We Just Love Snow !

Jess & Bonny thought Christmas had come early when Joanne opened the door on Wednesday, they were delighted to find a foot of snow ! Whilst Chris cleared the pathways around La Petite Maison, Jess & Bonny played contently, catching snow off the shovel, afterwards, we walked through the forest marvelling at the wonders of the winter wonderland that was 'Chassain Cheval'.

An expensive weekend, or was it Deer?

Saturday saw Chris hit the target once again, he had been invited to shoot in St Sylvain, a commune next to ours, he went with Phillipe, Fabien, Frederic, Alexandre & Gregorie, a small but highly skilled and experienced team of hunters. The weather was cold, windy and snowy but when required, Chris's aim was true, he shot two Deer, the first from about 80 meters and the second from close range, 20 meters. A great mornings shoot, finished off with some hot mulled wine back at the Lodge, does it get any better than that?

Bonanza Hunting Weekend !

Thursday 11th November is a bank holiday in France, Armistice day, and another excuse for the Chasseurs to do what they do best, Hunt!

Chris set off early that morning not having a clue what was about to happen, he and the other trackers found the wild boar on the limits of our commune, St Avit de Tardes and the commune of Neoux, an invitation was given in the form of a 'carte journee' from Hugo, the president of Neoux.

Chris waited at his post deep in the woods for the horn to sound to signal the battue had started, 5 minutes after, all hell broke loose, a wild boar of 56kgs came charging down on Chris, he took aim and PAF!! one single slug saw the boar drop, a direct shot to the heart at about 50 metres.

The pan on the head is what happens when you and your mates drink 31/2 litres of Pastis to celebrate ha ha.

Saturday saw Chris nail his second Chevreuil, 19.5 kgs, and if that wasn't enough, he shot his second wild boar of 46kgs on the Sunday, what a weekend. The other chasseurs explained that for Chris only having his permit for 6 weeks, this truly was exceptional, they nicknamed him the 'destructeur' (destroyer)

Chris shoots his first deer

Chris was delighted to shoot his first Chevreuil of 16kgs (Roe Deer) on the 24th October. Despatched with respect, it made a fine meal after being butchered at the hunting lodge, another new skill for Chris.

Lac de Vassiviere

Lac de Vassiviere with a circumference of 35kms is a great place to spend the day and only 40 minutes from La Petite Maison, today we walked 15km, a warm up for next week when we will attempt to complete the full tour of the lake. Low with water, spectacular views can be seen which are normally covered in the murky depths. All seasons find superb views, walks & watersports available, obviously the summer months find more activity around the place when campers, day trippers and locals alike enjoy the lake and its surroundings. If you find yourself lagging a little on one of your choice of walks, just wait at a water taxi staging and take a boat back to your origin (not much chance today ha ha) however, this service stops in September as the holidaymakers decline.

Autumn from the Blue Room

Mild temperatures and no wind have made for a perfect Autumn here at La Petite Maison, such magnificent views across the valley from the Blue Room window find Chris & Joanne drinking in the scenery as well as their morning cup of tea. We often refer to the Creuse being very similar to the Lake District in the UK when chatting with friends and neighbours.

Now where's that oven ?

The Turkeys are living it up ! they are in great form and getting fatter by the week !

It's great to know that your food has a real quality of life, we learn more about how it should be everyday here at La Petite Maison, a real education !!

Chutney Chutney Everywhere!!

Tomatoes ripening mid October? yes, it's true, we have had a fantastic crop this year and nothing has been wasted, thanks to Hugh Fearnleys recipe, Joanne has made an abundance of green tomato chutney which dare we say, is as good if not better than the red tomato chutney. Chris has made his famous tomato ketchup and we are all passatad out ha ha !.

The delightful aromas drift through the house, we chat about tasting summer from the bottles and jars of the many conserves we have produced, nothing nicer when winter sets in and summer bursts from a newly opened bottle or jar, yum yum !!

The Hunter Returns Happy !!

Chris, Jess & Bonny return triumphant this Saturday morning, game such as Pheasant, Partridge & Hare are only to be shot Saturday or Sunday. This was Chris's first outing since passing his hunting exams and obtaining his permit. A wet morning found Chris in his boots by 08.30 hrs and after taking Joanne a cup of tea in bed, with Jess & Bonny chomping at the bit he was off.
With Jess & Bonny working well in the hedgerows, it wasn't long before they flushed out a nice looking and plump cock pheasant, Chris shouldered his gun and PAF! one shot found the pheasant returning to earth with a thud, Bonny was first to the kill, she picked it nicely and returned to a smiling and doting Dad ! Chris pocketed his game and with a spring in his step, returned to La Petite Maison where a smiling wife welcomed her tribe home, we eat well tonight ha ha!!

Jess & Bonny

Jess and Bonny patiently wait for Chris to come home from validating his hunting permit, although sitting comfortably, they can't wait to get after all those pheasants, partridges, hares, rabbits & pigeons !

Je suis Chasseur !!!

