May spring birds start to sing!

Acacia with incredible fragrance

Our first guests would have arrived the 20th had they not contracted Covid-19.  I feel sorry for them as they had been looking forward to coming to La Bastide.  I hope they come at another time. 

The pool is crystal clear and looks great, despite the fact that the pool robot pump packed in, a new one is being installed at the weekend.  I am replanting the cottage garden which has got a little out of hand and tidying the other gardens.  We have loads of bookings through to September, with enquiries most weeks.  Even a possible yoga retreat in September.

Just completing small jobs, before the season.  Today I tied back the climbing roses which are starting to flower.  I have taken on Clementine who will live on-site for the season.  I have an operation scheduled for July and will take it easy.  Clementine is French. but speaks excellent English.  She is also very personable and will be a real asset for our guests.

Acacia

Fantastic to wake to purring of turtle dove and songs of blackcap, melodious warbler and nightingale.  Also heard a hoopoe this morning.  But, sometimes you can't beat the song of the blackbird (the Beatles got it right).  Sleep with the churring of nightjar and the ever singing nightingale.  The acacia in front of the house and farmhouse is flowering and has an incredible scent, as has the honeysuckle by the cottage.  I collected two chicken eggs and found the duck eggs predated, the ducks lay anywhere, so I have to collect before the magpies!

Friends are back from Australia, so we have a supper on 13th at friends' down the road to catch up.  It will be our third gathering this year, my lunch a great success, according to those who attended.  I have an apéro organised for the 17th with the usual suspects.  I will serve BBQ chicken, potato salad, sausage rolls, an onion tart, asparagus wrapped in parma ham, covered with parmesan cheese and crudités.  Outside, if it's warm enough.

Plough and pyramid orchids

The weather is great 26 degrees in April, 30ish in May, but some rain due.  The garlic is looking very luscious and the winter wheat starting to produce seed.  The fields have been ploughed and sunflower seeded and are starting to appear.   The meadows have loads of diverse plants and will be cut soon, as will the roadside verges as the grass is over 3ft high!  The good news which may be cash related is that the councils are cutting the roadside and corners (for viewing on-coming traffic) but not the banks which is great for wildlife.  I found something out after 10 years, garlic left with a flower is called "wet garlic" (green garlic), garlic where flowers are removed produce the garlic bulbs that are normally stored for use.  Orchids are blooming everywhere, even on the roundabouts! Man, brulee, spider, lady orchid (purpurea), plough, insect, bee, pyramid and snakes tongue already flowering.  The book I use most is one left by the previous owners "Orchidées sauvages du TARN".  I think it is my favorite time of year, the quiet of the valley, the right temperature to work outside and new life in nature everywhere.  We have a great tit nesting the cherry tree, ignoring the bird box.  Blue tit nesting in the roof of the Grange and a bird box!  A female black redstart nesting in the play barn, but no male which is unusual.  I also found what I think is a serin nest by the farmhouse, it has two eggs so far and is very low in a bough of the box elder.

Roses on Grange

The animals sleep most of the day after food between 6am and 7:30am, I feed the ducks and chickens, check for eggs and again normally an hour later.  I picked up a duck egg just before a magpie feast!  Lilou my dog follows me around and sits on the road just in case a car comes by. 

Another fine day, been up since 6am, breakfast at 10am.  Did some gardening first thing and listened to the birds.  Only one duck egg so far, I think the rest of the birds are on strike.

Vide greniers are starting with Damiatte 12th followed by Montdragon with old tractors on show on the 20th.  Last year I bought a few plants for the potager, I haven't even ploughed the ground yet!  So it's safe to say it will be covered with meadow flowers.  Great for the bees though.  There is another event that I have been to a few times the Graulhet Biocybèle.  (In Greece, Cybele was known as an Earth-goddess, associated with mountains, town and city walls, fertile nature, and wild animals, especially lions).  It's an event with food beer/wine, singing, stands with Bio produce, everything from jam to bee hives made of straw and clay.  I went with my friend Jean-Philippe.   

Great for buying plants for the potager.  Tomatoes at 1 euro 20 cents, cucumber, peppers etc 20 cents more

This year I have left the bank by the pool mostly uncut and the small hillock outside the farmhouse to encourage flowers and insects.  They are both full of orchids and other flowers which is great for the wildlife, especially bumblebees,.  Roses are in bloom and my favourite climbing rose between the Grange and Farmhouse terrace has flowered.  Incredible fragrance.

Off to collect wine from Les Vignes des Garbasses and beer (biére) from Karland for the welcome packs.  Guests who book through our web site can choose red, rose or white wine, blond or amber beer of our region,  For 10 years we have showcased the best wine and beer in the region, ok that's my opinion.  There are numerous great wineries in the area and lots of microbreweries that brew various IPAs,  Stout,  Pale ale and good lager.  We also provide a delivery service for fresh baguettes, croissant, pain au chocolate or other goodies from the artisan bakery, Le Pancossier in Lautrec.

Bee orchid

It's the 23rd May and its 34 degrees,  I just cut the grass and I am having a well earned beer.  Based on the weather today, I think it will be a hot summer.  First swim today in crystal clear water, about 21 degrees.   Two Coucou de Rennes (Marran) chickens arrived today as payment for two kilos of Irish sausages, they have had their wings clipped and will spend the day and night in the coop. They will join the other two chickens and ducks to provide eggs for guests.   An ancient Breton chicken, the Coucou had all but disappeared in 1988, but a breeding program brought them back from the brink.  They are good layers, apparently the meat is very good (I don't plan to eat them) and not very sociable.  Today I went for a walk in the meadows, and saw over thirty bee orchids, numerous pyramid and plough orchids, hopefully they will seed before the meadows are cut and baled.

Well that's it, have a great summer.

Postscript:  Damiatte was very small due to the weather and I didn't even make Montdragon as I woke up and it was raining.  Two huge thunderstorms, one right over house 30 mm rain in 45 mins the other 40 mm in an hour.  Glad I was inside!  Most of the birds have fledged, goldfinch, black redstart, blue and great tit all have young.  They will probably start a second brood as lots of food available. Serin on nest today.