Our son Jason came to stay for a few days. He also flew in with Max and Alice, Mimi's and Tony's grandchildren, who are returning a couple of days after Jason. They arrived a day before the terrorist alarm in England, so will be returning to Stansted airport that will be at a high alert level.
You may recall that our house was hit by a car in January for the second time in a year. It has now been repainted at the expense of the insurance company, and the improvement is quite remarkable. We complained to the road authorities about the state of the road, and as a result it has just been resurfaced.
David, Vanessa, and their daughter Harriet, came to Bas Etang last week. They combined their first visit here with a day at Futuroscope. We hadn't seen them for nearly two years, and the reunion was very welcome.
Today we went to the Menigoute summer day. They always hold a market in the morning, followed by a procession of farming people and their animals and old farming machinery. They are dressed in costumes, harking back a hundred years or so.
We celebrated 37 years of marriage in a new restaurant in Poitiers, called "40 Gourmets".
Leo is now a few months old, and we are looking forward to seeing them at the end of the month. Sebastian is marrying Ann on the 26th August, and we will be attending the event with pride.
Our friends Ranjith and Sigrid live in Boussais, which is about 60 kilometres from us, in the Deux Sevres. They have a delightful house that is situated next to a stream, and have beautiful grounds and a new swimming pool. They have built a Gîte out of a large barn, and can put up about a dozen people. To add to the attraction for children they have constructed a large "wendy" house. Tony did the architectural design, and we both helped with the construction. It is proving very popular.
This vehicle is travelling at about 20 mph and is painting white lines on the road as it moves. Very impressive, and efficient.
I have bought a new camera, and the attached picture is an example of its prowess at picture-taking. It has a resolution of 7.1 megapixels, so I am hoping for a great improvement in the quality of my blog pictures.
Here is the swimming pool temperature record that tracks the temperature since we opened it in the beginning of May. It is at our all-time-high of 30 degrees, which for a solar heated system seems exceptionally good.
We've just returned from a week in the French Alps. We went with English friends, Ann and Geoff, who kindly arranged to borrow a friend's flat in Champigny. The weather was superb, and many exhausting miles were struggled over.
As can be seen on the latest chart, the temperature of the water will just not rise any higher. We are almost into June, and I still have not been into the pool. The sun just won't stay out all day long.
Last Saturday there was held a musical evening by the Mairie. The first performance was percussive, involving a troupe from a neighbouring village. After their energetic performance they invited members of the audience to come and participate, which I was happy to do. This was followed by guitar solo in the nearby chapel hall, and then three songstresses who performed karaoke style. The evening lasted for four hours, and, best of all, was completely free!
I've started taking daily temperature readings of the pool. At the moment the temperature is 17°C, which is way below the desired temperature for swimming. Still, the sunshine is beginning to take off, and the solar heating system will surely raise the pool temperature.
I bought this Internet Phone from Tesco for £14.97. It is intended to work with their network, but instead I use it with VoipCheap to make completely free telephone calls. I can phone UK and French (and a host of other countries too) landline numbers for absolutely no cost at all. And it is a cinch to set it all up.
At last the sun is out, the temperature is at a respectable 22 degrees centigrade, and the water just might start getting warm too. The winter closure mode is over, and all the routines necessary to get the pool up and running are completed. Now, enjoy! You can see the new fencing all round the pool for the first time. This has become compulsory for all pool owners to install, with a penalty of 45,000€ for those who fail to comply. It is not too intrusive, and would have been far more noticeable if it had been in the colour white.
The flowers continue to bloom, and the weather improves - today the sky is sheer blue.
This electrically operated awning was installed during this week, and everyone is pleased with it - especially the acquirers, Mimi and Tony.
Just a few hundred metres from our house, one comes across this beautiful tranquil area.
We visited this fishing lake today. It is only 100 metres away from Bas Etang 2, and is owned by a retired veterinarian who lives in Poitiers. He invites his friends round for fishing, and also to use the cabin as a base from which to go hunting in the local fields and woods.
Today our grandson was born to Sebastian and Ann. At 7lbs 14ozs he is a healthy baby. Amanda will be visiting from France in early May.
This hardly looks like a septic tank, but that is what lies beneath this flower bed. The bees think it is quite attractive too.
We now have a fence all around the swimming pool. As from the 1st January this year we would have been liable for a 45,000 Euros fine if we had failed to install either an alarm system, a sturdy roll-up cover for when the pool is not in use, or a fence. All options need to comply with an approved standard.
This time it is beginning to look serious. The basement and cave pumps are busily working to keep them dry, but the river level is now waterlogging the relatively high land alongside.
At last the weather held long enough for me to mow our field, and surrounding areas. We have 4 acres altogether, and it takes three and a half hours to complete the whole of it.
This is a wooden house built in the garden by the former owner for his children. It has electricity for lighting and heating. We have no intention of trying it out overnight, though. But it is a shame that it is going to waste.
Our Laurel hedge has grown very large and straggly, and was overdue for trimming. Fortunately, we have this rather splendid Stihl trimmer, and it was perfect for the task. I used the platform with railing that I had bought specially for the job, and was able to reach the top of the hedge sides. It was an exhausting process, and I'm thankful that it only needs to be done annually.
Well, the friendliness is to one another, not to us humans. But they seem more relaxed about coexisting with us this year. Before, they would scurry away the moment they sensed our presence.
This is what I see when I look up from my PC screen, and glance outside.The water levels are very high at the moment, as it has rained throughout the week. You can see the daffodils that flowered earlier this week.
The leaves and dead branches have been cleared, and put on a bonfire. We are now ready for Spring, and the daffodils are beginning to come through.
The stream behind Bas Etang 2 had dried up completely last summer. Recently we have had heavy downpours, and the stream turned into a torrent. Hopefully, the crayfish are also back.
The final coat of paint went onto the gate today. It has trans- formed it from an agricultural gate to a residential one. Considering it only cost 20% of a conventional gate, it was excellent value for money.
Here are two photos taken a few hours apart, that show how fast the river level has risen. Tributaries that were only inches across are now torrents six feet wide. The water has risen onto the banks, flooding the field by at least 35 feet beyond the normal river's edge.
In the last week we have had constant rain, and the river level has risen a foot or so. Now it has turned to thick snow, and settling fast. I've checked our cellars and basement, and they are still dry. As we live on a hillside, we are fearful of the water running off the slopes into the basement.
