Although I do love living in rural France, I do dread the winters here as they tend to be very quiet and often very cold. The temperatures towards the end of the year however were surprisingly high and in mid December it reached 25°c on our veranda which was most acceptable. Even after a couple of heavy frosts, there were still one or two crazy bats flying around at dusk time and during the day, the odd lizard would wonder out into the sunshine.

On the 1st December, we had a stall at a Xmas faire at the Château de Lisse where it was so warm that people were sunning themselves.

Unfortunately, we did have a few days on our market stall when it was so cold that we were tempted to pack up early and the fair we attended at Lombez proved to be extremely chilly and a complete waste of time. We have come to realize that selling any goods in rural South West France (out of season) is always going to be a struggle because there are just not the people around. Of course, the irony is that we chose this area because it is the least populated!

Following  our regular markets at Mirande and Marciac during December, we decided to have a break  and resume in the Spring which will give us plenty of time to come up with some new ideas.

Following a few cold frosts, we started feeding the birds again but I was quite bemused to discover that Anchovy had been helping herself to the food, seemingly egged on by Elgar!

On the 18th December we left for our annual trip to the UK and spent almost two weeks catching up with family and friends over Wilts, Hants, Dorset, Surrey and Kent. As usual, we took advantage of the pubs, curry houses and the shops and having ‘people time’.

We finally managed to pay a pre-Christmas visit to cousan Al near Wimbledon and experienced the culture shock of spending an evening walking along the Southbank, taking in the lights and festive atmospere of the German market, having drinks in a hidden bar at the NFI and later, enjoying a curry in a resturant packed with businessmen and bankers. There was certainly no sign of the recession here!

New Years Eve was spent at a party with our friends in France, during which, Fin (dressed as Stalin) won a prize for his fancy dress. A good time was had by all, courtesy of our hosts Christine and Mike!

The last of the gite guests left at the beginning of this month, which was a shame as October proved to be a gloriously warm and vibrant month.

Following the harvesting, a plethora of small birds started to appear and the garden was alive with their chirping. We had two peregrines making the most of this glut, darting in and out of the feathery clouds above the cut fields. In the garden, the sparrow hawk was swooping across and taking its pick of the sparrows congregating in the bamboo.

This month saw the return of my little gardening companion, the robin and the departure of its rival, the black redstart. The hedgehogs were on the move and I had to avoid stepping on them when I went to shut the hens in at night,

Sadly, the swallows finally disappeared mid month after providing some wonderful flying displays that would shame the red arrows. The cranes began their migration south, though sadly I didn’t get to see or hear them this year.

A most annoying migration that we witnessed was that of a family of wood mice that decided that inside was better than out. Our kitchen became a bit of a war zone and over the month, we managed to catch 9 of them. I’m afraid that we resorted to traps and shoes, soon learning that crocks were not the most effective weapon to use. We had to vary the bait each day, as they seemed to get bored of the same thing. One morning when we checked the trap, the bait had gone again and there was a note that our son promptly photographed and put on Facebook.

We had what will probably be the last of our friends staying for this year and again, enjoyed trips out to the Pyrenees prior to the snow descending.

One day trip took us to Mauvezin Castle where we enjoyed breathtaking views of the Baronnies- the gently sloping foothills of the Pyrenees.

The one time we visited Hautacam before, it was covered in snow and we were unable to get right to the top; so it was great to finally get up there and see this ski resort without all the white stuff.

At the highest point, there was a fantastic picnic spot where we stopped for lunch and despite this being a very popular destination and a lovely hot day, we were the only ones there.

Soon after our friends left, Fin joined his school on a 6 day trip to London, taking in many of the museums and historical sites including a Jack the Ripper tour in Whitechapel. Being only one of three British students amongst 90 French, he definitely had ‘the upper hand’ and was amused by his French peers’ observations of British life. The biggest revelation for them was the multiculturalism of London and the high proportion of non-white population. Sadly, rural Gers is made up of predominantly white Europeans. Some children didn’t appreciate British snacks and the lunches they were given by host families, so Fin became the walking dustbin for various unwanted foods including (for some strange reason) cheese & onion crisps and crunchy bars - so no complaints there!

