April, Easter and Granny

Orchid meadow

What a month.  The play barn had a face lift with a new floor, security fence and weather screen to allow light in and keep the weather out.  It will be a safe environment for kids of all ages to play, while parents watch........with a cold glass of Rosé...it's great.

The Cottage has a Martin Moore kitchen installed by Jean-Phillipe, a new terrace, a rather elegant wooden deck accessed by French doors, with views of the meadow and valley, stunning.  The wooden floors have been tinted and varnished.  The electrical services and plumbing are in, and the granite worktop has arrived.  It took six men to lift it into position!  Some final snagging and the kitchen will be complete.  Lots of photographs in the next blog.

Apple blossom

Our friends (tested) used the Grange for two weeks and were impressed with the kitchen upgrades.  New wooden steps to the terrace have been installed and painted with linseed oil.

The old wisteria that grew in the terrace garden has been removed, it flowered for a week in April and this together with the weekly prune during the season to provide a view, meant it had to go.  The other trees are doing well with plenty of cherries, apricot and blossom on most of the orchard trees.  Unfortunately an apple tree top snapped and we lost this years apples.  I hope it will continue to grow now the rotten part of the trunk has gone.

Orchid

Restored ruin

During a great bike ride with friends we found orchids on top of an underground water storage tank and a fantastic restored building, built of pebbles, stone and wood.  Orchids are everywhere and I am always amazed at the speed nature spreads. With oak trees now in leaf, the bare winter forest has been replaced.

Here are a few orchid photographs and at the top of the blog a meadow full!

Underground water reservoir

More orchids

The summer visitors are back with Golden orioles whistling across the valley, I can tell its spring as I have cut the grass three times in a month, it's so long in places, I even found a leveret.  We had a friend over with his English setter named Malo. At home he protects chickens and ducks.  At La Bastide he got into the chicken and orchard enclosure and we now have just one Orpington!..

Malo

Sussex pullets

However, our friend Olivier (Malo's owner) purchased some very friendly Sussex pullets and I am starting to create a small flock.  Running ducks will follow as Olivier's Running duck is sitting on eggs.  Evie is very excited to see ducklings in about 28 days.

BMX track

The kids are on holiday and are enjoying table tennis, with Granny who arrived to stay for the month.  We have booked Charlie and Evie into pony riding lessons.  Our children enjoy cycling at La Bastide and on the three cycle tracks close by.  One a world class, BMX track.

On 22nd April the village got together to celebrate Easter with the Omelette de Paques.  This starts with a 12 Kilometre walk, with a visit for breakfast at a farm.  The kids then wait in Puycalvel for the walkers including Granny to return before the annual Easter egg hunt.  Our kids always do well, so well in fact that all the eggs are collected centrally and at the end and divided up between all the children.  We then had an Apéro, pastis and muscat wine with soft drinks and crisps for the kids.  This followed by a salad, omelette with young garlic shoots, cheese, fruit and coffee....oh and lots of red and rosé wine.....delicious.

Well back to gardening, sorting the potager (vegetable plot) and planting this years fruit and vegetable plants. I am ordering potted plants from a local nursery this year to speed things up....as I have again run out of time.  Hopefully, we will be more self sufficient in the fruit and vegetable department...and enough eggs to feed the family.

The new table tennis table just arrived so I will add that to my list of things to build.  Charlie's broken remote controlled car was rebuilt with a new electric motor that arrived this morning. I have only repaired it four times so far!

Farmhouse  and vine

 Roll on the season which despite Brexit looks very promising.