Spring has Sprung

Yep it really has arrived here in Sunny South West France! Since our arrival last April we have had chance to take in the garden in its entirety and watch what plants and bulbs we have and where they are planted.

As we have a number of fruit trees already, but some are a little long in the tooth we have decided to plant an orchard in the front garden. I have found a great plant nursery locally and had some real bargains. Since Christmas we have planted the following:

6 apple trees - 2 Bramley, James Grieves, Fuji, Braeburn, and a Juilliet (a french variety)
2 cherry trees the big black juicy variety
2 apricot
2 nectarine
2 pears
3 mulberry

We have also planted a Liquid Amber (acer type tree) a pine tree and 9 poplar to shelter one side of the garden.

The plan was to plant a row of lavender along each side of one of the driveways but as the length is over 150m the cost stopped us this year.

200 crocus bulbs have been planted in the back garden by the water feature and I am about to sew various vegetable seeds to start the vege patch, which by the way is not built yet!!

Daffodil bulbs on the cards for next year, but I think we are going to need rather alot to make any sort of impression in gardens of 5 acres!

I am by no means a Percy Thrower but am learning fast! Roses have been cut right back, trees pruned and l am about to do the first mow for this year, as long as the rain holds off this weekend.

How green fingered am I!

Birthday Party for Hubby

Its been almost a year since we moved to Tarn et Garonne and as it was my husbands birthday recently I thought it would be nice to organise a get together. I enjoy entertaining and equally enjoy the preparation so invited a number of our french friends from the farm and Auvillar and as well as some English ones.

So, last Saturday I trundled off to the local market and supermarket to get the provisions required and set to in the kitchen. Chicken Curry, chili and lasagne as well as raspberry pavlova, lemon meringue pie and a coffee and walnut cake for the celebratory bit. Candles were restricted to one as I did not want any issues with fire alarms and singed hair!

I felt in control and organised for once as I wasn't trying to cook too many things at once, which in a kitchen with little worktop space is not the easiest thing to do. Unbelievably, I finished and had washed up with half an hour to spare before guests arrived. I grabbed the chance to get changed and put some slap on! First guests arrived on the dot of 7pm and there was a steady trickle of arrivals until 8pm. Dinner was served, happy birthday sung in two languages and a convivial evening was had by all.

Roll on the summer when I can do it all over again outside by the pool and do a BBQ, I will find any excuse for a knees up!

Horse riding in South West France

Well, I think I have just died and gone to heaven!

After the trauma of giving my lovely horse away before moving to France, due to the fact that he suffered from a photophobic headshaking condition and it would have been cruel to move him to France , I had been suffering from withdrawal symptons and needed a horse fix!

Initially, I enjoyed the fact that after 16 years of tirelessly mucking out and feeding in all weathers I didnt have to think about that any more. However, going to see a new friend I had made recently, who concidentally had two lovely horses and after visisting riding stables with Abigail last weekend and I felt the need to be amongst them again.

There is something so theraputic about being with horses and when I am with them, even just grooming, I am in another place!

Yesterday, I was asked to go and ride............I frantically rummaged through the many boxes still unpacked after the move to find my jodphurs, riding boots and hat and had a huge feeling of excitement wash over me as I found each item, how sad am I!

I arrived to tack up at 2.15pm and the sun was shining brightly, not a cloud in the sky and the horses looked stunning. Both horses are dressage horses, beautifully schooled and between 15-16hh. My friend and I found the mounting block and set off for a wonder around the Tarn et Garonne countryside. How good it felt to be back in the saddle, walking round the peaceful country lanes and having a good old chat. We were out for about an hour and didn't see a car for the whole ride. So different to the UK.

On returning to the stables we untacked, washed the horses down and gave them an apple each!!

I said my good byes, to my friend and the horses and am eagerly waiting for the next opportunity to partake in my passion!

Toulouse sausage!

An early start was on the cards and after I had taken Abigail to catch the school bus, I hopped in the car and drove the 2km to the local farm to help my friends with the perparation of a pig purchased from the local butcher into sausages and pate.

On arrival work was already well underway. The kitchen was a hive of activity and the sheep intestine was being rinsed and soaked in eau de vie and lemon slices to neutralise the natural aromas. The meat was being prepared into mincing sized pieces to go through the industrial machine and the wild boar was being de-boned.

The first thing that struck me was that the pork being used was prime cuts including the loin and the only things added to the mixture was herbs and spices and deffinitely no bread.

I minced 25kg of pork into a large pot and 5kg of Wild boar in another pot for sausages and rabbit in a third with some pork and some liver that was minced finer for the pate.

The sausage meat was placed a handful at a time through another mincer and pushed through a small tube into the sausage skin that had been tied at one end with string. I was told in order to make the best sausage and not to split the skin, 1kg of mince should be used to 1m of skin.

