UPDATE ON THE GARDEN, etc...

Apparently not everyone remembers the photos of my palm tree last year, so here is a reminder.

I've been working so hard. I've transferred things from my terraces down into the garden. I've cut a flowerbed into the lawn on the opposite side of the path to the vegetable patch, and brought up a maple from the bottom of the garden and two azaleas. I planted two holly seedlings that were on my front terrace, a virburnum, a large camelia from the back terrace which has been in the same pot for 6 years, a small camelia from the front terrace, I planted out all the bulbs which flowered in pots this spring, all the dahlias I brought back from England.  There are very tall ferns growing already in that flowerbed, and it looks as if it's been there for ages.

Last week I planted three lupin plants I bought, and brought up another maple from the bottom of the garden, a big one this time, I had a hell of a job getting it out of the ground. I've planted it behind my new apple trees, to the north of them, but it's looking very sad, I hope it will survive.

I've sown my runner beans (which don't seem to be coming up...), sweet peas and nasturtiums. I planted out a potimarron (a small sweet pumpkin) and a chili pepper which I have protected with glass cloches. Two aubergines, two bell peppers, lots of flower seeds. Eleven tomato plants. A dozen batavia salads.

The garlic I planted three weeks ago is up, and the radishes I sowed on top of the potatoes. The earlier radishes have been eaten.

I went  to a session of thai massage a couple of weeks ago, I needed it after all this gardening, my back was hurting, which is rare for me. The massage was free, with ovs. And the same evening, I went to the art meeting (remember 6 weeks ago I did a painting for the theme "Air, Terre, Eau, Feu".). This time the theme was "Anatomie". I knitted a frog and felted its innards (following a model by  found on internet, thank you craftyhedgehog@etsy.com ) and pinned to a corkboard, like we did in biology. It was far more original than drawings of naked ladies that other people did, and everybody found it  funny! The next theme is "L'histoire", very uninspiring, too broad.

It continues to be very hot, but cold at night. I did a lamb and mint sauce, roast potatoes and peas lunch for Eastern Sunday for 4 other people from ovs and they loved it. I did loads of lamb and even more loads of gravy so I'd have lots for shepherd's pie afterwards, but they ate three quarters of the lamb and nine tenths of the gravy! We ate out on the terrace.

I'm afraid the RSPCA may come and check on the welfare of my animals, they are so terribly stressed...

I have just won the first match of the new chess tournament. Maybe I'll go a stage further this time!

CHECK, MATE!

I took part last night in the first round of the Quimper chess tournament! I never cease to amaze you, do I?!! I haven't played chess for at least fifteen years, so I've spent the last few days practising non-stop against my computer to try to look credible at least. In fear and trepidation I took myself down to the Café des Arts beside the river in Quimper, and was the first to arrive, of course, as usual.  And anyway, to cut a long story short, best of three games,

da-da-daaaa... (that's a trumpet blowing)

I won the first two and so am through to the next round. But destiny has it that I'm playing next against last year's champion, who will certainly not take long to make me look ridiculous.  However, I rediscovered the pleasure of playing chess, and since the club meets regularly, I shall go and try to improve.

My English speaking pub meeting has been cancelled, or rather put forward to next week when I am not free to attend, so too bad, I'll speak English another time. That at least no one can do better than me. No one here that is.

It is lovely and sunny. But very cold again. Ellie has recovered completely and we have started taking walks again. She is having the bandage and her stitches removed tomorrow. The bandage has not bothered her in the least. She doesn't seem to notice it. But I think she will when they try to take it off her, it'll remove all the hair round her middle...

Basket day tomorrow. Last week we had a bag of split peas. I made some lovely soup, and had it... with a poached egg on top, really good!

ELLIE DACHSHUND, ELIE KAKOU AND ENGLISH LESSONS...

Well, Ellie is 20grs lighter today and feeling very sorry for herself! I picked her up yesterday evening, all groggy, having been told by the vet that on no account was she to wet her bandage... well the grass in my garden is high and Ellie is low, and it's raining. So I had the brilliant idea of making a pile of leaves on my front terrace, where there are no steps for her to negotiate, since she won't pee on concrete or tile or anything hard. And it worked! She didn't realise that her back end was off the leaves even though her head and fore feet were over them. So for the time being we can keep that bandage dry, but she has to keep it for ten days and I wonder whether we shall manage it for long!

I have tentatively joined a group in Quimper who meet up in a pub from time to time and speak English. They are not English speakers, and they will probably be very surprised to find that I am. And speaking of English lessons, I found this YouTube video of a famous French comedian, Elie Kakou, now "passed on" as the Americans would say, which I find very funny - I hope you have the same sense of humour as me, but it is very French humour. I saw him once live in Châteaudun, and although he was already very ill, he really gave us our money's worth.

Funny that all the really good French comedians die... young. Coluche, Thierry Le Luron, Elie Kakou. The ones that are left are not in the same league at all.