we thought they'd forgotten us

They came to say goodbye after all

sunshine, sea air and seafood

A lovely couple of days of Mediterranean sunshine in beautiful Collioure- what a good idea that was!

We were last in Collioure in the summer of 2010 after we had moved from England to France but were waiting for Segala to be ours. It was lovely to go back 5 years later.

well preserved

Not me you understand  - but with the daily veg collection only just easing off it's been a busy few weeks trying to get all of my hard won produce used and safely stored for the winter.

The jam cupboard is full, the freezer likewise, we also have jars and jars of dried cherry tomatoes in olive oil in the fridge and some boozy warming tipples for the winter months. Feeling fairly satisfied that very little has gone to waste but its been somewhat relentless work.

Looking forward to a couple of days at the seaside as a reward! Off to Collioure tomorrow for some sea air and seafood.

what happened to the birds?

Looking through old photos I was reminded that this is the time of year we normally watch the parting of the swallows after the summer. The electricity wires which cross the garden fill with thousands of birds who depart en masse after giving us a final spectacular air display. It's a sight which made a lasting impression on my mother, she memory problems now but still talks about seeing this. This year though - no swallows! We saw plenty at the beginning of the summer, watched some courtship displays on the wires but then no more.







The same happened with the sparrows. Our house is built of stone and is unpointed. Normally it is home to hundreds of house sparrows. Again the summer started normally enough, lots of activity, lots of nest building and the sound of scurrying in the walls ( we have to tell guests not to worry - it's not mice in the bedroom) but then nothing. Normally we watch the baby birds being fed and eat our own meals outside to the noise of a veritable sparrow city. It can be VERY noisy but I've really missed it this year.


Did it get too hot? We did have several weeks of "canicule" so maybe. We will just have to wait and see what happens next year.

the last grapes

I have spent most of the week making grape jelly to make use of our grape harvest. This is the first year we have had a big crop of usable grapes and I do hate seeing fruit or veg go to waste. Had enough of jamming for the moment though and the cupboard is full so it was time for a different approach.

Today we have picked those that were left and squashed them for juice - a reminder of our days in England where we used to make apple juice every year from our huge apple crop.

The hens have been keen to watch for dropped fruit!

insurance

After the last storms which left many without electricity for several days we decided to buy a generator to keep our freezer safe in future power cuts.

Had some trouble finding one - seems there might have been a bit of a run on them in the shops. But got one today so now feel we have insurance!

grape harvest

Busy, busy day.

Another nice summery day, not the "scorcher" we were promised but probably just as well.

We went to the market this morning as usual, but more for the fun than to buy - we have so much of our own produce to use we didn't need much.

This afternoon its been all about preserving. 

Our grapevine is really loaded this year - far too many to eat and we are not about to start making our own wine again. There's not room in the freezer to store juice so have tried grape jelly for the first time. It is a really pretty colour and tasty too - could be a christmas gift idea if I make enough. 

Our chilli crop is also superb - I hope I can dry some to hang up in the kitchen but today I have made chilli jam  - also a first, and it too is very pretty.

Now for a late season barbecue - just to prove we know how to live à deux.

été indien

Even gardening magazines have an extra season (été indien) here, September always seems to reward us with lots of sunny summery ( English summer that is) days. True the days are getting shorter, early mornings are decidedly chilly and the water temperature in the pool is sliding inexorably downwards but there is still sunshine, eating outdoors and lots of colour in the garden



This year it is even more colourful than usual as the flower garden took such a long time to get going in the heatwave - it's now at it's peak when often it is near finishing.














The veg garden, despite its near destruction by a fallen tree last week, is still yielding more everyday than I can use. Today I picked tomatoes, courgettes, chillis, peas and even some strawberries





















We had been considering a trip away this month, but after a very hectic summer ( lots of visits to England plus 8 sets of visitors) we have been enjoying being at home and settling back into "normal life". Its not boring though - loads to do in the garden, still fetes and festivals going on and  even some dancing.

                                            Have I said it before? aiçi sén pla!

quelle orage quelle horreur!

August went out with something of a bang last week - a huge storm swept across the department on Monday night bringing down trees and depriving many of electricity, phones and  internet for days on end. A week later and the roadsides are still littered with branches and all around you can hear the chainsaws at work.

In fact we were relatively lucky as the electricity came back in the night so we had only lost power for a few hours. No internet all week though but that gave us more time to deal with the aftermath in the garden.

A couple of small trees were brought down in the orchard - not too bad we thought - but then we spotted the potager.

Basically the vegetable patch was half buried by a fallen tree.

Luckily a branch had impaled itself into the ground and was supporting lots of the weight so the tomato plants were battered but not annihilated .

Lots of work to do clearing up but at least we didn't lose the contents of the freezer like many people we know! 

Note to selves : must definitely buy a generator.