Butterfly

This butterfly was found in Thomas Field. Prizes to anyone who knows its name.

Ken Tipton after 53 years

I last saw Ken 53 years ago when we both lived in King's Langley, Hertfordshire. We reestablished contact this year for the first time since then, and Ken and his wife Gillian visited Bas Etang on their way to Italy on vacation. It was great to see Ken again, and we look forward to many more visits. I challenge anyone else reading this to have a story that can beat this for a reunion after such a long time.

Bas Etang

Tony has presented us with this drawing of our house, which we think is quite magnificent.

Fete at Lavausseau

The annual fete was held today, with many stalls and traditional dancing to entertain us all.

The Dormouse is back

Well, not the same one that was reported in this blog last year. On Tony's return from the wedding he found this dormouse in his office. It had chewed numerous papers, and found and devoured all the biscuits there.

The marriage of Ann & Sebastian

Our son Sebastian married Ann on the 27th August. Here is a picture of them, with another of their son Leo, in the arms of Amanda.

A trim Laurel hedge

Jason kindly volunteered to trim the Laurel hedge while he was here. We had to buy a special scaffold to work from, and the one we chose (105 Euros from Castorama) was perfect. I already had a Stihl hedge trimmer, so we were fully equipped. The job took all day, and was back-breaking work for Jason. All credit to him, as he worked non-stop, and completed an excellent job. The red scaffold that can be seen in the second picture was used for the hedge on the roadside, as the height was much less there.

Visits to Bas Etang

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.

Repainting Bas Etang

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.

The Tyms' visit

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.

Menigoute festivities

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.

Our wedding anniversary

We celebrated 37 years of marriage in a new restaurant in Poitiers, called "40 Gourmets".

Our son and grandson

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.

Le Petit Moulin

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.

Whitelining

This vehicle is travelling at about 20 mph and is painting white lines on the road as it moves. Very impressive, and efficient.

Thomas is dead

Our cat, Thomas, died today. He was almost 16 years, and we had had him from soon after birth, so he was very much part of our family. He had a stroke a few days ago, and lost the use of a front paw. He then lost his appetite, and could not be coerced to take any food or drink. The video shows him a few days ago, after the stroke, but before his appetite was lost. He will be sorely missed, but we have wonderful memories of him.

Canon Ixus 750

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.

The weather is scorching

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.

Boating on the river

This boat was bought specifically to float on the river, but due to its comparative instability I am confining it to the pool. The thought of being tipped into the river doesn't bear thinking about. But considering it only cost 39 Euros, the reassignment is no hardship.

Bastille Day

Lavausseau held its celebration in the football stadium area. Trestle tables were laid out in a long line, and lunch was taken by a hundred or so villagers. It was a scorching hot day, and the wine flowed freely. In the evening the villages held their own firework displays.