Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

The legs are fine, it's the joints...
They tell me an electric tricycle would suit me because you exercise your legs but don't load them.... Hmmmm.

[Big Kev]

The legs are fine, it's the joints...
They tell me an electric tricycle would suit me because you exercise your legs but don't load them.... Hmmmm.

Paulette wants one of them, she's concerned about falling off of 2 wheels
I still get the odd twinge in my right knee but the Nordic poles are taking the pressure off of it.

[Stanley]

That's my thinking also. Ask her to keep me up to speed if she decides on one.....

[Big Kev]

This is what she has her eye on but to be honest I don't think she'd go out on it much, she's be a fair weather cyclist so it would be folded up under a cover for most of the year
https://jorviktricycles.com/jorvik-elit ... cle-jet-e2

[Stanley]

Thanks Kev. Beyond my budget at the moment!
I shall be chasing my con rod, slowly and carefully! Than bookie watch.

[Sue]

Sounds like you're enjoying France Sue. We've been out and booked a cruise to the Canaries for February 2022, P&O still had the deposit from the cancelled Med cruise from last year. It was actually cheaper, per night, than we paid for the UK hotel breaks we've had recently.
It's a big ship, 5200 passengers and 1800 crew, which is twice the size of any we've been on previously. I'm quite looking forward to the Bay of Biscay in February, should make things interesting.
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Morning

Yes Kev our house is also at about 600 feet and Lobden about 1100 so a very similar walk.

I am plagued by insect bites at the moment. My left arm is very swollen and we had to pay a trip to the pharmacist yesterday . We have tiny little black biting flies. You don’t feel anything except the itching later.The original bites are subsiding but I was kept awake all night by more on the same arm. I must have disturbed them clearing the strawberry patch.

Yesterday morning we shopped for tonights meal and a new battery for the small tractor used for mowing the orchard . Later Joanne and Paul called round and Paul measured up the art room walls and ceilings to complete, or nearly complete the renovations in there. Paul is a builder, now retired. He had offered the job to his son in law who is a carpenter, but Julian is too busy. He has two children, a full time job but also is a volunteer paramedic. I made a summer pudding for tonights meal and cleared, well nearly cleared the strawberry patch. Bob replaced the battery on the tractor and did a bit of a service. Yves must have been struggling to cut the orchard with the ride on mower for the lawn

Today will be a bit domestic. I shall have to sweep through as we were plagued by flies last night, despite new fly papers and sticky things for the windows. They were probably attracted by the melons we bought for this evening, which smell quite strongly. I will have to do a bit of seating manipulation as will have to seat 9 people at a 6 people table this evening. We will probably have to stick a small table on the end for the two younger children. This afternoon will be cooking as we are expecting them at 6.15 pm for aperitifs. I may get the veggie garden raked this morning where Bob cut back all the weeds yesterday but there will be no major gardening done. Its a week today since we arrived and chopped our first bit of wisteria. We knew then the garden clearing would take a long time !

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Morning Sue, I love hearing about you working away each day but not to news of the insect bites. My experience is that they aren't really a big problem as long as they don't get infected. I have holes due to not realising a bite was infected so be careful!
I was held up a bit by getting up late and doing a load of washing but I have had a good hour and a half at the bench. I shall post on shed matters now and be back later with a pic....



Here we are at knocking off time. The con rod has its bolts fitted, has witness marks and is marked up ready for splitting and boring. That'll do for today.

[Stanley]

As usual, in the shed, this morning chasing a con-rod! I was thinking of the weekly shop but that can wait until tomorrow. Bookie watch could be on today as the forecast looks dry. Otherwise just the normal round of looking after the antique that is my body!

[Sue]

Morning

What a hot day yesterday. I worked on the rhubarb patch until about 11.30a.m. That was quite long enough. I chopped down over grown fruit bushes, and pruned others and the fig trees, then went inside. The afternoon was taken up with cooking and doing battle with flies and ants. The bird feed container in the kitchen became alive with ants as it got warmer so as well as cooking a three course meal for 9 I had to clean every surface, sweep and wash the kitchen floor and cover every item of food as I prepared it. I used every tea towel I have here, and there are many. It was awful, my mood was not helped by an ever increasing itchy and swollen arm as evidence of more bites decided to appear despite copious use of insect repellant. This morning there are still flies everywhere despite spraying each room when we went to bed. I am NOT impressed.

Despite that we had a lovely evening and were not too tormented . We put the fan on above the table , it kept us cool and kept the flies away . Our visitors left at 10.00 pm. We then managed to get all remaining food in the fridge, for another day , washed up and cleared away between us. Luckily we have an extra sink in the laundry room so I did all the hand wash stuff in there. Bob did the pans by hand and loaded the dishwasher. We have just emptied that and are having a cuppa in bed away from the ravages of flies in the kitchen . I put the washer on with all the tea towels and other dirties before we went to bed so I can get it on the line first thing.

This morning my arm is somewhat improved so a little more gardening as yesterday, but it is due to be hot again and for the rest of our stay. At the moment our plans for the day stop at lunchtime . We feel we must do something holiday wise or Laetitia and Yves will think there efforts to help us chill out will be wasted. They asked us yesterday where we had been whilst here .We shall think of something. There is an annual outside photo exhibition in the local town which we are planning on visiting next week when it is quieter . Sunday is a festival holiday, after that holidays wind down for the French and crowds will get less in tourist places.

Have a good day. Hope your weather is improving

[Stanley]

"Hope your weather is improving"
Very slightly Sue but reading your account of the insect attacks makes me glad it's not warmer!
I've been in the shed and will report when I have posted in shed matters.....



