And some Peonys for Eloh. I was going to wait until the later ones came out, and post them all together, but, I thought, why wait?
Monday, 24 May 2010
Idle snapshots
Catering for guests is tiring work, and in between breakfast and the lunchtime barbecue, I was leaning against the side of my conservatory, taking a break and lazily admiring the garden. So I took an idle snap for you too. The second picture is the view of the garden as seen from one of the guest bedrooms. By the way, the guests, you will be pleased to hear, have booked up for the same time next year: they said they had a great time again, next year will be their third visit.
And some Peonys for Eloh. I was going to wait until the later ones came out, and post them all together, but, I thought, why wait?
And some Peonys for Eloh. I was going to wait until the later ones came out, and post them all together, but, I thought, why wait?
Friday, 21 May 2010
Garden tour
The wife's favourite flower is the flag Iris, and by happy coincidence, this plant thrives in the soil here at Les Hallais. The earlier ones are in bloom right now, so we can take a stroll round the garden and have a look.
On the left below is a little snow in summer plant, on the right a river of catnip. My old cat has a routine in the mornings: He comes down and eats, then goes out and rolls in the catnip. He comes back in high as a kite, and races around the house, attacking the other cat if he's around. Then he falls asleep. He's a druggie.
This white flower is about 2 feet high, and is growing in a little corner. The wife thinks it's a weed, but I don't. I have no idea what it is though. On the right, my attempts to provide some decent growing conditions for a hazelnut sapling.
This shrub sits in the lawn, and is just festooned with white flowers.
This flower bed owes its shape to a happy accident in laying out stones. The curves at the front edge of it save it from a stark rectangular look, and also serve as a souvenir of its construction. The perennial poppy "Aurora" is the first of my poppies out this year.
Finally, a sight (and sound) just down the road, that I'm sure i will never tire of.
On the left below is a little snow in summer plant, on the right a river of catnip. My old cat has a routine in the mornings: He comes down and eats, then goes out and rolls in the catnip. He comes back in high as a kite, and races around the house, attacking the other cat if he's around. Then he falls asleep. He's a druggie.
This white flower is about 2 feet high, and is growing in a little corner. The wife thinks it's a weed, but I don't. I have no idea what it is though. On the right, my attempts to provide some decent growing conditions for a hazelnut sapling.
This shrub sits in the lawn, and is just festooned with white flowers.
This flower bed owes its shape to a happy accident in laying out stones. The curves at the front edge of it save it from a stark rectangular look, and also serve as a souvenir of its construction. The perennial poppy "Aurora" is the first of my poppies out this year.
Finally, a sight (and sound) just down the road, that I'm sure i will never tire of.
Thursday, 20 May 2010
The right stuff
The Dahlia cuttings are getting quite mature, so they are ready to plant out. The weather has been strange lately; we are in our second unseasonably hot spell, with temperatures around 23 degrees during the day. In between these spells we have had unusual cold, with air frosts. Dahlias hate frosts, but the usual planting time is about now, when danger of frost is normally past. So I'm just putting them out and crossing my fingers.
Preparing the ground requires large amounts of manure, and I have been shoveling it where it's needed. Still not quite done, but in a few days I expect the Dahlias will be planted. Incidentally, I left the trailer-load of manure out overnight, and in the morning, I discovered a toad in there trying to get out. He was lucky to survive, I think. I put him at the base of a dry stone wall, and he hopped into a gap in it.
The plants look a bit small when they're planted, but they will soon grow. This work takes a toll on the forks, though. The ground is very stony, and the forks bend. Bend them often enough, they break. I'm glad I didn't use my good stainless steel one.
Finally, a couple of pics of the Ena Harkness climbing rose that's on the wall of the gîte. A lovely shape, and strongly scented too, so you catch a whiff of it as you enter and leave the building.
Preparing the ground requires large amounts of manure, and I have been shoveling it where it's needed. Still not quite done, but in a few days I expect the Dahlias will be planted. Incidentally, I left the trailer-load of manure out overnight, and in the morning, I discovered a toad in there trying to get out. He was lucky to survive, I think. I put him at the base of a dry stone wall, and he hopped into a gap in it.
The plants look a bit small when they're planted, but they will soon grow. This work takes a toll on the forks, though. The ground is very stony, and the forks bend. Bend them often enough, they break. I'm glad I didn't use my good stainless steel one.
Finally, a couple of pics of the Ena Harkness climbing rose that's on the wall of the gîte. A lovely shape, and strongly scented too, so you catch a whiff of it as you enter and leave the building.
