George.

This is George; our DeVille wood-fired cooker. He may not be an Aga, but for France he's the next best thing.

He's only used in the winter months when he cooks roasts, stews, and, if Cro is feeling creative; bread.

Unfortunately the thermostat is 'estimative', the temperature control system almost non-existant, and the capacity for burning; excellent.

Anyway, he heats the kitchen and our bedroom above wonderfully. I don't expect we'll be lighting-up much more now. Spring seems to be on the way, and George can easily overheat the house.

Just for information; our sitting room Godin stove is called Gilbert.

More travels.

I'm off to Australia again soon to visit my daughter, son in law, and two grandsons. Since I was last there, they've built, and moved into, a new house; so lots to see.

The downside of travel is leaving 'you-know-who' in charge of everything back home. Cro and Disaster seem to go hand in hand.

The last time I was away Monty (our Lab') nearly died. Cro lives in a dream world (what he dreams of, I hate to think) and he doesn't seem capable of anticipating danger. He's one of those who when asked to put the butter in the fridge and the pie in the oven, will put the butter in the oven and the pie in the fridge (recognise that?).

We also have 3 hens, Freddie the cat, and new boy Bok; all of whom have specific needs. I can see that I'm going to have to write a very long list, even though I'm certain he'll ignore it.  

And then there's the building work. I'll probably be leaving just as the builders arrive to start work on our new barn. What I'll come home to... goodness knows.

Thank heaven for Skype. I shall take my iPad with me, and give him instructions via the web.

Wish me luck.

Hello again...

A woman's work is never done! Not that I'm the world's busiest woman, but blogging has been on the back-burner for quite a while.

Monty, our 9 month old Lab, has demanded most of my recent attention. He's an adolescent, and needs a lot of walks, TLC, and surveillance. Now that's he's had the snip, I'm hoping he'll calm down and not wander off so much.

Then we've had the new kitchen to contend with. Planning, finding the right man for the job, choosing colours, choosing appliances; it's surprising how much effort has gone into something so simple.

Then all the brouhaha surrounding the purchase of the tobacco drying barn behind the house. It turned out to be much more complicated than we could have imagined with a tenant on the land who surprised us by  suddenly claiming the right to continue his tenancy. With the help of a lawyer we came to a mutual agreement, and he will now stay on until the end of the year. We're also busy drawing up plans for the conversion of the barn into a big loft-style apartment.

And of course the most time consuming task of all; trying to keep Cro out of trouble. 

I'd really like to just sit outside for an hour or two in the sunshine, read some trashy novel, and watch the cows go by. But I'm off to Blighty this afternoon, so I must leave for the airport. I have a eye appointment, some baby-sitting, and catching-up with friends to do. Cro will have to hold the fort in my absence (I sense danger!).

My life has been taken-over....

At just 3 months old, Monty has become an unruly youth. His energy is boundless, his naughtiness unstoppable, and his appetite unbelieveable.

So, it's 5 or 6 walks a day, a strict check on his diet, and constant surveillance; otherwise he would be a nightmare. But at least he's 'house-trained', and sleeps through the night without disturbing us.

Of course he's also an absolute delight, and we now wonder what on earth we ever did without him.

This isn't actually Monty, but if we had a dishwasher no doubt he'd be doing this as well!

More on Monty.

Life continues to be circled around the arrival of our new puppy Monty. His relationship with Freddie (our cat) continues to improve, but the difference in both size and exuberance makes any closer friendship difficult. A plate glass door between them is, for the moment, preferable.

Monty still has that puppy flexibility. He manages to find the most uncomfortable looking sleeping poses, and makes it look as if he's in heaven. There's something about him that reminds me of Lord Magnon!

Kate and Sidney Pud'.

Lord Magnon is the cook of the family, and as he's pretty good at it I just let him get on with things. But there are certain recipes that he'll never attempt; amongst these is anything that involves PASTRY.

Yesterday (Sunday) I had a sudden desire for either a Kate and Sidney pie, or pudding. I put it to the vote, and we both plumped for pudding. I used a Guinness and wine mix for the liquid, and added some mushrooms; otherwise a standard recipe.

About 10 minutes after I took the 'finished' picture, there wasn't a lot left... It was delicious. I wonder when we'll eat another one?

The fan club.

When Lord Magnon first got his dog, Hamlet, people told us that it was the very best way to meet people; and they were right. The young, the old, and every age in between, would stop, bend down to stroke him, and instantly start a conversation. Without the pup with us, they would simply have walked on by.

The same is already happening with Monty, and I think the three children above are about to start his official fan club; they visit every afternoon.

Actually, they've only just got their own puppy; a mostly black Border Collie. But for some reason they've decided that they prefer to play with Monty; I'm sure they'll change their minds before too long, their little dog is a sweetie too. I'd hate to think that they'd redirect their affections.