Autumn jobs

lots to do now. Really is harvest time! The pantry shelves are groaning with jars of Apple purée, Apple and blackberry, chutney, various jams and jellies. The freezer has a good stock of homemade passata made from boxes of tomatoes friends have given me. For the first time I have used glass jars in the freezer. This is in line with my bid to ditch plastic. As my Tupperware type things deteriorate I am replacing them with glass jars. I will no longer buy cling film or zip lock bags. Much like no longer using kitchen roll it will take a bit of getting used to.
I have been without kitchen roll for over a month now, using the pads I made. They work very well as do the cloths I have knitted.
Work will start soon on re organizing the veg plot. As part of this I hope to get the polytunnel finished! I would like to grow some winter veg to keep us going.
We need to cut down a tree that at this time of year blocks the sun from the bee hive. I had a visit from my mentor today who suggested it. The bees need to be warm! He is coming back next week on a sunny afternoon to help me remove the super and check the brood box. I want him to do this as I do not really know what I am looking for. He has said to store the frames of honey to put back on in Spring. I will put a syrup tray on for the winter. Over the winter I will have to sort out a second hive ready for when they swarm. I do not want to lose these bees as they are so gentle.
A general pruning is needed now. I have done the lavander bushes and the climbing roses and wisteria on the front of the house. My Hazel hedges need a good prune as they are too high. I do not want them to become trees. The walnut tree is too big too. I also have an apple tree and two pear trees that need a good prune. Then the raspberry canes need cutting back and moving. I am going to take them out of the veg patch as they take up too much room and spread so much.
Next year I mean to increase our food production so that we can buy less from the shops.
I have everything except the milk now for cheese making. The milk will come from our neighbour who is a dairy farmer. I just need a couple of days to make it!
I rather like this time of year, it feels gentle and I like all the making of things to enjoy over winter.
I have lit the Esse a few times bit it has not really been cold enough yet. The mornings are chilly but it is quite warm in the afternoons then cooler again once the sun goes down. We now have the heavy duvet on our bed again!
This will be a good winter as work will finally begin on my house. The other two Gites are progressing well and will be finished before long. We already have a booking of a week for all three Gites...three couples who are friends. We plan to promote this idea. I do hope we have a better year next year, we need to refill the coffers!
The new garage floor is great, making it easier for him indoors to work on the cars. My new brake discs came today so that will be the first job to be done. Along with my oil change!
So really all is good at the first and last house in Normandy.

Last guests for this year

Already our last guests arrive today. There is always a chance we will get another booking for the end of this year but we do not expect it. The couple coming today are from Guernsey so do not have to go anywhere near Calais.
The problems in Calais continue with regular attempts by migrants to go through the tunnel. The English side always say the delays are due to power failure which it is but that is not the whole story...the French side have no problem reporting the power was turned off due to people in the tunnel. I cannot understand how they get that far. There are barriers and checks at several places. There is also a high perimeter fence now. For the ferry there are customs people, French and English, checking lorries with trained dogs. Still migrants manage to climb into the back of the lorries. Now there is to be a big expensive wall built along the access road to the ferry to protect the queuing lorries. The so called jungle has been cleared several times but is rebuilt! I really feel for the residents of Calais who have had their town ruined. I do not have a solution to this problem but cannot understand why it continues. It has affected our bookings this year which has a direct impact on us. Along with the Brexit vote that has affected the exchange rate and reduced our pension payments.  I hope next year is better.
The garage floor is down and looking good. Should be able to put the car in there on Moonday. P plans to make frames to put on the walls and hang tools on. This will mean we will have all the car related tools in one place, creating space in the oldest barn. Once this barn is empty we will take the roof off, cap the walls and create a walled garden. I plan to move the bee hive into here and have it planted with loads of bee friendly flowers. We will also create a seating area. It will be a lovely project to work on.
I will soon start sorting out the veg patch getting it ready for next year. Just waiting for cooler weather. I will carefully plan what we grow based on past successes and failures.
For once I do not dread the thought of winter.

Autumn approaches

The evenings are starting to draw in and it gets light later in the morning. There are a number of foggy starts to the day too. There is just the maize left to harvest and by the look of it the combines will be busy soon. Fields are ploughed and fertilized, the scent of autumn! Winter wheat will be planted soon and the cycle begins again. Before long I will clear out the veg patch and do the changes to get it back to two big beds. The potager idea was pretty but not practical. I need to be growing larger amounts of fruit and veg. I have one whole bed devoted to raspberries which have not fruited well this year so think it is time to remove them and start again in the spring. I wanted to move them anyway.
I am now picking pears and apples and cooking them. The pantry is filling up nicely with bottled fruit. Ready for winter puddings! A few we keep to eat but they go over too quickly and are better made into bottled fruit. Due to the huge effort to remove brambles there are no blackberries this year but I have many jars of last years jam and bags of blackberries in the freezer. Think I will make them into bramble jelly. I do not really need jam this year as am well stocked.
One thing I do need to get on with is chutney. We all love the courgette and tomato one I have made in the past but sadly there is no glut of courgettes this year! I will have to buy them which rather defeats the object! Oh well, we cannot be without chutney!
Today I plan to buy the big pot for cheese making. My first batch of cheddar will be under way soon. I had to save up for the pot as it is €30.. A big chunk of my weekly budget. Will report when it is done.
De cluttering continues but the big difference will come when the other two Gites are finished. I am hanging on to lots of extra household stuff that will go into them.
On Thursday we have a large delivery of concrete coming. This will be the garage floor. It has been a long time coming but the end is in sight. At some point we will change the barn door for garage doors but that will have to wait a while.
Work is progressing well and we are on track to market all three Gites next spring. I just hope we get bookings.