Come rain or shine

The recent early heat-wave came to an end earlier this month and the weather is now a bit more normal, wet, thundery and showery. Sometimes cooler, then, just before a storm, stiflingly hot.

New farmers to France often ask "is this normal?". The problem is none of us know what "normal"is. Since my family and I arrived in France 15 years ago, each season has been different each year.

As we unloaded the removal van in January 1996 in heat of 25-30 degrees, out came the sledges. The Frenchman we bought our original farm from said "you wont need those here". Famous last words! Within almost a week the weather was cold and snowy, and continued to get colder and snowier. That winter we had frost at -10 to -15 below. I hated it. To me it was colder than Cumbria, and far more hostile. At least in Cumbria I had my friend and neighbour, George, keeping an eye on us from the other side of the valley (about 1 km away). Didn't go much on it then, but sure as hell missed it in France.

However, in March of the same year I was lambing the sheep - well, those that didn't abort their lambs - in temperatures of about 20-odd degrees, and managing to get in some early sun-bathing. Out of 350 sheep to lamb that year, we ended up with only 100 lambs. We are of the opinion that the journey from Cumbria, unloading overnight somewhere in Dorset, to France didn't suit them. Some that were loaded in an iminent state of lambing fared much better.

Every year there are fears over the haycrop. Is there enough rain, is it warm enough and (especially) when will this bloody cold wind stop?

April can be awful. I remember moving the kids in with (my new) OH in April 1998, it was wet and cold, the kids were miserable, the washing piled up, the tumble dryer never stopped. I thought he might send us all back to (old) OH again! But we all survived and have lived to laugh about it and look forward to Louise's wedding in August. The photo is of us all in 2001.

Winters are unpredictable too. OH says France is a cold country that gets hot. Not a bad analogy. We have certainly been able to use that sledge that was unloaded in 1996, on more than one occasion. Some winters are wet, moving the sheep from one soggy field to another chasing non-existant grass is one memory that springs to mind. At least the young sheepdog had some repetitive work to help with his education. Feeding the cows that we had to winter outside, losing my welly in the sucking (yes, I said sucking) mud is another happy memory. Probably didn't say sucking at the time though! Running, after retrieving said welly, to the safety of the fence in my sock. There's no time to mess about when there's 500 kilos of cow - with horns - after the empty bucket.

This winter hasn't been too bad. Some snow and frost early on before Christmas. Then we had just housed some of the ewes before OH fell down the stairs and had a plaster on his leg for 4 weeks (plastered in more ways than one). But I didn't get too wet whilst doing the sheep. Not that I can remember anyway. If it had been exceptionally wet it would have stuck in my mind, or certainly in my throat.

And now we're back to haymaking time. Most of the farmers round us have done the majority of their hay. Those fields that are left have been waiting for some rain in order to thicken up in the bottom. The rain has dutifully arrived and obliged. We now need some sun so we can all get on with it. We're never satisfied are we?

Spring is sprung

After quite a heavy shower last evening, spring is definitely in the air today.

It doesn't seem to matter how much watering you do with tap water, rain water has an immediate effect on plants, and hopefully our grass.

Because we have been so short on hay, most of the ewes and lambs have now been put out. Only the pets and thinnies are inside, but if this warm sunshine continues they'll be out too. Not only did the shortage of hay force the sheep out, but OH and his plastered leg. He fell downstairs in January and I've had all the lambing to do. I say all the lambing - it could have been far worse had we had the 350 sheep and 30 cows that we used to have. But on the positive side - I've lost 5 kgs in weight due to all the exercise. Let's hope it stays off until eldest daughter's wedding in August. Sadly, to achieve that it will mean very strict diets and lots of dog walking to keep those extra kilos at bay. I was never meant to be sylph-like. Born for comfort not speed, me.

Happy new year!!

Christmas has been and gone since I last blogged. Thank goodness. I'm not a fan of christmas, perhaps because I have always had to work - my mum had a pub when we were young, and since then farming has taken priority.