Towards the end of the month, we went to an ‘Open Mic’ evening at the Hotel Du Pont (a favourite haunt of the Nazis during the occupation)  in Castelnau Magnoac. This was the first time that Fin and I had played out for months. I’m really glad that we did, as there were a few pleasant surprises amongst some of the guests who turned up. After my moan in last month’s diary, I am happy to say that there are a few musicians in the Gers who have moved on to the 21st century. Watch this space!

With the arrival of the first frost, we cropped a lot of the less hardy veg to store in the hanger for the winter. Despite the cold nights though, the chillies, beans and courgettes continued to flourish, with the chillies actually flowering for a second time.

Our 8 stairs of wood were finally delivered and transferred to the hanger and out-side kitchen, so by the end of October, we felt well prepared for the colder weather to come.

It was back to school at the beginning of the month for Fin and back to some semblance of a routine for us. With all the entertaining over the summer, along with some very hot weather, we had got out of the habbit of going for long walks-not helped by the fact that Martha would often refuse to go.

This month, with the slightly cooler mornings and evenings, the two walks a day routine was re established. A couple of times we walked to the next village (Aux-Aussat) and back taking a circular route and helping ourselves to a very healthy breakfast of walnuts and grapes on the way.

In the middle of the month, we went to the yearly Festival Music Biere at Monfaucon, which is run by a French and Englishman and provides a very pleasant cultural fusion. The beer was British real ale, the food mainly French (but the ‘British bull dog’s’ hot dogs were wicked) and the music was a mix of French and Irish. The Irish punk band ‘The Booze’ ended the evening with some completely manic versions of traditional jigs, reels and songs. It was impossible not to join in on the dancing. This gave me my yearly fix of Irish music, having still not managed to find musicians who are not stuck in the 70s and 80s to form my own Celtic band with. A good time was had by all!

It is now a year since we started having the stall at Marciac market and other stall holders were right when they said that it would take at least this long before things would start taking off. As well as the two markets, we now have some of our pieces for sale in a shop in Aignan (Sunfloweratilier) run by Mother and daughter, Sarah and Amy Farman.

During our usual Monday market at Mirande, a national film crew who were seeking the public’s opinion regarding a neighbourhood watch scheme that the Government was considering introducing, visited us. Apparently the French are non too happy as they are concerned that this will lead to a reduction in the number of gendarmarie on the streets. The general concensus of Uk X pats  was that we had our own informal version anyway, and that it was not really necessary here.

There was a lot of activity in the surrounding fields during September and at night, we witnessed the annual ‘lamping’ by the members of the chasse.

Prior to the main shooting season commencing, groups of men drive around in their 4x4's at night, shining strong lights across the fields apparently in order to give a rough quote on the number of game in the area. Each chaise team is given a yearly quota then of how many wild boar, hare and deer that they are allowed to catch based on their findings. Given the noise that these cars made, it would be surprising if they managed to see anything and it is presumed that the figures given were probably a (very generous) guesstimate.

Wishing to make the most of the continued good weather, we took another trip to the Pyrenees and visited the cirque de Gavarnie for the first time. This is an incredibly pretty part of the Pyrenees, though I should imagine quite busy during July and August. Wild autumn crocuses were out in bloom and provided a lovely purple carpet across what looked like well manicured lawns.

Apparently no walk is complete without a fishing stop, so afterwards we made our way to a nearby lake that had a huge dam and only one other person fishing. It was a lovely setting for our picnic and proved to be a good spot for brown trout.

The mountain with the snow on it that we could see in the background was apparently the Perdu in Spain.

Sadly this month, the swallows started congregating, sometimes in quite startling numbers and the swifts could no longer be seen or heard darting through the village centres.

Our garden was really looking at its best this month with the roses, cosmos and morning glory all blossoming nicely.

We had a bumper crop of chillies that are all now drying nicely (hanging from the beams in the kitchen) and enough dried white haricot beans to feed us through the winter.

For almost all of this month, we had various friends from the UK staying along with our good pals from Brittany who made the yearly pilgrimage in their camper van for the Jazz festival in Marciac. 

Because the festival took over the whole of the town, we weekly stall holders were moved to a temporary position right next to the beautiful lake. This was such a lovely setting and I am kicking myself now that I didn’t take a picture of the early morning mist rising from the water-it was so tranquil. Happily the market was lively and our pottery sold well to the tourists during the three weeks we were there.

