So here we are - la rentrée has arrived and it’s back to school / work / some semblance of normality for most of us.
It’s a bit of a ‘non rentrée’ chez nous with all the kids off the premises - although @james is officially back to work and yesterday saw the Bordeaux run to deposit the youngest back in his uni accommodation. As he has mainly been here since March, it feels like it has been a long summer
I am celebrating / consoling myself by tackling a huge job list - admin and cleaning! And planning to do most of it early on so that I can get to enjoy some sunshine this afternoon.
I should be getting one of our gites ready, but got until next saturday for that.
I should really do some strimming as guests in the other gite have just gone out
I’ve got a couple of fallen trees that need cutting up
But, it’s raining and I’m still (10 am) having a cuppa lying in bed
So it’s probably going to be one of those rare “can’t be arsed” sort of days
Back in the shop with two other tabacs closed today so busy busy busy. Youngest starts collège tomorrow so a bit stressed, and both will be back to collège as from Wednesday
No guests in the cottage - and unlikely to be so now, although I have kept my calendar open 'til Christmas and the New Year for the first time - so been watering all the pot plants on the terrace first thing - jeans and sweater sort of temperature (even thought there’s bright sun) which I like. Finally we’ve got some water in our underground tank - following a couple of good storms. Had to make some hard decisions this summer about what to water and what not - so there’s a part of the garden that’s looking very sad (out of the sight of any guests!). My task for the day, finally to clear it of all the dead stuff and see what’s reviving. Part of it is a huge acanthus which is a real brute. Seemingly dead, dead, dead, but I know it will be back. Impossible to kill!
Our neighbour, who is a baker, has been as busy as yourself as two of the other bakers in the town were shut.
Still not as busy as last year as all large gatherings are off. What the pig farmers are doing about the huge amount of hams that are not being eaten I do not know.
Last minute booking yesterday from a young belgian couple, arriving this afternoon. So rapid cleaning and bed making as thought I had a week clear! And trip down to tourist office as they want to do escalade, via ferrata and all that sporty stuff and I’ve run out of leaflets.
Then on to courgette mountain! Soup for freezer and pickles. And then back to preparing for our open garden on 13th sept…so weeds.
I’m watching the new swarm of hornets. I am almost sure they’re European but the one I saw eating a plum yesterday was Asian, the plot thickens.
The sun is shining, so I must garden.
Yeah, I think they’re European, although they don’t come and bang on the windows at night like the last lot, and they get very cross if I try to go to the shed or close enough to look at them, and I definitely saw an Asian hornet yesterday.
So cracking on with hedges and lawns. If it continues tomorrow a major assault on the veg patch.
So much to do while OH is back in the UK. Hopefully returning on Sat as long as Ryanair don’t cancel the flight. We are down to 1 flight a week from East Mids to Dinard.
I was just saying that to my neighbour, I can’t wait until tomorrow, for DS2 it has been a 6 month summer holiday and the 2 weeks that the little one went back to maternelle before the holidays barely registered! I’m washing, washing, washing and need to finish sorting the bags / clothes for tomorrow!
I’d love your recipe Jane, I’ve never made them but have 3 marrows and thought that perhaps I could use them to make some?
Now that schools are returning and tourists gone home we have just arrived at Royan for a few days by the coast in our new camping car, it’s a hard life.
What a super idea. In this “brave new world” we’re thinking a camper sounds a great idea - just not sure about the communal facilities though on a campsite.
Hi Sue
This brave new world brought us to our decision to invest into what we now call BUBBLE. We have every facility we need within our camping car to avoid contact with others and the open road to take us where we please. We decided it was another box to tick before we get too old and pleased we did. Go for it.