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 !!