May - start of the season

View of the Pyrenees

Waking up at 6:30, I catch the dawn chorus, a blackbird's song pierces even the morning radio, so its outside to listen to the birds singing.  Melodious warbler, blackcap and nightingale all sing near the terrace and across the valley I hear cuckoo and golden oriole whistling in the woods.  Overhead starting to feed for the day are calling bee-eaters quite often heard, but not seen as they go overhead quite high up.  This month is warn 25-32 degrees which means buzzard, honey buzzard, kestrel, black kite and sparrow hawk will ride the thermals.

View from terrace

Lady orchid

The meadows are profuse with orchids of all types, as they wave like a sea of grass in a Miyazaki animated film (Totoro a favorite with the kids and I).  They will be cut this month for silage and baled, as we are due two hot weeks, after all the spring rain there is a great crop.

The cherry trees and plums made it through the frost and have plenty of fruit starting to grow.   I made a 6am (it's cooler then as today will be 29degrees) start to plant up the potager, very happy with my work.  The potager has been planted with aubergine, chard, courgette, cucumbers, sweetcorn, sweet potato, tomatoes (some from Vide Grenier's) and parsley. Seed potatoes, with seeds of carrot, beetroot, kale and many other seeds will be planed soon (late!).  I collected a few trailers full of very old manure from JP's farm, mainly sheep, which I plan to use for the beans I have in pots.  JP welded a home made concrete and car wheel weight for the tractor, so I have been able to rotovate the potager twice before planting. 

Scarce swallowtail

Grange roses

This month I have replaced two double mattresses and bought a super king sized bed to make visitors stays more comfortable. JP and Ian came around to help move the heavy mattresses and move beds around. Of course followed by an apéro!  Yesterday I gardened, sorted out a repair to the Webber BBQ and parasol (it's amazing what you can repair with glue and clamps).  It was 28 degrees so I decided to cool off in the 24 degree pool, very enjoyable drying in the sun after a quick swim.

It is the Vide Grenier season (village boot fairs) and so far I have walked around Damiatte, Mondragon, Cuq, and Serviès.  I have been attending with Ian, who looks out for oil cans to add to his collection of over 200.  We are also checking out tractors to replace the Fordson Power Major that we have sold.  We had an issue with the tail lift and "Bernard the tractor" came over and discovered we have a seized piston, what he doesn't now about tractors is incredible.  His knowledge is vast and he even sorted out a small issue with the fuel mixture, just by looking at the running engine exhaust.  It's working well now. 

PS Dropped off my mower for a service and bought an old McCormick Farmall Cub for 300 euros.

Farmall Cub circa 1950's

Prehistoric hay cutter

The hay has now been cut in most fields, turned and baled, garlic is over a foot tall and will be harvested in June.  Fields are full of wheat, rape and green manure (beans).  Our meadows will be cut and baled shortly.

First hay cut

Farmhouse

We have guests in May, June, July, August and September.  The Gites and pool look great and the gardens are a mass of flower from now until October.  I have planted pots with herbs and flowers for guests.  The Acacia trees are in bloom, smell divine and are full of bees.  Friends arrive 26th May for a week and another friend for three weeks. I also have visits planned from friends in England in June and August.  The pool and my liver will get a  lot of use.

Farmhouse and Grange