At last, Chris was over the moon last Tuesday (5th) he passed the last part of his hunting exam, it was his practical, he passed both the theory and the practical without error, exceptional !! Having become reasonably fluent in French, and with a little persuasion from his best friend Phillipe (also president of the Chasse here in St Avit de Tardes) Chris enrolled for his exam back in June, after lots of hours of revision, he is now proud to be a 'FRENCH CHASSEUR'

This weekend he will be able to take up his own post with his shotgun for the Deer or Wild Boar drive which is always a group activity, he has been promised the best post, if he kills, there will be much celebration !!

A Morning of Fast Cars

Chris and Joanne had a great morning out last Sunday at the Mas du Clos, they were invited by guests, it was superb, high powered cars, super fast and a sunny day, not for the feint hearted !

Ten Days to Remember

It seems an age since Mum & Dad Spencer, Oncle Art & Tante Jean were here, it's only been two weeks since they left La Petite Maison and headed back to England, we had a ball, fond memoires indeed. The weather was superb albeit two cloudy days at the end of the holiday, the good weather has continued, 24's & 25's in the shade, glorious sunshine without a cloud in the sky.
We have been very busy the last two weeks, lots of guests coming and going, it has been great fun and we have met some lovely people, some new friends also, we just never know who steps through the front door !!

Cerf (Red Deer Stag)

This magnificent red stag has just come down to the prime grazing area to prepare for the Rut later this month, he has twelve points, six on each side making him six years old, he looks like he will once again win the hearts of the females this year!

This little piggy went to market !

Or rather this big piggy didn't go to market, even though she looks like she is going to bite Chris who took the photo, this Kune Kune just wanted food, she then became best friends with Joanne who has now decided that we need a pig at La Petite Maison, watch this space, oink oink !!

More Things To Look Forward To !!

Sunday has been great, our guests left after an early breakfast, just after eight, Joanne let Chris have a sleep in, he worked hard yesterday helping Phillipe move house. We went to the 'Fete de Patate' (potato fair) at Jarnage, thousands of people and a great Flea Market, Chris bought a new coat for Winter. The afternoon found us taking a well earned rest, sunbathing on the garden terrace, it was just lovely, although very very hot in the sunshine. Dominique, Lydia, Anaise and Justine visited early evening, Dominique is our local farmer, we drank Muscat in the garden, ate olives and chatted, it was lovely, the children love to speak English and Justine is only two years old, mignon ! Afterwards, Chris lit the BBQ (what's new) Looking forward to mid September, a few photos' just for 'Oncle Artur' yum yum, the biggest pork chops you have ever seen !! Jess & Bonny send their love !!

Glorious September !!

For those of you visiting La Petite Maison in September, you can look forward to plenty of sunshine, as we write this blog, it is 29 degrees in the shade and very sunny. The blackberries are in full fruit and Joanne has been making lots of confiture, the tomatoes have cropped well and there are lots of chutneys and ketchups being produced in the kitchen. Joanne was delighted to sell her first pot of redcurrant jelly to one of our guests this weekend.

Chris was also delighted when he found out that he had passed his hunting theory exam with top marks, he scored 21 from 21 and came joint first from 38 candidates, he has taken the first section of his practical training and concludes with his exam on the 5th October, good luck !!

The racing this weekend has been awsome, high category motorcycling, very powerful, it has been very quick indeed and we had the pleasure of looking after some of the competitors here at La Petite Maison.

Chris, Joanne, Jess & Bonny are looking forward to Mum & Dad Spencer, Uncle Art & Aunty Jeans visit mid September, we are really looking forward to a holiday ha ha !! A few photo's to whet your apetite.

Things to look forward to !!

Our Turkeys are now fattening nicely, they have almost doubled in weight since arriving at La Petite Maison, they are very happy and follow Chris around the garden, they might be running the other way come December ha ha !

Gardeners world !!

August has seen the tomatoes begin to ripen, they are just delicious, cherry toms, pear toms and Pyros f1's, a great crop which means lots of tomato chutney, yum yum, Chris's favourite.

The corn is also ripening and the grapes are plumping up, however, the grape vine hasn't done as well as expected, but some you win , some you lose, we just keep trying !!

Giant Puffball Heaven !!

August has produced giant puffballs here in France bigger than we ever dreamed to find in England, and believe it or believe it not, the French do not eat them, that is until we cooked them and they tasted them, they thought they were great. The one in the photo weighed 8kg and lasted us a week, just delicious !!

Hirondelle

Yes, we are now too big for our nest but have to return each evening, during the day we take flight and practice for our ever nearing migration to Africa, we will miss 'La Petite Maison' and of course Chris, Joanne, Jess & Bonny.

Gardeners World !!

Our pumpkin patch has turned itself into a jungle, one of them is going to perhaps break records, Chris is feeding his secret recipe liquid feed made onsite here at 'La Petite Maison' it is massive already and who knows how big it will go.

Bonny has lost interest in it now, it is too big for her to pick, last year as some of you well know, she had the melons away thinking they were balls, we still laugh when we think of her sat at the door with the melon in her mouth, Chris just burst out laughing, even though it was the first melon he had ever managed to grow!

The first of the tomatoes are turning red, we will have a fantastic crop this year, just think of all that chutney, passata and ketchup, of course, not forgetting how delicious they are taken from plant to plate.

