 |
|
|
17.05.2013
 15:45:44
|
|
|
|
03.05.2013
09:46:34
|
|||
|
May 20th is the annual Fete de la Transhumance in St Remy where local shepherds heard their flocks three times around the village before taking them up to graze the green fields of the Alpilles Mountains for the summer months. There is around 3500 sheep and goats and and maybe a dog or two. The Transhumance is considered one of the 100 prettiest Festivals in France and if you are in the neighbourhood make a point of trying to get to St Remy. Parking is a nightmare but its worth the hassle and the walk from where you do finally manage to park. It starts around 10.30am Other villages will also have their own transhumance festivals but St Remys is one of the biggest and most popular. There will be plenty of other things going on during the day so visit the tourist office website for further details http://www.saintremy-de-provence.com/ Or if watching sheep go around and around the village streets is not your thing then how about a market for outdoor Contemporary Art - Route de Artistes de Saint Remy de Provence. Every Sunday more than 100 artists present their work on the boulevards that surround the historic center. From May 1 to October 1 there is one each month May 12, June 16, August 4, Sept 8 and the final one being October 6. You can get a chance to meet the artists in the shade of the plane trees And for those of you who are following our chickens we are now getting 3 eggs a day and so far they have kept to the orchards staying away from the gardens. And finally don't forget we have a facebook and twitter page. If you want to see more photos and updates then visit us at FB.
|
|||
|
26.04.2013
14:23:25
|
|||
|
Our Carte Vitale (healthcare cards) have finally arrived after a year of paperwork, going backwards and forwards. Now I might be allowed to learn how to use the chainsaw but I doubt it. Thats another thing ticked off the list and now we are in the system its time to visit the dentist and Dr for those all important check ups etc. The pool has a new liner, filter and long overdue summer cover....now all we need is some decent weather to be able to make good use of it all. K2 is busy redoing all the solar heating pipes which is looking pretty impressive. Have no idea how he is planning to get it all onto the Pool Studio roof but I guess he has the figured out in his head. At least if we drop it trying to get it up there and injure ourselves we are covered for medical care....ha The 66th Cannes Film Festival is fast approaching. It starts on the 15 May and runs until the 26th and it totally takes over the town. This year around 200,000 people are expected but all the screenings and parties are for industry insiders only. But don´t despair there are a few things open to the public around town so if you are in the area make sure you check it out. You never know who you might come across. Theres nightly outdoor screenings of movies at Cinema de la Plage at Mace Beach starting at 9.30pm. No tickets are required and you can just turn up on the night. They even supply cushions and blankets at a cost I suspect. You´ll find whats showing on each night on the website below. Then the American Club of the Riviera will be hosting their annual Film Festival Lunch in Cannes. Its on May 18 at the Belle Plage Restaurant and I would think you would need to make a reservation for this. The film Festival will open with The Great Gatsby which will be shown in 3D. Steven Spielberg will chair the festival jury while French actress Audrey Tautou will preside over the opening and closing ceremonies. You can find out more information on the festival at www.festival-cannes.com And if you can´t make it why not come to Avignon to see the Rose festival at the Palais des papes running from 9-12 May. This year they will also be featuring Orchids. Theres something for adults and the children. More information available at www.alterarosa.com. We still have some accommodation available. Minimum stay 4 nights so why not make it a long weekend. Always something for everyone in Provence.
|
|||
|
20.04.2013
11:01:26
|
|||
|
When we think of inventions that change the world we don´t often think of France which is the birthplace of a surprisingly large number of inventions that we all depend upon today.
