Monday 28th June

On the way to self-sufficiency!

The past two weeks have passed very quickly and I am due to fly back to the UK tomorrow. We feel we have made good progress, with the bathroom tiling almost finished and both our bedroom and the twin room painted and 'refreshed'. The grass is all looking tidy and the 'Roundup' onslaught on the weeds has begun.

Dave is still nurturing the vegatable patch. Sadly a lot of the seeds didn't survive the cold spell in May, and we really didn't have time to prepare the soil properly this year, but we are quickly discovering what grows easily and what needs more attention. We were able to harvest (and eat!) our first peas today, and they were absolutely delicious!! The potatoes are pretty good as well - and the cherry and fig trees are well loaded with fruit. Jam making will soon be on the 'list of things to do'!
We are buying eggs now from the farm, and have the promise of chickens, rabbit and duck in the near future as well - I'm not sure what condition we will receive them in, but will deal with that when the time comes!!! The chickens roam around our land most of the time anyway, so it is almost like having our own chickens without the expense or hassle!

We also downed tools on Sunday morning to have an outing to the 'Lac de Mondeley', (see above) which is about 40 minutes of very picturesque driving away. We had read (in the Daily Mail!!) that is has one of the best beaches in Europe. Well - the lake itself was beautiful, but the reporter must have been hallucinating as the 'beach ' was just a small area of grey gravelly sand!
Well, we enjoyed the drive and the place, but won't be swimming there!!

Thursday 24th June

Summer at last!

Well Summer finally arrived at the beginning of the week, along with the start of Wimbledon. We are finally enjoying late dinners in the garden - and wishing we already had a pool in place!! However, the interior of the house is remaining nice and cool, so offers a welcome respite when needed.

We have had a sociable stay here so far this time. The Anslow family joined us for the England/Algeria match, which was fun (their company, not the match!!). Lucy and David from the chateau joined us for tea one day, and we have also got to know a guy in the village who wants to improve his English - and help us with our French in return. We both visited our very likeable insurance broker and had an interesting and amusing conversation with him - in half French/ half English! Dave has spent a couple of days working on Sue's garden (also prone to becoming jungle-like) and Magali from Sue's office helped me complete my business application. Once this is set up and we are earning some money, we will be able to enter the French health system. The 'maire' has also been a huge help in filling in the (very confusing !) application forms which we need to complete for approval to build our balcony.

We have been happily amazed by the friendliness and helpfulness of all the local people (maybe with the exception of the sales assistant in the mobile phone shop!) Everyone has something to say and nothing is ever too much trouble for them. From the insurance broker, to local farmers, to supermarket sales assistants and security guards at the 'Brico Depot' (B &Q!), everyone has a smile or a wave and they all seem to take such pride and pleasure in their work.

Saturday 19th June

Dealing with the early summer jungle of weeds!

We arrived back at La Maire on Sunday 13th June - a good drive apart from encountering a tremendous thunderstorm in the Dordogne. I have rarely seen such torrential rain, but we battled through it at 30 mph and finally emerged safely on the other side.

On arriving 'chez nous' late in the evening, it was great to be able to open up the shutters and find the house exactly as we left it!
The garden however, was another story!! Equal quantities of sun and rain over the previous 4 weeks had provided ideal growing conditions for both grass and weeds. The grass was about a foot high, and the 'swimming pool to be' area at the back was a jungle of waist-high nettles and other very healthy looking weeds. Luckily, my flower seeds had also grown and were near to blooming - and the vegetable patch hadn't fared too badly either.

We just about managed to get the trailer unloaded before the rain started, then it didn't stop until Tuesday lunchtime!! However we soon heard about the floods in SE France and realised we had got off lightly!

The rest of the week remained unsettled, so we made the most of the opportunity to crack on with the bathroom and decorate two of the bedrooms. Much to Dave's huge satisfaction as an amateur plumber, the bathroom is now water-tight and ready to go, and the grass all cut...we are trying to ignore the weeds at the moment!

11th June

A month in the UK

We soon settled into life in Maidenhead again - after a less than perfect arrival! The journey through France to Calais was great - Eurotunnel...no problem - but then we hit the M25...standstill traffic and torrential rain on a Sunday evening! To make matters worse, we went to Gatwick to collect Reggie (our Ford Ka - left there when Lesley last flew out to France in a hurry!), only to find that he had thrown a hissy fit and had a flat battery. However, a nice man with a van and jump leads was there in minutes and we were soon on the road.

It has been a busy month - we held an 'open week' for the pictures, which resulted in a lot of framing. Along with watercolour commissions, catching up with family and friends and generally sorting things out here, the month has flown by.

Dave and Daniel also went off to Morocco for 5 days on the 'Landrover Experience' trip which Daniel was lucky enough to win in a competition. They had an amazing time and Dave's photos can be seen at
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/daveolver/LandRoverExperienceMorocco
Lots of sand and lots of cars!!

So we are now packing the car and trailer ready for our drive back to La Maire on Sunday. We are looking forward to some warm, sunny weather - but might have to wait a while for that as the forecast is for rain over the next week! Oh well, we will just have to crack on with the bathroom and the decorating!!

May 16th

Mixed up weather!!

Well - the first week in May saw the return of Winter! As the weather became progressively colder and wetter, we decided to start up the boiler again - just as well we did, as heavy rain turned to snow - on the very day of Mum and Dad's arrival!! Apparently snow only falls in May about every 20 years in this part of the Ariege, so it has taken everyone by surprise and has created a topic for conversation amongst the neighbours!

