I am happy to be part of something that is so much bigger than me.

Good, bright and warmish today, the field is drying out nicely so we wandered into the allotment to try to get a handle of what needs to be done before planting starts again, then walked out a bit overwhelmed by the apparent collossalness of it all. We will do as we did last year and just let the progress schedule flow over us, it all works out in the end......she says with great confidence. Mike has planned the installation of the staircase in the barn so a visit to our favourite shop "Point Vert" to buy the bits he needs was called for. We then took a quick run up to Ravenoville for a brisk and windy walk on the beach. We took yet another of those "la mer" roads and HOSS got his promised run off as far as you like walks. The carpet looks great but now the scatter cushions look naaf so I will need to think about that one another day. We are not into designer interiors but when something starts to grate then you have to apply yourself. I went to choir practice tonight, we are a week behind already and the prospect of learning so many new tunes just turns my stomach but the good news is that we are singing Handles Saraband ( the old Levis Ad music) and I am totally in love with it. When we had our hall in Watten I used to play it full blast just for the thrill. I did try to convince Georgie it would be a great tune to walk down the aisle to but she wrinkled her nose ....I guess it is a bit heavy...but I am singing it this summer season, and I am happy to be part of something that is so much bigger than me.

All in all, life is once again very much back in order

Even in the loveliest place ever you can start your day with pointless activities and outlook. I needed a post office to post Georgina's "have a nice life in Canada" card and Debbie's birthday prezy but we spent so long getting out of bed we were still tucking into boiled eggs at 10:00 and as the shops shut at 12:00 there was no point in going out until 2:00. Having had breakfast so late we missed lunch and you all know how grumpy you get when that happens, so we set off at 2:00 and ambled aimlessly through the countryside thinking and chatting, we do our best problem solving in the car and ended up by default in St Lo at the second hand shop ( if in doubt go to Troc in St Lo) We are always looking out for a number of things like good quality garden furniture, a piece of furniture to put a sink on in our bedroom, wardrobe ideas and anything that takes our fancy and today we definitely had our fancy tickled. A huge carpet in reasonable condition to replace the hanky sized rug in the lounge and a wooden stair case to put in the barn for easier access to the loft area where we store lots of garden material and all of Beema's spare sails. So, now we are motivated and ready for action. Mike will build his stair access and I will clean the carpet and re arrange the Lounge. HOSS will be delighted that he has free range of the field for the day and all in all life is once again very much back in order

Blue skies shining on us both ....and him...

Blue skies shining on me, nothing but blue skies and the temperature is at a very sensible 6 degrees so we were able to get the normal run of the mill feeding animals, dealing with the compost and generally cleaning up without layers of coats and gloves but did need wellies. I picked some lettuce leaves for lunch and Mike put up 5 coat hooks in HOSS's room so that we can use that entrance as the dirty weather room to hang wet coats and dump muddy boots. Every time Mike gets a job done I feel we have moved forward a little further and coming to grips with the sort of housework to keep the place looking authentic and good just makes every day purposeful. In the supermarkets we can buy all sorts of chemicals by the litre and are learning how to use them, the latest is a turpentine based solution that when applied to wooden furniture takes off the top layer and leaves a lovely clean stain free surface to start re-waxing. I am sure all this exists in the UK but we have never tried to keep our furniture in good nick and I am delighted just how easy it all is. The field is still scarily waterlogged, Mike cleared out the overflow pipes from the pond to keep the flow going. It is an important part of living on low lands and people are out making sure their flow is clear to move the water on. We went for a little ride out this afternoon and took one of those obscure little roads out towards Utah beach sign posted...la mer...and there it was, clean, wide and breathtaking. HOSS was as always totally beside himself and made sure that we walked and talked and laughed to take in those blue skies shining on us both....and him... of course......