The weather during most of August, was absolutely glorious and when the temperatures reached the high 30s I took advantage and sundried a whole load of tomatoes in the car. This is an excellent, quick and hygienic way of drying; the only disadvantage is that you can’t go anywhere for the two days it takes to do it. Still, the cool lake down the lane was beckoning and for the first time since being here, I ventured to join everyone in a swim there, at a small and very private beach. It was wonderful and I can’t believe what I have been missing all these years.

A couple of times we went down to the lake in the early evening for some late fishing and then a camp side meal. It was so lovely and tranquil there the last time, that we stayed way after dark shooting star spotting not realising that we didn’t have a torch with us. As a mobile phone hater, I have to admit that for the first time, I was grateful that someone had one on them to light the way back!

We had another student (Rebecca from Paris) staying with us for a couple of weeks in order to learn English, so during that time, we took some more trips and finally visited the Grottes de Betharram.

We also revisited the lac de Gaube at Pont d’Espagne, but this time we were ‘persuaded’ by our friends to take the easy route up in the open ski lift which was an absolute delight. During the very short (and pleasurable) walk we took when we got to the top, I finally got to spot my first group of marmots, which were just a stone’s throw away from us and were so very cute.

The journey back down was particularly exciting (would have been even better as a zip ride) but not everybody seemed to be enjoying the trip. We did notice one Italian lady with a rosary clutched in her hands, quietly praying and several other people with their eyes firmly closed! They certainly missed some fantastic views.

Sadly, shortly after our last lot of friends had left, we discovered our oldest cat Milly, lying dead on the lawn. It looked like she had died peacefully in her sleep. I can remember when we were arranging to move to France from the UK, our son’s main worry was not how he would settle into a French speaking school, but how his cat Milly would settle in! As it turned out, Milly had a wonderful few years here, living life to the full; in fact the week before she died, she managed to steal some sausages (waiting for the bar-b-q) and share her spoils with Martha. So now we are down to just the two cats and already Fin is making noises about finding a kitten to replace what was his favourite cat.

A point of excitement this month was when one evening, as we were eating out-side with friends, an ambulance and fire engine screamed by, heading up towards the ridge. This was followed ten minutes later by a helicopter which hovered low over us until it too settled on the hill where there was handful of houses. Being a very small and peaceful community, this event caused much excitement and speculation amongst us and the children had a field day imaging all sorts of possible scenarios. A good half an hour later, the vehicles whizzed back down past the house and the helicopter took off and headed in the direction of Auch, one of the nearest hospitals. To add to the drama, a further car screeched to a halt out-side the chapel next door and within minutes, the bells were being tolled, indication the death of some one in the commune. Ordinarily these would only be tolled following the usual peels and never at any other time. Of course, all our wild imaginings were proved wrong when we heard the next day that the cause of all this drama was a poor lady on the hill having a heart attack. There is obviously a bit of a difference between the health care budget in France and that of the UK!

With a few days’ break in the gite bookings, we took time out to go camping in the Pyrenees again but this time, heading past Pau to Aramits in the Basque country.

This is a very pretty part of the Pyrenees, with lots of rolling hills, forests, ancient chapels and (importantly for Dave and Fin), plenty of trout rivers.

During one drive out we discovered a huge gorge (Kakuetta) carved through the mountain. Fin and I stayed at the lake where the hour long walk through the gorge began and (while we fished and read respectively) Dave and Martha walked on into what turned out to be some quite prehistoric landscapes.

When we returned from our camping trip, it was good to see that it had been raining while we were away and the garden was looking almost lush.

Our second crop of beans were well on their way and there was a huge crop of tomatoes ready for roasting and freezing for the winter.

While August was very quiet on the bird front we did discover a surprising visitor to the pond – a brightly coloured little kingfisher. I always assumed that these chaps only visited big lakes, rivers and streams and so it was a real delight that we had one gracing our rather meagre pond!

While I was on the phone to my sister, I also noticed a pine martin lazily lolloping across the lawn and out through the front gate. This was in broad day light!

It seems that the hotter it gets, the less bothered the wildlife are about remaining hidden!

