Tour de France

Rain over the Millpond

On Saturday evening we spent a very pleasant time having supper with Caro and Dennis and their two French neighbours. Jean-Baptiste and his wife, Suti are building a house in the field next door. Jim looked at the plans.

Dennis and Jim with architect's plans

Sunday dawned wet which was a pity because there was a brocante sale in Maurs and a vide-grenier in St Santain de Maurs. We went to both but they were lack lustre affairs because of the weather. I bought three old photographs and Jim bought an axe.

The pictures were framed together and I suspect that they are family members because of the likeness between the women. Perhaps the child in the second is the young woman in the third. A nice record of clothes and hair.

Monday - we have planted two honeysuckles at Peter's Place to prettify the safety rails around the platform. In a couple of seasons it should look better.

 Tuesday: The Tour de France travels the N122 between Aurillac and Figeac today. The road is closed to normal traffic for a good part of the day from 9.30 this morning. We have decided to try and view the race from St Etienne de Maurs, a little hamlet just down from Maurs when there is a car park which is easily approached from our side of Maurs. The timetable gave a time of 12.50 for the 'caravanne'. What does that mean?

Taking two folding chairs, the camera and an umbrella (and in my case a book of Sudoku and a pencil) we parked the car and found a viewing spot in the shade by 12 noon to be on the safe side. Quite a few folk were already assembled and there was already a festive air. We waited.

We waited until 12.50 when the number of official cars and motor bikes increased and the 'caravanne' approached. This turned out to be a cavalcade of commercial floats etc throwing various items of souveniers into the crowd. It was chaos, as I was trying to video the proceedings and had to keep dodging the missiles and the grabbing hands of my neighbours but at the same time acquire some booty myself. Jim, at this point, has moved further up the road where he considered he had a better vantage point so I was on my own. The cavalcade lasted about an hour with a shower of rain for a while.

The cyclists arrived about half an hour later - first the six leaders and then the rest. They were all gone in a flash.

Wednesday lunchtime - it has been raining now since Jim finished watering the plants last night. Some of it torrential. We shan't need to carry a bucket up to Peter's Place this evening to water the honeysuckles.

A Monsieur Nangeroni from the Cantal Departmental Director des Territoires - or somesuch - came this morning to discuss our plan de l'eau with Jim. He told us that the Moulin had a fish farm licence!

It would seem that we have a responsibility to keep the water flowing over the weir at a minium rate. Anyway Jim found the discussion interesting and informative and he has some work to do.

Usual market excursion on Thursday. Most of the plant stalls are now gone but we managed to get a couple more perlagoniums for the tables and some lettuce seedlings for the potagers.

As today is the 14th of July it is La Fete Nationale day and this evening there is a market of sorts at the Moulin du Fau and some fireworks. When we arrived we found a great many people eating. There were several stalls selling meals and long queues. We contented ourselves with a beer, a cake and a bench in the sun, listened to the brass band and watched the French enjoying themselves.

And I took some photos of dogs for Matthew's project. he is drawing images for clipart and dogs are one of his categories.

Friday and Saturday were spent sorting out our stuff to move into the gite while Matthew and Co are here and cleaning the place generally. Saturday evening is the Celebration supper in Fournoules. 'Grillades' and entertainment.

Should be fun. Brigitte and Dominique will be there. Report back later.

Great evening. There was dancing - as can be seen.

Jim learns line dancing

Axel demonstrates the Jive - the lady on the right is his wife

Jim and Brigitte No. 2

The band - with Axel acting as compere

The projects have moved on. I have now completed all the quilted blocks but have not had time to finish sewing them up. However I did get the baskets done for Bo and Tess:

Empty

Full of Goodies

The pumpkins are developing - we now have at least five. The sunflowers have flower buds and we have been eating potatoes, cabbage, spinach, beans, courgettes (lots) and garlic from the vegetable garden.

It has rained a great deal this week and the slugs are competing for the produce. Jim makes a regular slug hunt and has stopped throwing them into the millpond since he saw one climbing out. He has resorted to Pam Higgs's method of dispatching them!

That's all for now folks. Matthew and Co arrive on Sunday and we are moving into the gite. We have work to do before then.