Tuesday, July 07, 2015

A time of adjustment

My last post was written just 3 days before we set off on our journey to Normandy and since then a lot has happened. After spending a couple of days with my dear mother-in-law, we visited DS and his family for the weekend and finally arrived here just before midnight a couple of weeks ago.

As soon as we arrived we made the unwelcome discovery that, for the first time in 12 years of ownership, we had been visited by mice over the winter. Spiders and their webs are always here to greet us, but mice have been conspicuous by their absence until now. Thankfully they appear to have departed, having obviously decided that our settee cushions aren’t to their taste, after having sampled all but one of them.

The next discovery was that it now takes us longer than in previous years to recover from the preparations and the journey. No longer do we spring from our beds the morning after our arrival, ready to do battle with the cobwebs and unpack the van in less time than it takes to tell. We were very tired and knew it, so the cleaning and unpacking stretched over a couple of days or more before the last box and bag were emptied and the contents put away.

After that it was the turn of the garden. The third discovery was that the tree surgeon had done a wonderful job of cutting down and clearing away the three big poplars and our beloved cherry tree, leaving us only a pile of cherry logs and yet more ruts in the grass where his heavy equipment had unavoidably compressed the winter-wet ground. Cutting the grass in some parts of the garden now feels like pushing a mower over corrugated iron and DH has just invested in a mattock to help level the worst of the ruts.


On the positive side, we’ve discovered that even without our magnificent cherry tree the garden still looks attractive and my little flower border is flourishing as never before.  The garden table and chairs sit well in the lesser shade of the cherry tree on our boundary and we are discussing with the tree surgeon the purchase and planting of not one but two trees to replace the coeur de pigeon – a black cherry and an eating apple.


Another positive is the weather, which has been warm and sunny almost all the time since we arrived and indeed last week became very hot for a few days, though nothing like as sweltering as further south in France. It has been lazy weather, conducive to sitting in the shade with a book, rather than racing around the garden with a mower, and my mental processes almost went onto standby for a while, hence the lack of posts.



Today is cool and rainy, freshening up the vegetation and making me feel awake enough to string more than a couple of thoughts together. I’m starting to plan ahead again and look forward to our normal pleasant summer pattern of meeting up with friends, knitting and chatting happily at the weekly craft afternoon, and getting lots of healthy exercise in the garden. We’re even getting regular visits from last year’s kittens, now lithe and wary young cats who recognise a couple of mugs when they see them. Oh, and the jam apricots are now in the shops again…





54 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    meeces?.... I'd be seriously encouraging those kittehs to hang around!!! Glad to hear you have taken it a little easy and not pushed beyond. Shame about the ruts, but the place is looking very attractive! YAM xx

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    1. I know, Yam. Given how many cats there are around here now, I'm surprised any mice got near the place. - or perhaps they were taking refuge!
      I don't think we had any choice about taking it easy. We'd had a very busy few weeks and it all caught up with us. We can now tinker gently with the ruts when the fancy takes us. :-)

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  2. Even though it took you longer to settle in this time iI must say it does look idyllic.

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    1. It's a lovely area and i always feel very fortunate to be able to spend time here, Susan. The longer settling time is just advancing years, I think.

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  3. Join the club! BH & I returned from the weekend in Tewkesbury (Cluster day) on Sunday and have been flattened ever since! Partly to do with having been combining BH's birthday celebration (both the 'steps' came for the previous weekend) and the GCSE marking, which latter was much harder this year than I ever remember it being before, and assorted hospital trips prior to that .... Increasing age is definitely 'ritenuto' tempo - and we don't bounce back so quickly!
    Lucky you with such nice weather - it's been very much too hot at times, and then heavy rain at others. Poor BH got saturated when we got back to park the caravan at CSC, and on Friday might we were boiled and I was frozen on Saturday night in the 'van (not literally, but it felt like it!) And tomorrow we're forecast winds from the Arctic.... :-(
    Apricot jam will be made here, too - there were some nice ones in Lidl, and they're now cut up and in the freezer all ready and waiting. Last year's batch is nearly finished.
    Love to you both. P & b.