Perhaps one of France’s most famous inventions (or discoveries) is pasteurisation. Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist who, on observing the process of fermentation, deduced that it was ‘germs’ that caused it to take place and that these could be responsible for illness in humans and animals. He then postulated that these germs were also responsible for spoiling drinks such as milk and making them unsafe to consume. He then applied heat to them to kill existing contamination, making them safer to drink for longer. This heat treatment of milk and other products is now called pasteurisation and is used widely in the food industry across the world today. Inventors and scientists through the ages have searched for ways of keeping foods and drinks cool so that they last longer, but it was a French Cistercian monk named Father Marcel Audiffren who invented the first commercially viable household refrigerator. His invention was so successful that a version of it was patented and sold to the residential market by General Electric in the USA
Braille is the international written ‘language’ for the blind and was invented by a young French man named Louis Braille. Louis was blinded at just three years old and, frustrated at the overly complex and ineffective methods for reading for blind people, developed his own effective yet simple reading system called ‘braille’. Braille was based on codes of raised dots used by the French military for communicating commands in the pitch black and was condensed by Louis into 6 easy to read dots. Thanks to this, Louis is now considered one of France’s great heroes and is buried in the Pantheon in Paris.
|
|||
|
13.04.2013
15:18:30
|
|||
|
and nothing but sunshine - thats our weather forecast for the next 5 days. Still some room available if you want to drop by for a few days soaking up the rays. The pool is open and the best spot for getting a tan. Its a bit cool to be swimming but dipping the feet in is just as lovely. We have not started to heat it yet as we are getting a new liner, summer cover and filter box which is all supposed to be done during the week commencing 25 April. This is France so we have fingers and toes crossed it happens. Its local and they are pretty good so I've got no reason to panic just yet Lots happening in our village during May. For a tiny village with a population of just over 4,000 they do provide a lot. Theres a couple of very good restaurants, a couple of pizza restaurants also offering take outs, a good chemist, post office, excellent Doctors surgery, a very local but fun bar and even a dentist that speaks some english if you find yourself on holiday with tooth ache. On Satuday 18 May the new football sports ground will be having an opening ceremony. New turf and grandstand and its looking very posh. Then not far behind that will be 3 new shops opening in Place du Marche - Boutique De Verseau - offering natural healing products, medicinal plants, essentail oils, soaps, candles etc Dansons La Capucine - for your ladies wanting to do a bit of extra shopping then you may want to visit for handbags, accesoiries, clothing etc. and even more exciting Com@ La Maison - an ice cream and creperie - a 10 min walk from us for an afternoon delight of ice cream or a sugary crepe. For those of you interested Mas Saint Antoine has a Facebook and Twitter page now. Feel free to visit and send a request to become a friend so you can keep updated with all our news and photos of new and old.
|
|||
|
07.04.2013
16:23:16
|
|||
|
Penny has started laying an egg a day so its scrambled eggs for dinner tonight. Henny and Lenny are still to produce. They seem well settled now and eating well so it shouldn't be long before its scrambled eggs for breakfast and dinner. They are getting more adventurous and starting to roam around the orchards. For the first week they stayed very close to home base. The weather seems to be a bit more settled and we are looking towards some nice days this coming week. We've opened the pool and its very clean although a bit to chilly for swimming. We are having a new liner and filter fitted in a couple of weeks time so after that we can start to heat it. It will take a couple of days to empty it and hopefully only a day to fit the new liner and then 2 or 3 days to fill. It will be worth the wait. We finished pruning the olive trees last week. We only have 3 but they were pretty big and well over due for a trim. If they are done properly they look really lovely. You need to cut out the middle and keep the top even. K2 did a fab job and getting them near perfect and once they new growth comes out they will look even better. It will make olive picking so much easier. We've planted most of the bedding plants and the potatoes are all in. Just need to do the herbs, lettuces and tomatos plus a couple of melon and courgette plants. The gardens are ready so its matter of getting to a garden centre to get the plants. A good time to be planting while theres still some rain around and plenty of sunshine. Theres nothing better than eating tomatos straight from the vine ! Hopefully this year will be as good as the previous two years.
