Tuesday 31 March 2020

Monday 30 March 2020

Day 14: Lockdown in France - Tulips

Photos

Tulips dance brightly in sumptuous dress on the day before clocks Spring forward and Winter arrives!







Sunday 29 March 2020

Day 13: Lockdown in France - Asian Hornet Nest

as we hear the French Lockdown is extended until April 15th 2020
and in UK the forecast warns it could easily be 6 months before the Coronavirus-19 is controlled.

How come young adult children of French people who have a second family home here have travelled from somewhere in France, when THAT is not essential travelling.   My neighbours did so before midday on the day of the total Lockdown so that was ok to my thinking!  They have been walking up and down my less isolated street.
I don't think I could travel a far distance even if I tried.

NO GARDENING today. Little at all for next week if I can help it,  as I must make myself do INDOOR paperwork ...   I must make/achieve targets and stop being lazy!  I am not in the frame of mind for doing it. Maybe slightly down!

The weather has become cold and windy.  I chose to walk this morning on an hour's circuit.

LOOK AT THIS: High at the top of the Lime Tree at the end of my land, the Asian Hornets Nest remains as the landscape gardener said it was too late. The hornets were not in it any more!!!!!
This I am sure is contrary to what I have read.
 I was told about it at the end of October, but the person to contact me never did.... then November and I was more than busy and still the man did not contact me.  then it was, he said, too late to do anything, so need to destroy it. That was December/January.  The wind and weather would destroy it.

I looked up, aimed zoom camera at it, unable with my eye to see what the construction is!!!!!  WOW!!!!!  What's that green grey ball thing in the next on the left of this page?

Saturday 28 March 2020

Day 12: Lockdown in France- Mowing

Saturday 28 March 2020
Steal myself in a cold wind to walk to the other land to make the first mow of yellow flowers in long green grass.  The land measure 550m2.  I checked oil and filled the lawnmower with the shop bought fuel.  What do I do when this has been used?  I need the land to be maintained.   I haven't mowed this one in two or more years.. always letting the gardener do it,  so am proud I can walk, push and pull that choke cable again!
Before and after in opposite directions!
Then to the front lane with the broken gate, which now needs to be broken from the metal fixing so worn out it has bent!  Must measure to get a replacement gate constructed.



Friday 27 March 2020

Day 11: Lockdown in France - Mowing

Friday 27 March 2020
Second mow of the year:
Two and a half hours with an hour lunch and a 20 minute water break. Bit strong on the legs... 750.00m2 of 'jardin'  says 'descriptif habitation' ...but this may include the chicken coop and open shed to it.  
It takes more time emptying each box load of cuttings onto the rose and lavender bed as a mulch to prevent weed growth.
I also mowed 'le droit de passage' ...
I started to fork dig another quarter of the potager...I feel good - but tired.
PHOTOS:











Day 11: Lockdown In France - Even More Garden Photos




Edged the rose bed with a straight line but i forgot the straight edged plank.
Weeded by hand,  forked and weeded again.
Propped to upright lavender bushes leaning over the grass. I wanted to lift and move back but wasn't sure that they would survive.
Since pruning roses have pruned more.


 Further along before finishing forking completely the worst and hardest part.

 The last narcissus came indoors to bring isolation cheer!
 Gone the logs...which were like this

Gone the daffodils. Logs piled under the table and to the right behind the metal chair where I was storing rose prunings before burning.
I broke the broken ladder which escaped the decheterie to prevent the logs
having risk of getting wet.
VOILA.  DER DAR!

I cleared this pile of other wood needing to be made into kindling or small logs,  then added more,
so now it is thrice the size ready for the chainsaw or saw.

 My reward a raw veg salad with couscous and unusual for me to imbibe beer

That's it folks. The saga of 11 days of Lockdown in France with more to go!!!!   Bon courage et Bon Santé wherever you are... Keep sage and safe.  Be Kind to one and all.  Love you all...xxx






Day 11: Lockdown In France - More Garden Photos




The Nuisance Tree Trunk pushing up cos it is not dead. The Acacia saga has gone on for about  6 or 7 years I think... lost in time and my illness... in about 2015 the company did not remove the trunk  I guess she would not pay for it to be done.   Since then I couldnt' cope with that and mother's will. Now I could get onto Protection Juridique to cause her Civil Action.   She didn't want this to happen! She has other property in the village which she is notorious for not maintaining. We all get old!
The fence panels fell, rotten and ruined so a view into my neighbour's garden.
Paul's Himalayan Musk Rambling Rose - Enormous by the Log Pile
Four part Potager must be activated to usefulness when I hoped to leave grassed over this year!


Various views

Day 11: Lockdown in France - Garden Photos

Photos from recent Gardening days


A host of golen daffodils have just finished flowering.
The blooms lasted over four weeks unlike last year when barely two weeks.
Neat and tidy apart from the neighbour's wall and the hole where the nuisance tree trunk is pushing up more trunks...
The gardener managed to dig one quarter to bury compost.
To the North East and the former chicken coop - which was covered in green but I hand weeded it.

From the end garden.. forsythia, buddleia, roses, lavenders.
The pile of logs I moved in two hours.
View from the end garden