To England

We're off tomorrow for a few days in England, to a niece's daughter's wedding. Not sure what relation that makes us , but immaterial really. I have the passports, the half packed suitcase, husband's suit and a very nice wedding present.


I love the way shops in France wrap things when they know it is for a 'cadeau', lots of pretty paper, ribbons , bows and little labels. It makes it a pleasure to give, and certainly looks better than anything I might achieve. I know the bride has a newly decorated taupe and white bathroom so went for some satin bound taupe and chocolate towels, very glamorous!


Suit....when does one ever wear a suit here? Answer, never. However, we must do the proper thing, so husband, with much effort , will be getting into smart suit. I'm still dithering.


Sadly there isnt a purple cow on the horizon anywhere near Newbury/Andover this weekend, though I advertised on the Dating page...but no luck. It would be fun to meet, as so many of you are able to do.

Sarah Raven

I watched Sarah Raven on Gardeners World last night, and was so impressed by her programme, which was exclusively about British flowers. Of all things I prefer wild flowers, but there are times when you need something more formal perhaps, and too often it is the easy quick way....pick up a pretty bunch without wondering where they have come from. Marks ans Spencers...very tempting, though apparently they are leaning towards sourcing British grown flowers now.

Some of her research into the history of flower growers and pickers on the Scillies and in Cornwall took me right back to childhood. Along the lane where I lived was Mr Buzza (good old Cornish name). He had a little plantation of violets, the old fashioned sort that you rarely see now. Big big petals, deep purple in colour and with an incredible perfume. How long since I've seen one like that? We girls, with several village ladies, were allowed to help with some of the picking. The violets were bunched with two deep green leaves, tied with raffia and boxed ready for travel to Covent Garden. I can smell those boxes now, and hear the lovely soft Cornish accent as the ladies admired my little bunches, which maybe werent even sent off, so amateur would they have been.

Some friends found an orchard full of primroses and we were paid 6d per bunch for gathering and bunching them, to be sent to the flower market also. Sadly Mr Buzza's violet garden is now a very smart executive home, lived in by people who probably have no idea of the history that once was there.

Sarah reminded us how much fresher British flowers are. They havent had the stress of flying from South America, they might only have picked from Cornwall the day before, and even more important, we are helping keep a livelihood going by buying them. In a test with a local florist she equipped half the shop with British and half with Dutch and imported flowers. By the end of the day 98% of stock sold was British. to see people dipping their noses into the bunches and inhaling the smell of real flowers was lovely. She has persuaded some of the grander hotels in London, the Ritz, the Savoy, to use British flowers in their room arrangements.

So from now on, when not picking from my own garden, I'm going to try to source flowers grown in the country where I live, be it France or England.

Time goes by......

I cant believe it is 5 days since I wrote anything. Time goes too fast. And yet sometimes it doesnt seem to, a day can drag for no particular reason. The phone doesnt ring, the washing machine forgot to do what it was supposed to so all had to be redone, the ironing takes forever...

But today has been a 'vegetable'day. My darling ex farmer husband has brought in from his potager the following;
7 lbs of tomatoes
Several courgettes
A bunch of new carrots, what bliss!
Colander full of potatoes
Small handful of huge cultivated blackberries
3 leeks
3 very small yellow peppers
Pounds of shallots
French beans
And enough Runner beans to feed an army
A lettuce or two
Spring onions

The tomatoes are going to make Roast tomato soup, a la Delia. the rest..well I'll have to freeze a lot, but my freezer is getting chock a block. Men have no idea about little by little! Roast vegetables will take care of courgettes and peppers. French beans dont freeze, so reschedule supper. Freeze the runners, blackberries for winter. Carrots in the fridge..... And so it goes on! It is good to eat our own produce, but wish he had got used to the fact that we are only two!

All gone

Our visitors have gone, off with the (very sleepy) lark at 5 am to catch the ferry at Roscoff. We've had a wonderful week, with only 2 days of rain. So much for the flaming August that was predicted.
As a last day out we went to a kind of Safari park near Vannes, called Branfere, where animals roam at liberty. The park has been made in the grounds of a Chateau, and is more than just an animal park, also a centre where the relationship between Man and Nature is developed. There are teaching areas, video rooms, and lodging for 80 people . Stays for 8-16 year olds are encouraged, with bird watching, falconry displays, and participation in all that goes on in the Park. It is an inspiring place, and watching deer race cheerfully across the lawns, wallabies hopping around like Zebedee, and llamas peacefully grazing ,was wonderful. The park has had many young bred and raised, which must be an achievement, and seems to point to the fact that the animals are relaxed and happy in this environment.
Dodging the rain drops that threatened from time to time, we had lunch on the terrace of the restaurant, and wandered home to do the practical job of packing. Sad to see them go, but what a happy time we have had.