|
|||
|
30.03.2013
15:57:58
|
|||
|
People passionate about history, theatre and opera won’t want to miss the Festival d’Avignon during July - http://www.festival-avignon.com, a tour through the Palais des Papes or the spectacular light show during August and September - www.lesluminessences-avignon.com or the Choregies d’Orange at the Theatre Antique in nearby Orange - www.choregies.fr/en/ And if cycling is more your thing then don’t miss the 100th Tour de France which will be heading up the legendary hill climb of Mt Ventoux – www.letour.com
If you just simply want to experience a local fete than why not try
La Fête de la Fraise, 8 May, Velleron (Strawberry Festival)
All this plus so much more on our very own doorstep. Don’t take to long to think about booking your trip. Accommodation during the height of the season July and August rents out well in advance.
If you want to know please do email us.
|
|||
|
23.03.2013
14:45:31
|
|||
|
We collected our 3 new hens this morning to replace the ones we lost to the fox before Xmas. Henny, Penny and Lenny and they seem happy to be here. They will be confined to home base for a couple of days until they get used to their surroundings and me and then we'll start to let them out during the day to play in the orchard. They seem happy and healthy and chatty. Roll on fresh eggs now - there's such a flavour difference in home grown versus's shop eggs. We've also noticed that the frogs have returned to the pond. Last year we counted 30 in May, yesterday I counted 6 so still plenty of room for the others. I have no idea where they go over winter. They just appear in spring and come autumn they head out. Must be under the cover of darkness. We've also heard and spotted the little green tree frogs. We saw Mum and her Baby at the pool area yesterday. With all the new blossoms and creatures around it really does feel like Spring although the weather is not to pleasing at present. Grey with showers for the next couple of days. Good for the weeds and gardens we've just finished planting but not so good for our guests. This morning we went walking up in the Mongtagnette taking with us a friends two dogs. When I was there in January I spotted what I thought were big spider nests in the pine trees. There were hundreds of them dotted around. I never thought much about them and then today we noticed on the tracks lines and circles of caterpillars. After taking a nest apart we found them full of caterpillars so the first thing we did when we got home we goggled to find out more and what a shock we got - I have cut and paste below what we found out. They are called pine processionary caterpillar (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) During late winter/early spring they will be coming out of pine trees and forming conspicuous snakelike lines which is exactly what it looked like. I was annoyed I did not have my camera with me.
They will not be far from a pine tree. One of the first signs to be aware of is their white silken nests attached to a branch tip, these become most obvious around December to March which is what I thought were spider nests. As a moth it has no means of causing us harm, it is only during its development as a caterpillar that you need to be cautious of this small creature. The moths seek out pine trees in the warm summer nights, lay clusters of eggs on the pine needles and so the process begins. There are 5 instars or growth stages to these caterpillars, where they gorge on pine needles, shed their skins and double in size. This growth occurs during the winter when they disperse through the tree at night to feed, thereby avoiding predation, and collect in communal nests by day to increase their warmth and ability to digest. The white candyfloss like nests are cleverly positioned for maximum sunshine. By February these nests can be looking a bit dishevelled, this is because a nest may hold around 300 caterpillars and with no single entrance hole they push their way through the layers, the green bits collecting at the base and falling to the ground beneath are excrement.
