So, with my new found lack of fear of bees......heard a buzzing outside the bedroom window. After a couple of days I investigated. In the top of the dormer window in the space of the cheek were some bees. I watched them moving in the furniture, lots of activity. They are mostly black with a white rump and look like bumble bees. I was able to google them and discovered they are tree bumble bees. Not aggressive unless challenged.
Him indoors was worried about having bumble bees sharing our space but once he realised they will mostly be outside he was ok. They will only be there for the summer as once we go into Autumn the queen will emerge and bury herself in the earth to stay warm and safe over winter. The rest of the colony will die off. She will emerge next Spring and start a new colony. I find this rather sad as they are such beautiful creatures. They have a pale ginger saddle that can only be seen close up and are fluffy in that bumble bee way!
It is a measure of how far I have come that I feel hugely privileged to have these bumble bees living so close. One was on the lounge floor yesterday looking in a bad way. I put it outside on the water butt and gave it sugar syrup. This it ate and after a while flew back to the nest! It had run out of fuel!
I say good morning and good night to them each day.
I do the same with my honey bees as they like to know what is going on?
The world outside seems very agitated just now but here in the first and last house in Normandy all is peaceful.
It turns out I have just one broody hen and she has around ten eggs. She is now separated in a protected house and run ready for when the eggs hatch. This also stops other hens laying their eggs in the house which would confuse the hatch times! I do so love seeing the chicks hatch and watching them grow. I know it means increasing the cockerels but that is ok.
Work on the second Gite is going well. So close to finishing it!
Our bookings on Le Tertre Rouge have gone well this year. 15 weeks! It seems people prefer to book last minute now so we must remember this next January when we begin to worry! Flexible booking is also preferred. People do not want to arrive just on Saturdays! It creates more work keeping calendars up to date but is the way things are now!
Still busy making crochet blankets, a new one is in progress! I have a couple more waiting in the wings that are granny squares, something I have not tried before. I am excited to try this having found how much I enjoy learning new things.
I never know what is around the next corner which is good really!
Sunday 25 June 2017
Sunday 18 June 2017
When worlds collide 🌻🌾🏎
this was a special weekend for me!
Most of my days are spent quietly making things and growing things, tending to my animals and learning to be self sufficient. Just occasionally my other self comes to the fore.
This weekend was the 24hour race at Le Mans. On Friday we went to the classic British welcome at a town near Le Mans. Hundreds of amazing cars arrive and park around the leisure area. Each year a different car is featured and has pride of place in the exhibition centre. This year it was Marcos, quite a rare car. Loads of Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, and other sports cars. There are English, French, German, Dutch and American. Many people come to view the cars.
Later that day we drove down to the circuit in Le Mans to meet up with a friend who is part of the Corvette pit crew. He gave us a pit tour which was fantastic. We then had a lovely drive home through the French countryside.
On Saturday we drove back down to Le Mans to see the start of the race. Home again for the night and back down again today to see the finish.
I absolutely love this weekend! It does not fit at all with my green side but the atmosphere, the noise of the cars, the car fanatics and the friends we meet up with each year is amazing.
Each evening I have come home and picked the ripe raspberries for that day, watered the veg and pottered about! It has been lovely to come home to the peace. I do know how fortunate I am.
Lost another chicken this week. I have left them locked in whilst I have been out. It makes me sad to lose birds. This year I have lost four chickens and four ducks to the fox. I know it is part of nature but I cannot accept it. It is my choice to free range them and I know it is a risk!
Tomorrow life returns to normal
Most of my days are spent quietly making things and growing things, tending to my animals and learning to be self sufficient. Just occasionally my other self comes to the fore.
This weekend was the 24hour race at Le Mans. On Friday we went to the classic British welcome at a town near Le Mans. Hundreds of amazing cars arrive and park around the leisure area. Each year a different car is featured and has pride of place in the exhibition centre. This year it was Marcos, quite a rare car. Loads of Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, and other sports cars. There are English, French, German, Dutch and American. Many people come to view the cars.
