Swarm of Bees at Bas Etang

During the whole afternoon these bees were massing around a part of our roof. They were there last week too, but disappeared after a few hours. We have called a local expert to come and see, and explain the phenomenom.

Bees 

Ducks, resident at Bas Etang

Duck 2 

Duck 1 
These Ducks have pride of place in our river. They come every morning for breakfast - scraps of bread they receive from under our kitchen window.

Crayfish in Le Boivre

Crayfish 
This little fellow is fighting his way upstream.

The Coypu is prevalent in Le Boivre

Coypu Here is a photo taken today in our river (Le Boivre) showing a Coypu. I have extracted the following notes from the Sea-River Newsletter at http://sea-river.com/95_3_gb.php
The coypu was introduced into Europe in the 19th century for the quality of its fur and it has spread to many regions since the closure of fur farms. It is abundant in marshes. Over the last few years it has extended its territories and is even found in towns. How can this invasion be stopped?
The coypu (Myocastor coypus) is distinguishable by its size: it can measure up to one metre in length (tail included) and weigh from 9 to 10 kgs (the size of a cocker spaniel!), its long incisors are orange in colour and it has a round tail covered with small scales. This is once again an introduction which has gone wrong.
The coypu is native to South America (Chili, Brazil, Bolivia and Uruguay in particular). It was discovered in the 17th century and introduced into Europe in the middle of the 19th century (at this time many new species were being imported). Breeders and furriers were interested in its dense fur which consists of long coarse hairs and an thick underfur. Fur farms started up all over Europe as it was not difficult to farm and its fur fetched a good price. White and different coloured fur obtained from selective breeding was much sought after. The meat could be used in paté as this rodent like the rabbit feeds on vegetation. Unfortunately the 1929 crash caused the ruin of breeders who opened the cages and released the animals into the wild. Since then fresh attempts to farm have been made here and there but have come to nothing, mainly owing to changes in fashion rather than the action of movements against the use of animal fur. Consequently coypus settled in the wild with varying degrees of success: they invaded marshland where they are currently abundant, elsewhere they have more or less disappeared. For several years they have been gaining ground and are establishing colonies on numerous river banks. They are found in Paris despite the fact that the banks of the Seine are of stone and concrete.
Old documents indicate that they are not harmful as they feed mainly on rushes and other aquatic vegetation. What had been forgotten was that their burrows damage and weaken river banks, dykes and ponds. They also consume large quantities of food like all rodents to wear down their teeth which grow continuously, subsequently the vegetation is constantly cut down.
Sometimes they are very abundant indeed. In France, it is estimated that there are over a million coypus in the Camargue region, a few hundred thousand in the Dombe (Ain), in the marshland of the Poitevin, in Brière and elswhere. From these and other places it continues to spread and colonize other territories. It is becoming a nuisance in many places.
How can its spread be halted? Poisons are banned so the only other alternatives are hunting and trapping. Coypus are essentially noctural, hunting will never be an effective solution even using adapted methods. Trapping is efficient as the animal is not very cunning but there are strict regulations in France and other countries. This method also has its limits : it is easy when the animals are numerous but less effective as soon as the populations decline. For trapping to be effective it must be carried out over a vast area otherwise the populations will constantly reappear. The Authorities in France are sometimes involved in operations to limit populations by offering a payment for each animal caught of 1 to 3 euros accordingly but the cost of capturing an animal is 7 euros (traps, time, training). Then there is the question of what to do with the trapped animals? The pelt can be used, it is of excellent quality in winter but there is no active market. The meat can be used for paté and sold locally and the teeth can be used for pendants. The trade could be reactivated and become profitable for many trappers, tanners and furriers, but political action would have to be taken to to get things moving. During this time the coypu would continue to spread…

A new view of Bas Etang

A picture taken yesterday, with two photos stitched together to get a panoramic view.

Bas Etang 

Flowers in the garden

Here are some photos of the best flowers in the garden. We inherited all of them, so their arrival was somewhat of a surprise.

Flowers 
Flowers 
Flowers 

Waders and dams

I was bought some waders for my birthday. They are wellington boots that are attached to a rubber pair of trousers that reach my chest. So I tried them out the other day, and waded down the river looking for any obstructions to clear. I found a small dam that had been built by someone which was trapping a lot of vegetation. I cleared it, and dismantled some of the stones that were holding back the water partially. The trouble is, the water level has gone down by about 8 inches! I'll have to rebuild the dam. Damn!

Driving Licence

I decided I should apply for a new licence that has a photograph in a credit card sized format. But what UK address should I use? I knew I could not reapply with my old one, and wondered what the options were for UK citizens living abroad. I emailed the DVLA in Swansea to find out, and got the following reply:
"It is accepted that drivers who move to another part of the EC/EEA could be holding driving licences showing an incorrect address. This is permissible under the terms of the EC Directive on Driving Licences."
So I have applied for the licence with one of my son's address in Kent. The good news is that an application due to a change of address is free of charges. The only problem is that I had to send in my passport as proof of identity, and feel nervous without it until it is returned.

Fresh Pictures

Boivre 
Pool 
With glorious sunshine today I took these photos to show you the setting here. The pool has been opened from the winter closure, though the water is still too cold to try. The river level is at the right depth to keep the trout and crayfish happy.

New babies

Borzou, Akhtar & Dorsa 
Ivan, Annette & Skylette 
I celebrate the arrival of new babies for my friends. The top picture is of Borzou, Akhtar and Dorsa, and the other of Ivan, Annette and Skylette. Both girls were born in the last few months.