The time for them to leave the nest in preparation for the next part of their lifecycle varies with temperature, spanning from January in warmer areas to April in the cool of the mountains, with a few even falling from the trees during windy weather. It is as they leave the trees that most people and pets come into contact with the caterpillars, sometimes with very painful consequences. They are the only caterpillar here to form a long chain, touching nose to tail. This snake-like procession is a real giveaway as to their identity. The line may stretch for a metre or two but if disturbed there could be several smaller groups and scattered individuals. (Each being around 3 to 4cm long). They have gone through a long feeding phase and will now search for a suitable place to burrow underground where they will undergo major changes, from caterpillar through to a moth - without nourishment. The danger that they pose to humans and animals is a very simple defence mechanism designed to stop them from becoming a meal themselves. Each caterpillar is covered with tiny barbed hairs, it is these which do us harm. They are constantly being dropped throughout its time as a caterpillar. They are too tiny to see, but cover the branches of the tree where the creatures have been feasting and of course the nests are loaded with them. They are even in the air around a heavily infested tree. When humans come into contact with these hairs, they can cause reactions ranging from mild inflammation and irritation to severe anaphylactic shock. If the hairs contact your skin a rash soon forms which can be incredibly itchy, painful and lasts for as much as three weeks. Luckily for us we used sticks to move them around to try and see if they would form back into a line. We did open a nest but with a stick again to have a peek but after seeing them inside put it back on the tree thinking they were harmless and would turn into pretty butterflies ! Very very interesting and the things we learn when living here. Glad we are only surrounded by pretty in blossom fruit trees. We only have the one pine tree and we will be checking it very carefully for any signs of nests so we can spray to avoid them forming. You can rest easy that they won't be checking into Mas Saint Antoine at anytime soon !!
|
|||
|
16.03.2013
17:30:17
|
|||
|
We have just spent a lovely few days in the UK and on departure back to Provence we got caught in one of the biggest snow storms to hit Europe. An unusual late winter snowstorm dumped several inches of snow across northwestern Europe earlier this week, stranding drivers in their cars and severely disrupting air and rail traffic from northern France into Belgium and Germany. High snowfall rates and poorly treated roads in southern England caused more than 300 collisions in 24 hours, and left many drivers stranded in their cars overnight, Hardest hit was Northern France, where heavy, wind-driven snow off the English Channel blocked roads and trapped drivers in their cars in Normandy and Brittany. Up to 20 inches of snow fell in parts of the region overnight into Tuesday, prompting France's meteorological service to issue its highest-level weather warning for the first time ever due to snow and ice. At last report, some 80,000 homes in northern France remained without power. For us it meant a much delayed trip and a night without sleep. We left the middle of the UK at 10.30am on Monday morning at -1 to finally make it home at 4pm Tuesday at 17 degrees and warm. Our adventure truly only started when we were in the queue for our 6.20pm Chunnel crossing. After sitting in line in heavy snow for 2 hours they finally boarded us onto the train only to find we would be sitting for another 4 hours before they decided that we were not going anywhere. We then camped out in the terminal waiting for some indication on when we could leave. All local hotels were fully booked and there was no way of getting anywhere. At 2am we finally boarded again and arrived into France around 3.30am. Again no hotels so we decided to start our trek home. Luckily for us we had filled the car with fuel and food as once we were on the autoroute there was no way of getting off into any of the services or villages. It was a long slow trip home and in the worst snow conditions we have ever travelled in. For us the drive was slow but with very little traffic so no hold ups. For those heading north they were less lucky. At various points along they way we came across many trucks just stopped, at one count there were 258 not moving an inch as the first one had jack knifed and even the graders and salt trucks were caught up and not able to move. What normally is a 8-9 hour trip took us over 12 hours. While the top of france was -4 we arrived to 17 and sunshine. Oh to be back in our beloved Provence where the sun shines nearly every day. It was pretty coming up the driveway as all the surrounding orchards are in blossom - lines of pink and white blossoms. The spring is just so picturesque. All my daffidils are out so but I am hoping my tulips will hold off a bit until mid April when we start to get busy.
