Rural Life

Rural living definitely brings its own challenges.  Yesterday Paul went to read the water meter and was confronted by a wasps nest, there was a mouse in the laundry room and when I went upstairs I was greeted by a lizard lounging in the middle of my bedroom carpet.

After a cloudy start today the sun has come out and it is stiflingly hot.  But there is a feeling in the garden that summer is nearly over.  The Autumn crocuses are out and have been attracting a lot of bees today.  The lavender bushes have been cut back and the pampas grass plumes have just started to emerge.  Everything is constantly changing.

Rick wants a ride on the mower

Sober Thoughts

lunch time fizzy water, I loved the colours when I looked through my glass

Morning

“Shall we have a beer?”

“No, it’s only half eleven in the morning.”

Midday

“Would  you like another glass of wine?”

“No, it gives me a headache at lunchtime.”

"I'd like one."

"Have some fizzy water instead."

“The girls will want Margaritas when they are here.”

“Pizza?”

“No, the alcoholic version.”

Help!  I need a drinking partner to lead me astray.

Rick the Raccoon

 A mixed day of tears and laughter but ends well with this crazy dog and drinks before dinner.

My daughter thinks we may have got ourselves a raccoon!

Danger Lurks Round Every Corner

“Stop walking and keep very still.  Now move slowly to the right...”

We were out for our evening walk with Rick and had been climbing a hill through the chestnut grove.  The hill was quite steep and I had my eyes fixed on the ground.  When I looked up I could see the swarm of bees hanging from a branch just a few feet in front of us.

I doubt we were in any danger.  There are hives dotted throughout the woods and this was likely to be a swarm from an overcrowded hive.  They were probably stuffed full of honey and in a docile mood.  But it got me thinking about what action we could take in the middle of the woods if they suddenly decided to attack.  There were no buildings nearby to take shelter.  All we would be able to do is run and try and protect our faces.  It's dangerous out there in those woods!

April was the Cruellest Month

At this time of year Philippe’s vines are usually heavily laden with bunches of grapes, ripening in the August sunshine ready for next month’s vendage.  This year, although the vines are looking verdant and lush, there are no grapes.  The peach trees in the background are bare of fruit too.  This is all due to the cruel frost we had in the Spring; the local vineyards were badly hit.

  

Our dessert grapes on the barn wall were protected from the frost and I am hoping we will have some grapes for the girls when they arrive next month.

Bloody Flies

This morning we both took Rick out early for a long walk through the chestnut woods.  The walk should have been idyllic but we were plagued by flies, even at that early hour.  It seems to have been a particularly bad year for flies.  A few weeks ago I got a painful bite from a horsefly on the back of my leg and the same thing happened to me today.  I knew I should have worn trousers instead of shorts.  I grabbed a large fern leaf to swat the flies and managed to cut my hand.  This walk was not going well.

We both ended up walking along carrying large bunches of ferns, swishing them around like a couple of manic cheer leaders.  Rick’s fur coat seemed to protect him from the vicious horseflies.

We planned to have lunch outside today but at midday the skies darkened and we had a thunder storm.  We dined indoors and ate gambas flambéed in garlic butter and olive oil; soaking up the garlicky juices with French bread is the best part of the meal for me. Why does food taste better when you eat it outdoors?  At least there were no flies inside.