After a hot day, and with an even hotter one promised for tomorrow, I’m just sitting in the garden as the day cools,
enjoying a quiet glass of calvados after supper and watching the sun set and a
swarm of little flies dancing with impunity until the bats leave our loft for
their nightly hunt. High in the sky a couple of north-bound jets leave
glittering contrails in the afterglow, while two talkative birds converse
across the whole width of the garden. In the huge poplar by the lane, I can see
massive balls of mistletoe which we are legally bound to get rid of in this
apple-growing area, but that's a job for another day...
Your description of the evening is so vivid that I felt like I was sitting, for a delicious moment, right beside you taking it all in! I love your comfort with all that makes up your environment. And I think my blood pressure just went down a bit from this virtual visit. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. It was such a perfect moment I just had to get it down in writing and once I'd done that I just had to share it. :-) We've had some very mixed weather since we arrived and it hasn't often been warm enough to sit out in the evening, so I revelled in doing just that yesterday.
DeleteHow wonderfully tranquil it sounds. It's great to hear how lovely your surroundings are, but also to know just how much you appreciate them.
ReplyDeleteContinue to enjoy it and I will try not to be too envious.
Bon nuit.
It really is wonderfully tranquil, Ray, especially in the evening when a car on the little road past the house is a rarity. As I said to Kathy, there haven't been many sitting-out evenings since we arrived, so I really enjoyed this one. Tonight is warm but cloudy and we have an orange warning for thunderstorms tomorrow!
DeleteSo very Peaceful. Enjoy it as much as you can.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bonnie. I shall indeed and always do. We never tire of it.
DeleteDearest Perpetua, I feel as if I am sitting with you as your hot day ends, with the impending swarm of hungry bats and the future removal of the mistletoe. Somehow, in your hot summer, you have managed to craft such tranquil beauty out of the lateness of your day. How I loved reading this.
ReplyDelete(and I write this with delight on the new laptop - you were so right about this :) )
Yay! Penny has a laptop! :-) Glad to hear you're enjoying it.
DeleteIt was one of those perfect moments and I really wanted to capture it in words, as much for my own sake as anyone else's. The fact that the photo worked was a bonus, my camera being unreliable at lower light levels. I'm glad you enjoyed it all so much.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteMassive balls of mistletoe??? Is snow predicted? Hhehehe. So evocative... YAM xx
Absolutely huge, Yam! We didn't get round to clearing the mistletoe from our trees last summer and it's run riot now. Oddly enough I love the fact it grows so freely here, even though I know it's a pest. There's something ancient about mistletoe...
DeleteWhat a delightful poetic description of the evening. I could 'see' it so perfectly:) Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shirley. That's what I hoped for and it's good to know you were there with me. :)
DeleteThat sounds delightful - is there a problem that the mistletoe will self seed on apple trees and cause them damage?
ReplyDeleteIt really was, Susan. Yes, mistletoe is considered a real agricultural pest here and all property owners have a legal duty to keep their trees free of it. We regularly have to clear it from both the apple trees and the poplars.
DeleteWe are also in the middle of a heat wave on the Canadian prairies. Good for our hay harvest since we did lose some to excessive rain, but not as good for our poultry barns, where we will have fans running and may start misting the birds with a fine spray if the temps go too high.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for air conditioning in the house, and cool nights when we throw open windows.
I'm glad to hear you've got some warm weather to make up for all the rain, but I hope it doesn't stay too hot for too long. Our French neighbours raise chickens in a big barn down the road from us and their fans are working overtime at the moment.
DeleteNo air conditioning here, just open windows, but of course we don't tend to get the prolonged hot spells that are common on the Canadian prairies. Ours will probably be over by the weekend.