|
|||
|
02.03.2013
18:06:25
|
|||
|
If you ever travel to Provence during Feburary or March then you must spend some time at the Nice carnival or at the Lemon Festival in Menton. Last Saturday we jumped on the train at Avignon to Nice. We arrived around midday and in sunshine. After a quick drop off of our luggage we started a Rick Steves self guided walking tour of the Promenade and Castle Hill. Thanks to Canadian guests we are big fans of Rick Steves. The information and the humour is just brilliant and his self guided walks are so easy to follow and very informative. We would highly recommend his books if you are thinking of purchasing before travelling. Luckily for our future guests we have a few doted around the gites kindly left behind by those who have already stayed with us. We can't always guarantee they are the latest version but apart from the odd restaurant or hotel no longer existing the history never changes. The carnival was on with an afternoon parade so it meant we had to take quite a few detours but we did get to see some of the parade. To get the best few you need to buy a ticket but we would say its well worth the price. We had a lovely walk around and ended up late afternoon at the Port stopping for one of the best hot chocolates we have had in a while. It was back to watch the 6 nations rugby at the hotel - we couldn't miss it - France was playing England and sad to say the french lost. Indian is one of our favourite meals and we were fortunate enough to have an Indian restaurant right across from the hotel so that was dinner that evening. Its sad that there is not a proper Indian restaurant in Avignon - well - not that we have been able to find. If you ever do let us know - we'll be forever grateful. Sunday we got up early and caught the train from Nice to Menton. Its a really lovely half hour trip as you go right along the famous Riviera. We spent the day looking at the exhibitions all done in lemons and oranges and watching the parade. It was unlucky that 10 mins into the parade it started to pelt down with rain so most of it was seen from poking our faces out behind unbrellas. Still worth every minute. This year was the 80th anniversary. They used 120 tonnes of lemons/oranges and 1 million rubber bands to attach them to the metal structures they build. Being the 80th anniversary the theme was around the world in 80 days. If you want to see more then check it out on http://www.fete-du-citron.com/ Monday we did another lovely walk around old Nice taking in the flea market and all the history. It turned out to be a sunny afternoon so we had lunch at a very quaint little restaurant on the promenade. Feeling rather full and with a couple of hours until our train left we jumped on the city bikes that are doted around the place that you hire for next to nothing and rode from one side of nice right out to the airport. It was an easy ride out but coming back was a struggle thanks to the head wind but we made it and under an hour and all for a E1. Nice airport has just made it into the top ten of the worlds most scenic airplane landings with stunning views along the coast as you come into land. If you are coming to Nice do make sure you pop up to see us and stay a few nights. While we had a great time along the Cote d'Azur Provence is still our favourite place to be. Finally congratulations to us - 25 years of marriage on the 20th Feb.....I know....we look so young.....met and married at nursery - was legal way back then !
|
|||
|
22.02.2013
14:15:44
|
|||
|
MARSEILLE is just €10 from But SNCF exploded pre-launch expectations of tickets at €25 by revealing it would sell 400,000 tickets at just €10 with another one million for sale at €25. Fares would range up to €85 but it is targeting families with under-12s costing just €5.Groups of more than four can get tickets at €20, bookable two weeks before travel. Just weeks ago SNCF hailed its two billionth TGV passenger since it launched in 1981 but company president Guillaume Pepy said it carried just 300,000 TGV passengers a day compared to 10 million passengers round the world. He said SNCF needed “to make travel cheaper for people”.Part of his answer lies in the remodelled and stripped-down sky-blue and mauve Ouigo TGV carriages. They have no bar (to fit in extra passengers) and have 1,268 seats - up from 1,000 in a classic double-decker TGV. However, from April 1 the low-cost service makes travel to Marseille much cheaper than car, plane ... or train as it is one seventh the cost of a normal TGV.Add in the cost of the €7-€8 fare of the minimum 45-minute journey from Paris to Marne-la-Vallée and the €10 Ouigo compares to a TGV Loisir journey costing €72, Ryanair €40 and car-share €50. SNCF also has the TGV Prem's ticket at €25 and the idTGV at €19 but these have restrictions Its nice to see things coming down in price rather than increasing. We think it will have success but maybe more for the locals as the desitantions are not always where the tourists want to go but saying that always worth checking it out. Bon weekend everyone Keryn