The month started off very nicely with searing temperatures and cloudless skies, but then, as in the UK, the rain descended and continued for a good nine days. This was more like the kind of weather we would have expected in April and our Scottish guests staying in the gite really began to feel that it was a home from home!

Prior to the deluge, we travelled to a musical event in Condom held in celebration of the end of Lycee (school) for all the teenagers in the area. Several bands were entering a kind of ‘battle of the bands’ including VoltR. Sadly this was the band’s final performance as the other members (being 4 years older than our son) will be leaving for university at the end of the summer. They finished on a high note however, having been voted the best performing band of the day and receiving 150 euros worth of music vouchers.

'The band had been playing together for three years and had really come on during this time playing a variety of old covers including songs from Blondie and The Specials along with more recent numbers by The Ting Tings and Florence and the machine. More recently, they had been starting to write their own material and made a CD of their work as a keep sake. It is hoped that Fin will find another band of similar calibre soon to fill the huge gap that the break up has created.

During the really hot weather, we also took a hike near to one of the highest points in the Pyrenees (Pic d’Midi) where Dave spotted marmots for the first time, grazing in the meadows. Sadly, they soon got the scent of Martha and had disappeared before I got to see them so I only got to hear them whistling.

Still, there was a lot of wildlife action back at home and for some reason there seemed to be a lot of fledglings that were struggling to get the hang of flying. We rescued one young greater spotted woodpecker and a black redstart that had both flown into the gite window and knocked themselves out.

The fledgling swallows in the shed didn’t fare much better and almost every day for a while, I was rescuing one or two of them; letting them go in the hanger as they couldn’t seem to find their own way out.

Following a long period of having no eggs, we discovered that our chickens had been eating them. We took the main culprit for a long walk into a maze field far away, but after the problem persisted, we followed the advice of a friend and started supplementing the hen food with crushed oyster shells. Within days the chickens had stopped their awful habit and we were back to our full quota of eggs-but we did feel guilty over the poor hen that we had let go!

This was a hugely busy month for us socially, with lots of friends staying and plenty of musical events to take them to including the Latino festival at Vic Fenzensac (our favourite) and the Country and Western festival in Mirande which is always good for cowboy spotting, if not for the music!
 

We paid another visit to the Chateau de Lavarden where this time there was a vast collection of primitive art (L’art naïf-Des peintres du monde entire). It is running until the end of September and is well worth a visit.

With the return of some very hot weather, the little chapel next to us, was left open for a few days for airing, so we took the opportunity to have a look round as this only happens about once a year. The chapel dates back to the same period as the oldest part of our house (1755) and really is very pretty, though very musty smelling!

So the month ended with some glorious weather and thanks to the rain, we were fortunate to be almost totally self-sufficient in veg., eggs, along with peaches, nectarines and melons and the occasional trout that Fin caught.

It doesn’t take much to make us happy and discovering that the farmer had planted sunflowers at the bottom of our garden (instead of the usual maize) certainly did put smiles on our faces!

Anther reason we were happy this month (and probably one of the highlights) was the discovery of a rather cute young owl perched in the big willow tree in the garden. It was on one of the hottest days of the year so far (40°c) and as I sat underneath the tree for some much needed shade, I happened to look up to see him looking down at me. He remained there for the rest of the afternoon thus giving a great photo opportunity. We had seen and heard barn, tawny and the little owls but this was the first and most close up spotting of the short eared owl. Such a treat!

Other sightings this month included several red squirrels which are usually very shy but I’m guessing were out busy gathering for their young and a couple of deer bedded amongst the wheat fields with their fauns. Fortunately the wheat was not harvested until the end of the month, so the families were pretty much protected for the crucial first few weeks. The hoopoes have been becoming a lot braver and were seen several times pecking for insects on the front lawn.

The swallows, having finally settled in the shed, successfully hatched six chicks. This was a bit of a worry as we held a big (and noisy) celebration for Dave’s 50th birthday a week afterwards. The young had to cope with the live music on the stage in the hanger and the presence of about 60 people in the very big chapateau in the front garden.

The party was a truly European affair with French, English, German and Dutch friends all having a lovely time. The evening ended in the early hours with several people (aided by alcohol) taking over the stage to perform impromptu renditions of various old rock numbers.
I must say that Jo was particularly good on drums (considering that she had never played them before) and Andy and Jutta did some excellent rapping together!

