Cannot believe how long it is since we updated this. Blogging is definitely not our strong point! On the other hand, there's not much to talk about in the winter. However, the bulbs coming up in the garden have prompted a quick review of events since the last one.
Jeanne flew over to the UK for a few days to see family and just a couple of friends; many thanks to Peter and Lianne for their hospitality and driving her about, and she wasn't too shaken by a small road accident on the ice. Rhys was left in charge of the cat, the hens and the house during her absence, and coped, he says!
We joined the local Quiz d'Anglais at the village café and won third prize on only our second occasion, two very nice bottles of wine, which we enjoyed with the friends who are our quiz partners over lunch the following Sunday.
Christmas and New Year were spent at home, seeing lots of friends locally, and we enjoyed a fantastic double New Year celebration with a big party at friends. Double because New Year here is an hour earlier than in England and we had to see in both, of course! Many thanks for cards and pressies from so many people. We wish we could see you all every time but just can't manage it.
In January we went off on our first proper holiday for 5 years - to Engelberg in Switzerland via Samantha's in Alsace. Jeanne's sister Christine and her husband Jay came over to house-sit and look after the cat and the chickens for us. As we were away for 10 days we thought it was too long to have neighbours looking after the chickens and the cat to be in the cattery. When we arrived at our excellent hotel in Engelberg the snow was rapidly disappearing and as we'd gone specifically for walks in the snow (we do not ski) we were initially a little disappointed. Plus Sam and Elizabeth were joining us at the weekend and as they do ski it could have been a let-down. However there was still enough snow on the high ground and by the Friday the snow was coming down in bucket loads for their weekend - there was over 12 inches in 24 hours, much more on the tops. We loved Engelberg and our hotel, the Spannort, which is owned and run by a lovely Swedish family. The only drawbacks were the high price for bottles of wine with dinner, they start at the equivalent of £40, and the Swiss government taking off the controls on the Swiss Franc in the middle of our stay there with the result that the euro tumbled against the Franc and our bills shot up accordingly. Driving into Lucerne during the Friday evening rush-hour to collect Sam and Elizabeth from the railway station was also a bit of a challenge; at one point we wondered why there was only us in the traffic lane and then realised we were in the bus lane! The Sunday was a brilliant day for both walking for us and and skiing for them - fresh deep powder snow and beautiful sunshine.
Getting back into the idea of taking holidays after spending most of our income on renovations for the last few years we've already booked a second holiday in Sardinia for early summer. This time we'll be joining Jennie, Ian and Dylan and we're really looking forward to it as we've always wanted to visit Sardinia and we can combine it with a car tour through the South of France and part of Italy.
Rhys went over to the UK to see family and some friends, and to buy lots of trees for the garden and land. Many thanks for hospitality and birthday pressies from David & Lynne, Peter & Lianne, Jennie & Ian and others. It was a great joy to see Charlie playing his Saturday football match. His team won by 4 goals, I think, largely due to his super right-wing passes. And another great joy to see Dylan progressing with his walking and talking and enjoying a pub lunch! And a pleasure to meet up with a few old friends as well. And great to have a dinner out with Peter (for his birthday), Lianne, Tom, Jack, Emma and Diane. Slightly less of a pleasure driving home with the car loaded up very fully with trees, luggage and other stuff . Rhys took the Poole - Cherbourg ferry home after a visit to Mother in Swanage, so not too long a drive.
Rhys bought 220 'forest' trees - oaks, beech, birch, alder and willows - for the bottom of the land to start to make a mini-woodland, and 90 'Etna' Laurels for a replacement hedge in the back garden. The garden currently has Leylandii all round, which is way too high and deep, beyond pruning, so has to go, and these laurels are for the first batch, on the north side. Unfortunately planting them has to be done after rearranging the drainage that runs along the old hedge. There is a big ditch taking surface water that we are converting into a proper land drain with perforated pipes, gravel etc and covering with soil so it will be invisible and enable us to get rid of the bank that's next to it currently. Then the new hedge can go in. We're almost half way done with the drain so far, so reasonable progress.Yes it's a long way to go for the trees but we got them from a forestry supplier in Shropshire for about one fiftieth of the cheapest price we could find over here!
We're starting to get bookings for the coming holiday season, with Easter, much of June and a week in July firmed up already, and a possible for late August / early September. Gives us completion targets for some of our jobs but even with a few incomplete our place will still be even better than last year. Get your bookings in!
We are now getting down to having only a few major jobs to complete although we expect pointing external walls to be an ongoing task for a few years to come. We are planning on getting the fireplace man back to sort out the fire and fireplace in what is now the dining room, the lovely original Charantaise fireplace has had brick additions that need removing and stripping back to the original with any necessary repairs made and the inset log-burner needs replacing with a free standing one. We're also getting the chap who did the drive back to install a gate and gateposts. But both jobs need to wait until the weather improves a bit more. In the meantime, however, the priority task is to get alll the trees planted while they're still dormant.
Best wishes everyone, and hope to see you later in the year!
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