Spring

Days lengthen as we pull away from what really has been a long, difficult winter...various illness, long, wet days and of course the 'silence of the lamb' episode(s)...the most curious aspect of the whole business being that the chap who shot scooter actually tried to put the rifle up his bum!? if this is not a homoerotic gesture then...(which does fit with him...yet such a punishing thing to do..rage, rage)..

Anyhow, here we are starting to sense the sun is warming, the days longer and the grey,wet mist receding...with the roof finished it is time to start the inside..yet, it is also time to attend to the gardens...onions are in, garlic up and going (from October), strawberries beginning to shoot as are the rasberries, casis and blueberries. I have planted a 50m double row of willow for coppice and whips as well as three varieties of hops as a trial. My bees have woken up so soon I shall have a look under the lid to see how they are. No glasshouse yet so I need to build some single bed cloches for this year..

Huge amount of work left to do before the second half of the house is ready but I do feel that completing the roof is a big step..sadly my back has given up for the last week so it has been enforced rest for awhile...

Watched Wales score a somewhat dubious win over Ireland, here's hoping the ABs do the business in October...

All this against the backdrop of Japan, with thousands of people presumed dead, towns wiped out and peoples lives devastated..with this in mind, life is pretty good here in rural France! lessons are back on and so the bilingual goal is still alive!!...

R