Anyway we were relieved to see that at the end of all of that, the swallows had decided to stay and not leave the nest as they had following the last big party!

Prior to this and towards the end of David’s parent’s stay, we took a trip to see a ceramics exhibition at the Chateau de Lavardens which was only an hour’s drive away. This was a very stimulating day out - the exhibition had a vast array of quite diverse pottery styles and concepts, thankfully veering away from the traditional thrown pot. The building itself, while almost naked within, housed these pieces perfectly with-out detracting from the art. Every room (showing a different artist’s work) led us nearer and nearer to the top of this tremendous building where some amazing views could be had. Sadly though, my camera’s batteries decided to die at this point.

Afterwards, we took a stroll through the delightfully sleepy village which was nestled behind the castle and then discovered a lovely (and most welcome) bar and restaurant. Apparently last year, the chateau housed work by Dali and has various exhibitions through-out the summer. It is well worth a visit.

Towards the end of June, Fin and all the other French children finished school for the academic year, to enjoy a full ten weeks of summer holidays. We played host to a Spanish boy (Philippe) from Barcelona who was staying with us for two weeks in order to improve his English. Fortunately for Fin, he was a fishing fanatic, so the two of them spent a lot of time doing what they love the most. Obviously, the start of the holidays was the unofficial start of the serious fishing season as far as these two were concerned.

We spent a lovely (but exhausting) day in the Pyrenees. We were heading for the Lac De Gaube at Pont d’Espagne and I was informed that it would be a gentle up hill stroll for about half an hour. It turned out to be an up mountain hike across rocks and ravines which took a good hour, but all the same, the view that met us at the end of the struggle was well worth it. I’m glad that I hadn’t been the one carrying the picnic all that way though.

This month was one of the noisiest when it came to bird song, with the screeching of the gangs of swifts as they have swooped in and out of buildings, the exotic sound of the (yet to be seen) golden oriole in the woods and the numerous other birds out feeding their young. The frogs were still croaking too and obviously relieved that their pond was finally full up again.

The vegetable garden came on in leaps and bounds, providing a fantastic crop of French beans and courgettes (whoopee!!).

The tomatoes were looking good and our globe artichoke flowered for the first time. Sadly it will be another year before we will be able to appreciate them, but in the meantime, they have provided a welcome café for the numerous bees.

Sadly it was not all good news here this month. We had to say good-bye to three of our aging (non laying) hens which were left in the wild as they would have been too tough to eat. I am amazed to say that Evil Eyes, managed to survive a full two weeks before a fox found her.

We also ate the young cockerel as only one was sufficient for our brood and Michael would certainly have not entertained another. So with only three layers remaining, June was a very bad month for eggs. Next month, our young hens will have reached the age for laying (23 wks) so hopefully July will see us self-sufficient in eggs as well as vegetables again.

The drought continued through-out May and friends who were reliant on their own water source, were getting very worried. During this time, the frogs stopped singing as did the nightingale; the frogs, probably because of the heat and the lack of water and the nightingale (I’m hoping) because they didn’t want to disturb their young.

The reptiles generally were out in force and I (rather stupidly) went for a walk in my sandals and nearly put my foot down on a huge adder that was sunning itself in the freshly cut field. That will teach me to complain that I hadn’t seen any large snakes lately! We also sighted a rather lovely bright green lizard in the garden, which was a lot bigger and brighter than the ones we usually see and a lot quicker. The little green frogs were back in the garden, along with the stick insects and praying mantis-all very well camouflaged and difficult to spot!

We had swallows flying in and out of the hanger again. They used to nest in the shed under there, but since my 50th birthday bash two years ago, (when we had live music in the hanger) they had not been back. So we were really pleased to see their return and just have to remember now to keep the door open.

Socially, this was quite a busy month for us with friends and family staying during most of it. The band that Fin is in (VoltR) had two gigs- one during an Arts day in St. Martin and the other at a bar in Vic Fezensac which was very lively. I was particularly impressed when Fin coolly carried on with his guitar solo as a dancing drunk proceeded to fall in front of him and knock over his mic stand and monitor. Very ‘rock n, roll’!