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    1. I'm glad to know it isn't just me who is slowing down a bit, Helva. :-) I found a marked difference this time from previous years, but have to admit that the weeks before we left were much busier this year than last, so that probably had something to do with it. You have been horribly busy and stressed recently, so I'm not surprised your trip to Tewkesbury flattened you. Do try to ease off for a bit.

      Our weather is very much cooler again today, with a chilly northwesterly wind and more rain this morning. Much better weather for jam-making which will happen tomorrow :-) The forecast is for rather warmer weather towards the weekend but nowhere near as hot as last week, thank goodness. There's a good reason we're in Normandy and not further south - we don't do heat very well. xx

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  4. I can only echo what everyone else has said. Your house and garden look lovely, even without the cherry tree, and so do the cats.
    It is good to hear (and see from the pictures) that you are both OK. It is so long since we heard from you I was beginning to fear something had happened to you.
    You are doing absolutely the right thing in taking things at a slightly more leisurely pace than usual. I hope you both benefit from your change of scenery.
    The heat here has been absolutely unbearable but is mercifully a tad cooler today.

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    1. So sorry it's taken me so long to reply, Ray. Yes, the house itself hasn't changed and we're getting used to the garden without the big cherry tree. The cats are playing games with us - turning up en masse some days and then disappearing for ages. Fickle creatures... :-)
      Taking it easier seems to be becoming the new norm for us, especially when the weather is hot. The heatwave is over, but it still gets very hot whenever we have a cloudless day, so I'm having to pace myself with gardening and other outdoor activities. Today it's chilly and showery and I feel much more awake!

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  5. Your house is delightful, and I am sure you are enjoying the shade of the border tree. I looks that way. Glad things are slowing down a wee bit.Lovely, lovely, lovely. Glad the kitties are still around.

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    1. So sorry it's taken me so long to reply,Bonnie. The house is small and sweet and we're very fond of it. The border tree doesn't give any shade in the morning, but since I don't usually sit outside until after lunch, that isn't a problem. This has been a busy week, but today is cool and showery and I'm having a quiet afternoon catching up with comments. The cats on the other hand appear to have deserted us at the moment. :-(

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  6. Sounds idyllic. I'm sure the adjusting, and unpacking, and setting up your house again must take time and much energy, but then you get to sit and read and break that up with great social interaction. Enjoy!

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    1. Thanks, Sally, and sorry it's taken me so long to reply. We're back in the rhythm of life here now and enjoying it very much, especially now it's not too hot to move. Neither if us does very hot weather well, which is why we're in Normandy and not further south. :-)

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  7. Your holiday is now beginning ... for some unknown reason as we mature we do need to take things easy. Sorry about the mice ... the cats should have kept them down if they expect little treats from you in the summer:) Even without the cherry tree your summer home looks a wonderful haven ... enjoy the rest of your stay.

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    1. pologies for taking so long to reply, Shirley. It's been a busy week. Interestingly we don't think of it as being on holiday, because we are here for so long. We just get on with life in a different place for a while, catching up with friends we only see here. Unfortunately I don't think the cats see it as their job to catch our mice and we still can't find where the hungry little creatures got in! :-(

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  8. Your French Summer house is enchanting, Perpetua, with or without the cherry tree. And your garden chairs look as inviting as ever in their new place. Oh dear re the mice - and how dare they sample all your cushions! Seems the cats were sent for a reason...
    Enjoy a wonderful, restful time in the sunshine.

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    1. Thanks, Patricia, and apologies for the delay in replying. We're getting used to the absence of the big cherry tree and are finding the garden furniture works well on the flatter ground near the boundary. I'm now working out where to put the cushions over next winter as I don't think we can rely on the cats to keep the mice away, so preventive action is called for. :-)

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    2. Do you have any evidence the mice made it as far as upstairs? If not, get some under-bed zipped storage bags, maybe, and suck the excess air out of them with the vacuum cleaner. But the cushions would need to be dry as a bone, or mould would develop. Or, as you have your camper van with you, why not bring them back to the UK?

