Farming-frenchstyle retired

Is it really 3 months since I last did a blog? Well it must be as the date of the last one was 31st May.

The only excuse I have is that the computer - yes, it is still working on it's last legs - is in the living room, and not hidden away in an office. As soon as I get on the 'net OH appears with the words "what's that you are on?" "Who's farming-frenchstyle?" he asks - he doesn't know that I blog. So consequently until I'm back in splendid isolation the blogs could still be sporadic. He's gone off on a social jaunt at the moment. He often goes off now, on the pretence of getting the bread. I have threatened to tag him so I know where he is, but generally he returns after a hour or so.

Summer has come and soon to be nearly gone in a flurry of building work, painting, some haymaking, and lots of village fetes and markets. Though I have not been to any brocants yet, there is one left at Lathus in September which is quite good, so I will get the bread that day.

Building work came to a near halt when we sacked the builders we had. I say a near halt as the plumber, electrician and joiner all did their bit to help out and get us moving on again. We also found a very good friend to finish the tiling for us, in half the time and at half the cost. So at this point in time we are now in our new bedroom and bathroom (even decorated), the new kitchen is in and operational, and the new builder and joiner start on Monday to complete the other bedrooms and bathroom. I should be frantically painting so that we can move furniture out of the sitting room and into the new kitchen as the ceiling is being renewed.

The new kitchen is fabulous. One daughter put in a request to come back home, I'm not sure if the boyfriend was coming too, a friend saw it and called me a "jammy cow", and others just say "oh my god!". Laura, youngest daughter, saw my tap in the bathroom and declared that it is not a tap, but a water feature! I've also got one of those in the big water trough outside, water feature not tap.

We are also going back into cows. We have a heifer that went to friends to be fattened for the freezer. Unfortunately she put on calf-weight, and had a lovely daughter by caesarian in June. They are both doing well. Bertrand (remember we went for lunch and bought a bull) was the father, so we are quite pleased to have his daughter. We'll just have to get some more to go with her.

Must get back to the painting because I want to do some weeding when it cools down a bit - hope this late sun ripens the melons.