Apologies for not posting a blog last week as we were out celebrating a good friend’s birthday. In fact, the last couple of weeks have been fairly social and active.
We can break the last 2 weeks into 3 elements; work we have done, work that has been done by other people, and fun stuff.
The work I have done, at least when the weather wasn’t so burning hot that it wasn’t pleasant to be working outside, was principally continuing to cut the hedges.
It is a job I enjoy as it always makes the hedges look good and the orchard and front drive look great with their hedges done.
Unfortunately, as we have mentioned in previous blogs when I have been hedging, we are suffering from honey fungus slowly working its way along our privet hedges and killing them. This has impacted Granary’s garden the worst.
Knowing that all the privet would eventually die, a few years ago we underplanted the exiting hedge with some griselinia plants as they are not affected by the fungi. Earlier this year it was obvious that the privet in the entrance corner of the garden had succumbed and were now just dead twigs obstructing the younger plants (admittedly not helped by the weeds which we had allowed to grow) so we have made the decision to cut them out.
It has left that corner a little open onto Hent Gorreker, which is thankfully a very quiet road, but having planted the griselinia a few years ago hopefully it is relatively well established and will put on lots of growth quickly now it has more space and light. I regret not being a little bolder some years ago and removing all the privet then, even when still alive, and replacing it with griselinia which would now be a good hedge. However, when cut, what we have looks good and will thicken out quickly.
The last 2 weeks have seen significant variations in the weather. We have had our first scorching heatwave of the season as well as several days of drizzle and rain. The latter is great for our emergent grass, during the days of the former we had to get the hose out. However, at least where it doesn’t get too sunny, it is starting to look like a lawn and we have given it its first cut. This is behind the pool house (the 2 pipes you can see are where a heat pump will be fitted to heat the water).
The work that other people have done, which we have been desperate to do, has been a long time coming, is to install the cover over the pool. And it looks great.
The team arrived early last Wednesday with the cover effectively in kit form, and were able to install it in a day.
The idea of having a cover like this, which is full height so you can walk around inside but also opens to create an open-air pool, was that we know Brittany is not the Côte d’Azure and can be a little damp at times! With a cover such as this the pool will be able to be used year-round in all weathers.
I am really pleased that it is now starting to look like the architect’s drawings that we submitted for the planning application. The idea was that the pool house would resemble the style of the garage with horizontal wooden cladding on the exterior. Now that the shelter is attached, I am able, with my rudimentary carpentry skills, to start the wood work. Also with the shelter up, our pool builder is returning tomorrow to continue his work so, everything crossed, we may actually have a useable pool by the end of July, although the pool house itself won’t be fitted out and I will have to wait until after the summer season to do that.
However, the first bit of woodwork I will need to complete is to make a lockable door into the pump room. I have completed the frame but need to buy some suitable wood and ironmongery for the door itself – one for the next couple of weeks.
The fun-based activities also came thick and fast on the last couple of weeks. The 21st June is the annual Fête de la Musique in France where every town, village, bar or association hold some sort of musical activity. Being a Saturday this year, so as not to compete for attendees (and musicians I expect) a few places sensibly decided to hold their events on other days. This allowed us to go to 2 fêtes, the first on the Friday night in Saint Thonan, and the second on Saturday in Irvillac.
We have never visited Saint Thonan, although it is just the other side of Landerneau from us but it has a great little venue on the outskirts of the village – Bag Noz – which was hosting the fête. The first band we saw there were brilliant – definitely the best band we have seen in any previous fêtes.
On Saturday we returned to Irvillac for the 4th time as their fête is always fun and well organised. It also concludes with a pretty impressive (for a small town at least) firework display so you do have to stay until about midnight as it just isn’t dark enough much before then. This time we were a little surprised they were allowed the fireworks as it was at the end of such a dry few days, and spring generally, and everything was tinder dry. There didn’t seem to be an incident!
Also last Sunday we were spoiled for choice as to what to do as it was the annual triathlon held in and around Lac du Drennec and it was the second Sizun soap box race, an event first held 2 years ago to replace the old Grand Prix.
In previous years we have enjoyed watching the start of the triathlon as the swimmers pile into the lake and then getting a table at Au Lac to enjoy a burger while they exert themselves running round the lake! This year, sadly, we couldn’t as we had to turn a gite over for new guests but we were able to have a few hours with friends in Sizun watching the soap box race.
I saw ‘watching’ but, as we conveniently managed to get a table on the terrace of the Café du Centre which was just up from the start, it was mostly chatting with our friends watching the soap boxes move from ‘Parc Fermé’ to the start! It is a great fun event and evidently lots of effort had gone into making the cars.
Next week we hope to see great progress made by our pool builder and I will continue with the hedges …
Salut.