How can it be September?

Summer has rushed past with 'nary a glance from the men baking in the sun'*. And, so now, it is September, the season of spiders, cider and slow sunsets. 

Something miraculous has happened in Cousein Bas. Where there was a heap of muddled stones, there now rises a polished wooden cross. Nearly every hamlet in France boasts a cross, or 'calvaire', and ours had withered. Thanks to the efforts and passion of neighbour, Brigitte, our mayor has seen fit to re-establish this ancient marker. 



We've had visitors. Perfect Scottish yummies, Tricia and Dave. We showed them the graffiti in Tulle, then coffee-ed them at one of the ubiquitous Cafe Bogotas. I resorted to Nicaragua yet again; the 'free' mini-biscuit and cocoa-ed almond make it one of the most 
luxurious experiences for the coffee connoiseur...




The Tricia

The Dave
We then moved them on to Argentat for lunch with the most miserable pizza man in the universe. 




And then on to the dams... 


The usually turquoise water had turned a leafy green!



And then on to Gimel Les Cascades, where the lack of rain had rendered the cascades quite lacklustre... So we sought minor distractions.

Look. There's Kevin in the distance... Looking cool.



Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the kitchen becomes slightly more kitchen-y.


We've moved our super-comfy cast iron bed into the sitting room (because we wanted to offer the height of luxury to our guests!), so the caravan, now they've left for Spain, is superfluous. We've moved it away from cottage #1, thus clearing a vast area of tarmac for Kevin to look like an old Frenchman in. I put a mild bleach solution in the water canisters to clean them. Must remember to give then a good rinse out when we next take off to see the rest of Europe...

The courgettes are slowing down, but look at the flowers that promise more to come! Such audacious blooms! All busy with bees.



Ostracised...
I've continued to paint the south wall of cottage #1, this time, utilising the tower. I still can't reach the top though!



Kevin, today, at this near finished stage, suggested that we repaint the walls a taupe colour, as 'these white walls are too blinding'. Really? He can do it. Though... Greece, Turkey, Italy and all of the islands of the Mediterranean don't mind about their plethora of white walls. Sunglasses?
Poireau- This is French for 'leek'. This makes me feel even more protective of Hercules Poirot.

* Patrick Ness

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The tower finds itself in high demand

Image
I've been asking Kevin to hurry up and finish the work on the south wall for AGES as I wanted the tower in order to paint the north wall. FINALLY, he scaled it and reattached the flailing planks and the loose edge-tiles. He also finished and painted the outside of the little window frames, installing mosquito nets too. It's such a relief to get all of these little jobs done! But was I to get the tower? No. Kevin fell into a frenzy of loose tile fixing all around the house! Eventually, I did secure ownership of the tower and repainted the grubby-looking north wall. No, you can't see the finished job, as, to be honest, it's still a bit grubby. And, after our aerial efforts concluded with no dramatic falls, we returned to some familiar territory of bygone renovation days: fluff puff! We have never managed to finish our master bedroom, mainly because we were waiting for a stretch of good weather in order to build the second dormer window. However, due to Covid-19, we didn&#
Read more

The sad ending we never expected to see

Image
You'd probably guessed, but we've sold up and moved back to England. Six years of renovating in our Correzian paradise had to come to a sudden end due to the folly that is Brexit, and the plague that is Covid. These unpredictable twin horrors meant that we could no longer flit between two countries with ease, and neither could our family and friends.  I thought you'd enjoy seeing some of our last views of our little French farmstead.  What do we miss the most? Friends Freedom Stunning scenery Great restaurants Beautiful villages Vide greniers Good wine at good prices Sunshine Empty roads Over and out. Thank you for following our adventure.
Read more

Renavoidance?

Image
Don't ever buy a property with 8 acres of land. Unless you have a vast array of top grade farming machinery. I'd like to be sharing with you our achievements with the renovation (and I know that's what you're here for!), but most of our time has been spent mowing, strimming, raking and visiting the dechetterie. Our ride-on mower has more or less given up the ghost, and I really don't think it'd be worth mending/servicing it. I'm not sure how we're going to continue to tame the land with just two push mowers and a scythe. We've decided to leave a lot of our land as meadow, with creative paths mown through it. Farmer Joel has very kindly mown and gathered hay, but this has exposed acres of dry, unpleasant stubble. And you wouldn't believe the amount of dust and grass seed that's kicked up during the processes of cutting, turning, lining up and baling! The time of dust coincided with the time of refreshing the exterior white paint. Thankfully, n
Read more