March 2024 getting ready

View from Bald hill

Another season starts in May, so all the work for the season has begun and I plan to complete by end of April.  This also includes painting the outside of my house.  At the start of the month we had an apéro party in the Grange, a mix of French and English friends.  Lots of beer, wine and Orangina for the kids.  Plenty of onion and talaggio tart, sausage rolls, nuts and crisps.  Friends brought brownies to finish with. It started at 6pm and went on until 1am.  Finishing with whisky.  Great to sit in front of the log burner and chat.

Spring is here and I have already seen swallows (in February) and heard chiffchaff warbler.   All the winter birds will soon disappear, and the spring migrants will arrive. First blackcap singing yesterday 15th, and I heard the first cuckoo on 28th March.  Black winged kite are in residence (been here all winter) and are in the same nesting area as last year.

Cherry tree

Pear blossom

Spring has arrived with daffodils in the fields, fruit trees blossoming and ducks a laying.  So all good at La Bastide. The cherry trees, as all the fruit will have an abundance of cherries due to the mild weather this spring.

Janine and I have arranged with the local farmer to dig a 20cm trench to install underground cable pipe to allow Orange to install fibre. It's around 150M to the Farmhouse.   I found the previous copper installations were just run bare underground!  This will now be completed in early April to allow grass to grow over the filled in trench work, where it crosses the mown grass.

My friend Neil flies back to Bridlington today, from Toulouse to Amsterdam then finally Humberside, after a great trip to Baqueira.

Baqueira

Today the Pyrenees look very snowy and bright.  I can never capture a photo that will do them justice. Skiing in Baqueira which spanned February and March, we had loads of snow in the resort and in fact during March there was a lot of snow in the Alps and Pyrenees. Neil was great, looking after the kids skiing in Baqueira, it was a fun trip only marred by the car breaking down,  the snow was excellent, as was the Era restaurant where we met for lunch. 

We were both happy when the kids went back to school as they can be quite exhausting.  We had a great final lunch out this week at the small, but friendly "Torchons & Serviettes - L'Embuscade" in Lautrec.  The beer was excellent, as was the carte du jour. (set menu).  Another recommendation for guests.

Grape vine outside
Farmhouse & Grange

Well, it's the second week since I hired car number two.  My car is now at the garage, and I think the overall bill will be around 3000 euros.  A very expensive ski holiday, however, apart from tyres and servicing, I have not spent too much over the past nine years.  It will come back with a replacement right hand mirror, as the last one was broken and the indicator and heating had stopped working.

Woke this morning to five roe deer, a buck and four hinds eating in the field below the terrace.  Breakfast was a proper bacon and egg sandwich and cup of coffee.  I get my bacon from Bacon in the box, it comes from Ireland and it tastes great!  It's Charlie's birthday today, he is fifteen and had some fun, presents and cards, he will be taken to lunch and Janine will get a cake for tea time (le goûter)

Rosemary by the ecurie

Jobs are slowly being completed, with a new metal fence for the apartment.  Jean-Phillipe  and I will paint and weld the fence in place,  It replaces the wooden one that was not that successful.  I will kärcher the terraces, pool surround and furniture.  Clearing out the écurie, so lots of off cuts of wood heading for a bonfire (3rd this month).

Booked the Easter meal (Omelette de paque) which includes a Bank holiday walk, apéro and lunch.  The kids have the chance to find Easter eggs, hidden in the field below the salle.

Postscript: Car is now back, and I can claim some money from insurance:-) oh and the clocks went forward!

Love my Coucou