Ruthie and Roofie

 

Ruth needed a break from her job in a Care Home where she works hard so she came to visit us in the Moulin for a week.

Bonding

She and Rufus took to each other straight away. It was love at first sight. Ruth bought Rufus a present of a stuffed, squeaky duck and he loves it. Ruth played ball with him, took him for unscheduled walks in the fields and cooched up on the sofa with him when we watched DVDS in the evening.

Roofie and the Duck

During her visit we went again to Conques where Ruth bought gifts for her friends and family. On a hot day we went to the beach. There was talk of swimming but the water was too cold but we did some sun bathing and had a picnic.

Beach on the Lake

This beach is not on the coast, of course, we are too far away for that.  The place is called  Lake Ribeyrie and is the largest artificial lake in the Auvergne. It is a reservoir created by EDF between 1935 and 1945 in the valley of the Cere at Saint-Etienne-Cantalès. It has many beaches and leisure facilities. It is about an hours drive away from the Moulin.

Map showing Lake

Our final outing was to the Foire à la Cerise (Cherry Fair) at St Constant – just 10 minutes down the road. It was a two-day affair but as Ruth was catching her plane in Toulouse on the Sunday we were only able to enjoy the festivities on the Saturday. When we arrived after lunch we found people playing boule on every available spot. Not a cherry or tombola stall in site. We looked at the schedule of events and decided to come back in time for the Soirée Danse Country (sous le chapiteau, entrée gratuite and initiation) and the Grand Feu d’Artifice.

This we did.

Line Dancing (no we didn't)

Feu d'Artifice

We returned Ruth to Toulouse on the Sunday and we, ourselves stayed overnight so that we could make a trip to IKEA on Monday morning to get some more flooring and other stuff for the house and gite. This enabled us to spend the evening wandering around part of the town and eating out.

 Love a duck!

I think Ruthie enjoyed her visit but Roofie is now bereft. He wanders around in a lacklustre manner pining for his lost love. I have bought him a new ball to cheer him up.

 Longhorn beetle

No. I don't like them either. Next time:'corsets at the market' and 'street theatre'.

Visitors

This was the week that Peter and Jennifer visited. They have been regular visitors over the years we have been coming here. We collect them from Rodez, a delightful, small airport about an hour away.

Our first outing was to a pottery market we had seen advertised and it proved to be good. The stalls were set out in a field adjacent to another mill. The standard of the pottery was excellent and we were tempted to buy several bits and pieces.

 

We were also attracted by the possibily of having the lunch provided - sausage and aligot. Aligot is a dish traditionally made in the south of the Auvergne and made of melted Tomme cheese blended into mashed potatoes, often with some garlic and cream. It is quite delicious and can be bought ready made in the markets and supermarkets.

Another trip was made to Conques. This is our local tourist attraction but well worth the visit. The tiny village of Conques occupies a spectacular position high on the steep, wooded gorge of the River Dourdou, a small tributary of the Lot. It is highly picturesque and peaceful — the Rough Guide to France calls it "one of the great villages of southwest France." Parts of the medieval walls still survive, along with three of its gates. The houses date from the late Middle Ages and are divided by cobbled lanes and stairways that are a pleasure to wander. There several shops selling good quality souveniers, craftwork and postcards and of course, the Abbey itself with the Romanesque carving of the Last Judgment in the tympanum over the main doors.

Tympanum detail: weighing of souls and the gates to heaven and hell

For the third time we had an excellent lunch in the hotel Saint Jacques seated on the terrace.

The bowl of strawberries below is not one of Jim's products although we have been having salad leaves from his vegetable garden and even a serving of small new potatoes, but wild strawberries that grow plentifully here and good served with a bowl of yogurt.

Finally some more flora and fauna - not necessarily to everyone's taste.

 Blossom on Medlar tree

A Wedding?

  We were told that there was to be a village wedding. Cyprien thought that it was at one o’clock, certainly ‘apres midi’, followed by that Gallic shrug to indicate he didn’t really know what time. The front of the Mairie was decorated the day before like this:

The Mairie - Fournoules

We decided to turn up at one to see the bride and then go on into Maurs. At one o’clock there was no one about the village. We peered through the windows of the Mairie which was set out inside for a function of some kind. We walked around the village – still no action. We sat in the car for twenty minutes then decided to kill a bit of time by calling on some Brits we had been told about who had converted a barn in a neighbouring village.

Our intention was to leave a note with our name and phone number inviting them to call us if they wanted the contact but we were caught in the act and invited in.

They proved to be a charming couple and I think we shall get on well with them. There was talk of playing bridge, but that means that Jim will have to learn . . .

The barn was beautiful and they now live here permanently.

We missed the wedding, of course, but shortly after our return home the bride and groom turned up at the Moulin and asked if they could have photographs taken. I think they had an image of a chocolate box mill wheel scene and were a bit disappointed but they had some pictures taken anyway. 