|
|||
|
15.02.2013
16:20:22
|
|||
|
But along with the sun came the Mistral. We've been busy in the gardens getting them ready to plant in the spring. I spent a couple of days cleaning and sorting out the grass garden. I finally got it all planted and then had to unload two trailer loads of gravel- I certainly deserved my glass of wine that night. Its a very simple looking but very effective garden and you''ll just have to come visit to see it. Theres still a bit of colour to be added but basically its finished. We had a day off for Valentines yesterday and enjoyed a stroll around Avignon before going to see the movie Lincoln. There is always some changes going on in Avignon and we found a cute little cupcake cafe that also serves bagels, one of my favourite lunch time meals. We had already eaten so its on the list for next time. If you are a Nespresso fan like us then you'll be pleased to hear that Avignon has a new Nespresso shop that opens on the 23 Feb. It looks really big so we can't wait to pop back for a visit. We were surprised to see how big it was as they have down sized all the ones in Marseille to self service like many shops or large departmet stores are doing now. For those of you taking note of the horsemeat Tesco scandel there was an article in one of the papers today that I get on line. The french meat processing company Spanghero has had its license suspended pending further investigation. The government believe that 750 tonnes of horsemeat was labelled as beef over a period of 6 months. Its reported that Spanghero import it from Romania and have been relabelling before selling it on. Apparently they have made over a half of a million Euro in profit to date. I guess further information will come out soon. Horse meat is one of the things I do refuse to buy here and I can't even stand looking at the horse butchers vans in the markets. I know meats meat and I guess if someone served it up without me knowing then I would eat it but just the thought after having horses during my childhood. I've only just go used to eating Thumper so it will be a while before Neddy is on my menu !
|
|||
|
08.02.2013
16:59:46
|
|||
|
It was estimated that 100,000 people watched the opening evening. The city has invested about a billion euros in preparations,largely in the city centre infrastructure -sprucing up the old port area, renovations to museums and new facilties. The city and surrounding area of Provence will host more than 400 cultural events this year, including sixty art exhibtions. It is hoped there will be around 12 million visitors - double the usual amount. And what a grand job they have done. We braved the 100km knot gusts of the mistral on Saturday to have a walk around the Port area. The museums due to be open next month are quite spectacular and the whole port area leading back into the city is so much cleaner and a lovely attraction to Marseille. They have really done a fantastic job and it will benefit the area in years to come. On the Sunday we went for a look around the oldest and largest tobacco factory in France which is no longer used. its been turned into a restaurant(where we had lunch - lovely food), theatres, studios, book shop and a skate rink for the children. Obviously a popular place as it was heaving with families on Sunday. If you are reading this and thinking about coming to France but want to have someone to show you around etc we highly recommend Corinne Thomson of VM Travel Adventures. Corinne has been bringing groups here for the past 12 years as well as touring other countries and you are always guaranteed of a great time. This year she is planning a trip in the fall "Along the Impressionist Path" including taking in Paris and Provence. We start at Renoir’s Les Collettes near Nice on the Cotes d’Azur. We then nestle into Mas Saint Antoine,a 300 year old country home just south of Avignon to experience the brilliant colours of Provence. Enjoy the market of St. Remy before visiting Van Gogh’s “Hotel Dieu”and follow his footsteps through Arles and Stes. Maries de la Mer. Cézanne’s studio in Aix and Mte. Ste Victoire are a short drive away. Roman ruins and cliff top village are in abundance as Corinne leads you down the “impressionist path” in Provence. Ahh Paris! Spending time in the cafes of Montmartre where these renegade artists got their start; the Musée d’ Orsay and Musée Marmottan as well as breathtaking Monet’s Garden in Giverny. If this is of interest then do contact her through www.customwinetours.com - you won't be dissapointed.