What a lovely evening you describe, Perpetua. So restful and filled with peace. I'm fascinated with the mistletoe and so interested to learn that you have a legal obligation to eradicate it. What an interesting responsibility! I hope that isn't too much work, but I sense it may be! You'd better rest up all you can. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt really was a perfect evening, Debra, and I enjoyed sharing it with you. I'm glad I captured it as already there's a change on the way today, with much more cloud and thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow. Mistletoe is very common here and all property owners have to keep their trees free from it, because of the risk to the apple orchards and the cider industry.. Unfortunately we didn't manage to clear it last summer, so now there's twice as much to cut down. :-)
DeleteWhen I read this on Facebook last night, before you turned it into a blogpost, I was tempted to comment, 'Can I come & join you!' :-) Like others, I was surprised to read that you have a legal obligation to remove mistletoe from trees on your property. I presume it's because it is parasitic & could spread to nearby commercial apple trees.
ReplyDeleteI would love to be able to share it with you, Ricky. Perhaps one day when you've retired...
DeleteYes, every summer there are notices in the local paper reminding property owners of their legal duty to keep their land free of two agricultural pests - mistletoe and thistles. We don't have thistles, but this year we have a LOT of mistletoe, perhaps because of the mild, wet winter. There are still quite a few commercial apple and pear orchards in Lower Normandy and we wouldn't ant a shortage of cider or calvados, would we?
It sounds blissful, Perpetua. I have never tried calvados, but you make it sound delicious! Can't wait to get to France :))
ReplyDeleteIt was a perfect moment, Patricia, and I'm glad I seized it as tonight it's still very warm and now raining heavily, with thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow. Calvados is apple brandy and I like it much better than ordinary brandy, especially when it's young and still tastes of apples. :-) Do try it.
DeleteIt's the little things that make up a moment to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Sarah, and each combination is unique.
DeleteIt sounds like the perfect end to a day. That's odd that you are legally bound to get rid of the mistletoe. Does this mean if you are caught under it instead of getting kissed you get a fine? (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
ReplyDeleteIt was really lovely, Kristie, and I could hardly bear to come indoors.
DeleteNormandy is apple country and the cider and calvados (apple brandy) industry is still important to the local economy. Therefore any threat to the productivity of the orchards has to be dealt with, hence the legal obligation on all property owners to clear mistletoe from their trees. If only we could do it in December we'd make a fortune. ;-)
You do sound content... and I think this is a very good thing.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm very content, thanks, Rian, As as you know from our discussions, i think contentment is a very good thing. :-)
DeleteAhh, how evocative. Calvados..mmmm….
ReplyDeleteThanks, DB. I imagine you've spent many a holiday evening in similar circumstances. ;) I love a drop of calva from time to time - not the vintage kind, but the young stuff still tasting of apples...
DeleteLovely post, Perpetua - I can just visualise it. Please may we come and join you! (I wish!!) It's hot and sticky here now (2100hrs), and thunderstorms are forecast, and for Saturday as well (wonderful - it's the Sailing Club Open Day!!) Smokey & the Bandit aren't going to be very happy doggies if there's a lot of lightening and thunder.
ReplyDeleteHow on earth are you going to get all that mistletoe down - it looks as if some of it is really high up?
Glad you enjoyed it, Helva, and I'd love you to be able to join us, though you'd probably not want to be here this evening - still very warm and now raining heavily. We have an orange warning of severe thunderstorms for later tomorrow and into Saturday! I hope it srtays fine for your Open Day.
DeleteWe have a wonderfully stable French fruit-picking ladder which reaches quite high up and from there DH will wield his long lopper.We should get most, if not all, of it that way.
I forgot to say that I have some apricots macerating, to be turned into jam tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteI bought mine today and will spend some of tomorrow cutting them up ready for maceration. We're on our last jar of last summer's batch. :-)
DeleteFriday 1530hrs: Jam completed, now cooling. Looks as if it'll set nicely this time - and I put the juice of one lemon in with it just to make sure (BH's suggestion)! The apricots (880gms) were on sale in Morrison's for £2 for 3 punnets, so they've made 3 & a bit jars. If they've got any more next week I may make another batch. It tastes wonderful - although as we're having a very hot and sticky day it wasn't the best time to be slaving over a hot stove!! Mega thunderstorm in the early hours - dogs were in a right state, so we're a bit lacking in sleep today! BH is off to the SC (plus dogs) any minute now, for the w/end, leaving me to prepare for Sunday.
