Greengages.

Last year this tree had just TWO flowers, and NO fruit. I've never seen it like this before, just look at it.

Of course a late frost could still wipe out any future crop, but we would still have had this wonderful springtime spectacle.

I have to say, the greengage is not my favourite fruit. Firstly it seems to attract bugs, and secondly it becomes unbelievably SWEET when fully ripe. If one can find a bug-free, slightly under-ripe fruit, it's great.

The New Strawberry Patch.

 

Yesterday I split all our pot-bound strawberry plants and planted them out in rows at Haddock's.

When they were in pots we used to just pick, and eat them, as we passed by, but I now want to produce enough to have a proper meal, or for the grandchildren to pick them into baskets.

Everyone loves strawberries (?), and we have two varieties. One is big and average in flavour, the other smaller but delicious. I've mixed the two varieties together. It just remains to see if my new strawberry patch will be more successful than just having them in pots. It certainly looks good.

Nesting time.

Blue Tits must be one of my favourite small garden birds. Like most people with gardens we put up nesting boxes for the small birds, and in winter we make sure they have plenty to eat and drink.

Our cottage is stone built and there are nooks & crannies everywhere for the smaller birds to use for nesting. At the moment we have one Blue Tit nesting in the front wall of the cottage, and others in boxes.

I've never tried to count the number of different varieties of small birds that we have in the garden; there are lots. However, my favourite will always be the sweet little Blue Tits.

Artist's House.

How many women would put up with THIS!

I recently read a blog that promoted the idea of 'Blogger's House' (Willow, of Willow Manor); one of her readers suggested that it was only really satisfying to clean, if one was able to notice the difference afterwards. I know what she meant.

Others suggested they lived in 'Artist's House', where mess was simply endemic. The above photo doesn't come close to showing the state of Cro's studio. It's probably more cluttered than a municipal rubbish tip. Cro claims that everything is essential, and everything is in it's place. But frankly it's a disgrace.

He has collections of small pieces of used string, of bits of wood, and of plastic bags. He treasures broken garden tools, and has rolls of rusting wire netting. His pile of silly hats is legendary, and his old sweater and T shirt collection spills out from it's ample box. Most of his 'stuff' is a mystery; pots of evil smelling powders, bottles of unknown liquids, and jars of 'goodness-knows-what'. His unpublished books are everywhere, and brushes stick out from jam jars filled with oddly coloured gunge.

I despair.

Primroses.

Have you ever known anybody who didn't become elated at the sight of wild primroses?

All spring flowers are envigorating; they lift our spirits and tempt us to believe in better times ahead. We all love daffs, cowslips, and crocuses, but surely the most inspiring of all spring flowers must be the humble primrose.

What better Easter present could any young mother ever receive from her child/children, than a bunch of tiny primroses.

Prayssac Market: Good Friday.

We went to market this morning; a lovely crisp sunny day. I loved seeing this elderly market stall holder with her basket of eggs amongst the tomato plants. So typical of France.

Cro has been longing for asparagus so I bought a big bunch of tender green stems. I also bought mussels for lunch, but they were a little disappointing. They were Spanish mussels; I should have known better.

We also went to a huge local junk/antique/salvage yard. Cro's looking for a rusting 'antique' gate. We found a beauty, but they don't hold back on prices! Lots of rusty gates and a lovely rusty statue of Methuselah (which looked a bit like Cro) which would look great coming out of the undergrowth by the pool, again a bit too pricey. I would really like to have some antique stone sculpture, and am on the look-out for something suitably rustic; none of your concrete Venus at the waterhole rubbish.

Happy Easter.

April Fool?

We've recently been thinking of buying some Parasol Pine trees, but they were very expensive. Yesterday I spotted some really nice trees in a local DIY store, and as they were half the price of the ones we'd already considered buying (€50 each rather than €100), I bought TWO.

Cro was doing his usual 'panic in the shop' routine, but I managed to get him to squeeze them into the compact family Royce, and drive them home without his blood pressure going through the roof.

By the afternoon he'd calmed enought to plant one of the trees. Maybe I'll get him to do the other one tomorrow.

A little extravagant maybe, but there's something wonderful about Parasol Pines.