Apologies for not posting a blog last week. I started my blog 2 weeks ago saying that the excessive heat had passed which should allow me to make more progress than I had done in the preceding week – and I would have done I not been struck by a stinking summer cold!
How I managed to pick that up when we had just been through a record-breaking early heatwave I have no idea but it knocked me out for a few days so not as much was achieved as I’d hoped!
I managed to shake off the worst of the cold for the weekend so we able to visit the last event of the Claviers dans les Monts event which is organised by our friends in the neighbouring village of Saint Rivoal.
Claviers is a music festival held over 2 days although, generally, our gîte commitments mean we can generally only attend the last event which changes each year. This year was a Ciné Concert – silent films accompanied by a pianist like the good old days before the talkies!!
There was a mix of films in style and length. Some of the shorts were made by locals but there was also a classic Buster Keaton and a more recent extract from Jurrasic Park. It was a good night out although unfortunately the heat had returned and with all the people at the well-attended event made the hall uncomfortably hot.
Work during the week (and what I achieved when able the previous week) was back behind and the hedging around Stable.
Having started to clear behind the chambre d’hôte previously, I now managed to cut the talus hedge back down to the height we had always intended it to be. It does look a little thin, as the lack of light previously has caused some of the hedging to lose its leaves, but I think it should recover fairly quickly – as long as I make sure I continue to keep the space clear and the brambles eradicated.
I have started to work along the hedge line in front of Stable and give it an annual trim. The loniceras here have taken a few years to become a proper hedge and now are at the height we intend to keep them. They always look better after a proper trim.
The other major project I have started, and should be able to complete next week, is replacing the staircase to the games room on the first floor of Grange.
The current staircase is wood and was constructed when we build Grange in 2017 but it has definitely got to the end of its natural life. Over the last 8 months or so I have had to make a number of running repairs and replacing either steps or the supports that hold the steps, and the whole structure is becoming increasingly rickety.
Earlier in the week we bought a new staircase ‘kit’ made of aluminium which should have a longer useful life than replacing with a new wooden stair. The new staircase came from Belgium (a story I may explain in next week’s blog) and was delivered in early April (where there is another story involved …) but I have not yet had a chance to install it and it has sat in the garage since delivery.
Early next week I have identified a couple of days when we don’t need access to the games or store room so will use them to swap the staircases over. But, before I can do that, I had to create a new concrete pad to make a support for the front legs of the staircase, which we have designed it to be effectively freestanding, at the same height as the rear.
That done, I am hoping the actual changing over will be relatively quick and easy – although I know there is some riveting to do which a friend has kindly offered to come next week to show me how as it is something I have never done.
Socially, this weekend has also been musical with France’s annual Fête de la Musique. Generally held on the closest Saturday to the summer solstice most events took place last night however, a local town, Saint Thonan, holds their event on the Friday night so as not to clash with other towns’ concerts.
You may have heard that, owing to the extreme heat being experienced in France at the minute (43 départements are on a Red weather alert (the highest level that signifies a risk to life), a number of events have been told they are not allowed to serve alcohol. One of the, many, advantages of living in Finistère is that we are only on an Amber warning of heat (!) so our events were allowed to serve beer. What would a music festival be if you can’t have a drink …?
Not that we’re creatures of habit at all (!), but we went back to Bag Noz in Saint Thonan as last year’s event was excellent. This year’s was good but the organisers has obviously chosen to focus on reggae music as 4 of the 5 bands were in that style and, while we’re OK with reggae, a couple weren’t so great!
Last night we went back to Irvillac for their fête (did I suggest we may be creatures of habit ?!) as theirs is always really well organised, had a pig roast and concludes with an impressive fireworks display, although being this far west it doesn’t get dark until almost 23.30 which makes for a late night.
The stage was as last year and they had 3 groups. One excellent, one less good and one quite ‘niche’!
The niche act was David Pasquet who is evidently a really talented clarinet player and plays traditional Breton tunes but accompanied by a DJ and ‘bangin’ club toones’ while dressed in an Elvis-light costume with rhinestones!
He is evidently quite well known and had a large group of ‘fans’ dancing in traditional Breton fashion to the combination of Brittany’s Fat Boy Slim equivalent and electric kazoo! Some of David Pasquet’s You Tube will give you some idea …
For our Sunday stroll today, and last Sunday, we chose to walk new stretches of the Nantes Brest canal. The reason we chose to do this is not just because the canal is very calm and beautiful but, at this time of year dogs are not allowed on most of Finistère’s beaches so a beach walk is more challenging. Also, with the heat starting to build again, the canal offers lots of shade to walk in and the opportunity for the dogs to take multiple dips to prevent them getting too hot – which they love!
Today’s walk finished just short of the town of Pont Coblant where we discovered the perfect place to sit and enjoy our post-walk refreshment, the Bistro du Pont, a great little bar restaurant on the banks of the canal.
Today’s weather was hot, although not as hot as it’s going to get, and the Pont Coblant kids were making the most of the canal leaping in from the quays either side of the canal. It was hot enough that the newly laid gravel and bitumen on the bistro’s terrace was liquifying so our chairs were slowly sinking into the ground – and the dogs managed to get some of the gravel stuck to their fur! All out now thankfully!
Next week’s weather is forecast to be the second, and hotter, heatwave of the year so I don’t know how productive I will be – although I do have to replace that staircase.
Salut.