Later that day we drove down to the circuit in Le Mans to meet up with a friend who is part of the Corvette pit crew. He gave us a pit tour which was fantastic. We then had a lovely drive home through the French countryside.
On Saturday we drove back down to Le Mans to see the start of the race. Home again for the night and back down again today to see the finish.
I absolutely love this weekend! It does not fit at all with my green side but the atmosphere, the noise of the cars, the car fanatics and the friends we meet up with each year is amazing.
Each evening I have come home and picked the ripe raspberries for that day, watered the veg and pottered about! It has been lovely to come home to the peace. I do know how fortunate I am.
Lost another chicken this week. I have left them locked in whilst I have been out. It makes me sad to lose birds. This year I have lost four chickens and four ducks to the fox. I know it is part of nature but I cannot accept it. It is my choice to free range them and I know it is a risk!
Tomorrow life returns to normal
Monday 12 June 2017
C'est la vie
Last week I lost a much loved cockerel. Yes I am very attached to all my birds! I am sure it was a fox. He was out in the field with some hens and I know he would have died protecting the girls. The girls came home ok. He was a very big chicken so I am surprised he was caught. It must have been a big fox!
Today I was sitting quietly at home doing some crochet when I heard the other boys alarm call. I rushed into the garden and realizing they were in the field below I headed for the bank in time to see a fox run from the higher field down to where my chickens were grabbing a girl en route! I slid down the bank under the barbed wire shouting and clapping ( foxes think it is gunshot). The fox dropped my chicken and ran into the woods. I rounded everyone up and did a headcount. All were there but the chicken who was caught has awful wounds on her back. She has been eating ok and moving around but I am concerned I will lose her.
On a positive note I have two broody hens. They have six eggs between them! I have put them in the omlet house on top of the puppy cage. I have put wire around the house and tiles across the door. This enables me to check them and give them food and water. I will turf them out once each day. The issue is to stop other girls going in to lay eggs. I need them to hatch at the same time. Hopefully in three weeks I will see some fluffy chicks! There is something really lovely about seeing them hatch and watching them grow! I currently have three boys but could gain more when these hatch! I will keep them all as I cannot bear to think they could be killed and eaten!
Yesterday I met an English lady who shares my passion for ditching chemicals and all things green. She has a B&B in the next village. I feel we will become friends! Most people who know me just smile at my principles! This does not bother me but it will be good to compare notes with someone who understands what I am trying to achieve!
Tomorrow my brother in law and his wife arrive and will stay just over a week. This is always difficult as they are materialistic, the complete opposite from us. This will be the first year though that I do not feel stressed about my building site. I have made it look as good as I can and that will have to do!
The honey extractor arrived today so at some point this week I hope to collect the first of this years honey.
Today I was sitting quietly at home doing some crochet when I heard the other boys alarm call. I rushed into the garden and realizing they were in the field below I headed for the bank in time to see a fox run from the higher field down to where my chickens were grabbing a girl en route! I slid down the bank under the barbed wire shouting and clapping ( foxes think it is gunshot). The fox dropped my chicken and ran into the woods. I rounded everyone up and did a headcount. All were there but the chicken who was caught has awful wounds on her back. She has been eating ok and moving around but I am concerned I will lose her.
On a positive note I have two broody hens. They have six eggs between them! I have put them in the omlet house on top of the puppy cage. I have put wire around the house and tiles across the door. This enables me to check them and give them food and water. I will turf them out once each day. The issue is to stop other girls going in to lay eggs. I need them to hatch at the same time. Hopefully in three weeks I will see some fluffy chicks! There is something really lovely about seeing them hatch and watching them grow! I currently have three boys but could gain more when these hatch! I will keep them all as I cannot bear to think they could be killed and eaten!
