Spring is here.

Spring is definitely here and its been absolutely beautiful this last couple of days.

We've spent it wrestling the roots out of the ground and periodically cursing and having to go and get the tractor to re-cut them.

It's these days, though, that I especially love it here, as the sun sets and we can see what we've done.

And then there was one..

They came, they took and they left the little lamb that was next to the solitary sheep.

We retrieved from the brambles, drove and returned it to its flock.

I stink of sheep poop and I'm not sure how she's going to fare.

She tottered towards the fence after me after I put her down... P had to tell me that she'll be fine and telling stories of driving in the car. I'm not so sure! Her little face was heartbreaking.

And there, Ladies and Gents, is the reason I don't keep livestock, or eat lamb for that matter.

Incessant babble about....

Must we have this incessant babble about....SHEEP.

Ok so they took the dead lamb, but we now have a single solitary, living adult, noshing it's way across our field and clearly wondering where everyone has gone!

Poor thing, I think if it's still there later, or tomorrow we'll try and find it's owner... "Vous avez laissé une brebis sur notre terroir.... encore."

etc etc.

Sheep update...

Well it took two days but the dead lamb has been taken away.

I should think so too!

Where did they come from?

Yesterday lunchtime I looked out the window and discovered that the bottom field was covered in sheep and their lambs.

I don't remember giving my permission and having found a dead lamb there this morning am less-than-pleased.

They are removing their temporary electric fence as we speak and it remains to be seen whether they remove their dead lamb as well.

On the plus side, what says spring more than this.....

I'm off to look for dead sheep....

What a difference two weeks makes.

Back from the UK.

I've recently been back to the UK for my Granny's funeral. It was lovely to see my family all together and it always strikes me how harsh it is that wakes would probably be loved most by the deceased, as everyone they love is together.  I'm also struck by how many plastic bags on person can accumulate...

I was very thankful that all the snow has gone here and am now back to pruning like a lunatic as it's quite warm and if I'm not careful the vines will start budding soon.

Arghhh, I'm feeling a bit up against it all. Oh well even the best laid plans can be scuppered by circumstances beyond ones control.

Warmth and colds.

Why is it that it's when you feel less-than-brilliant, things go wrong. We've given up trying to fix the heating until it warms up enough for the pipes to not be frozen and have borrowed lots of plug in heaters.

Last night we shut ourselves in the sitting room with the shutters closed and the best heater and were warm as toast, we watched the last episodes of Brideshead revisited, (thanks B it's fabulous). I crocheted and all was well with the world.

This morning when I feel particularly cotton-wool headed and full of phlegm (delightful) the hot water wasn't working, which meant P did alot of ineffectual marching about and stomping, which he always needs to do before he can approach the situation. He then fixed it by hair-drying the pipes.... we need yet more lagging.

I think it's just that this house is so old and they are simply not equipped (round these parts) to deal with -14 degrees.... c'est pas normal!

Anyway, it's pretty and I'm going back to bed.

Typical timing.

So I rammonaged the damn thing and then tried to flush the system, it started to make sensible noises and then stopped. I turned the tap off and thought about things, about 3 mins later, a noise like a gun going off and water started pissing out of the back of the thing. With close inspection it appears that a rivet has blown out and now we're confused. Is there a pipe there or not and why is there water in that area at all?

Anyway we controlled the leak and it continued to work with the radiators warming up nicely but this afternoon it made one of the noises it's been making all day and then water started pumping out the back. I stood behind it changing in buckets and waiting for the burner to empty of water and go out.

Tomorrow P' is going to try welding it shut and then we need to re-fill the system and try it again.

The upside of this is, P is pleased to hear, is that I am going off the bloody thing... oh for a nice on/off switch and no worry of explosion.

Tonight is going to be -9 and it's threatening to not get above freezing all week, with the real high point being thurs night's promised -15.

Am not amused! P is monosyllabic... and the cat is hogging the fireplace.

(L please don't fret, we are fine, it'll all be ok, just another challenge of living here with something fabricated by a french farmer who'd had too much wine and no actual idea of what he's doing!).

It's snowing... and some other photos.

Well I'm not sure this was ever mentioned on the weather forecast last night, but we have woken up to the deep and crisp and even stuff and I can't say I'm thrilled.

Last night we took the executive decision to not re-fuel the burner as it need's ramonage-ing so it's a bit parky, also I really don't need added complication to our travel plans.

Anyway it's pretty, damn cold, and hopefully not staying long! (Grump Grump).

The girls weren't too impressed either and insisted on breakfast in bed....

P has been very busy this week, fixing the roof on the shelter and pulling up the floor in the gite, which burns beautifully, if with a slight toxic whiff.

I think today though will be spent trying to stay warm, at least "La Grande Orange" is well prepared.

Right then,"time and ramonage wait for no man," and all that....all together now. "chim-chiminee, chim chiminee..chim chim chereee...".

I think the cold might be addling my already addled brain. Hope you all are warm and safe.

x

Brrrrrrrrrrr

Yesterday we went to possibly the biggest waste of time yet. A sort of exposition of all things gadget like that might aid your pruning. Mostly big expensive things that go on the back of the tractor and don't seem to really help at all.

We went with the very lovely J-L and when I woke up and it was snowing, all be it, very halfheartedly, we should have bailed. But no we went and we froze. Running noses and a complete sense of humour failure on my part.

It was all very french, right down to lunch, the ubiquitous Steak-frites, which was eaten in an open barn, attached to which was plastic sheeting down one side and they were trying, extraordinarily ineffectually, to blow hot air into it. As P pointed out, that as the sheeting didn't make it to the roof and hot air rises etc etc... maybe not the best of plans. I ate lunch with my mittens on, which caused great mirth all round. No-body removed their hats. Note to self, geeky tractor worship will only happen when one can feel all ones extremities!

Piquets

It's astonishing how excited P gets by a truck. We had our piquets delivered today by some sort of wheeled vehicle with a grabby arm on the back. P was almost salivating to the point that the driver asked if he wanted to drive it.

Today has been a good day, French wise, I managed to take a phone call from the piquet people, talked to Laurent re ploughing the land and finally the lovely Jean-Luc came round in response to a text (I explained about predictive text when he said how good my text was and he then called me a cheat!). We are off to a trade fair for pruning tomorrow (we know how to have a good time) so I suspect my French is going to run up against a resounding brick wall!

It's been a bit nippy here at the moment and apparently it's going to get a lot worse...-8 on Friday, perfectly timed to co-incide with the power going off for "works".