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    3. All the evidence is upstairs since that is where the wicker furniture overwinters. Under-bed storage isn't possible as the beds already have it built-in and full. I think we'll put the cushions up on top of the wardrobe this time and hope. Carting them to and fro would be just too much trouble, especially as we've never had any damage before in all these years.

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  9. As we get older and the years pass, we do take a little more time to get started.. I know I do.. and more so , now I have had my spinal surgery..
    Its all looking so lovely Perpetua.. your table and chairs and the hedge.. new trees will give a different look. just idyllic for your summer days.
    mice, always get in little country houses. i have had them here earlier when we were renovating the old farm house . leave some moth balls around and put your cushions in big thick plastic.. that should help. Best, is to have someone go in once in a while.
    Enjoy your garden.. and your lovely cottage ..
    Happy summer days Valxxxx

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    1. Thanks, Val, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply. I can imagine your spinal surgery has forced you to slow down a lot for a while, just as I had to do after my hernia and cataract operations and my broken wrist. We just have to accept the fact that we're not as quick and energetic as we used to be.
      We love it here and are getting used to how different the garden looks. What we can't understand is why we had mice this year when we've never had them before. Most odd and I'll be careful to put the cushions well out of reach when we leave in the autumn.

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  10. It's always good to know our limits, and I think you were very wise to take your time settling into your summer home. It looks so picturesque and relaxing. Enjoy your time in France now that you have unpacked and dethroned the mice.

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    1. Thanks, Kristie. I seem to be taking my time over everything at the moment, even over reply to comments. Sorry! We always love our time here and the weather is certainly being kind this summer which is very enjoyable. Mind you, I need to get mowing again now the heatwave is over!

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  11. Third time lucky in making a comment....thunderstorms twice and Blogger once....
    It does seem to take longer to bounce back, doesn't it: still, bounce you have and are enjoying your time in Normandy.
    As to the mice...take a look at borders round the house...French houses being somewhat lacking in foundations the little devils can sometimes manage to burrow in when the weather is inclement.

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    1. Thanks for persevering with your comment, Helen, and sorry to have taken so long to reply. Once the weather had cooled I just had to get on with making the jam before the apricots I'd bought went off.
      We've a had a preliminary look round and as yet can't see where the mice got in. We'll just have to look harder, as well as making sure we put the cushions well out of harm's way when we leave. Now they've found their way in, they'll probably pay us a visit again. :-(

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  12. Yes, it does take longer to jump into the adventure of a second place. I still expect myself to have the energy I did even five years ago. I need to lower my expectations.

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    1. You know just what I mean, Linda, with your long trip down to your winter home. It's not easy to accept the reduction in energy and stamina that age brings, but acceptance is the first step to learning new ways of dealing with things.

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  13. Such a welcoming house.
    Now, where were those cats when the mice were invading your house? Too busy watching the trees coming down, I suppose. They are still cute - and stories to come, I hope, of your apricot jam.
    Glad to hear you both had a bit of a rest before tacking everything. I know what you mean about things taking a little longer, Perpetua. Cold and rainy here today - enough that we needed sweaters, which is unheard of here in July. Oh well . . . everything is green and lush.

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    1. We think the same whenever we arrive, Penny, and very soon feel at home again.
      I imagine the cats were taking shelter from a long, wet and miserable winter, as the mice were too. :-) We'll have to try and find where they got in and stop them doing it again next winter.
      We've done rather a lot of resting over the past three weeks. The busyness before coming and the busyness and heat since have conspired to slow us both down considerably, but I've stopped feeling guilty about just doing nothing.
      It's coo land showery here today, but nowhere near as wet as your weather. I do hope your summer arrives soon.