Bride and Groom

Peter and Jennifer arrive on Friday and will be staying in the gite. The French family have left – are they going to buy the Moulin? – we are carrying on as though they are not. I have nearly finished painting the little bedroom white, it looks good. I shall start on the kitchen ceiling afterwards when I have finished it.

'Grand Foire' Village Hall - Viazac

We went to another ‘Grande Foire’ - mostly plants and crafts this time. Looks familiar doesn’t it?

I continue to find new flora and fauna.

Peter's Place

 

This is ‘Peter’s Place that has been mentioned previously. It is a spot, discovered and utilised by Peter on earlier visits. It is on the verge of the rough road overlooking the valley. It has a view of the ruined chateau Merle and gets the late evening sun. A fine place to sip a glass of wine and contemplate nature.  Imagine, also the song of a bird in the trees – usually one we can’t put a name to.

You can just make out the ruin in the middle of the horizon.

 

Peter used to go here as he could pick up a signal on his dongle if he was lucky. We have dragged two old plastic chairs up here and we rest awhile when we are taking Rufus for an evening walk. Perhaps we can persuade Peter to construct a three or four seater bench out of some oak planks we have and we can all soak in the view and the sun while sharing a bottle or two.

The ‘rough road’ is so called because it is an unmade road continuing the loop from the Moulin up to the departmental road. We never use it with the car it as it has deep ruts and is very stony, but some local people coming down to fish in the river do, in their clapped out Renaults and Citroens.

Last Sunday we went to a ‘Grand Foire’ in a local town, Bagnac. It was little more that a boot fair but at greatly inflated prices.  

 

Peter and Jennifer know Bagnac as it is where, at Le Hôtel du Commerce, we have had lunch, consisting of five courses, for €11.00. Well, I am sorry to report Peter, that the price is now €14.00 – this includes a bottle of vin ordinaire I should mention.

The chest in the picture above is very similar to the one that Matthew repaired (post below). We thought that the label on it would give the price but it was something in code. We didn’t buy anything except some plants for the garden and a couple of beers.

The French family have arrived to spend four days in the gite. It has rained steadily since. They have three boys, 12, 11 and 8 – all cooped up in the one living room/kitchen. I pray for dry weather tomorrow especially as there is a wedding in the village we have been told. We shall wander up there if it is not raining and report back next time.

Back Again

Since my last posting we have been back to the UK for several reasons. Our planned balloon flight booked for 19th April was unfortunately cancelled due to weather conditions.
My 70th birthday came and went. Thank you for all the good wishes, presents and cakes.
We are now safely back at Moulin du Clout where we expect to remain until the end of October.
After a few hot days a cold front has arrived and it is raining steadily. This is sad because we have a Dutch family staying in the gite for a few days and they are not able to fully enjoy what we have to offer. They are prospective purchasers of the Moulin so we would like them to see it at it's best.

Everything is green now although the walnut trees are not yet fully out.

Jim continues with the vegetable planting and I am taking photographs of flora and fauna and cataloguing them. I haven't yet managed to get a picture of the large Green Lizard which scampers about in the vegetable garden.

Here is a spectacular plant. Does anyone know what it is? It's okay - I do - this is a quiz question.

Before we went home, our son, Matthew came for a few days and painted the living room white and restored an old chest he found in the loft of the barn.

It looks much better now and we plan to get other rooms done the same.

This will now make a useful toybox.

There are still a few more weeks available for rent in the gite - a couple in June and all of September and the beginning of October - see other blog (Gite for rent) for tariff and details.


Broadband and telephone now both working. Any of our email address will reach us and the phone number is: 0033471436173 although for those of you in the UK you can use the number:08442320531 which is 3p per minute including VAT day and night and is part of our broadband package. It reroutes to the other number and does not need the 0033 prefix.

3rd Week

This week we have had guests in the gîte – two French men, one of whom is a prospective buyer of the Mill. He has seen the place before – last year – and now he has come back for another look. He brought his brother and they stayed in the gite for three days and apart from Moulin du Clout have looked at other mills in the area. They plan to come back again with a wife either next week or in May.

I have made Clafoutis. As there are no wild cherries to be had this time of the year, although we do have some trees in blossom in the domaine, I have used tinned ones. The Francophiles amongst you will know that this is a regional French ‘pudding with black cherries’. The old Auvergnat name is millard according to Peter Graham our local published food expert. I didn’t use the recipe given in his book MOURJOU – The Life and Food in an Auvergne Village but my effort was pretty tasty all the same. If you visit us you may get to sample it – but don’t worry I don’t plan to make Tripoux.

Jim has laid paving down on the grass to the gîte. You will be glad to hear this Jennifer – no more wet slippers. The other day when the courier brought the broadband equipment he churned up the area in front of the gite turning his vehicule around. He was rather churlish when he arrived as he described the decent down to the Mill as ‘n’est pas facile’ so he took his bad temper out on the grass. Jim has had to fix it.

