Bionic gardening

I now know that life is definitely returning to normal after spending two afternoons sorting out my veggy plot. The contents of the compost bin were forked onto the raised bed and then followed plenty of digging.... something I struggled with before I became bionic. When I created le potager three years ago, assisted by kind son and WPH, I thought a raised bed would be sensible, as the hip was already giving me gyp. Today I clambered on and off the oak sleeper edges with ease and enjoyed every minute of my workout.
I was planting onion sets, a staple vegetable for any cook, particularly in France. The sets are easy to grow, as you just push them into the ground and then wait for them to take root....in my experience a hassle free crop. The birds can mistake the tops of the sets for nest building material but the sets are easily pushed back into the soil. I planted 250 grammes, enough for three rows and look forward to harvesting them later this summer.



I then moved on to broad beans, one of my very favourite vegetables. I brought this packet, a dwarf variety from the UK , as the French seem to prefer the giant sort. These are an easy crop too and the dwarf varieties seem less prone to blackfly. I can't wait for the first tasting....


Once everything was planted I emptied the water butt, gently watering the veggy plot, before finally hanging my watering can on its branch for the next time....I have a feeling that I will find an excuse to plant something else tomorrow!

Out and About with 'la nouvelle hanche'

La nouvelle hanche had to walk uphill today to catch this view in the Aveyron Gorge.Our aim was to walk up to the 12th century castle at Bruniquel. Wandering through the village streets the castle looked as imposing today as it must have seemed when the heretic Cathars were rampaging in the Languedoc against the Catholics all those centuries ago.

The unexpected sunshine was a bonus, warming the natural colours of the massive stone buildings. We walked without coats enjoying this hint of Spring. As I looked back at the castle I couldn't help thinking 'if only walls could talk'.
What had life been like in there?
How many people did the castle house?
How did they keep warm in winter?
What did they eat?


And of course our minds then turned to finding our dejeuner....
No problem....

Actually the roti de porc was just one of five courses! Not for the faint hearted or anyone in a hurry I hear you say...well we are in rural France where everything stops for a lengthy lunch break. With these wild beasts looking down on us it also seemed imperative not to argue with the status quo.

Some time later we headed for home....driving rather slowly. A surprise awaited us as we went round one bend.

This particular lama was not impressed by the appearance of my camera and spat with significant attitude to let me know!

Happily I didn't encounter any problems when I took this final photo of the day's expedition - a treeful of mistletoe.....

Greetings from South West France

Faithful followers of this blog may have been perturbed by the recent absence of posts. Don't worry, the new hip is absolutely fine. My silence has been entirely due to lack of broadband provision, caused by transfering from one provider to another. I won't bore you with the details except to say I have discovered that internet cafes are fascinating places. Happily we are now in France where France Telecom have restored our faith in the internet.

So earlier this week with WPH's forthcoming birthday to celebrate and in glorious sunshine we thought we would check out our favourite restaurant in a nearby village and book for Dimanche dejeuner. A theraputic walk could be achieved at the same time, following one of the many local promenades, and taking in a gentle hill or two.

We soon arrived outside the restaurant, a lovely old building with its foody credentials suitably noted on a gate post.

But imagine our disappointment when we read the following notice....

I suppose things could be worse....at least Veronique et Frederic are opening up a new restaurant in another nearby town in April. However the quest is now on to find somewhere for Dimanche dejeuner!