Spring in the Bayou's

This is mainly an update about the last months for my dear readers from far and a try to hopefully upload pictures again.

It took well until end of April before nature seemed to awake from what was a very long winter in the Bayou's.





Right before Spring started, EG went to Devon to collect 25 apple trees. They are in the soil now, scattered around the property, in wire baskets to not to get their roots eaten by voles.

We have new 'B&B guests' here, a pair of red kites. One sheltered in the log shed from bad weather and it is not sure who got more surprised - he or EG - when he went to get some logs. Luckily on his escape he only touched EG's arm with one of his enormous wings.
I hope that those guests will not take my wee chicken for breakfast. I had always an eye on them whilst the kite makes it circles over the chicken compound and playing Google Earth or is it Google Street?






EG got a new toy, it's called a Ransomes 24 and it was a long story from finding it until collection, all by my own. Snow in March let my Plan A get pear-shaped. I thought we can get it on the way back from Bristol, leaving the trailer there, close to Luton over the weekend and coming back with it on Monday. It did not work out as we decided to cancel the trailer due to snow. We then had a tire puncture on the way to Calais. It would have been huge stress having that when you tow a trailer.
So it was postponed waiting for better weather conditions. Finally, the decision was taken to go on a Friday morning and doing the journey in one shot. Haha. So far about Plan A. Suddenly, EG could not get a day off and I decided to keep the ferry ticket and went on my own. Leaving 5.30h in the morning was the easy bit, spending a Friday afternoon around London on the M25 is a challenge. I missed 2 ferries back but eventually got crossing the channel at no extra charge and was back home after 1150 km at 2.30h by night. Happily, the gift pleases the new owner :-).



We also bought an old Range Rover (1995) for easy transport of farm goods... Plan A was to buy a cheap old car for long use at low mileage. Suddenly, the Wallonian Gouvernment had decided to install an 'eco-malus' starting January 1st, 2013. The impact of taxation for the first year's circulation was 2.500 € :-O. But Wallonia would not be what Wallonia is.... there are ways to avoid that heavy taxation. Or one gets an address in Flandern or gets the car converted into a utility car. Transforming the car was a much cheaper option but it has to get another technical inspection for that. Eventually, all is done and well and we enjoy taking our 'workhorse' for to get the farm stuff and it went already two times down to the tip fully loaded. The fact that it has a right-hand drive and was imported from Merry Old England is even more enticing to drive it :-). I need just to learn to park in small spaces now to be able to go downtown Liège to the Brocante :-).


Now the GMC waits in the garage loaded to the brim with old windows. Can it really be 12 years that I am waiting for to have a greenhouse? Unfortunately, EG is not a pensioner, yet and his time is very much filled with all kind of repair activities, farm maintenance and ---- paid work. Whilst I write, he is in Spain for the week and misses even his bank holiday (Thursday) which could have been a nice opportunity for a long weekend. But it will be recuperated.



Down by the stream, we have our 'survival plantation'. Wild garlic, ground elder and nettles were used for to make this special 'Strudel'. Very tasty and very healthy!





More guests arrived and the Chocolate dog was busy many mornings to tell them that the pond is not a possible picnic area for them.






And Madame Yvette decided to give more children to René Dartois...




more about that next time ./.