It has been thirteen days ago since I posted. At the time I was house sitting in France whilst my lovely husband was left with the Welshies, and desperately trying to get our garden under control.

When I returned he had given the lawn it’s first cut (and with one eighth of an acre that is no mean feat!), and in that cut he had left part of the lawn, that could be seen from our bedroom window uncut with all the meadow flowers in it, in the shape of a heart; so that I could see it from our bedroom window when I returned. Yes I am a lucky woman, I know that and count my blessing every day where he is concerned.

I returned on the 31st of March to our beautiful cherry trees in full bloom …….

 

 After my return we have been so busy, working, finding new clients, and catching up on things that need to be done in our house (we still haven’t even started the bedroom and my mirrors remain unvarnished!) that time has simply run away with me.

But during that time we did find time, on the Sunday after my return to visit a vide grenier and play petanque with our friends. It was our first time since we started to even visit France that we have played with a Frenchman! Sorry I should rephrase that, played petanque with a French man and played it properly. I had an asset as I was his partner so we won!! Much to Rich’s disgust. Boy is it taken seriously, tape measures an all and I really felt as if I now live in France, something that I still pinch myself about every now and again.

As always time has flown by, and our feet have not touched the ground; add to building the business and working our garden needed some love and attention that we simply could not find the time to give it;  and in this short space of time the grass was growing over our feet, I don’t know about under them! So on Thursday last (Jeudi denier ) I spent the day in the garden finally moving all of the debris that we had stacked up after the tornado last year (new readers look in the September folder you will be able to read all about it there.)

We have now succeeded in setting up another seating area to the side of the house that gives us a little more privacy from neighbours opposite (we only have two and they are both lovely!) Rich was at work so I tugged the pots with trees in around on my own, and arranged it as best as I could until Rich took down the ladder that was still up waiting for us to fix the roof that the tornado kindly removed when it visited (which we still have not done!!) I also fed my beautiful clematis with there cherished fish blood and bone feed, (for those that like climbers they love it, it is a steroid for climbers! Look at them now……

This one has over seventy two buds on it……..

So time is moving fast, the Azalea is now in all her glory …..and my cherry tree by the door has now lost her bloom for this year , but my ornamental Japanese cherry has taken the baton and is on the way to the finish line for beauty…..

So after a really busy couple of weeks, we allowed ourselves a day off on Sunday (Dimanche) We did not get up until after twelve in the afternoon and sat in bed with the Welshies and three of the cats (they are our family, and love us unconditionally, good job we have a big bed!) and I sat with a welcome cup of tea looking at my most favourite view through my bedroom window…

This tree was here long before I was and will, God willing, will be here long after I have left, and that is what I love about living here, it grounds you.

We spent the afternoon retrieving the garden furniture from the goats shed, and then re-positioning according to the movement of the sun, and no! We were not chasing the sun but finding some dappled light because it can be over fifty degrees on our terrace in the height of summer and was thirty five degrees on Sunday.

Poor Rich every time he settled down I said “let’s go and sit on those chairs now.” But what is the point of having a huge garden and not enjoying it all? So we sat in the ‘Big Boy’ chairs ……

Then we watched the sunset sitting under our leaning cherry tree, to which Rich added a lantern (he has obviously lived with me for far too long, and sooooo  in touch with his feminine side!)

What better thing can you have in life than to sit in your garden, under a cherry tree, watching the sunset with these views in front of you and two welshies and a mad toothless cat at your feet?

And just to finish the day we were showered with petals from the cherry blossom, like confetti at a wedding.

We are on our adventure, to some we have nothing, but to us we have everything, simple pleasures, that cost nothing, but cannot be bought.

Life is good.

Moisy