Yesterday I met an English lady who shares my passion for ditching chemicals and all things green. She has a B&B in the next village. I feel we will become friends! Most people who know me just smile at my principles! This does not bother me but it will be good to compare notes with someone who understands what I am trying to achieve!
Tomorrow my brother in law and his wife arrive and will stay just over a week. This is always difficult as they are materialistic, the complete opposite from us. This will be the first year though that I do not feel stressed about my building site. I have made it look as good as I can and that will have to do!
The honey extractor arrived today so at some point this week I hope to collect the first of this years honey.
Saturday 10 June 2017
🌼🥂
I now have five bottles of Elder Flower cordial in the pantry. Along with fourteen jars of cherry jam.
I love filling the pantry shelves with home made things. I am slowly using up the kilner jars I was given. I have kept some ready for the chutney I will make when the courgettes start arriving. My plants have flowers on them so I hope we get loads!
The raspberry canes are laden so more jam will be made later this year.
My sock adventure is going well. I am just about ready to start on the toe part. I need a block of time so that I can complete it in one. It uses something called the Kitchener stitch...this creates a seamless sock which is more comfortable. Having never done this before I will need to concentrate on what I am doing. I have to confess to ordering more sock wool. I will do the second one for this pair before starting on another pair. My plan is to have four pairs for winter. I think the second pair I will make a bit smaller as the current ones are a bit too big. This is something I hope to perfect before too long.
The days are long now, it is still light at 10pm. I am very aware though that we are getting close to the longest day after which the days start shortening again. It enables me to get so much more done. I am often in the garden until almost dark! This means less knitting and crochet which is why I save that mostly for autumn and winter.
We are due a heatwave which is not welcome. It makes it hard to keep the veg garden watered and the water butts go dry quickly. Our old stone farmhouse stays fairly cool due to the thick walls so we hide indoors at the hottest part of the day. I cannot use the Esse now which makes meals a challenge. I have the halogen oven and a gas hob. We have more salad just now which makes it easier. Over the next winter I plan to make meals for the freezer that I will just reheat as needed. I do use the slow cooker when we have a heavy work day but it will be vegan and him indoors does like his meat! He is very good about it though.
We seem to be in a good routine now with seasonal work. It will be so much easier when the building work is finished and all our energy and money can go on being as self sufficient as possible.
I love filling the pantry shelves with home made things. I am slowly using up the kilner jars I was given. I have kept some ready for the chutney I will make when the courgettes start arriving. My plants have flowers on them so I hope we get loads!
The raspberry canes are laden so more jam will be made later this year.
My sock adventure is going well. I am just about ready to start on the toe part. I need a block of time so that I can complete it in one. It uses something called the Kitchener stitch...this creates a seamless sock which is more comfortable. Having never done this before I will need to concentrate on what I am doing. I have to confess to ordering more sock wool. I will do the second one for this pair before starting on another pair. My plan is to have four pairs for winter. I think the second pair I will make a bit smaller as the current ones are a bit too big. This is something I hope to perfect before too long.
The days are long now, it is still light at 10pm. I am very aware though that we are getting close to the longest day after which the days start shortening again. It enables me to get so much more done. I am often in the garden until almost dark! This means less knitting and crochet which is why I save that mostly for autumn and winter.
We are due a heatwave which is not welcome. It makes it hard to keep the veg garden watered and the water butts go dry quickly. Our old stone farmhouse stays fairly cool due to the thick walls so we hide indoors at the hottest part of the day. I cannot use the Esse now which makes meals a challenge. I have the halogen oven and a gas hob. We have more salad just now which makes it easier. Over the next winter I plan to make meals for the freezer that I will just reheat as needed. I do use the slow cooker when we have a heavy work day but it will be vegan and him indoors does like his meat! He is very good about it though.
We seem to be in a good routine now with seasonal work. It will be so much easier when the building work is finished and all our energy and money can go on being as self sufficient as possible.
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