tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post3676067716081852210..comments2023-05-02T12:33:58.182+01:00Comments on Perpetually In Transit: Normal service will be resumed shortlyPerpetuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-90845284888555982102011-07-05T16:34:02.203+01:002011-07-05T16:34:02.203+01:00Hi Cro Magnon and thanks for visiting. The kittens...Hi Cro Magnon and thanks for visiting. The kittens are gorgeous and totally unapproachable. The mother is one of the cats from the neighbouring farm and there are always lots of kittens and half-grown cats about, but this is the first litter in our woodshed while we've been here.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-65242842130444946632011-07-05T15:00:59.958+01:002011-07-05T15:00:59.958+01:00Those kittens are beautiful. One of my near neighb...Those kittens are beautiful. One of my near neighbours has a barn that is permanently full of them.Cro Magnonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840670227576695352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-4320581813216551132011-07-05T11:55:22.945+01:002011-07-05T11:55:22.945+01:00Yep, I love standing at the stove stirring, especi...Yep, I love standing at the stove stirring, especially when the end result is raspberry jam to die for :-) Not sure about the active meditation, though - mostly I'm just wondering when I should start to test for set ;-)<br /><br />I don't read much in the daytime nowadays, other than the local French newspaper, and never in the sun or I'd burn. My real reading time is in bed, first thing and at night, when I can read undisturbed.<br /><br />I like watering too and now have 2 pots and a small border to care for....Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-38271447888018430802011-07-05T11:49:20.274+01:002011-07-05T11:49:20.274+01:00Glad your move went well, Annie, and the jam sound...Glad your move went well, Annie, and the jam sounds deliciously exotic - no figs in Normandy.<br /><br />I always seem to find lots to do here and am far more active than at any other time of the year. Jam-aking was new last summer, but even without that the garden (such as it is) keeps me busy. I'm having a great time,but still enjoy a bit of blogging :-)Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-21066062700015827202011-07-05T09:25:07.850+01:002011-07-05T09:25:07.850+01:00You enjoy standing at the stove stirring? Well, e...You enjoy standing at the stove stirring? Well, each to his own. I like sitting in the sun with a cold drink and a good book.<br /><br />Maybe standing at the stove stirring is an active meditation for you, and your mind gently clears of excess babble as you do it. Watering the garden, especially my pots and troughs, from a can can have a similar calming effect for me. I don't like to use a hose, as it's too wasteful and scattered. I just aim a steady stream at the base of the plant and the soil or compost, where it's needed most. Being a rather rash, impulsive and slapdash person by nature this daily carefulness is very good for me, I think. And my soul. And the plants.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13702475308562601190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-70604259468192790532011-07-05T00:08:02.022+01:002011-07-05T00:08:02.022+01:00Glad you're settling in to your summer home - ...Glad you're settling in to your summer home - sounds like there's lots to do! We've moved this week too but I also found time to stir up a pot or five of jam - fig with lemon, orange and walnuts. I do miss a bit of raspberry jam though - memories of my grandparents. <br />Have a wonderful summer - blogging is no substitute for real life, is it!<br />AxArtyZenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-31879234719457849722011-07-04T17:28:41.292+01:002011-07-04T17:28:41.292+01:00If you click on the photo to enlarge, you should b...If you click on the photo to enlarge, you should be able to find four sets of ears, Baby Sis, one on the left and three on the right. They are completely wild and I can't get closer than 3 metres to them without them disappearing behind the piles of wood. I reckon I could tame them given time, but not sure it's fair even to try, then disappear.<br /><br />Glad you found some useable and interesting items before the house was cleared. I gather my breadmaker can be used to make jam, but I'd miss standing at the stove stirring, so I've never tried it. Let me know how you get on if you give it a go.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-74125333042064741582011-07-04T17:22:13.229+01:002011-07-04T17:22:13.229+01:00I'll remember to wave at every passing csr, Br...I'll remember to wave at every passing csr, Broad, just in case:-) Hope you have a good journey and find everything in order when you arrive.