This is the Blue Peter bit. I like to recycle things – useless into useful and have been acquiring a quantity of large dog food tins. I have made planters out of them. You can do the same and you won’t even need any sticky-backed plastic.

You will need for each planter: 7 large dogfood tins (1,250Kg) , spray paint (suitable for external use), a length of wire, a length of raffia, small stones or coarse gravel, planting compost and 7 plants. Some tools: a large nail and a hammer, and perhaps a pair of pliers for tightening the wire with.

Take each cleaned empty tin and puncture several holes in the bottom with nail and hammer. Spray each tin with your paint. When dry group them together and fasten the wire around twisting the end with the pliers until it is tight. Put in position (they will be heavy when filled and tricky to move), put a layer of stones or gravel in each tin then add the compost. Top with a plant in each tin and tie the raffia around covering the wire in an artistic manner. Nice isn’t it? You could, of course, group them in 3’s instead of 7’s

Here is one I made earlier – last year in fact and although I don’t know what it looked like in the depths of winter it was struggling bravely on when we arrived and a few days of sunshine soon got it into full bloom again.

Next week – What to do with those bits of cardboard in the middle of toilet rolls? Although I hear that they have had to stop using them in schools because of Health and Safety issues!

As mentioned earlier we have the modem now but have to wait for the appropriate technician to install it. I looked at the instructions, which were in English and was tempted to have a go myself.

……..later

It turned out that I was the appropriate technician and I have installed it. It is now working but not without problems – we keep losing contact. Hey ho!

I have also got my iphone topped up and the number is 0640176280

 

2nd Week

Last Sunday afternoon we went for the circular walk around the valley. After two days of rain the atmosphere had that damp earthy smell about it and the sun made frequent efforts to shine. It was very pleasant.
We started up the rough road, passing ‘Peter’s Place’ (more of this another time) with the view down to the ruin of Chateau de Merle. At the top of the lane we turn left onto the departmental road that was improved last year by cutting into the steep rock faces to widen parts of it. In time plants will colonise the rock and the undergrowth will creep back over the scarred earth.

After a while we turn left again and plunge back down into the valley. At the bottom a little bridge crosses the river Célè.
As we approach this bridge we see a man armed with a small, pointed knife. It looks sharp. We exchange ‘bonjours’. We look at the knife and he starts to explain. Jim tells him that we are English and only speak a little French. He speaks more slowly with simpler sentences and we gather that he has come to dig up dandelions that are eaten in France as a salad vegetable. His boot indicates a stubby specimen growing in the asphalt as he speaks. We know this as we saw the plants for sale last week in the garden centre, which amused us. If Pissenlit were popular in Cowbridge we could make easy money with the number that grow in our garden at Eastgate and selling them in the farmer’s market.
Well, I say ‘chacun a son gout’ but not to the man, I didn’t. He has the sharp knife. We exchange a few more pleasantries, not well understood on either side I think, and move on.

The hill snakes up steeply to the village and presently we meet Marie-Therese, who is the wife of Cyprien Dalmon, erstwhile Mayor of Fournoules. The Dalmon family have been good friends to us since we have been coming here; helping us with all manner of problems and giving us bottles of something strong labelled ‘Prune’.

Cyprien and his son Didier farm – cattle – around the mill and cut Matthew’s five fields in the summer in exchange for the hay, which they use to feed Coquette and her foal.

The ponies belong to Flora and Aniais, Cyprien’s granddaughters. The girls visit us occasionally with their parents Brigitte and Dominic and over a glass of wine and some Welsh cakes we struggle with conversation. They live in Montauban but have a holiday home here which is a converted barn on the outskirts of the village. Presumably part of the family farm.

Anyway, Marie-Therese is stretching her legs but she is not doing the full circuit like us. She praises Rufus and our gardening exploits, which have been noted, probably by Cyprien when he was walking past which he does early in the morning before we are up. He does the full circuit, two or three times a week for his health he tells us.

Towards the end of our walk Rufus catches a mouse. He is not sure what to do with it. We walk on, unwilling to witness the business.

There are a lot of mice hereabouts and in the summer when eating outside you can watch them dart in and out of the shrubbery. Rufus will have fine sport then, which I would prefer to his present preoccupation with the lizards. I love these little creatures. As a child in Hampshire I used to catch them and keep them as pets in shoeboxes for a few days (my father was in shoes and we lived over the shop).

You may be wondering how we pass our evenings with no T.V., Bridge, Rotary or even C.A.D.S to amuse us. Well, before we left the U.K. I downloaded several titles from Audiobooks. During the last couple of weeks we have been listening to an unabridged edition of Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantell and very good it has been, too. We rationed ourselves to a couple of hours each night and you may imagine us sitting before the woodburner – me knitting – Rufus farting quietly the other end of the sofa and a glass or two of wine at our elbows listening to the machinations of Thomas Cromwell. It is a rattling good yarn.

I passed my first TMA – only just – but it has encouraged me to make up for lost time and get on with my studies. You will know when I am doing well when I write this blog in French!