Birthday

Happy birthday me! 48 years on this planet... another busy day draws to it's close although I am not quite finished yet as I am waiting for Sam to call re picking him up. Getting a bit late but I suspect he is on a bus/train heading this way...

Will be good to see him and have his help(!) as I have a few projects on that need finishing, one in particular being the two internal walls I decided to knock out of one of the gites and the need for it all to look neat and tidy for the people are coming!

I have started the French lessons and quietly surprised myself both with my receptiveness and ability to learn (one feeding the other)... I now feel quite excited at the prospect... just heard from Sam, he is stuck in Rennes for the night as there is no train this evening, I remember such times, a bummer at the time but character building and the basis of a travel story! So shall have to wait until the morning to catch up.

Charlie and Lola started school (four mornings only) this week, this is a chance for us to have more time yet each day goes so quickly and my list of things I need to attend to grows! Doesn't help when both Landrovers decide to die the same day, clutch in one and alternator in the other... all sorted now (those old skills from college coming back from the depths...)

C&L loved their first day. Were a bit surprised having to go again the next day. Wednesdays is a day off. A very nasty surprise this morning for Charlie who totally didn't realise this school business was going to be an ongoing affair! Tomato red head screaming little boy was taken by Cécile, the teacher. He was alright soon after, the teachers said, but I am not sure how we are going to tell the kids that tomorrow (YET AGAIN) is another school day...

Has been a few months now since heading out from NZ, I am feeling increasingly settled here in Brittany and once I have conversational French I will be away. I certainly miss friends and the cost of living but that is about it, I feel ongoingly relieved to have hung up my chair, I feel I would have developed an increasingly dictator style of therapy, perhaps an interesting angle! No, I am happy to leave it to those who feel the pull...

France is a curious place, I call it the land of small victories in so much as..when I go out with a few things to do I have learnt to be happy achieving 2/3 out of 4. Unlike NZ where most things are both available and fairly straight forward here there seems layers of reason and situation that prevent immediacy... so long as I surrender to this it allows me to slow down, if not the frustration is huge...

The over riding feature that continues to both fascinate and satisfy is that of the people, both local and immigrant alike we have met some lovely people. Welcoming, interested/interesting and with common interests... a sense of community in a very real sense, why so is an interesting question, maybe the commonality of lifestyle and goals and perhaps the spirit of the land itself. I had a chap come up to me in the market today, shaking my hand whilst animatedly talking, he soon could see the lack of comprehension, apologised and then explained I looked so local (same line of celts) he assumed I was from the town.. so won't it be nice when I can complete the conversation...

All shooting in the garden, currently enjoying lovely purple sprouting brocoli and asparagus, need to get in the carrots and salads yet all is so dry so we are waiting for some rain. Have planted a couple of fig trees although the chap assured me they will not fruit here... time will tell (south facing here, very warm and sheltered)...
so that is it for me, time for bed, a light drizzle is falling outside so all will be watered as I sleep...lovely :))

First day of school was Lo-Ve-Ly

3 more sleeps to school...

A walk down to the river

Some spring photos

Sringtime

Just a few weeks ago we were sleeping under two duvets with our pyjamas on and I was wearing three jumpers on top of each other. Now, just as the horses managed to quickly grow a winter coat, all of a sudden spring has sprung! It's lovely.

I notice there are things I didn't realise I was missing in NZ till now I have them back again: Quiet, long springtime evenings, long dusks and dawns, the millions of little flowers everywhere, the dicidious trees, familiar bird sounds. I feel good here.

Cats, dogs and horses are all looking good.

The cats hardly need any food at the moment because of the abundance of mice and moles they are chomping away at.

The dogs have been very obedient this week, apart from this morning. We wanted to go out for a drive to the coast but they decided to go of for a little adventure together that lasted for more than 3 hours. Dogs had a great day out. We didn't go anywhere... They are grounded until we have an electric boundary collar for Scooter.

Horses... Milo has always been able to stay on his own without to much fuss. Now he has somehow taken over Harry's separation anxiety and both horses are running around whinnying themselves hoarse when I take the other one out for a ride or play... Good for Milo's weight, but not really helpful when you want to do some training. Next project will be weaning them of each other of again. Won't be too easy!

