keep a little bit more of his memory alive.

 

 

Blog 7 March 2016

 

Oh flip…. look at us all dressed up in our best Indian bib and tucker.

 

 

 

Our lovely Hosts Shirley and Mark laid on a tasty curry buffet with an Indian rope trick thrown in.  Evening themed gatherings are a real treat as you have to put a bit of thought into what to wear and then as people come through the door you realise you didn’t put that much effort in after all and commit to try harder next time. Mike and I were not too unhappy with our effort and were comfortable and in the mood. I also hit a first as Mike was keen to use his abandoned MP4 player so I learned how to download the sound track to Bride and Prejudice which was the one and only Bollywood film we have seen. Mike rolled up in costume playing loud Bollywood hits from his pocket. The impact was as hoped and we all had a jolly bolly good laugh.

 

And whist on the subject of socialising we had a lovely Lunch in my favourite place around my Kitchen table with Graham and Ann who had been away for a month, so we were keen to get all caught up on news and plans.

 

 

 

I did warn you in the last Blog that a Dumper was looking like a definite possibility and no sooner said than done…. Mike found this 1966 single stroke dumper on Le Bon Coin for far too much money in my reckoning but actually, in reality, quite a snip as it needed a little TLC which is well within Mikes remit.

 

 

 

And before you know it, there is a new sound in the garden and a very happy chappy going out for a spin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were keen to get another cut on the grass and for all you new blog followers you will come to realise that the lawn upkeep plays a big part in our summer time lives.  Mike was keen to do yet another Knife and fork job but I was really keen …. No, really keen, to pick up what we cut to get this season underway.  We decided as this early second cut would be voluminous we agreed that I would dump the clippings where I stopped and would then take the clippings to the public dump in Carentan.  I dumped three piles like this and it took two trailer loads to dispose of it. At the next board meeting we will have to agree where I can dump my clippings and what Mike is going to do with them once they are dumped…… and you think you have a complicated life.

 

We are clearing a way through from the house to the orchard and ended up with a pile of ancient hedge as high as a house that needed disposing of. Although we have a good public dump where we can use the compost bins as often as we like, it is hard work. At the board meeting at breakfast time we decided that we would light yet another bonfire and get rid of the pile. We started in a controlled oil drum fire but that became too slow and arduous and mike just threw the complete hedge with chain link fencing still in it and as the oil drum fell over we realised he had created a Furness to light the dechete. We now had a raging fire in a can setting light to the hedge making lots and lots of smoke to upset the neighbours.

 

With the flames up the furnace now roaring I rummaged about for all those rotten pallets and planks we hang on to for no reason. HOSS watched on as the last of the fire was raked up and managed and now we have the space we wanted without even leaving home ….. Excellent.
 

 

 

Opening up the Potager to the garden has meant that the hens can now roam freely and there is something very ‘good life’ about your hens roaming the estate. They are on their last call and I am stopping my chicken loving days when our current four pop their clogs.  I can then throw their dilapidated hen house out and not have to worry about getting a chicken sitter round when we want to get away for more than 4 days…..

 

 

 

 

 

 The, don’t waste too much money, Kitchen project is finished and I am really pleased with the result. Mike painted all the doors and rubbed them down so they look worn and ancient and then matched the centre island butchers block and hey presto with an upgrade on lighting this space has become quite nice. Sadly a redecorated kitchen does not make the cooking any better but it all feels old farm kitchen and I am happy

 

We have been looking at this pile of mud since December and neither of us was prepared to do anything with it until we found a dumper to move it into the garden in, but a funny thing happened when I got cornered at the gate by my neighbour. He mentioned that he had his eye on my pile of mud and could we spare any, well knock me down with a spade! I graciously said he was very welcome to come anytime and take what he needed.  Today David the neighbour sent his son Victor with a wheel borrow and French spade and is, as we speak taking it away.  I mentioned to Mike he could now put the dumper back on the market at a profit now that it is working and going well, but he gave me one of those looks it has taken 46 years to fully understand and I will never suggest he sells his dumper again.

 

And finally, we took local villagers, Genevieve and Jean Marie to Bayeux hospital for treatment and had 4 hours to kill so we went to the Bayeux museum as it had been 20 years since we last went. We were not sure we liked the changes, but that is life and progress but I did however notice that they had many more photographs blown up and on display. We came across this picture of the tank division Mikes Uncle was in and this shot was taken before he was killed in action. I took a photograph because there is a very good chance Uncle Bill is there somewhere and that made us smile as we keep a little bit more of his memory alive.