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  14. Sad that you've lost your cherry tree, but the countryside still looks beautiful. I know what you mean about 'slowing down,' - it's happening here as well :)

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    1. The countryside is lovely and unspoilt, Molly, and at least a woodworking friend wants some of our cherry wood to make things, so it's not a complete loss.
      I think a lot of my readers are of the same generation as DH and me, so we're probably all slowing down together. :-)

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  15. A few of us are of a similar age Perpetua, but nevertheless have always been active and with more energy than a lot of younger people. This year I also realised that I have been slowing down a bit. It's frustrating because in my head I can do it all! Taking it a bit slower isn't such a bad thing though is it? Things get done eventually...and what doesn't get done can wait. Those cats never forget do they? Enjoy your time there xxx

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    1. That's exactly it, Ayak. Despite our age we've been busy and active and needing to slow down a bit has almost taken us by surprise. I think we'll just have to revise our expectations and recognise we won't get things done as fast as we did in the past. My new mantra is "There's always tomorrow!"
      The cats turned up in force when we first arrived, but now just call in occasionally when passing...

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  16. Looks a proper little haven, Perpetua. As for slowing down, I agree with Ayak that this is no bad thing at all! I'm struggling in the immense heat we have and sometimes, my progress with anything is almost imperceptible!
    Sometimes it's such fun to be busy but enjoying doing things slowly is also jolly nice!

    Axxx

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    1. It's a lovely place, Annie, and we were very lucky to find it. Who knows, we may one day actually finish the renovation. :-)

      I'm not surprised you find it hard to do anything in the appalling heat you're experiencing. Our bit of a heatwave was nothing in comparison, but I still found it hard to do much. Now it's cooler I'm alternating between being reasonably busy and doing nothing much at all and it seems to be working. I do hope the weather cools down for you soon.

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  17. I see no mention of clarinet practice in your list of activities - tsk, tsk! ;-) I'll have to be careful that Grandson No.2 doesn't see that, or he'll be adding it to his list of Reasons Why He Doesn't Have to Practise!! More seriously - glad to know you're getting good weather this year, and the garden still looks lovely, even minus your big cherry tree. It looks as if it may feel more spacious, though I guess we'll need to visit again sometime to check out that impression ;-) Love from us all. DD

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    1. Oh woe, my sins have found me out! I'm ashamed to say I haven't yet got into the swing of it since we arrived. Don't tell Grandson#2 or he'll use me as an excuse for evermore. :-)

      The weather so far has been very much better than some of the summers we've had recently, though it's been much more changeable this week, now that French schools have broken up for the holidays. The mixture of warmth and moisture means that the grass is growing like mad, so I must get out with the mower again soon. Yes. it does feel more spacious, so we're planning where to put the new fruit trees to best effect. You'll have to come and see them once they're planted. xxx

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  18. I love the look of your cottage. Are those windows in the roof? What happens if it rains? What is behind the shutters in that peak in the roof? Double floor to ceiling windows or maybe a door that once opened out onto a porch of some sort? I love the weathered brick but would have you paint the shutters a nice faded turquoise color. It would look luscious! You do need something to keep you occupied other than just lazing around reading and such ;o) You know what you can do with unsolicited advice. I find houses, especially old ones, endlessly interesting and always come up with modifications or changes especially landscaping advice and wonder why no one living there ever thought of doing those things. Most of the time I wisely keep it to myself!

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    1. Thanks, Vic. Yes, those are windows in the roof. They're known as Velux windows and are double-glazed and very well sealed, so rain is no problem. As for your other questions, you've given me an idea for a post in which I'll answer them more fully. Blue shutters aren't traditional in this area, though they are common in the south of France. Here shutters are almost always white or brown. As our doors and new windows are brown, I think we'll probably stay with brown for the shutters. DH prefers to keep them shabby, even peeling, as it makes the house seem not worth bothering with for burglars in our absence. :-)

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  19. It sounds as if you arrived just in time Perpetua to send those naughty mice packing and on their way.
    I am pleased that the outlook in the garden has not been devastated for you by the removal of the cherry tree, and that you are happy with the outcome.
    It does take longer to get organised as the years pass, and it surprising just how quickly it all suddenly creeps up on you.
    Enjoy the rest of your stay, sitting reading whilst nibbling cherries in idyllic surroundings looks ideal.