The word is all we have to work with

I know that I winged about having my green field back but it was not a request for a waterlogged dull, messy and cold field. What a shame we have to endue this bit of the thaw. HOSS is on house arrest as his enthusiasm for the run and chase just turns the fragile grass areas to hippopotamus waterholes..... So, not much today except that we found my old friend Phil Salton on skype and had a good old natter. We took a look in town at the possibility of organising the wardrobes in our bedroom but the quality of build just turns Mike's stomach unless you want to pay an arm and a leg. We have a set of three room divider doors from Watten and got really excited at the prospect of using stock from our previous life, but sadly they will not fit.......I am disappointed as I get such a kick using up stock and making good from old. Back to square one and we will need a trip to Brico depot in Cherbourg to get this little project underway would have been a good one during this down the pan weather.... I am talking to a very patient apple mac man somewhere in La Manche who is giving me ideas and tips to try to fix my picture upload problem, once that is done you will be able to see what is going on, until then.......The word is all we have to work with.

warming up the outside to a perfect 12 degrees

2 years ago we bought 2 wood burning fires, dirt cheap, with the determined objective to put a wood burner in the kitchen fire place. Our determination was put to the test when we found a well worn but serviceable mini range in the second hand shop and then we came across the new all whistles and bells shiny version in the wood burner shop and it became difficult to know which way to turn. We got a quote to have a fire installed by a professional wood burner expert but the bill amounted to a cooooool 6ooo euros which included lining the chimney with a stainless steel tube and that part of the quote was an even cooooler 2000 euros. We questioned the need for a liner, and were flattened by the words ... it is the law.....so we talked my sister and brother in law out of their authentic looking wood burner that runs on calor gas and that suits us just fine..... We now have wood burners galore and today Mike set one up in the back yard with a flue, attached to the herb bed (which actually is a metal bedstead) and lit it to see if it leaked. The snow has thawed in the back yard except for a heap that Mike pushed off the roof of the camper and as Mike and I stood watching the little wood burner do it's best for global warming, HOSS sat on the pile of snow in his own little way helping the thaw along. The fire did not leak, and we are seriously now considering installing it in the potting shed to up the anti on the seed growing season by warming up the outside to a perfect 12 degrees for good germination.......

Paper is read to firebrick to compost, mission accomplished

We have stayed off the roads today although the thaw is well underway and the green grass is appearing if not a little quagmirish. Mike has asked HOSS, and me, to choose a different line each time we go into the field to try to cut down on the mud.....tough call. I had a moment of recycling today and took a trudge into the field via a different line....to run HOSS on the snow because he couldn't care less where he exercises, we sprinkled walnut shells over the budlia garden as mulch, deposited coffee grounds around the azalea in the garden-garden to up the Ph levels, dumped yesterdays wood ash onto the compost heap and collected a few leaves off the cauliflowers for the chickens. The poor little chickidee chicks whom I am very fond of have been living in the garage since mid December to protect them from the fox during our visit to the UK, then the weather turned and we left them there. They are better off in the dry but have no greenery and cauliflower leaves are just the best. On the subject of recycling Mike has truly got into the spirit and is carting heaps of my paper bricks to burn along with the logs. I worked consistently all summer stripping our waist paper, soaking it in water then packing it into my brick form to produce a burnable paper brick. My friend Sarah delivers all her waist paper and recycles her jars and champagne bottles and anything she feels I will use again. If we manage to use things twice we are delighted but three times is missions accomplished. and the paper goes from read to firebrick to compost and is truly.... mission accomplished.........

When down on the beach, run on the snow

Today we were utterly stir crazy and as the thaw has now truly set in after our dump of snow last night we decided to go to the beach at midday. I have become the worlds worst passenger and the sensation of slipping and sliding just gets my nerves on edge and I just want to turn back but Mike is made of sterner stuff and we made it out through Carentan to Utah beach. HOSS starts his "play with me" whimpering as we leave St Marie Du Mont and we are always amazed if not a little tired of this ritual as we are still 3 kilometers from the car park. I am sad I still can't attach pictures but can you believe it, the beach was covered in snow above the tide mark and would you credit it even more that HOSS ran the entire length of our walk in the snow after all the effort to get him to the beach for a snow free zone to exercise and take in a fresh outlook.......just like kids, you go out of your way to please and they like it the old way, doggie proverb, he say...."when down on the beach, run on the snow, it really makes your people growl".........!