmaus, La Gacilly, on the way home, stopped by the Gendarmerie at Rochefort en Terre, for a doc’ check and a blow in the bag, Babeth was driving so no prob, second time She has had to ‘blow’, me only once, in the ambulance, when I came off the Yam’ XT 600 in Portugal, I was amazed when that result was negative 
Not died of an asthma attack.
Commiserations, for what they’re worth Véro 
especially in view of your very evident concern about the possible outcome…
Hope you’re feeling better soon Vero and that someone is taking care of you.
Bon courage x
Today I wrote 291 in words in French without hesitating.
Stupidly proud of myself 
So you should be! I’d be ecstatic! I can talk non-stop, and reading is fine, but writing is tough and I know my spelling is atrocious since I’ve learnt french largely by talking and listening.
