Resting

I thought i had been blogging over the last couple of weeks. It would appear that blogger has a different thought on this. My last two posts have gone into the ether never to be seen again.
So, what have i been up to?.... not much i suppose, the bedroom is all painted and we are still waiting for the new flooring to arrive but apart from that it is all done. At least i can see real progress. Last weekend i did a flying visit back to the Uk. Left here Saturday morning at 6am and was back home by midday Sunday completely knackered!!! Back to work on monday and plaster man has asked me if i would like to renew the contract for another month so i said what the hell.. ok.I am a working man for another month. The money is useful that's for sure. So, the fire is lit and the wine is on the table and we are going to watch a DVD called "Dear Frankie" it is an english film and seems like it will be interesting. Well, off i go, wine awaits..... 

This was Summer

This is a view taken from the top of the Tarn Gorge which is about 45mins drive away from the house. You can just make out the little village at the bottom. There is a lovely restuarant there and the food is wonderful. It is a protected village so no new houses can be built in it unless they are built in the traditional way. In the five years since being protected status no planning permissions have been granted which i think is a good thing. The villagers are fiercely proud of the village and its heritage and guard it's beauty and will even close the bridge off to it if they feel the tranquility is being violated by too many tourists. Now isn't that quaint?
Just thought i would post this to remind me that the sun does shine as i sit here after three days of non-stop rain, high winds and finally yesterday another 4cm of snow! The weather here in March changes from day to day, tomorrow they are forecasting sunshine and 14°c Bizarre.
Off to the bar tabac later to watch the England v France rugby so that should lead to some interesting banter. It has been agreed that if england lose i buy the beers and if france lose they will buy the beers. Going on past history of the games at the Stade then i should be buying the beers! hopefully england will produce an upset and i can safely put my money away...i hope..... 

Rest Day

After a hard week at work and having finished the plastering it was a day off for the peasant and lushcious and off we went to the carnival at Gaillac. It was a sort of day off as i was playing in the band at the carnival!! It was a good day out and after parading around for a couple of hours we were rewarded with a couple of free drinks so not so bad eh? Time to get home have a cup of tea and then back out again as we had been invited out to our neighbours birthday bash at a local auberge!! Got back home just gone 1am so a wonderful day off. Woke up this morning to howling winds and driving snow. I just can't make this weather out, yesterday was 18° and today is hovering around freezing! I reckon the badger we startled on the road near the house as we came last night/morning was muttering just the same thing. He went out in reasonable weather and must have gone home in the snow as i saw his tracks going back past the house this morning! Turned out nice then dear, enjoy your walk? not much fun in the snow when your belly drags on the ground. Perhaps i should try and stay upright in future? 

The new additions

Hopefully you can just make out the new additions to the orchard. The little sticks with white labels on are the five new fruit trees. we have great hopes for them. The eight apple trees we planted three years ago are now just starting to bear fruit. Not enough for an apple pie but just enough to taste how each variety is different from the other. We hope likewise that in another three years we will be picking the odd one or two peaches and apricots and that the apples are much bigger and cropping well. Next year we will plant some cherry trees to replace the ones we already have as they are really past their best. They must be getting on for 50+ years old and have been badly neglected as the house was empty for some 15 years before the mad english came along and bought it. It was still one of our best ideas and one we have never regreted.