As well as the usual markets at Mirande and Marciac, we held stalls at our local floralea and at a foir artisanale et degustration at a vineyard near Eaze www.sedouprat.com. This was in a lovely setting, on an exceptionally warm day and we ended up having a great time with the cream teas our friend Louise produced, definitely providing the highlight in the afternoon (how we have missed cream teas)!.

On the 29th May (exactly two months since the last downpour), the heavens finally opened again and a terrific storm pursued. Over the one night, we had 60 mm of water. Our near empty pond became almost full again, within days, the once brown grass became green, tiny brown frogs begun their migration and the larger frogs resumed their singing. It felt like nature was giving out a huge sigh of relief!
Prior to the rain and despite the lack of it, we had enjoyed an excellent crop of peas and the cherry trees this year were bowing with all the fruit.

Our neighbours on one side, needed help (from the taller members of the family) to pick their monstrous crop of cherries and the neighbours on the other side kindly shared their harvest of strawberries. In turn, we shall be sharing our plums, peaches and nectarines. The fruit and veg. swapping season has begun and I’m hoping that at least some of our courgettes (of which we will no doubt have plenty) will find themselves on other people’s plates!

Just like the UK, April was a rain free month, with the last downpour being at the end of March. As the pond is becoming dangerously low, the large carp that Fin released last year, can be seen looking for the deepest part of the pond where the whole of them can remain under water. We may have to release them back into the lake if the dry weather continues.

David celebrated his 50th birthday this month, but like the queen, he will have a 2nd celebration in June when a large party is planned and good weather guaranteed.

We took a day trip to Spain early in the month, as it is only an hour and a half’s drive away and is where cheaper wine and tobacco can be purchased. A trip to Bossost also makes for a lovely day out, as the drive through the mountains is very pretty and there is a very good tapas bar that we usually visit for lunch. During the second week of the Easter holidays, we took ourselves on a camping trip to Argeles Gazost in the Pyrenees.

While only being 90 minutes drive away the climate and the environment is refreshingly different and provided us with sufficient change to feel that we had had a proper break.

We found a lovely small campsite nestled in the valley, surrounded by snow topped mountains and set in a wild flower meadow next to the ruins of an old chateau. Although the site offered 70 places, we were the only ones there, which, considering it was Easter and the temperatures were over 30c, really took us by surprise.

Apparently, while the French generally love camping, many do not venture out with their tents until the summer.

The only disadvantage of being the only ones there was that at night, we were tormented by the screeching of wild cats as they looked for food and conversed with each other. The men (knowing that I was a bit scared of wolves) had been teasing me that wolves had been released nearby and I had believed them.

My fear stems from when I was a child and my brother and I used to listen to ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and enact it. John, being older, always played the wolf and I was inevitably the poor duck that got gobbled up. For years I had nightmares. On our first night in the tent, I clearly heard a wolf howling but of course, it was assumed that I had been imagining it.

It was not until we went to the animal park on the edge of town, and saw the beasts in the flesh, that I was believed and could sleep more soundly knowing that the wolves were well fenced in.

Le Parc animalier des Pyrenees provided a great afternoon out and we saw all the animals native to the area, including the huge brown bear and the delightful marmots which we were invited to hand feed. All the animals seemed to be happy and had plenty of space, while all the exotic creatures had been expertly stuffed!

I particularly enjoyed this outing as it was the only afternoon during our stay wherein we were not positioned beside a river or a lake. The main focus of this holiday was most certainly fishing, fishing and more fishing. Thank goodness that I had a really good book!

Spending a lot of time out of doors also gave me the opportunity to study the flora and fauna of the area. I was amazed at the number of plants that you would ordinarily see in the garden, growing in abundance in the wild, along side the many orchids. These included various species of geranium, climbing rose, clematis and a stunningly blue aquilegia.

Hoping to catch some escapees, our son fished one afternoon right next to a trout farm and along with the herons and the red kite was also attempting to have some fish for tea-but like Fin (and unlike the herons), with-out success!!

After our break, we returned to a garden that had suffered from more dry days and there was quite a bit of catching up to do but it was so lovely to be back home.

I always find March the most exciting month of the year (not just because of my birthday) and this year was no exception. It seems like the whole earth has suddenly come to life again in sound, colour, smell and movement.