With the pub we had private christmas parties - firms dos etc -from mid-November, and then we had our own christmas eve party. The pub then had to open christmas day lunchtime, so masses of cleaning up had to be done before mid-day. Pressies were either opened very early or put on hold until the afternoon.

New year's eve was also party night, with the hangovers for new year's day when we opened again.

Of course with farming the animals don't know it's christmas, so it's easier to do them and again open the pressies later. Christmas dinner is also a problem - do we have it (rushed) before we do up at night or do we wait until afterwards when we can have a drink or two, or three, and not have to go outside again. As the kids get older it is easier. Or is it?

My eldest buys herself an advent calendar if I forget, and they moan like anything when they come and there is no christmas tree.

I now buy them an Asda or Tesco bag - one of the pretty canvas ones - and put lots of stocking fillers in (unwrapped of course). They still get pleasure from wondering what is in it, I think. Their big pressy is money. So, as you can tell, I don't make a massive effort for one or two days.

Now that new year is over the (sparse) decorations that I did do are down. The cards took no time at all - we only received 5, 4 were from OH's family!

On a lighter note though. All the barns are ready for the sheep to come in for lambing, but with the scarcity of hay do I keep them out or bring them in before lambing? Nothing is easy, even when you are supposedly retired. At least the pre-christmas snow has gone though, but I wish it would warm up a bit.

Time to do up again. Happy new year to you all.

I should go away more often!

Well it is really good to be back home. It's great to go to England to see my mum, sisters and their families, and of course Thomas my son, but it is exhausting trying to fit everything in.

It starts as soon as we get off the boat. Traffic, endless streams of it. Going where - who knows? Even at 11 o'clock at night the motorways are still full. Cars and lorries travelling at breakneck speed, going where? On travelling up to the Lakes we decided Windermere must be full, it was. But not with all the lorries we had been following.

Anyway, it's good to be back (just wish the weather would cheer up again).

Whilst I was away, however, OH was really busy. He'd arranged a painter and decorator to finish the painting downstairs rooms. So now the hallway up to our bedroom is done, and the mirror the girls bought us is up. The massive window wall in the dining/kitchen has been painted a beautiful fig colour - and it looks great, not at all dark like it did in the hallway when I tried it. The sitting room is now an off-white/yellowy colour with a lovely clean white ceiling.

I still have the guest side to do, I could be doing that now, but's bank holiday here today, so perhaps next week. OH's family are coming for a few days over christmas so I'll really have to get the bedrooms done.

We have even put the pictures up in the newly decorated rooms, and are fetching the curtains tomorrow. I bet they'll be up by Saturday night.

Oh, and the water-but (which I bought in July) has been installed and we're saving loads of water now all the summer plants and veggies have died! But it all goes to help water the sheep.

Happy Hols.

Would put bonne vacances, or is it bon vacances? I'm sure someone will put me right.

Depart this morning for the UK, but can't sleep anymore, so instead of tossing and turning thought I'd do a quick blog. Am picking LD up at 9.00 a.m.ish and going with the satnav up to Dunkirk. It was a worry last week with the diesel situation, but I managed to fill both the van (for OH while I'm away) and the car up last week.

It's good going with Laura as she is very easy company, and she looks after the music en route. As we go through Paris, though, I don't think we'll have Tina blasting her tonsils. I need concentration music, if any at all.

I hope that when we get to the port the weather is not too bad, no wind. I'm not a good sailor, in fact I could get sick on a lake! Anyway, we'll have a meal and a small glass of something to soothe the tummy, and then set off for Leicester once we get on the other side. Mum has already got the whisky ready!

And tomorrow? We're off to the Lakes for 2 days to see Thomas.

Did I say bonne vacances? These trips back somehow don't seem like a holiday. See you all when I get back.

Brocanting we will go.

When we sold our last farm and I had the task of packing up all the kids bedrooms etc. I was amazed at all the stuff (yes, ok - junk) we had collected. It seemed such a waste to chuck it all away in the dustbin or take it to the "decheterrie" (our re-cycling centres). So, two large packing boxes later, I had the start of my "vide greniers" - car booty. LD insisted she didn't have much junk, it was "memorabilia" she said, and took it off to her dad's (so he now has more junk). Note, these two large packing boxes are just from their bedrooms. The rest of the house harboured much more.

