Shovelling hit

manure collectingWhere has the day gone? It’s 1030 pm and I’ve only just finished dinner. I suspect it was because I only finished watering after 930 pm. So that makes it a very long day. Up before seven finished in the dark.

But oddly enough, I feel fantastic.  Twas a perfect day.

The market was just setting up when I arrived. But it meant I was actually able to buy vegetables from M. Bois without a huge queue, even though he was still unpacking his amazing tomatoes from the van.

I have my own tomatoes in the potager, but M. Bois  is the master of the mad shaped and very tasty rare varieties.  So I have topped up my supply.

And he talked me into buying a tray of his jam apricots. For five euros I am the proud owner of five kilos of raw ingredients for jam.  I didn’t really plan it, but he is a persuasive trader. apricot bounty

And my friends were still at their stalls setting up by the time I came in with my huge buckets of flowers. But by the time I’d bought the bread and raced to the butchers (long queue there, even at 8am) they were ensconsed outside at a table.  And my hot chocolate was waiting for me. Lovely.

By mid morning I was back at the farm and faced with a lot of cooking of those apricots in the heat of the day.

Could I face adding more heat to the already hot house?  No. I did the next best thing. I gardened. Hurrah.

apricot jamBut by the end of the afternoon there were twelve more pots of apricot jam and yet more bottles of jostaberry syrup.  And a clean house and a sorted pantry.  Where do I get my energy from in this heat? Easy; my mother! Great genes. Thanks mum.

After lunch I nipped up to the neighbours with a bucket of flowers and arrived just in time for dessert and gossip. Perfect.  And Jean Daniel pointed me in the direction of his main lawn beside his house.

Liberally dotted with horse manure.  He had four horses on an overnight visit and they left their calling cards.  Perfect for my compost heap.  It did take a bit of shovelling, but the pile is growing next to the hedge beside the potting shed.  It will be ready by Christmas. potager flowers

calenudal leonI have a bit more to do tomorrow.  And there are plenty of piles on the drive up to the house. And I need to take my secateurs to the growing weeds that are covering up the house sign at the road.

All that was left in the early evening was to entertain Artur by doing a big session of watering of the potager.

lettuce pottedIt is looking verdant and well stocked. Apart from the cabbage beds which is being attacked by the mole rat.  But I have a solution thanks to Dad’s suggestion of trying to keep the plants and the mole rat separate.  I’m have plenty of lettuce plants to put into the cleared area from the broad beans.  leonotis

But instead of leaving the roots to the mercy of underground munchers, I’m going to plant them in pots and plunge the whole thing in the soil.

Let’s see if the creatures can eat through plastic. Hah!