New arrivals include the cuckoo, hoopoe, swallow and the loudest and most beautiful singer of them all-the nightingale. She can be heard clearly, night and day from the willow tree hundreds of metres away in our neighbour’s garden.

With the return of the black redstarts, my constant gardening companions of the winter, the robins have disappeared and the redstarts seem to have taken their place overseeing things in the garden.

The warmer weather has also brought with it some wonderful scents from the fruit blossom. The predominant scent however is that of the laurel blossom on the tree by the pond, which can be smelt through-out the garden and is really quite heady.

Plants have appeared which I had forgotten were there along with many that I wish were not! I am still learning to tell the difference between the wanted and unwanted flowers here and have made some grave mistakes in the past; but this spring is looking as if I may finally have started to get it right. Likewise, the vegetable plot is looking incredibly healthy and full of promise though it will take another year or two before we can enjoy the asparagus and globe artichoke.

We have a pair of harriers that have returned for breeding and I have finally managed to identify them as montague harriers. These birds are not quite as common as the marsh variety and provide great entertainment with their aeronautical skills as they fly over the rape field at the side of the house.

There is much activity in the pond now with newts and salamanders swimming around, along with the usual fry and tadpoles. With the warmer weather (30°c at times) the frogs have begun to make their presence heard by joining together to create a most magical sound. The frog’s chorus can again be heard at dawn and dusk and sometimes when the church bells chime.

The sound of our geese honking at all times however, was not welcome and became an increasing irritating as was their habit of picking all the spring flowers as they appeared. After much deliberation, we made the decision to revert back to our original plan and enjoyed several good meals (and a peaceful life) as a result. So sadly, Elizabeth and Nigel are no more and there will be no more naming of anything that we are likely to eat!

With only five hens remaining and no sign of any of them getting broody, we set out to Samatan market to get some more young hens (for eggs) and ducks (for meat). This is a fantastic market where all manner of animals can be brought, from peacocks to puppies and is the best market around for its choice of poultry. Some people might find the way in which some of the animals are kept somewhat upsetting, but this is rural France and attitudes towards animal welfare are different to those of the UK. Us Brits have a reputation for being real softies when it comes to animals. Perhaps this is why there are so many ex pats out here who end up providing homes for all the stray dogs and cats in the area.

Anyway, we returned from Samatan with six, five week old hens and four Muscovy ducks which we kept in the ‘nursery’ in the hanger for a few weeks and are now happily wandering around in the enclosure with the others.

It is now three years since we moved to France and so much has happened since then and much has been achieved. All repairs have been carried out; windows fitted where there were none, the barn converted to a gite, the wine cellar into a kitchen and the cowshed into a pottery. The garden is now in order, the vegetable plot, well established and secure poultry enclosure and housing built, along with a ‘nursery’ in the hanger for the young birds.

It had been a very satisfying period of our lives during which, we have learnt a number of new skills and had the pleasures of time in which to discover new surroundings and make new friends.

We had a rather chilly beginning to February and for weeks, it seemed like spring was a long, long way away. Fin left to find the snow on a school skiing trip, which meant that we had an extremely peaceful week with-out the usual blues music blaring out, lights being left on and the general mayhem that a teenager so naturally creates.

During this time, Dave kept himself particularly busy painting the out-side of the house. This proved to be a time consuming task. A mixture of lime and earth mixed to the consistency of double cream was applied with quite a small brush to ensure that every crack and crevice was covered. This is quite an old method and preferable to paint as not only is it cheaper, but the lime ensures that neither moss nor insects can settle.

We have had some lovely long walks this month and in Monpariac woods, with the trees still bare, the hunting lodges are no longer camouflaged, and it looks like the set of a Lord of the Rings film. No hobbits here though-this is where the Frenchmen shoot for pigeons. There is an elaborate hoist system which runs through the tops of the trees and carries a decoy pigeon to tempt the real ones. Some of these constructions are huge and can easily take half a dozen people and the huts are clearly designed as not only a hunting look-out, but also a place in which to relax and celebrate the catch of the day. There are always empty bottles left out-side-evidence no doubt of a successful day’s shooting.

During a particularly sunny and warm week-end, our friend Sarah Beattie (well known vegetarian chef http://lacuisineverte.blogspot.com/) came to photograph our pizza oven for an article she was making on Italian cuisine for the magazine ‘Vegetarian Living’. We had the pleasure therefore, of sampling some exquisite pizzas and are now look forward to seeing our lovely pizza oven featured in a national magazine-fame at last!

