The North Wind doth blow!

                                "This week I've mostly been moving wood!"

Weather update: 

The weather has cooled down here and what a relief! Like everywhere we have had our hottest Summer ever, the stream dried up completely and the grass was a lovely shade of brown but we have enjoyed many gorgeous evenings sitting outside.

 I mentioned the idea of having a swimming pool installed to Tim, something that we would never have considered before (we are in Normandy!). The idea did not go down well as having a Fosse installed was traumatic enough and the drive still looks like a cross country car rally went through it.  

We had a flash flood this week with big hailstones, water came in through the doors and Velux windows and the gutters could not cope with the amount of water that was coming off the roof. Fortunately, it did not last long and everywhere now smells clean and fresh. The water level in the lake has risen, the stream has water  and there is an abundance of blackberries. There are other berries but I have no idea what they are.  I know they are not sloe berries but plans are afoot to collect some sloes from elsewhere for gin - we need something to get through the long Winter. 

What have we been up to: 

The mornings and evenings are sunny but rather chilly, so our thoughts have turned to wood. In the past, a large pile of wood was considered a sign of wealth and we are reaping the benefits of having some trees cut down over the last 18 months. The reality is that you have to cut it to the correct size, make sure it's seasoned (normally takes 18 months) stacked, stored and kept dry. We have a few outbuildings but you have to bear in mind that in the middle of winter you do not want to be going far to get the wood in!

Learning things the hard way

One of the many things that I have learnt about living in rural France, is that you have to dress appropriately (pretty obvious I hear you say). I've learnt the hard way that wearing flip flops and shorts is not a good idea when weeding. I have spent most of the Summer with scratches on my arms and legs- not a good look. Also, gloves, you need good gloves as the thorns get through your gloves and you spend the rest of the evening trying to get splinters out of your hands. 

The beauty of doing manual work (you can tell I've been inside all of my life) is that you are exercising at the same time. We spent all day on Monday moving logs, so I don't need to go to the gym for a least a year! yes, we have gyms in rural France, they are called Orange Bleue. Orange Bleue are very reasonable but they are not a patch on David Lloyd and they don't have showers but they are not full of children.

l'Orange bleue : le leader du fitness et du sport en salle (lorangebleue.fr)