Today trimmed Fiona's horses' feet. Her old little horse is 36! I think their feet will do great after a few trims. I'm getting a bit faster/handier at it too.

The farmer next door (who has two Breton mares that are about to have their foals) was very impressed with Milo's feet. A lot of people have probably never seen healthy looking horse feet! I hope I can help spread the barefoot revolution also here in France, I've seen already quite a few horses that would benefit from a different approach in hoofcare.

A blur...

The days seem to be over in a blink with few ideas actualised and a growing list of things needing attention...

The sap is rising in the trees and so not a great time to be looking for next winter's fire wood. However, having tasted the end of the last one we need a big pile. So Hector's first job has been chugging down to the river to collect logs, I just hope they dry out by October. Great to have an old tractor to drive again, the Massey 35 was a 1950s model and H is 1965 so I feel that is a significant upgrade (plus he has a front bucket, very handy!)

Also getting to grips with the French car systems, we own two Landrovers and so they need to be in our names etc. Not as straight forward as I have been used to in NZ. Here a vehicle has a contrôle technique (WOF/MOT) every two years (€70), this must be new when sold. Then you take the papers to the nearest Carte gris office and depending on the age of the vehicle you pay to have the papers changed to your name (the Landrovers cost €180 each, 14 years old)...then(!) on top of this you have to buy new number plates (€20 each)... begin to see why cars are so expensive, as with most things there are all the extra costs to feed the government...

I got caught today in the wonderful midday shuffle, out with the kids picking up various bits, called into a nursery to buy some plants yet by the time I had got what I wanted (and dealt with the woman's incredulity of moving here from NZ!) I arrived at the farm shop at 12.12pm...as with most places in France they had shut for their two hour lunch... it just sneaks up on you, especially since summer time has kicked in..

Anyhow, I bought a walnut tree and planted with one of the roses from my Dad's funeral so in 4 or 5 years time we can eat the nuts off John Davies's tree...

Have started a second market, Saturday mornings in Carhaix, bigger than Huelgoat and my first weeks sales were double of Thursday which is just as well being the new chickens are cranking! In fact the old girls are looking much better since we changed their food and feed them twice a day, not surprisingly!

Next task is to repaint and modify the white gite, poor old house feels bereft of any input for years. We do not have enough time o do what I feel it needs but I shall knock a couple of walls out down stairs, paint upstairs and look at replacing windows etc. after the summer.

Charlie and Lola continue to enjoy life, perhaps oblivious to the work ahead! They are off to school next Monday, Lola already keen but when Charlie heard he can not have wee outside he is not so keen. I am off to 'school' too next Friday to push along my stunted French...

Alors, life in Brittany continues, I miss some of the folk in NZ, the access to cheap timber and the ease of conversation (especially in shops), however, once we get the place looking half decent and have had a couple of guests I am sure we shall feel more settled(?!).

One of the things that already makes us feel at home is a fair amount of lovely people (Hilke, Roger, Thomas, Robbie, Fiona, Toby, Sue, Joelle ... just to name a few) just casually calling in for a cuppa or a wine. One of these nice things that make the days even go by faster...

à bientôt

Hector the Tractor

Harry, Milo & me

It's been a while since our last post. In the mean time Harry and Milo have been settling in just fine. Harry's cough is gone and he's putting on some weight. Both boys seem amazingly settled and comfi.

The first morning when I put Harry out He had an amazing expression on his face. Can a horse look pleasantly surprised? He seemed to recognise something. The smells of spring? The dicidious trees? Europe? I don't know but he seems to like it here.

Harry loves to come in at night and sleep on thick straw. Milo just loves it anywhere where there is lots to eat...

They are absolutely inseparable at the moment so when I go in the arena with one horse (to work a bit more on the basics of classic dressage!), the other one has to come in the field next to the arena. In time I hope this will get a bit better.

Although them being inseparable has its benefits too: I can go for walks on the land just leading Milo and Harry follows of the lead, grazing and then galloping to catch up. He is enjoying his freedom with a huge smile on his face.