DeleteGlad your jam has set for you, Helva. I won't be aiming for a firm British set, but for the softer French consistency. I'll be doing my fruit this evening, so that it will just be nicely ready for me to make the jam tomorrow afternoon, when according to the weather forecast it will be wet and possibly thundery.
DeleteSo lovely and peaceful. I hope you had a good night's sleep after that.
ReplyDeleteThank, Jennifer. I slept like a log, which isn't always the case, I'm afraid.
DeleteIt sounds perfect. I agree that the mistletoe seems sort of ancient...it conjures up scenes that wont have changed for centuries. A lovely, peaceful post.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it, Janice. I really wanted to capture that small, lovely experience. As far as the mistletoe is concerned, I look up at the bunches on the boughs of the apples and poplars and immediately think of the Celts and the Druids.
DeleteWhat a perfect description Perpetua. I can just imagine you relaxing. Oh Calvados...the icing on the cake. Lovely xx
ReplyDelete(It seems my blip with posting comments seems to have resolved itself..long may it last)
So glad to see you back commenting, Ayak. You have been missed. Here's hoping the problem is over.
DeleteIt was such a lovely hour in the garden and actually the first drop of calvados I've had since we arrived for some reason. Watching the sunset with a small glass of clava somehow fits. :_)
I've just read back through your recent posts ... there's so much to catch up with when one unplugs for a while!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to your grandson and DD, commiserations re. your 'lawn', and I totally agree with you re. the ancientness of mistletoe, it has such an important place in Norse, Greek and Roman mythology.
I know just what you mean, Annie. I spent ages catching up after our journey here and the settling-in period.
DeleteThanks for the congratulations and commiserations. The 'lawn' will be a long-term repair job at the present rate of progress, but the exercise will do me good. Interesting that mistletoe made you think first of those mythologies, whereas as my thoughts turned to Celtic mythology and the Druids. There is something very mysterious about the way if seems to appear from nowhere and just perch on the tree.
Your descriptive words caused me to wish I were right there beside you drinking in the beauty of the evening. That mistletoe did interrupt your pleasant thoughts, but it can wait until another day.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you felt like you were there, Sally, as I really wanted to share the experience with you all. I'm glad I captured it as the weather since has not been conducive to sitting outside. As for the mistletoe, it can wait for the moment. :-)
DeleteJust as well we don't live in an apple growing area as we have plenty of mistletoe!
ReplyDeleteSomeone once told me that it is species specific. So 'poplar mistletoe' won't grow on apple trees; but I'm not sure if it is true...
Actually there's rather a lot of mistletoe around here too that doesn't always get cleared. I don't know about it being species-specific. The notices in the various commune announcement columns of the local paper simply refer to mistletoe and also thistles and remind us of our legal obligation to get rid of them both.
DeleteYou got me there at un petit verre de calva! My cousin’s grandpa had what they call in French an alambic. He would go from apple farm to apple farm in the fall and make homemade calvados for the owners. He would always give several bottles to my parents. That was in the 1970 and 80s s but do you know that I found a bottle of it in the garage a while back and tried it – my, the stuff was powerful! On my last trip to France in May I did buy a bottle of Père Magloire. I don’t know when I’ll drink my great-uncle bottle – it’s almost a family relic now.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's always a little glass or a drop that one is offered, Vagabonde. :) The right to make calvados at home like that has just about disappeared now, as only people who started making it before the war were allowed to continue to do so later and there can be very few of those still alive. Last year I read a local history book which mentioned the unrest caused in the 1930s when the authorities tried to regulate les bouilleurs de cru. I can well imagine that a 40 year-old bottle of home-distilled calva is powerful stuff! I buy the calva produced at le Manoir du Coquerel, just over the hill from us and it is excellent.
Delete