The things I do in France....

I've always been keen on the great outdoors and here in France there's always something outside demanding our attention. Today, having looked at the weather forecast, WPH decided he needed to cut the grass in the field before 'les orages' (thunderstorms) rendered the long grass saturated. The sit on mower, WPH's boys' toy, has had a dodgy battery for at least two years now. This hasn't been too much of a problem with jump leads and some assistance from yours truly, transferring revs from car to mower. Normally I sit in the car on the very steep hill adjacent to our garden, while WPH does the clever bit with the jump leads through a fence. Today however was different. Maybe I am becoming protective towards my new hip but I found myself suggesting we push the mower up the very steep hill and into the drive, so that I didn't feel so precarious sitting in the car, totally blocking the lane, but vulnerable to speeding Frenchmen, whilst revving the car. There is no photographic evidence of us pushing the mower but believe me it is a steep hill and the mower is very heavy but we finally made it!

Some expert revving and soon the mowing was underway.

Yet again I find myself thinking how lucky I am to be able to do crazy things like pushing a heavy mower up a very steep hill with la nouvelle hanche. I know of two people who are having major hip operations today and I hope their outcomes are as positive as mine. One is Beth, aged 8, and the other is J's friend. I wish them both well and hope they are also doing crazy things before too long...

She who dares ......

I realise that almost a month has passed since my last blog. No reason really but it may reflect the way life has settled down as a hipster. However significant improvements continue to take me by surprise and therefore others, facing a hip replacement, may be encouraged by my recent log of achievements.

• The other day I ran indoors spontaneously as it began to rain. I contemplated running a marathon too...not for long BUT the thought was there!


• When I rose from a chair yesterday I no longer needed to stand for a few seconds to collect my muscular strength before walking.


• Getting in and out of the car is a doddle and I managed the long drive down to our French home with minimal stiffness.


• I can now lift quite heavy items and carry them without pain.

But best of all is what I managed to do this morning. I was feeling a bit daring do... WPH says he is glad to see this aspect of my personality re-emerging. I decided to throw caution to the wind and handed him the camera....

And here is the evidence. I can SQUAT! Yippee.

Some intensive hip physiotherapy

Last week we returned from a wonderful six days in Venice where we had been celebrating our Ruby Wedding. This perfect romantic venue was planned last November, when I was newly bionic; the medieval part of the city, without cars, would provide plenty of walking opportunities.

After surviving a full body scan (fellow hipsters beware!) at Heathrow....despite my protestations about having a hip replacement and producing a card from the hospital to confirm it, I decided I was up for anything. Just as well. Standing, let alone balancing in the high speed water taxi, which transported us from the airport to Venice proper, tested all of my leg muscles.

But the first sight of St Mark's Basilica from the water was unforgettable.

And my first cappucino confirmed we had chosen the perfect destination.

The canals are never far away when walking around this special place and getting anywhere involves crossing the water several times. With more than two hundred bridges to go at there is plenty of choice for pedestrians! The Rialto bridge bustles with tourists, shops and vendors and once negotiated, leads to the vibrant fish market.

'Step ups' and 'step downs' were literally the order of the day as each bridge was traversed. Wasted muscles gathered strength daily as the intensive bridge therapy began to take effect.

And climbing fifty steep steps up to the balustrading on San Marco provided views of the Doge's Palace and a real sense of achievement, as well as terror for those more vertically challenged.


Full marks to the hip then....and what memories we have.

Back on the bike

I have really forgotten when I last cycled, but it was probably about a year ago. To coin a phrase, it became too difficult to get my leg over and too dangerous to stop and put my right foot to the ground, as the old hip steadily declined. The bike languished in the shed throughout the winter, gathering dust and cobwebs but with Spring beginning to appear and my improved hip confidence I decided to give it an airing last weekend. Cycling is an approved activity for hipsters like me as it is non impact and uses the wasted muscles in the hip and thigh very effectively. Time then to put myself to the test....

WPH kindly pumped up the tyres, the frame was wiped down and I managed the leg over bit without a twinge. Fantastic! Imagine my surprise though, when I glanced down into the bike's wicker basket....

.......there was a beautiful nest, literally nestling at the bottom of the basket, composed of leaves, moss and hair, but now forgotten. Cobwebs suggest it had been there since last summer, a wonderful hideaway for one of our garden visitors. Out came the bird books and the following description seems to fit.

'the nest, usually with a frontage of dead leaves, is made of moss and lined with hair, and is placed in some sort of hollow: in a bank, wall, tree-stump, old tin, and in many curious places, even in occupied houses.'

I feel very honoured that our friendly robin made such good use of my inactivity in such a curious place!

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!