It's been a good start to the month with guests arriving, some friends departing, others appearing or booking to stay. The old Fordson was taken to her new home and the replacement Farmall cub has arrived. We will start to assess what is required, as we will strip down, re-paint and re-build.
The month started with a power cut......caused by a hot water tank base cracking and the entire 250kg tank landing on the floor. Jeremy my plumber came to the rescue and we emptied the hot water (it was still heating the water) three hours later and it was on a new stand and working. I was given a Humax satellite receiver, but after a few hours decided I did not have a live satellite feed, however I know Phillipe le Antenna.
First guests leave tomorrow and with fifteen bookings so far, it will be a busy few months. It's very hot for June. However, guests are enjoying the pool which is 30 degrees, clear and very inviting. Due to the high temperatures, we had the inevitable thunder storm with rain, lightning and loud thunder overhead. However, it only lasted about ten minutes.
Neil who is staying in the cottage walked to an apéro, while I sorted the water heater with my plumber, and saw a pair of Black winged kite perform a food exchange mid air. We went to the area again and saw a single bird sitting on a dead tree. They must have a nest close by. This is exciting as I have previously seen a number over the winter, but they are extending their range from Spain to southern France.
Below are a list of birds seen this month at La Bastide, most summer visitors.
- Melodious warbler breeding three territories
- Whitethroat breeding
- Blackcap lots breeding
- Nightingale breeding six territories
- Nightjar a number heard from dusk
- Hoopoe
- Bee-eater
- Honey buzzard (unfortunately one hit power lines and died)
- Common Buzzard
- Hen harrier
- Turtle dove
- Serin
- Kestrel
- Sparrowhawk
- Black kite
- Black winged kite a pair breeding nearby and seen overhead
- Corn bunting
- Little owl
- Black woodpecker (seen by Neil on his last day)
 |
| Hay baled |
The orchids have flowered and the last will disappear this month for another year. The meadows are full of scabious and meadow sweet. Our hay has been cut, as we have a heat wave. I drank a beer with our farmer Sylvian as he worked the meadows. It took about one and a half hours for all the work to be done, in a few days the hay will be turned and by Sunday baled. Due to the dry months wheat will be harvested before the garlic. I have heard on the grapevine, that because the lack of rain the wheat will not be that good.
The potager is doing well, with courgette, chard, cucumber, and basil already being eaten. Tomatoes are setting, sweetcorn growing well and the aubergine and sweetcorn are just about to flower. Plenty of parsley ready to pick. I still need to plant carrots, kale, onions, beetroot, and beans. The white running duck created a nest and laid eggs in other places! She is broody and is now sitting on two eggs, we might get ducklings in about two weeks, The ducks are currently on strike with hardly an egg for two weeks, when they do lay eggs in the open they are predated. The chicken lays daily. We have a new chicken care of Jean-Phillipe, it is growing well, still a pullet, when it lays you will be first to know!
 |
| Potager |
 |
| Lakeside Apéro |
This month with Neil, I attended an Apéro vigneron at the vineyard of Garbasses, essentially a picnic, tour of the vineyard and a chance to taste their superb range of wine. We also went to a fun outdoor picnic held next to a friend's lake. Fourteen people and eight dogs! It started at midday with people arriving including Nigel and Amy whose flight was cancelled in Nice. They drove up to stay a night, great to catch up, before they flew to the UK from Toulouse and then on to the USA.
Most days we eat on the terrace (move the picnic table into the shade). It's a great place to watch the valley, the highlights a wild boar (sanglier) trotted by and a juvenile Booted eagle posed in a tree, the following morning it flew over. What an incredible bird. Another highlight was a Black woodpecker, heard over the past eight years and now seen! One evening we saw a nightjar fly against the dusk sky, wing clap and was gone. Golden oriole have young, and we see them fly across the valley to feast on our two cherry trees. Nuthatch and blue and great tits have their first broods. I have heard the dawn chorus a number of times and seem to be getting up earlier 6-6:30am my favorite sound: the purring of the turtle dove. I then feed the animals and take a coffee on the terrace and watch the odd fox, deer or hare pass by. All the news in the world becomes insignificant for an hour or so.
The children have a busy summer starting with a week at the beach (Gruissan) with Janine. I have booked colonies for Charlie and Evie. Camping and cycling and other activities for Charlie, horse riding for Evie. Then Evie will spend ten days visiting friends in the UK. Tom also wants to go over for a month, luckily his passport has just been approved. We now await delivery, hopefully next week.
Blue skies, temperature already rising at 7am and birds singing. What could be better. Oh, a new addition to the menagerie, hatched 30th July, now in a brooder.
 |
| First duckling |
No comments:
Post a Comment