The con rod is finished and the bearing fitted to the crank pin. I have also done work on the bed and base castings. One slight mistake but I shall not go into a decline, it's cosmetic. See shed matters for details!

[Stanley]

In the shed for an hour, then Co-op early doors. Veggie shopping and pharmacist on my midday walk. It's all go!

[Sue]

Morning

It was a beautiful day yesterday and was very warm. So warm all gardening stopped at noon.We had a leisurely lunch then went for a walk in a local forest. In 16 years we have never been there before, even though we knew of its existence.

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On our way back we took some of our recycling to the recycling banks. The first bottle bank we chose seemed to have a wasps nest in it as Bob got stung. We also called at the supermarket for every form of anti fly stuff we could find. We have flypapers, sticky decorative discs for the windows, a dispenser that sits on the work surface and kills the horrors with slow release chemicals, and good old fashioned spray . The flies are much reduced this morning.

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The garden is slowly making progress. This morning will be less sunny so I may actually manage to clear the rhubarb patch. At least the strawberry patch is tidy. No plans yet for this afternoon but another stroll would be pleasant.

Before and after strawberry patch

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Have a good day

[Sue]

The forest had lots of criss crossing grass paths all numbered. We got to 19 numbered paths. Somewhere there must be a walking map as yellow, red and blue routes were also labelled . It wasn’t always flat either. We heard a woodpecker and worked out the tree itas on one, but it flew away as we got near.

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Don’t how the flies creptin again, it was supposed to be a photo of heather but its typical they are getting everywhere.

There is a little church dedicated to St Jugon, related to local folk lore but I have not yet found the story online. Neither have I found a map of the patgs

[Stanley]

Sorry the flies are still chasing you.... We used to have a saying here that they preferred good meat!
I've had an hour in the shed and done the early doors shopping. I shall report as soon as I get sorted out.

[Stanley]

Today was big nasty files and cleaning castings, tomorrow will be more of the same!

[Sue]

Found it, the story of Saint Jugon

http://doyennedecarentoir.free.fr/La%20 ... billot.php

[Wendyf]

Testing our French language skills Sue? The Google translation is interesting..
.
I'm going to visit Minnie this afternoon, taking a car load of horsey stuff to Becky's yard in Brierfield. Just the stables to clear out and clean now. Yesterday was all about preparing the muck heap for it's final load!

[Cathy]

Your day sounds bitter/ sweet Wendy . I sometimes wonder what I will do when my 15yr old Cat passes on. I don’t know my neighbours that well, but know they would help if I needed something, so I would take my cat’s remaining food to them for their cat ‘Pumpkin’.
My cat‘s many beds, I will cut up and put in the recycling bin. I will then change the position of a few things inside and add some indoor plants, to bring in ‘new energy’.
Goodness, where did all that come from
All good
Hope your day goes well Wendy.

[Sue]

Testing our French language skills Sue? The Google translation is interesting..
.
I'm going to visit Minnie this afternoon, taking a car load of horsey stuff to Becky's yard in Brierfield. Just the stables to clear out and clean now. Yesterday was all about preparing the muck heap for it's final load!

Yes .....you should be able to click on the English version. I did .good luck with your clearing out. End of an era for you.

I too have finished...the rhubarb patch. The trouble is we now have a pile of brambles that we don’t know what to do with

Before and after pictures and the pile of brambles

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[Stanley]

I've just got back from a busy morning. I have me pills, an appointment for a flu jab on October 7th and me veggies. Now I can have a pot of tea and a sit down! I sat opposite the bookies but didn't stay long as there was a woman sat there who wanted me to do a crossword for her..... Deep Joy!

[Stanley]

Shed with my engine and bookie watch later, weather permitting. You'd be amazed the number of people who go in and sit down at the gambling machines immediately.....

[Sue]

Morning

Another beautiful day yesterday and one forecast today. I think we can say summer has arrived at last. I finished tidying the rhubarb patch just before lunch but left the clearing up till the evening, when I gave the plants some plant food and put all the brambles in the trailer to take to the local tip. There is a mountain of green waste there which they treat, shred and recycle. We added the prunings from the bay trees and will probably top up from the hedge cuttings today .

Its all beginning to look quite respectable. I have done a bit of tidying of the fruit gardens and second veggie plot but will leave tge bulk of that till autumn. We have decided to get rid of one fruit plot by adding to the second by using a lot of the second veggie patch. The first patch will just be left to revert to field and be mown over. That just really leaves the lavenders to cut back later in the week and the main veggie patch to tackle. This looks horrendous but I am hoping it will be easier than it looks. Its a very hot part of the garden with no shade so it has to be done in short spurts . So thats todays task. I shall also have another gentle stroll round the fruit trees cutting off random suckers and odd shoots on tree trunks. I do a bit at a time.

Yesterday afternoon we had our second afternoon out by doing a walk along the river in St Martin sur Oust. We used to go regularly but haven’t been for years. It used to be a quiet picnic spot by the river followed by a walk down to the lock house and back up the other side, but now the picnic spot is a boat hire place for canal cruiser holiday lets. Its been very tastefully done but it is not the same. However, like the forest, it was quiet. Being a holiday weekend this afternnons it will be harder to find a quiet walk. We shall have a BBQ tea afterwards to help reduce the growing wood pile :

So thats my day, a bit of veggie gardening, pruning, strolling and BBQ this evening

[Sue]

These characters have been on the roundabout at St Martin for as long as I can remember . The lock keepers cottage always has pretty gardens , these were a bit disappointing, and you just have to have an ice cream on holiday, but these selfies are difficult to take

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[Sue]

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[Big Kev]

I like the 'roundabout' statues, they make it a bit more interesting. An ice cream selfie is essential when on holiday