|
|||
|
01.02.2013
17:35:58
|
|||
|
Its no wonder our bulbs are so confused but we are thankful we are not getting the same weather patterns as the UK. This week has been lovely and sunny with temps around 16-19 but the mistral is set to show its ugly face tomorrow and we will get a few days around 6-8 but still sunny. It was good while it lasted and we made the most of it by doing some serious pruning out in the gardens today. Still a ot to do but we've made a start. Its been nice working outside in the fresh warm air. We are heading to Marseille tomorrow to the big city for a couple of days to check out all the changes. It is the city of cultural this year and they have made lots of changes around the port area to move the traffic out. We shall see. Exciting news ahead for us - Air France joins the budget flights battle. Its launching a series of low cost fares in Europe and around the Mediterranen but not to the UK as yet. So far only 3 airports offer the international mini rates being Marseille, Nice and Toulouse with most desitantions at E80 one way, Moscow E110 and Te Aviv E140. Lets hope the look into the UK airports soon as we're struggling to find any flights out of Provence at this time of year that we don't have to take out a mortgage to pay for. Watch this space or watch Air France's space !
|
|||
|
25.01.2013
18:04:04
|
|||
|
thanks to one greedy fox who decided to have an early dinner. Sadly for Maggie who had already returned to the hutch for the night has lost her mates, bruceski, shuffler and Joany. Maggie has now been rehomed with some friends who have a large enclosure of hens, pigs and geese and is settling into her new life. No more omelettes or scrambled eggs for us until we purchase a new lot early Spring. Well....its been painting, tiling, building, cleaning, painting, tiling, cleaning for us these past 3 months as we undertake major renovations in the Mas (main house). The new kitchen and dining area has been completed and we are now working on refreshing the lounge area. Its been a mild winter so far and was sunny over Xmas and New Year. The bulbs are all starting to poke their heads out of the ground and we just hope that we don't get the same two weeks of extremely cold weather as we did last year which froze most of the bulbs in pots. But we can't complain really about our weather. We'd rather be here than in the UK at present. At least we have sunshine and even tho its only around 8-10 at present we can still venture out when we want to. .
|
|||
|
12.05.2012
15:13:17
|
|||
|
Actually they are what I would call Chooks - thats kiwi slang for you. We got four of them last Saturday and they are just wonderful and so easy to train. It can often take them a while to settle in and start laying but so far we are getting 2 eggs a day so at least two of them are pretty relaxed. The eggs are small but an eggs an egg - right !. I've managed so far to keep them at their end of the property and they are starting to understand that the gites are for guests and not to be used for them to party at. We've named them after our parents which we're not sure whether they are happy about or not. Each has their own personality and will come running or flying when I call for them - of course I think it has something to do with the food in my hand and boy do they like their food. I think I am now going to be known as the crazy chicken lady as I walk around calling our chook chook chook in the mornings and afternoons. Come vist us to meet them !
|
|||
|
14.04.2012
14:39:27
|
|||
|
A YEAR OF vastly reduced rainfall means France is already feeling the effects of drought with water restrictions in eight departments.Hopes for increased rain during the past autumn and winter came to nothing and, nationally, France is now 25% below normal rainfall levels - with the Hérault hardest hit at 90% down and the prefecture reporting water courses at low levels normally only seen in June or July. Only the region Provence-Alpes-Côtes d'Azur saw normal rains.Water and weather experts have met industry groups in the Commission de Suivi Hydrologique at the Ecology Ministry to look into the problem as the rain deficit hit levels not seen since 2005.The déficit pluviométrique in 2005 reached 26%, which was, however, still short of 1973 when it reached 28% and 1989 when it hit 29%. Farming groups are worried that the lack of rain will hit this year's grain harvest, with a reduced wheat crop in what is Europe's leading wheat-growing country.The rural life group Confédération Paysanne has called on the government to take urgent measures to help.Ecology Ministry officials - there has been no Ecology Minister since Nathalie Koscuisko-Morizet quit to become spokesman for President Sarkozy's election campaign - said the west of the country was hardest hit and the situation was "worrying" without being "alarming". Even recent heavy rains across the country will do little to help as they will not soak down into the depleted aquifers and will be taken up by surface crops.The Commission de Suivi Hydrologique said the lack of rain in the south-west was near the lowest on record for the past 50 years, hitting 35% in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is also badly hit with rain levels reduced by 60%.In Hérault and Loire-Atlantique water usage has been restricted but there are restrictions on taking water from rivers, streams and aquifers in eight departments. Departments affected by restrictions are: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Eure-et-Loir, Gard, Hérault, Seine-et-Marne, Deux-Sèvres, Tarn, Vienne and Essonne.The departments of Ardèche, Ile-et-Vilaine, Lozère and Pyrénées-Orientales have been put on alert.Details of the precise areas with restrictions are available on the Propluvia website available through this link.