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    1. We haven't heard or seen a sign of any mice since we arrived, so I think you're right, Rosemary. I'm hoping it was just a one-off occurrence after so many years of being mouse-free.
      I've surprised myself by how quickly I've adapted to the loss of the cherry-tree. The anticipation was worse than the reality, as it turned out. However I do still feel a pang when the sun is very hot and there is so much less shade, especially when trying to weed the front flower border.
      In future years we'll be prepared for the adjustment to take longer, but this year it was a bit of a shock. Being able to sit outside relaxing did help, though the sun has disappeared for the present and it's cloudy and cool now, much better for gardening. :-)

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  20. My apologies for taking so long to comment on this post Perpetua. So glad to see & read that you're settling well into your French summer home and that the garden still looks good, despite losing your favourite cherry tree.

    I'm also glad to read that your spells of hot weather haven't lasted too long. Unfortunately, we've now had a very long period of hot & sticky weather here in Prague, with very little relief. River levels are low & the grassy areas around the flats where we live, are all yellow rather than green. I'd love a long heavy thundery downpour & a drop in temperature of ten degrees!

    Sorry for being the proofreader but I think you were 'spending' rather than 'sending' a couple of days with your mother-in-law.

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    1. No problem, Ricky. I'm afraid I haven't been the most assiduous of blog readers and commenters myself recently. We've settled in nicely now and have gradually got used to the absence of the cherry tree, though its shade was much missed in the hottest weather. It's not cold by any means even now, but the temperatures are in the 20s, not the 30s, which is what I think you would welcome too. I do hope you get some relief soon.

      Many thanks for spotting my mistake. I don't know how many times I've read that paragraph by now, but i just hadn't seen it. Now corrected. :)

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  21. I can so relate to your comments about needing more time to do tasks that were once so easy. My husband and I have been feeling our age lately, too. It sounds like you've very wisely just given yourselves permission to move at a slower pace -- and simply enjoy your wonderful summer home! It looks beautiful even without that glorious cherry tree, but I know that tree was very special to you. Hope the replacements give you many more years of delicious fruit and shade!

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    1. It does seem to come to us all sooner or later, Kathy, and i know you've written about it more than once. We just have to learn to pace ourselves. We'll get everything done, but it takes a bit longer than it once did. We're gradually getting used to the garden without the cherry tree, though I've missed its shade on the hottest days. It will be years before any replacements give much shade and fruit, but we're planting for the future and know we will never see the new trees in their full glory.

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  22. Reading your first posts from France each summer is beginning to feel like a little summer ritual. Eek re. the mice, but I'm glad to hear the loss of the cherry tree wasn't as terrible a thing as you might have feared. Here's hoping you're enjoying good weather and plenty of down time :o)

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    1. Yes, our annual round is really rather predictable now, Annie, apart from unwelcome innovations such as mouse damage. I still miss the cherry tree and its lovely shade, but am starting to appreciate the very open feel of a garden not too dominated by trees. After the short-lived heatwave at the beginning of the month, the weather is now a typical Normandy mixture of sunshine and showers, which suits us very well :)

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  23. Mouse poo... what a lovely greeting on your arrival. Great to catch up with your antics - I've been away for a while. I love the greenness of your garden - we've been watering ours as much as we can but the heat is going to do my lawn in soon. Roll on September!

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    1. Hey, MM, welcome back to blogdom! It wasn't so much the poo, of which there wasn't very much, as the holes in almost every cushion we possess. It looked like it/they'd been sampling to find the tastiest,. :) Yes, despite our little heatwave a couple of weeks ago, everything is still very green here, especially after the past few days of rain. You're really catching the heat down south and I do hope it cools down and freshens up for you before too long.