So Mum and Dad were not able to see our little corner of France at its best on arrival, but appreciated the warmth and comfort provided by the effective heating system and huge radiators at 'La Maire'. We had spent the previous weekend putting the finishing touches to their room with great satisfaction - the first guest room to be completed!

The rain and cold persisted for the next couple of days, but then we were able to enjoy a few days of warmer sunshine. Mum and Dad were a huge help with painting, gardening and other jobs around the house, but we also found time to explore the area, visiting Pamiers, Foix market, and aslo did a couple of local walks. Mum and Dad also treated us to a delicious meal at 'Auberge Pierre Bayle' in the hilltop village of Carla Bayle (see phots above). We had a table by the window with superb views of the surrounding countryside, delicious food - and a charming waiter! A lovely evening.

Dave (now fully recovered) continued working in the new bathroom, slowly but surely making progress with the mass of pipework and joints required to link it in to the system!

Just after Mum and Dad returned home, Daniel and Richard returned from their (successful this time!) drive to Morocco, and stayed with us for a couple of nights before driving the final leg home.

Dave and I are also now back in Maidenhead for a few eeks, returning to 'La Maire' around the middle of June

30th April

Not the best weekend for Dave!!

Well we have now found out where the hospital is.....but not in the best way possible!!

Dave felt very ill on the Friday after Lucy and I left, with a high temperature and splitting headache. On the Saturday morning he woke to find a large bruise on his shin. He felt rough for the rest of the day but felt a little better and hoped it would go away!!

However the bruise had got worse by the Sunday morning so Dave decided to take himself off to outpatients at the hospital,which was very brave of him!! Very little English was spoken at the hospital but Dave coped ok - however the initial diagnosis was very worrying as they thought it was blood poisoning. While I was panicing somewhat at home and changing my flight to get back to France the next day, by the evening, the doctors had decided it was actually a skin infection - still a bad one needing treatment, but thankfully not as serious as we thought!!

I arrived back in France on the Monday - was thrilled and relieved that Lisa was able to pick me up from the airport and take me straight to the hospital. Dave was feeling much better and itching to get home by now, but had to stay in another night! I picked him up on the Tuesday and took him home with 3 weeks supply of anti-biotics and strict instructions to stay off the alcohol and rest. He has obeyed the former but he wont rest unless I tie him down - however the best compromise was to rest sitting on the mower, so we now have a fully mown lawn for the first time!

The weather is still lovely - and getting warmer by the day. However some rain is expected this weekend - eagerly awaited by yht e farmers I think as they haven't had their usual amount of March/April rain in the Ariege this year.

Am writing this in McDonalds in Pamiers - still no phone or Broadband at La Maire!!

25th March - 22nd April

Lucy's first visit to 'La Maire'

During my absence, the guys made good progress and coped admirably with food shopping, using the washing machine and various excursions to Brico Depot - transporting home 5m lengths of decking required some thought!! Daniel and Richard built an impressive area of decking at the back of the house, and the mower was finally repaired. Dave then spent most of the following week cutting the grass - the first cut of the season was a bit of a challenge as the grass was very long indeed!

Latest photos can be seen here
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lesleyolver/LucyFirstVisit

Lucy and I had a good flight out - sat behind actress Tamsin Grieg on the plane - Lucy is a big fan of 'Black Books' so was rather pleased!
Lucy loved 'la Maire' and was very lucky to have some warm and sunny weather for her stay. I was suprised to see how much the garden had changed while I was away - signs of Spring everywhere and everything growing like mad!

Lucy took on the job of shutter painting during her stay (alongside a fair bit of sunbathing and talking to the neighbours' dog!) Green shutters are now all finished and back in place - they look lovely! We also did lots of cooking - mostly cakes - some of which we gave to the neighbours as a thankyou for their gifts of lovely fresh eggs.
Daniel and Richard took on the difficult task of putting insulation in the 'garage room' ceiling and finishing it off with plasterboard. This will eventually be our main guest room so it was good to make a start. Dave is making progress in the new bathroom, but also keeps finding 'little jobs' to do in the garden which is so inviting at the moment! I also wielded a paintbrush - both watercolour and emulsion - generally kept food on the table, and even planted some seeds!

Our stay was punctuated by the flight chaos caused by the dust cloud from the volcano in Iceland. Dave and Daniel were due to fly back to the UK for a 5 day Land Rover driving holiday in Morocco. This was a competition prize won by Daniel so had been eagerly awaited! Their flight was cancelled, but thankfully for them the trip has also had to be postponed. Lucy and I managed to get our scheduled flight home on Thursday - so we were lucky!

The saga of getting a phone line and broadband to La Maire continues! Our initial contract had to be cancelled, then a new phone line ordered - but it now appears more lines are needed in the village, so it seems we will be waiting a while longer! However, we have mobiles, helpful neighbours with broadband, and there is always McDonalds which provide free Wi-Fi - so we will manage for the time being!

Lucy goes back to Loughborough on Sunday, then I will return to France in time for our next visitors - Mum and Dad are coming to stay for a week in May. We are very much looking forward to their stay and showing them around the area - and hope they will also have their usual luck with the weather when on holiday!!
Meanwhile, we need to find a bed....

Next blog update near the end of May - or sooner if we get online!