Toulouse sausage is traditionally produced as a length rather than individual sausages. Some of the sausages were prepared to be used from fresh or frozen and others we prepared to dry over the next few weeks.

The different pate meats were prepared by adding eggs, salt, pepper, spices and milk and mixed together and placed in the pots for cooking.

The skin was stripped of its fat which was used for frittons and the skin itself was rolled and tied in to small bundles to be used in casseroles for flavouring.

I decided that it would be a good idea to introduce Pork Scratchings into the equasion and took home a large slice of skin to roast in a hot oven with salt and pepper. The result was well received and divided between all the helpers as a snack after lunch.

Everything was finished, and tidied away in the make shift meat factory/garage with the sausages to be dried hung on rails in the garage by 4pm and I was treated to a lovely slice of home made cake and a large glass of wine, perfect! Happy days in France.

Busy weekend without husband!

This week I have been revelling in the fact I have been husband free!!! I know it sounds terrible, but when you live and work with someone 24/7 it does you good to be on your own on occasions!

My husband drove to the UK on Monday last week on his first trip back since moving here to get some much needed provisions and to see our eldest daughter to make some university visits with her, whilst I held the fort here in France with Abigail, our youngest and the dogs.

All things considered, I managed to do lots of the things I have been meaning to do for weeks inlcuding catching up on three weeks of ironing, as I too had been back to the UK for work twice in January. The only really testing time was was each evening between 4.30pm and 8pm when Abigail came home from school and everything needed doing at once. Dogs feeding and walking, cooking a meal, homework and bathtime etc...

Over the weekend after spending most of Saturday doing housework, Abigail and I went out for the day on Sunday.

We started first at the childrens book fayre held at the Events Hall in Valence d'Agen, where there was a large selection of stall holders all selling books. The best bit, which made the event special was that 6 illustrators were in attendance and all had illustrated a number of the books on sale. They had the children captivated and one artist even quizzed the children individually and created a personal caricature for each to take home.

Lunch at a pizza restaurant was followed by an open afternoon at the local riding stables where free rides were being given to promote the new ownership at the stables. I must say this part of the day raised the biggest smiles, unsurprisingly!

Although the fog didn't clear all day and it was cold that seemed not to matter to anyone, we retired early to bed happy and anticipating the return of Nick with goodies from the UK!

A list of local events has just been published in the parish magazine for Auvillar (which I have uploaded to the "things to do" page on our website www.lefarat.com) so we have lots more interesting weekends on the cards for the coming months.

Honeymoon location - Great Idea!

We have had so many fantastic reviews since we opened up our home to holiday makers that love France including a certificate of excellence from Trip Advisor, and a fab review from our first booking with www.laterooms.com we felt it was time to branch out and try and capture a different market place. So as well as holiday makers we are now looking at wedding planners and those that are looking for a romantic getaway and honeymoon location.

The steady stream of guests, locals and friends alike think what we have here is really stunning and something special which has inspired us to think the bigger picture.

Unfortunately we do not have enough rooms to sleep lots of guests, but the lawns and gardens lend themselves beautifully to wedding receptions. We have also been told the photographs I have taken don't do the place justice and you really have to be here to appreciate the scale of everything! I know still images do not always do a place justice but I am not in a position technically to add video to our website at present, but am trying.

A neighbour who had recently got married came for drinks recently and we gave her a guided tour of the establishment. She was bowled over and said if she had known the B&B room was as stunning she would have booked her honeymoon with us. Praise indeed!

So therefore, please spread the word, if you know anyone looking for a stunning and peaceful location in which to enjoy a honeymoon, Le Farat could be the place! Who knows, it takes off we might even apply for a marriage licence so guests can marry here too!

Burns Night in The UK

As I was due to be in the UK this week, I gladly accepted an invitation from my dad to attend a Burns night celebration with the local Rotary Club.

So, on Wednesday evening my sister and I dressed up and enjoyed the opportunity to put our glad rags on. It had been a while and I had been a bit worried that after the excesses of food and alcohol over the last month that I would look like a tube of squeezed toothpaste in my dress. I need not have worried as the results of an hour or more of hair straigtening, make up application and leg shaving, we were both ready and our efforts were rewarded by the comments my dad bestowed on us as well as others at the event.

This was my second time at a burns night supper and as always is quite a formal affair. The haggis was expertly piped in to the room and with a customary Burns poem was cut open in front of the waiting guests. A 4 course meal ensued with wine and much frivolity. The menu was typically scottish and consisted of salmon, followed by haggis, neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes), then followed by lamb tenderloin rolled in scottish oats with roast vegetables followed by a very rich but tasty white chocolate creme brulee over a bed of raspberries, yum!

After the speaches for the lassies and the laddies there was a short dance followed by olde lang syne and we departed at 11pm. If you like traditional evenings, put Burns night on your list for next January 26th!