During the rare sunny days, we have noticed that the wildlife is slowly beginning to return and make its presence known. We have seen huge crowds of what I believe are buntings, gracing the skies and last week, the first small group of cranes were spotted returned from their African trip.

The first bat has come bravely out and slowly, we are hearing and seeing more and more frogs. Coming back from a friends house the other evening, we had to dodge numerous frogs and toads that were crossing the roads and as we entered our village, we spotted the first couple of boar of the year. I like to make a point of mentioning the boar as not only are they incredibly elusive, noble creatures, but a friend who has lived here the same time as we have, is yet to spot any. So yes Jonathan, we have spotted some more!

Finally, this month, our new pottery website is up and running (thanks again to my wiz of a brother) and I have discovered how to design my own business cards to publicise it. So do check out the new site www.frenchtiles.eu

The Year went off to a very good start with New Year’s Day being one of the sunniest and warmest days (16c) of the winter. Our traditional new years walk therefore, proved to be a real pleasure and certainly helped to blow away the cobwebs from the previous night’s rather wild celebrations.

The month continued very positively in that we received quite a few enquiries about the gite ending up with 5 weeks of bookings for the summer. We’re concluding that the drop in price has certainly helped but also some of the bookings were the result of previous guests’ recommendations which is really encouraging!

During January and February, we have decided not to have a stall at Marciac outdoor market on account of the weather but we now have a stall at Mirande indoor market on a Monday morning and plan to do both in the spring. I’m in the process of setting up a link to Presbytere Poterie on this website which will hopefully be accessible by next month.

We ate our two remaining ducks during this month and as usual, they proved to be delicious; there is nothing like eating a home reared bird knowing exactly what the duck has been eating and that it has had a good life.

Despite only having five chickens now, we have been frustrated by the amount of damage that their constant scratching at the ground has done to the garden. Because of this and the fact that occasionally we have lost the odd chicken, we decided to move them and Michael into the enclosure where they would still be free range but a lot safer. Unfortunately this did not work well as the geese bullied the hens and after one or two confrontations, Michael ceased to stand up to the geese and stopped his crowing. In turn, the hens also fell very quiet and stopped laying.

At this time the geese had started to become sexually active (this is when I discovered that Elizabeth was Nigel and Nigel was Elizabeth) and very noisy which absolutely terrified the chickens.

Now the geese can roam free during the day and go into the enclosure at night once the chickens are shut away in their hut -so far both parties seem to be happier with this arrangement and the chickens have finally started to lay again.

Who knows, Elizabeth herself may start laying one day and (as a fellow Archers listener suggested), we could have another Lilly and Freddy! Nigel will live on . . .

January is definitely the month for coypu (ragondon) spotting and we have seen several large communities of them grazing in the maize fields beside the dividing gullies and streams. They resemble the European beaver in looks and size but with a rat’s tail instead of a paddle. The young ones are rather cute and look like guinea pigs.

People generally consider coypu as vermin and because of the huge increase in the local population, residents in our commune have requested a cull, which involves setting traps.

Some French people have suggested that they make good eating and apparently in the Dordogne you will find them on the menu as the ‘Giant dormouse’. Martha (our dog) certainly would agree that they are tasty as she managed to kill and eat two of the younger ones we came across as I was out taking pictures of them for this diary!

There has been plenty to do on the land this month and I have produced a new raised flower bed at the back of the house where we had left all the rubble that we had dug out while preparing the kitchen floor. This proved a back breaking job, getting rid of all the rocks and rubble but was well worth the effort and I’m hoping that come the spring there will be that extra bit of interest in the garden. It has been so nice not to have to worry about chickens digging up and scratching over what has just been planted!

The end of January provided some much needed warmer weather which brought out so many more birds and the occasional very brave lizard.

Already, the kites can be seen gliding in small groups before pairing up for the spring. We always know when they are flying over as the geese make a hell of a racket, whereas they tend to ignore the buzzards and the harriers.

One gets the sense that spring is now just around the corner and that those cold winter evenings are slowly coming to an end.

The Good Life Diary 2010

The Good Life Diary 2009