June and new owners

 

Lavender

It's the first weekend in June, the pool looks great and the sun is out, it's over 30° and the pool is 25°, however the weather is still unsettled. Time to mow the grass...again.   Trench grass looks super and soon it will become part of the lawn.  On 21st of the month we sign the Acte de vente, so will no longer own La Bastide.  I will,however stay to run the gites until the end of August.  I will then move to my new house in Vielmur.  

September 16th, I plan on a road trip through Spain and Portugal.  I will visit a friend who has retired and bought a farm near Albufeira and friends who have a restaurant near Faro.  I will be travelling with a friend Martin, who will share the driving.  We plan to take it slowly, stopping on the way to visit the sites. Bilbao first, then Salamanca, Lisbon, Albufera and Faro.  In all about two weeks.  I am looking forward to the trip.  After that Toussaint with the kids; Janine and I like Spain, so it will probably be Spain or Portugal by the sea.

Apricot tree

More guests arrive in July, with one a repeat guest from a few years ago.  Good to know we are doing things well.  Last time they stayed in the cottage, this time the grange. We are half full in July (still getting bookings) and fully booked in August.  Due to the sale we will not rent any gites in September.  The apricot tree I planted in the solar farm has its first fruit after five years!

Last night we had an apéro to say goodbye to Clementine, it was a fun event with sausage rolls, onion and taleggio tart, coleslaw, saucisson and olives.  I even made a crumble with last year's plums, yum!  All washed down with red and rose wine and beer.  She left this morning to get a contrôle technique (MOT) and will then move to a campervan park. I have just had two new tyres and will book my contrôle technique before the end of June.  In France they last two years.

Top meadow

Due to some good weather, up to 30°, all the farmers are cutting, turning and baling hay.  The four meadows at La Bastide have been cut and turned and have now been turned into round bales.  I am cutting the grass every week at the moment as it's growing so fast. The farmers are also cropping the wheat, with the usual tractors and combines blocking the roads until they get to the next field to crop.

Unusual June weather, with rain and thunderstorms, great for the newly sown grass, not so good for the farmers and gardner at La Bastide.  Some garlic has been harvested and the first fields of wheat.  Next week the weather should be dry and hot, so the farmers will harvest the barley, wheat and the remaining garlic.

View from Lautrec

It's the time of the vide greniers, however, I seem to have been busy each weekend so have missed them.  I have been told the Cuq tractor fair will happen this year, so will get to that one, at the very least.  Today I went to the small Friday market in Lautrec, bought some fruit in season and had a cafe latte at Suzalia.  It's overcast today, but still promises 30° heat.  Apéros are starting to be outside which makes them feel more French.  Lunch today at Ô Terraces in Lautrec, not a bad view from my table, goats cheese salad and mexican pizza washed down with pression biere.

Well the pool looked great, until rain carrying red sahara sand came down and deposited red sand everywhere.  I noticed it first on the car, then the pool furniture and then the pool.  I will see how the filter and robot do, before vacuuming the bottom.  More rain due, so I will wait until hot again in a few days.

A week later and the pool looks good again, the new filter is doing a great job.  It's the Lautrec vide grenier tomorrow and a full day of sun is forecast.  I also have a brunch date, so look forward to seeing friends and enjoying a BBQ in Magrin.  The weekend weather looks very positive.  Spent Friday varnishing French doors and gardening.  The trench is now completely filled and flattened.  More grass seed has been sown and luckily a small amount of rain last night, to help it grow (it has).

Our tenants moved out on the 14th and the new owners arrived the following weekend.  They spent a week painting the apartment and ordered furniture, that will arrive in about ten days.  We visited the notaire together to sign the Acte de Vente and from the 21st, La Bastide has new owners.  At the end of August I will move out and officially hand over the keys.

Nest

Jean-Phillipe and I did some garden work and completed gutters (small leak and positioning).  We found a nest in the virginia creeper that was taking over the kitchen window on the grange, so have left the work until the chicks fledge!  I have since tidied up the grape vine that was climbing up the farmhouse windows.  The dog compound has been demolished and I will re-purpose the posts and fencing into a new chicken and duck enclosure at the new house.

Dog walks along the river

I have ordered fibre for Vielmur and it will be installed the first week of July.  The pool looks good and the garden has been weeded for the owners to come over in July to clear the property, so I can move in August.  I walked the town and found a great walk by the river.  Lilou will be very happy.  Marti the Boulanger has opened a bakery in Vielmur, so it feels like a full circle, as he ran the bakery in Lautec when we arrived in France.

Cheese course

Chevre starter

Before the thunderstorm on Saturday, we headed to Le Jardin du Clocher for a family lunch with our friends Martin and Felicty.  As always we got a warm welcome and spent three hours, drinking, eating and chatting.  Food was fabulous and we enjoyed a bottle of champagne to celebrate our sale.  No picture of the suberb pintarde farce main course!

Chocolate pudding....yum

Lilou

Well, I have two more months writing the Bastide blog.  I will then maybe write something about life living as a retiree in France.  Hopefully travels with my dog in a camper van, throughout Europe.