I have only done 1 other car boot sale, when we were in England, before the move to France. Pride of my car boot sale - my wedding dress! Gasps of horror? Don't forget those were the days before e-bay and all the other on-line auctions, have since divorced him who the wedding dress was worn for, and the damn thing didn't sell anyway and went to the local jumble sale!

So in early September this year I loaded up the trusty Berlingo, borrowed a pasting-table and some boards and stands, organised LD and set off for my first "vide grenier" in France. I never slept a wink the night before, worrying about what time I should get up and get there, and also about seasoned bargain hunters that accosted you as soon as the van doors were open - if not before. I shouldn't have worried. I got there about 7.30 a.m. and was placed next to and opposite other Brits (LD was not arriving until 9.00 a.m. so I was pleased to have some moral support). The seasoned bargain hunters must have clocked the van as soon as they saw it - and left me alone!

LD (Laura) arrived and organised me and the tables. I always say I would rather work with her, than for her. She then went off to get some breakfast - I'm not that domesticated that I do sandwiches or the like at 7.00 in the morning. The van had been loaded the day before so I just had to get up, have a cuppa and go.

The day went very well, only for LD telling me how much that item that I sold for 2 euros would be worth in the shops. It was hot and sunny, thank goodness I had the forsight to pick up a bottle of sun cream on my way out, and we actually did quite well, saw loads of people we knew and met other car-booters who will no doubt be there with us next year.

We also had some laughs - one (old bat) French lady was quibbling about a large-numbered telephone, went away, we sold it, she came back to find it gone - then when she went to leave the event her car wouldn't start as she'd left the lights on! I know you shouldn't laugh, but wouldn't you? The photo shows LD with some of our booty.

Auction fever

We have a new "attraction" in our local village. It's an English-style auction house - or shed. They do house-clearances, and anyone with something to sell can put in through the auction. I entered an outside streetlight style thing with a matching wall light. It got to 70 euros!!! Would have been chuffed with 20! But at the time of blogging still waiting for the cheque.

You meet all sorts of bargain-hunters, English and French. It's a pity the "Essex" man who does the auction can't speak French. The lowest you can bid is 2 euros, so it's not that out of the way. At the first auction I went to I saw a lovely blue pot that would adorn my new dresser, it was lumped in with other bits of pottery.

Auction day - I duly went and got my registration number, saw other would-be bargain hunters and took my seat. A quite nice mirror went through, with another one to follow. "Where can I put a freestanding pine mirror?" thought I, and got the next lot, a freestanding pine mirror, for 3 euros! That is now in a guest bedroom on top of the pine chest of drawers, as if it were part of a set!

A silver-coloured photograph frame and clock came next. Now LD had bought us one for Christmas one year, I put a photo of OH and I on our wedding day in and it was great. "LD needs a clock" thought I. Snapped it up for 2 euros.

My blue pot came along. No-one was interested (except moi). Another massive 2 euros!!

Well chuffed with my purchases, I paid, collected my purchases and went home (after the lamps got 70 euros). On getting home I showed OH what I had bought, and justified them all. Well, girls, you know what it's like. Short of saying "couldn't afford not to buy them" he was quite happy.

I then inspected the pottery I bought for 2 euros - the blue Stilton pot that I actually wanted, a soap dish with a cracked lid, two naff teapots, wait for it ...... two Wedgewood egg cups and two Royal Worcester trinket dishes! All, but the teapots, are now proudly displayed in our house and have their own tale to tell.

The teapots have now gone into "stock" as I am also bitten by the Brocant bug. This is out of necessity as my eldest daughter is getting married next year and I have promised to buy her flowers and wedding cake. The dress is already hanging upstairs (waiting for her to slim into it). It's amazing what you can get just selling "things". I still have boxes waiting to be unpacked, so don't think I need to buy too much stock yet. Anyway, can't sit here blogging. Have to prepare the "stock" for the next brocante/vide grenier. Wish me luck!