<br /><br />DH's role in jam-making is limited to picking the fruit (yellow cherries this morning) and eating the finished produst in large quantities.... Wishing The Man lots of plums and an easy set :-)Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-33240599631070647892011-07-04T09:54:22.952+01:002011-07-04T09:54:22.952+01:00Kittens in the woodshed? How much nicer than &quo...Kittens in the woodshed? How much nicer than "something nasty". I can only make out one pair of ears in your photo. How many ears are there altogether? It's wonderful how cats always find their way to you and your DH. Probably because of your liking for quiet remote houses with outbuildings. If you were there all the time I reckon a couple at least would wind up (semi-)living with you.<br /><br />I rescued Our Ma's aluminium jam pan from her shed just ahead of the house clearers, and brought it home. It is now in the Welsh House, as I think I will have more time and inclination to make preserves and pickles when there, somehow. We also now have an old family heirloom shooting stick in the boot of the car (our new-to-us four-year-old Peugoet 307 diesel turbo) as one never knows when or where one may be seized with the need to sit down. <br />And an antique oil lamp has gone up there as well, but the copper warming pan is in the Herts House.<br /><br />We have also rescued the bread maker from Our Ma's Kitchen which The Husband got her for Mother's Day about a decade ago. He has read the instructions (we don't think she ever tried to use it) and it makes jam and marmalade, allegedly. This, we think, could be very interesting...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13702475308562601190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-43414985135749651242011-07-04T09:31:14.721+01:002011-07-04T09:31:14.721+01:00We'll be zooming past you next week, car laden...We'll be zooming past you next week, car laden with whatever it is it gets laden with year after year! I remember last year was cold through Wimbledon -- fires every night for about three weeks. This year I think it's been warmer and of course we are later. The Man has been taught by my best friend to make jam -- last summer -- that pan stays in France! Anyway, he has really really taken to it. When we get there it will be just about plum time and we have loads of plums and the jam he made was divine -- I'm on the last jar now! Blog when you can -- we all love reading your posts -- but enjoy the French life first! Plenty of time for Assisi later...The Broadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04976467218216864644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-26119815701828690742011-07-03T19:37:56.925+01:002011-07-03T19:37:56.925+01:00Hi Anita. Our permanent home is in Mid-Wales and h...Hi Anita. Our permanent home is in Mid-Wales and has been for nearly 40 years. We spend some time in France, some in northern Scotland and the rest in Wales. One day we'll be too old for all this travelling, but for the time being it suts us very well. <br /><br />I love France too and have done since my first visit on a school trip at the age of 16, nearly 50 years ago.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-58477773336258936952011-07-03T17:28:08.110+01:002011-07-03T17:28:08.110+01:00Hi Perpetua,
Which is the third of your three cou...Hi Perpetua, <br />Which is the third of your three countries? Have I missed those posts? <br />Lucky you. I love France!Anita@Dreaming Beneath the Spireshttp://dreamingbeneaththespires.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-53336259623605657142011-07-03T09:38:41.188+01:002011-07-03T09:38:41.188+01:00Thanks, Ayak. I like to have something to show for...Thanks, Ayak. I like to have something to show for my time, even though I can laze with the best of them when it's very hot. Thankfully it's a pleasant 20+C (around 70F) this weekend, which is just my kind of temperature. DH's mother thinks it's a bit in the chilly side, but we think she has some salamander in her ancestry....Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-49338333446560159802011-07-03T09:33:47.830+01:002011-07-03T09:33:47.830+01:00ROFL, Fly! :-) I followed your good example and no...ROFL, Fly! :-) I followed your good example and now take my jam pan wherever I go. Last summer I left it at home and missed the chance to make lots of apricot jam....Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-30981333988676103012011-07-03T09:32:07.206+01:002011-07-03T09:32:07.206+01:00I agree, Penny, and realise how very fortunate I a...I agree, Penny, and realise how very fortunate I am. The kittens are a new element this year. There are a lot of feral cats in rural France and one obviously had kittens in our woodshed. They're about 8 weeks old and absolutely gorgeous, but quite wild and can't be approached. I just have to adore them from a distance.