|
|||
|
11.04.2012
08:44:38
|
|||
|
In between days of rain & wind we managed to have a fabulous day for our first pizza night. It was straight into it with a group of 23 mainly students. A lot of fun but a lot of pizzas ! Luckily for me they all wanted to have a go at making their own so we let them loose and there were some great creations and then some just plain weird ones. They all had a great time as did we. Our 2nd pizza night is happening tonight with another group of 21, again mainly students. Hopefully they will take over the preparing to give me a chance to sit down and put my feet up. Its been great having them all around over easter and we've prepared breakfast each morning in our Mas. Its given us a chance to catch up with them all and have a chat. All from Canada and a very nice and polite group ! We'd have them back anyday. Back to the kitchen now to start preparation. PS. For those who read my blog the moles are no longer. One caught by Poodle the cat who didn't eat it but let it go in a drain pipe never to be seen again and one caught by us one morning to be sent packing into one of the fields down the road !
|
|||
|
09.03.2012
12:56:41
|
|||
|
Its still windy and we still have no rain. The blossoms are starting to come out and rather than talk about the moles that refuse to leave our gardens I thought I would give you some info about a new law just out on driving in France. Don't panic yet as it does not take affect until 1 July but they are giving us a period of grace until 1 November - plenty of time to get organised. DRIVERS and motorcyclists will be obliged to carry a breath test in their vehicles from July 1 after the publication of the new law in the Journal Officiel.
|
|||
|
02.03.2012
16:15:20
|
|||
|
We've now got nice little mounds of dirt around the garden where the moles or a mole is digging and sleeping. I've tried to send Poodle our cat out at night on Reconnaissance but shes not having any of it - what cat whats to get up from a nice warm throne (thats what her pillow is named) and head out into the cold of the night.....not our Poodle ! I really don't want to kill them but if they keep digging then it could be me camped out over night to catch them. Its been a lovely warm week and the fruit trees are starting to bud. It won't be long before we get blossoms. All of the bulbs have poked up their heads but it will be a while before we see any flowers. Looking at the long term forecast we are expecting cold weather again next week so that will slow them down a little. Its spring cleaning time, oh the joy of it all. While I feel Sadie the cleaning lady K2 (kerrin) is busy renovating a couple of bathrooms. Hopefully all will be done before our first guests arrive shortly. I've also been quite handy with a paint brush but came to halt today as the paint I was going to use had frozen solid from the big freeze we had a couple of weeks back. Even thawing it didn't turn it back into useable paint. Down to the paint shop I go.
|
|||
Page 1 of 2
Choose your language
Network with us:
Main Menu
| Home |
| Accommodation |
| Services |
| Tours / Classes |
| The Region |
| Contact / Booking |
| Directions |
| Read the Blog |
Who's Online
We have 10 guests onlineVisitors Counter
 | Today | 181 |
 | Yesterday | 300 |
 | This week | 481 |
 | Last week | 1852 |
 | This month | 5467 |
 | Last month | 9764 |
 | All days | 54523 |
webdesign gwent | seo gwent | web design Gwent | search engine optimisation Gwent Newport Wales | web developers cardiff newport gwent | web development newport gwent cardiff south wales
Log In
Read unbiased opinions about Mas Saint Antoine at TripAdvisor. Web Design by Vixtay Web Design Gwent