Birthdays

On the 11th April, Easter Saturday, we went over to Tajan for a joint birthday celebration. It was our friend Kates birthday and 2 days later it is Nigels birthday. Kate and Peter moved into their new house just a few weeks ago so we were looking forward to seeing the new property. It was a dreadful day weatherwise, very wet and at times I had to have the wipers on full. Being Easter there was quite a traffic jam in Aire sur l'Adour so the journey there took a couple of hours, 20 minutes longer than usual. We found the place without a problem and were very relieved to have arrived at last. Rambo had been invited too and he was very keen to get in the house as he doesn't like the rain! After a tour of the house, which is very nice with wonderful views over the valley to the mountains which of course were obscured in the gloom, we had a long, chatty lunch. The plan was to go for a walk in the afternoon but sadly the rain never stopped so we just had a quick look around the garden before settling down to carry on chatting before we had a cup of tea and some birthday cake. Kate has a bad neck at the moment and is having to wear a support collar and Nigel has the same problem so we had to have a photo of the pair of invalids in their collars!! Much hilarity! Just before we left we saw a couple of deer come out of the neighbouring woodland to feast on the new grass. A very good day and a good time was had by all despite the weather.

Back to Devon March 2009

After almost a year I had a trip back to see Steve and Sasa in Devon. I flew from Pau to Stansted with Ryanair as there were no other convenient flights available. Nigel took me to Pau and on arrival at Stansted I caught the bus to Victoria, tube to Waterloo and train to Axminster. London was quite a culture shock after life in Les Landes. So busy, so many people rushing here and there. A relief to get on the train and settle down with a book until I got to Axminster at 10pm. Steve was there to meet me and after a glass of wine and a chat it was good to get to bed after a long day. We had good weather whilst I was there which was a help. I saw many old friends and did lots of chatting. Steve and I went to see "Slumdog Millionaire" at the cinema in Lyme Regis. Last time I was there it was when the boys were young and we went to see ET! Before the film started we walked through the gardens and down to the Cobb where we sat and had a beer and a snack looking out over the bay. So many memories. On the Saturday I met up with Titch and we went to the meet of the Cotley at Blackhayes Farm, Stockland, Roger Parris' place. A beautiful day, glorious views and horses and hounds looked so well. Saw lots of old friends there, not many I know were mounted though. After that we went into Honiton and met up with Sasa and had lunch prior to looking round all the charity shops in the Hight Street. Saturday evening we went to a quiz at the village hall in Kilmington, a good evening but we didn't win!
Monday I went into Exeter, had lunch and a look around the shops before going to Annies where I spent the night. Next day Annie dropped me back at Steves and in the evening I had dinner at Maries along with Trish, Caroline and Gilly. Lots of chatting!! Wednesday morning I rode out with Dave, Sheila and Jan. Good to be on a horse again but certainly not as young or as fit as I was!! After an hour or so I had to ask Jan to stay at the back with me and walk back the last lap as I just felt that I couldn't do any more walking or trotting! Not helped by the fact that my mount was not the most comfortable of rides but he was very safe! Thursday we went to the Northcott Theatre in Exeter to see "Stones in his pockets" a very entertaining and funny play.
Friday was my last morning and Steve and I went for a long walk in Shute woods with Scout and then to lunch at Stockland before catching the train in the early afternoon. Always sad and difficult to say goodbye but once I was on my way was looking forward to being back home.

Wood.

Before the storm we had asked Alain, our neighbour, to deliver some oak for next winter. He said that we would need about 12 metres cubed and measured the wood burner so he could cut it all to the correct size. Although we had the 6 poplars that came down in the storm we still need the oak as it burns so much better and gives out much more heat. I went out one day and on returning saw Nigel, looking rather bemused, surrounded by a pile of logs. He had started to stack them and said that Alain would be returning shortly with another load. There was an awful lot of logs and it took Nigel almost a week to stack them. So no worries re heating next winter, no logs to chop as they are all ready to go straight on the fire.
The poplars took rather more time to sort out. First Nigel cut off the branches and we had a couple of days burning them. Then Nigel chain sawed the more managable bits of trunk. Finally Alain came over with the log splitter on the back of his big tractor and cut them all into smaller bits. Alain offered Nigel the use of his small tractor and link box to move all the logs from the field to stack them at the side of the hedge which was a tremendous help, it would have taken such a long time to do that with just a wheelbarrow. Now we wait until Dominique, another neighbour, can come over with his digger to push the stumps back into place. We are hoping that once the stumps are back that the trees will continue to grow.

Hunters Lunch March 2009

This year we didn't arrive too early, the invitation said from 12 noon but after last year we knew that there would be a prolonged session of pre lunch drinks before sitting down to eat! So we arrived at 1pm and managed to get away with just one aperitif before sitting down to lunch at 1.45. The tables were beautifully decorated and about a hundred people sat down to eat. I had Nigel on my left and opposite us was Mme Lamothe, the lady who sells Armagnac and lives at a farm in the village. Next to me were 2 men and opposite another 3 men who were all obviously keen hunters. I had seen a horse box going down our lane, most weeks, containing hounds and a horse. I had asked Alain, our neighbour, and he said that the hounds and horses were stabled in the village and that they hunted on horseback in the forest North of here. Listening to the chaps next to me I deduced that one of them was the master of this hunt. I introduced myself and said that I had hunted in the UK prior to coming here. They explained that it was very different to hunting in the UK that sometimes he was the only mounted follower and that most of the followers were on quad bikes! Apparently they cover long distances and they are hunting red deer. We had a very copious meal, lots of sanglier, wild boar, in all its forms and of course lots of wine flowed. The meal ended at about 5.30 with coffee and Armagnac. A very pleasant way to spend the afternoon.