We picked blueberries this morning with Jacqui & Dave, 14 kgs between us, Joanne has been busy in the kitchen all day, the confiture stock is now quite impressive, as is our piccalilli store, we have also made chilli piccalilli, it is delicious.

Enjoy the photo's, visit La Petite Maison soon to have your own slice of the Good Life !!

Christmas Turkeys arrive !!

Chris spent yesterday building the new Turkey roost, today we bought Turkeys from the fair at Giat. They are two males and are only nine weeks old, they are happy in there new home, we haven't told them yet that Turkeys are for Christmas, not for life !! They will stay in the roost for a couple of days so that they know where they live, come Wednesday, they will go free range with the rest of the hens and of course, Henri, the coq.

Bee Corner !

It's true, 10kgs of Honey in our first year of bee keeping, we are overjoyed, it is just delicious, we have potted it today and visitors to La Petite Maison can now purchase honey from our own bees (of course, it is gratuit at breakfast time) Did you know that if you eat locally produced honey each day, you become immune to hayfever allergies caused by the pollens that are local?

St Avit de Tardes Mechoui !!

Saturday night saw us at the annual Mechoui! Lamb is roasted for eight hours over a fire pit dug into the ground, a marinade of spices is constantly dripped onto the lamb as it cooks, it is just so tender and delicious. We arrived at the Salle Polyvalente at 20.30 hrs, with Phillipe, Brigitte, Virginie, Fabien, Roland, Lydia, Caroline, Manu, Pascaline and lots of others, we drank Ricard for the first hour or so then the banquet began, we returned to La Petite Maison around two in the morning after finishing the evening drinking 'Eau de Vie' (water of life) with Dominique. We had a great night, the photos are of Joanne, Virginie and niece Caroline.

Hirondelles are flying !!

The Housemartins are now flying each day, they leave the nest at dawn and return an hour or so before dusk, it is so funny when they return in the evening, they are almost adult size and cannot all fit in the nest. They fly around the village, they visit Jacqueline and Gerards house and perch on the telephone lines. The goldfinches have also returned to the garden and have just hatched their second nest in the Mirabelle tree (small golden plumb), we will try to take some photo's

Housemartin Heaven !!

Look at us now, we feel great, we have lost our baby feathers and have found ourselves with the most beautiful colours on our feathers, Mum & Dad continue to feed us with lots of insects. Joanne & Chris come to see us every day and make sure we are ok. Our nest is a little cramped now we are growing, there are five of us you know ! We feel so safe with Uncle Chris & Aunty Jo looking out for us. Sweet Dreams !!

Clafoutis !!!!!

Well wouldn't you just love a slice of this, and it's not finished yet but Chris couldn't resist the early photo and the thought of a great big scoop of vanilla ice cream next to it. 20 more minutes in the oven and voila !! The confiture is cooling, nine jars in total, we are happy with the quantity and will go picking next week with Jacqui & Dave. Chris is just starting to bottle some Haricot Vert that Danny kindly gave us this afternoon. Bye for now !!

Blueberry fields forever!!

Phew ! time to relax , it's Wednesday and boy have we been busy, La Petite Maison has been full and our guests have had a great time, we are so pleased, it has been wonderful.

This morning saw us harvest our honey (miel), a little less than expected but 8 kgs all the same, it is now safely maturing before being potted. In the photo you can see Joanne decapping the frames before them being placed into the centrifuge, it's a great job, all that honey to lick from your fingers, yum yum !!

By 10.15 hrs we were in a field just outside Blessac picking beautiful Blueberrys (myrtille) for the first 5 minutes we just ate them, absolutely delicious, 4 kgs later we were on our way home, we laughed and laughed due to us both having completely blue tongues and fingers. Joanne is now busy making Blueberry jam and clafoutis (a type of batter full of the fruit of your choice) Chris is off to hunt for Chantrelles with Jess & Bonny, no rest for the wicked hey !!

Good morning !!

Friday 30th July and all is well, our guests slept peacefully and have made off for the 'Mas du Clos' it is Alpha Romeo weekend, tomorrow night all rooms are booked out, we have had to turn people away today, such a shame, it really pays to book in advance. A beautiful morning sky, the clouds disappeared in under an hour and the temperature soared. Joanne will look after the guests tomorrow morning for breakfast, Chris is off to Gueret to take the first part of his hunting certificate, if he passes his theory, he can then advance to the practical and hopefully, will receive his French gun licence by mid October. Have a lovely evening !!

It's a Dogs Life !

Last night was BBQ night at La Petite Maison (so is every night in Summer ha ha) we ate potatoes, carrots, cabbage, courgette, brocolli & apple sauce, all from the garden picked fresh. Chris cooked everything outside in his new garden kitchen, he has been buying the various equipment from the vide greniers, we BBQ'D pork steaks and topped it all with a mustard and plumb gravy, yum yum. Afterwards we lounged until after dark, our citronella torches burning brightly, the bats silently feasting on the wing, the owls hooting, toads croaking and the tranquility that a new full moon brings was just splendid, Jess and Bonny enjoyed it to !!