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    2. Thanks, Miss P. i'm happy to be back too - the last few moths were a bit hectic and then my muse did a runner on me. Mrs Playmo said it would all work out in the end though, and I agree.
      I think that the missing parts of your cushions have been used to furnish nests for babies. I just hope that they have all moved out. Yup, it's rather toasty down South at the moment. I'm impatient to see the best part of summer arrive - the Indian summer right at the end of the holiday season :D

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    3. Oh, I know all about errant muses, MM. Mine is AWOL too - probably on holiday like the rest of the world.
      No sign of the baby mice, so I'm hoping they've moved out and escaped our usual quota of semi-feral farm cats who pop round to say hello from time to time. We're due for some hotter weather soon, but nothing like you're getting. Roll on the Indian summer. :)

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  24. " it now takes us longer than in previous years to recover from the preparations and the journey."....
    that, Perpetua, is what finally made us make the permanent move South to France...
    Pauline doesn't drive, so we could not share the journey...
    but we wouldn't go back...
    not to the paramedics sirens going all night long...
    or the environmentally aware students going down to the all night Co-op...
    taking their empties to the bottlebank by the station...
    before buying refills and sitting on the low wall that was next door...
    and slinging take-away wrappers and crisp bags into that and our garden...
    and I even caught one lad adding some liquid fertilizer to our front garden shrubs...
    my call from our bedroom window of...
    "Thank you so much... that'll save me having to feed and water them this week!"...
    seemed to fall on unabashed ears.

    Mice... mice!!!
    Don't talk to me about mice...
    here we are right out in the country...
    and we had an invasion of House Mice this year!
    I used the camera trap to see what was going on...
    and got some lovely video of them removing the hazelnuts from their hanging bag...
    one by one...
    and where did they hide their hoard?
    In the box with the cats' packets of Felix...
    so each night they carried the nuts...
    and each morning I put most of them back in the sack...
    they must have thought a miracle had occured...
    a bottomless bag of hazelnuts.
    We eventually managed to catch all four of them...
    and they were released near the village...
    where they belong...
    five kilometers away!

    Ruts... ruts!!!!
    Don't talk to me about ruts...
    we had our longère roof done this winter...
    you can understand ...
    hope you are well,
    Tim

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    1. Lovely to hear from you, Tim, and I was interested to read how you came to your decision to move to France permanently. This isn't a decision we're ever likely to take, not least because we still enjoy our peripatetic life, despite the adjustments taking longer with advancing years. We're also fortunate enough to live in a quiet village at home in Wales, rather than amidst the urban noise and mess you describe. I'm not surprised rural France seemed an infinitely better alternative and I know you love your life here.

      Congratulations on your perseverance with mouse capture and release. We haven't seen hide nor hair of the beasties since we arrived - just the damage they left behind. We're very much hoping this was a one-off and that future winters will be mouse-free in our absence.

      As for the ruts, I'm still discovering them. There has been a hiatus in my mowing endeavours for various reasons and I'm now coming up against them with a bump as they are buried in some very long grass. My poor mower... DH has been dragooned back into action with the mattock. :)

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  25. I replied with a comment earlier that just didn't seem to take! Anyway, wonderful that you are recovering nicely -- I can totally sympathise as early on our arrival I managed to pull a thigh muscle getting out of a low sunlounger and it was weeks before I could get up without wincing. We are having a lovely summer day most of the time, but the occasional threat of thunder and very high humidity are indicators that a cool and rainy time is ahead the next few days. I am responding to you on my tablet using a mobile router that connects to the mobile phone network and is better than no Internet access at all. So I do envy you yours! But still I am now sitting outside on the terrace and finding the tablet very convenient indeed!

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    1. Your comment did in fact make it through Blogger's system, Broad, but it's on my latest post which is where I've just replied to it. Your thigh muscle and my varicose inflammation were both sent to try us, but it looks like we're both over the worst, thank goodness. Our weather is damp and showery and much cooler today after a rumble or two of thunder yesterday. The rest of the week is supposed to be cool (a northerly wind) but mainly sunny, which will be ideal for doing the jobs that need to be done before we pack up to go home a week tomorrow.

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