Will it ever stop raining?

Well....after several lovely sunny days with our family visitors, we have, once again, rain. And more rain. It has never stopped all day. Like good girl

guides we didnt let it stop us. We put on rainclothes and went walking, first in the local woods, where it was far too wet to be enjoyable, then in the city, in Vannes. The woods were very beautiful in a misty blue sort of way, paths made slidy and muddy by the rain, but the trees lookes somehow as if they'd welcomed the rain.

Vannes was....well, frankly , wet. But we had gone for a reason, to buy the birthday present for grandaughter, and so we slogged through tourists, shoppers, found the shop , and bought the present. A very fetching outfit.

As it was my husband's birthday we ended the day with a very enjoyable dinner at our local hotel, where we were presented with aperitifs as a birthday 'present'. How nice.

Lovely visitors

Family seem always to be the best of visitors. There's no need to be tidy , or on one's best behaviour, we can all be who we are. There's nothing nicer than all lounging around on long chairs in the garden, on the terrace, by the pool, reading, nattering, sleeping a little.

Tonight we've been doing a big shop at Geant, a hypermarket with so many interesting things to buy. Family have stocked up with things to take home. We have bought food for a BBQ tomorrow night , to which we have invited another 6 people, so we shall be 11. Not as big an event as Pondside with her 30, but enough. We found a wonderful fresh salmon to stuff with lemon and parsley and put on the barbecue. 'Can you pack it in ice?' I asked the young man on the fish counter. Doubt spread across his face. 'Oh dear, no, I dont have the right to give you our ice'. After a little conversation about salmon being in the car, must keep it fresh and could you ask your directeur for the right to give me ice, a smile came on his face, a shrug, and 'Oh la la, no problem' as he filled a large bag with ice and wrapped it round my salmon. It's as though they have to invent a problem in order to solve it!

We went on to a lovely beachside restaurant, people watched, saw no other English, amazing, and ate very good food, fresh Bass which tasted as though it had just jumped out of the water. Sea lapping in over the beach and the last of the holiday makers gathered up buckets and spades as we left. What a gorgeous place to bring children for a safe holiday by the sea. Grandaughter wandered back with bare feet over the soft sand as we made our way to the car. What a super day. Hope for wonderful weather tomorrow for our Barbecue.

Purple Harvest.

I wanted to put this in the common room, but it wouldnt let me, for some reason. This is the first harvest from our orchard! One plum tree has given us three and a half pounds of fruit, and what a colour! Sadly the Reine Claudes have rotted on the stems almost before they are ripe, and there are only four fit to eat.

We planted our 12 fruit trees just over a year ago, so didnt think we would have very much fruit this year. There are some apples coming, but not many yet.

Sunday

Lovely lovely day....the sun is so bright, there are little damp spiders webs all over the lawn, and, oh dear, the mole has been busy. I think we may have a small molecity under our garden, as every few days smooth, even heaps of earth are left for our enjoyment. Husband swears, mutters and stomps off to Bricolage to get yet another product that will get rid of them. This time its smoke bombs. Boys and toys, I think. Having grown up with Little Grey Rabbit and her chum Moldy Warp, I actually like moles.
So, wearing my Marks and Spencer country clothes, I'm off to church this morning. Does that count in the great journalistic world, do you think? Am I doing the right thing to be a proper country dweller? Or should I be lounging about in my bodens, something I have to say I have never worn. I actually cant bear their catalogue!
Barbecue tonight with fresh sardines bought at the market yesterday. The fish man only sells what he catches so we are sure that fish hasnt been flown in from Brazil or other exotic places. Eaten with home grown new potatoes and salad picked from the garde, what more could one want. And it is real country living, the like of which some of our journalistic friends have never tasted.

Feeble or what?

Feeble this may sound, but it concerns me that the whole world can read our blogs....and use them as they want. I know it happens, but I've gotten complacent and yesterday published photos of friends. Later deleted them, as I felt I was risking their privacy, one in particular. Maybe I'm worrying overmuch.