Monday, 17 May 2010
A castle for the painting
We are expecting a group of painters to stay with us in the gîte this August. I am looking forward to seeing what they will find appealing in the countryside around Le Domaine des Hallais, and how they will decide to represent it.
You can't come to France as a painter, and not paint a château. A pair of Dutch friends have rented a home right next door to a wonderful castle, and have secured permission for our artists to come and paint it, so today we went to see them, stay for lunch, and take a look at the château. Magnificent. I can only show you a small sample of the photos I took, but I'm sure it will make a wonderful subject.
The house that our friends have rented is the mill that is attached to the castle; it's lovely. Here's a couple of pictures to give you a taste.
You can't come to France as a painter, and not paint a château. A pair of Dutch friends have rented a home right next door to a wonderful castle, and have secured permission for our artists to come and paint it, so today we went to see them, stay for lunch, and take a look at the château. Magnificent. I can only show you a small sample of the photos I took, but I'm sure it will make a wonderful subject.
The house that our friends have rented is the mill that is attached to the castle; it's lovely. Here's a couple of pictures to give you a taste.
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Windolene
When I was a kid, it seemed to me that the only window cleaner you could get was Windolene, and that, as I remember, was a vivid lilac colour. I even remember a school teacher pointing out that it would be impossible to market a non-lilac-coloured window cleaner, because "everyone knows" that window cleaner is lilac.
Well now the lilacs are out in my garden, perfuming the air, and distracting attention from the dying tomato plants. But I can't stop thinking about window cleaner when I see them.
Some Iris are out too, along with Paeony and Dicentra, also known, (in its more popular red and white form), as bleeding heart.
Well now the lilacs are out in my garden, perfuming the air, and distracting attention from the dying tomato plants. But I can't stop thinking about window cleaner when I see them.
Some Iris are out too, along with Paeony and Dicentra, also known, (in its more popular red and white form), as bleeding heart.
Saturday, 8 May 2010
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
England trip
We spent last weekend in England, stayed first with my sister, and then with some friends in London, had a great time. I don't know if it's just what you get used to, but British food seems so good. We were only there three days, and we ate a proper English breakfast, and had wonderful Indian, Thai, Pizza, Sunday roast. It was nice to be able to shop on Sunday and bank holiday Monday too, we bought lots of little goodies you can't get here.
A gift from our London friends: a paper recycler, you use it to make little cylinders of combustible waste for your log fire, using newspapers, etc.
On the left, the old paper recycler. I've had it for ages, but only used it once because you have to wet the newspaper, mash it up and then put it into this block to compress it. You then have to dry out the paper brick thus created, which means it has to be stored somewhere warm for a while. On the right, the new one, basically a hollow cylinder (green) and a tamper (gold).
First, you make a cylinder out of a few sheets of the old newspaper, by wrapping it around the green tube, using the guide line as marked.
Then you tuck the overlapping end of the paper into the tube. You now have an empty paper cylinder, closed at one end, that is formed around the green metal one.
Then you fill the cylinder with combustible material, pretty much anything sensible will do. I used old paper. That old firework that failed to light would probably be a bad choice, as would petrol-soaked rags. It would also probably be a good idea to dispose of any old sulphur, charcoal and saltpetre that you have lying around, separately.
Tamp them all down until you get to the max fill marker on the tamper.
Release the green cylinder by pushing in with the tamper and pulling on the cylinder.
Then tuck the remaining end of the tube in, and you have a neat little cylider of combustible material for lighting the fire. You don't even have to wait for it to dry.
A gift from our London friends: a paper recycler, you use it to make little cylinders of combustible waste for your log fire, using newspapers, etc.
On the left, the old paper recycler. I've had it for ages, but only used it once because you have to wet the newspaper, mash it up and then put it into this block to compress it. You then have to dry out the paper brick thus created, which means it has to be stored somewhere warm for a while. On the right, the new one, basically a hollow cylinder (green) and a tamper (gold).
First, you make a cylinder out of a few sheets of the old newspaper, by wrapping it around the green tube, using the guide line as marked.
Then you tuck the overlapping end of the paper into the tube. You now have an empty paper cylinder, closed at one end, that is formed around the green metal one.
Then you fill the cylinder with combustible material, pretty much anything sensible will do. I used old paper. That old firework that failed to light would probably be a bad choice, as would petrol-soaked rags. It would also probably be a good idea to dispose of any old sulphur, charcoal and saltpetre that you have lying around, separately.
Tamp them all down until you get to the max fill marker on the tamper.
Release the green cylinder by pushing in with the tamper and pulling on the cylinder.
Then tuck the remaining end of the tube in, and you have a neat little cylider of combustible material for lighting the fire. You don't even have to wait for it to dry.
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