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-35781557987555962612011-07-03T09:23:31.377+01:002011-07-03T09:23:31.377+01:00Quite right, Catriona and a good lesson in priorit...Quite right, Catriona and a good lesson in priorities :-) I'll have to wait for the rainy days to have my thinking time. At the moment the weather is good, so we're trying to do things with DH's mother before she goes home on Tuesday.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-71373180545023153672011-07-03T09:20:28.339+01:002011-07-03T09:20:28.339+01:00Thanks for the reassurance, DB. This is my first ...Thanks for the reassurance, DB. This is my first summer as a blogger and I couldn't believe how much time had gone by since I last posted.<br /><br />Yes, the raspberries are past already here after a very hot and dry spring followed by enough rain to swell them very quickly. They were really too ripe for jam, but I made it the French way and hope it will keep until we've finished it, which won't be long if DH has anything to do with it!Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-84100836763435673502011-07-03T09:17:18.729+01:002011-07-03T09:17:18.729+01:00Yes, I can't believe my luck, Ray. I've ne...Yes, I can't believe my luck, Ray. I've never made raspberry jam before, as our few canes in Wales never produced enough fruit at one time and raspberries are too expensive to buy for jam-making. It's a good thing I had some empty jars here and brought some with me (for apricot jam when the jam apricots hit the shops).Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-50940492288079962952011-07-03T09:14:12.848+01:002011-07-03T09:14:12.848+01:00Yes, it's lovely here, Sian, in a very quiet a...Yes, it's lovely here, Sian, in a very quiet and gentle way. It suits us very well, as we're not exactly excitement-seekers. <br /><br />Hopefully I can manage to protect the flower border from the neighbour's young cattle, who graze our garden when we're not here. Almost every old house in our bit of Normandy has apple trees around it and we're lucky enough also to have cherries and a small plum tree, plus a pear tree with inedible pears. Sadly our little damson tree was snapped off by the wind just after we arrived and none of its heavy crop will ripen.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-91142113268861450722011-07-03T09:08:38.575+01:002011-07-03T09:08:38.575+01:00You're very welcome, Kathy :-) I see what you ...You're very welcome, Kathy :-) I see what you mean - what is different seems exciting and Normandy is probably as different from the Arizona desert as one could imagine. How do you cope with such extreme heat? That's 46C!!!Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-56160937593573727762011-07-03T07:01:46.916+01:002011-07-03T07:01:46.916+01:00Blogging can always take a back seat when you have...Blogging can always take a back seat when you have so much to do. Enjoy your summer...it sounds absolutely perfect xxAyakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16903896106779269050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-73726036087019636732011-07-03T04:21:34.311+01:002011-07-03T04:21:34.311+01:00Viva the jam pan!Viva the jam pan!the fly in the webhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04563871975125538755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-72641037702033919102011-07-03T03:32:35.564+01:002011-07-03T03:32:35.564+01:00I join the others in expressing delight and a slig...I join the others in expressing delight and a slight bit of jealousy. Raspberries, kittens, orchards, gardening, France, new mown grass.... sounds like heaven. Glad to know you are having life abundant. Thanks for sharing your description of it with us!Penelopepiscopalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14110169815273159849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-88873309343512585952011-07-03T00:18:17.923+01:002011-07-03T00:18:17.923+01:00Real life overtaking blogging - sounds quite healt...Real life overtaking blogging - sounds quite healthy to me!<br /><br />What a lovely description and greta pics too. Have a wonderful time.Catrionanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-41527487357983280712011-07-02T23:30:23.818+01:002011-07-02T23:30:23.818+01:00Don't worry, I think that many of us find that...Don't worry, I think that many of us find that real life swallows up blog time in the summer. It's probably very good for us all! I'm startled to hear that the rasps are over already in northern France - ours are nowhere near ripe yet. Enjoy the jam-making! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com