Garden Benches

Today I unpacked two knock-down garden benches I bought at B&Q. The first was put together without a hitch, but the second was trouble from the start. There were 6 slats of the same length, instead of 5 plus one of a shorter length. I sawed one of them down, but was then faced with drilling holes in the ends to accommodate the dowels and special fixings provided. It was not a job I relished, as precision was required. I had to use some angle plates instead, securing them with my own screws. What a palaver! I had a similar problem with a Futon bought from Ikea, where one of the special fixings was broken. We called Ikea in the UK, and they sent a replacement in the mail fairly promptly.

A new Cooker

How exciting can life get? Today we had a new electric cooker delivered and installed. Amazingly, the delivery driver was English, so communications were trouble free. He gave us a complete talk-through of all the operations, and even took away the old one that had lost the functionality of its thermostat.

Registering the MG TF

MG TF
We went to the insurance company Groupama to get a quote for the MG. As the MG was already insured through them in England I thought the rates might be cheaper. There I was paying £302 per annum, with a 65% no claims discount. First of all we were told that the car had to be registered with French plates, and that the no claims discount would carry on increasing up to 13 years' worth of accident free motoring. We scurried into Poitiers, and managed to register the car in an hour and a half - it cost 238 Euros. I am now the proud owner of French plates! I had already taken the precaution of getting in England the Certicate of Conformity from MG Rover, that cost £120. This provides evidence throughout the EU that the car meets European standards. We went back to Groupama with the registration certificate, and as I could only show a period of 6 years' of unblemished driving, I was quoted 838 Euros. If I can get proof of another 7 years I can get it reduced to 512 Euros. I can't remember the last time I made a claim, so I am hopeful that tracking back through the various insurance companies I was covered by will dig up the evidence I need. At the same time I got House and Contents insurance with the same company for 278 Euros. Now that is a bargain compared with England.

Muskrat

Muskrat
Today we had a visitor in our wine cellar. We have a manhole there that covers a drainage chamber, containing an electric pump that is activated in the event of flooding. We found this muskrat in the chamber, having entered via one of the drainage pipes leading there. It seemed very sleepy, and moving slowly. We thought it might have been in the throws of hibernation.
It was creating a lot of smell (musk?) and there were droppings everywhere. So, we encouraged it to leave the cellar, in the nicest possible way. It disappeared off into the night.

Unpacking everything

Still we are surrounded by mountains of boxes. The problem is that the cupboards, wardrobes, kitchen units and wall units all need to be erected first. They take ages to put together, and meanwhile we can't open the boxes to store the contents.
We had our TV connected to SKY today, so we are wired into the UK media via TV and the Times newspaper via the internet.

Finally the Removal Men arrive

At 9.30am today the vehicle finally arrived with all our goods. The 3 men worked non-stop until 5.00pm. The only breakages were the glass dining table (half inch thick smoked glass, 6 feet long) and scratches on our piano lid. Hopefully the insurance should cover that.

At 7.30am we were surprised by a loud scraping noise outside. Apparently a car had skidded on the icy road, and scraped along our wall. The driver duly stopped and gave all her insurance details. An hour later she came back again with the claim form from her insurance company, and completed it in our presence, with diagrams, and gave us a copy. How differently the French deal with these things, compared with the Brits.

A view from the kitchen

A view from our kitchen window 
This was taken at 6.00pm, from our kitchen window in France. Such an improvement on the snowy banks seen when we left our UK house.

The removal saga continues

I had a call from the lorry driver to say that the recovery vehicle had to back a mile down a country road to reach him. The lorry is now back on all its wheels, but the side is bashed in. With our goods inside it does not bode well for a safe delivery. He now expects to arrive at our house at 8.00am on Thursday. He is doing a deal with another driver who is delivering to Civray. They will each help one another out with the offloading at each destination. So, now he expects there to be three of them unloading at our house. What will tomorrow bring!

The move to France takes place

The removal process can be an arduous experience. First of all the removal company turned up on Saturday, 26th February, in a hired vehicle that was half the size it was supposed to be. Their proper removal vehicle was stuck in Italy because of the weather. However, the three men got stuck into their job, spending Saturday packing and bubble wrapping all our fragile items, and boxing as much as possible. They slept the night in our house on a blow up mattress, and a sofa bed - I hadn't realised that was part of the game plan, but they are a pleasant lot.
On Sunday they filled up their vehicle completely, and it was driven back to their warehouse in Berkshire - from Kent! Meanwhile the remaining two chaps carried on packing the possessions. Within two hours the driver returned in a similar vehicle, having left the first one in Berkshire fully loaded. They then filled up the second vehicle with the rest of the items, and left us at 9.00pm. Their plan was to fill their proper removal lorry with all the items, and leave in time on Sunday to deliver to us in France by Tuesday at 11.00am. Needless to say, they only finished loading at 2.00am on Tuesday, and set off for the Channel in the morning.
I rang the boss of the removal company on his mobile on the Tuesday morning to find out where they were, to be told that he was friving the vehicle on his own, as the person who was supposed to accompany him had quit on the Monday. He was going to hire labour in Poitiers to assist the unloading! When I rang he was coming into Calais on the ferry, having had to wait in the harbour for 6 hours. He expected to reach us on the Wednesday at 7.00am.
At 11.00am on Wednesday I rang the driver to find out why he was late. He told me he was in Northern France, and had slid off the road into a ditch. He was awaiting a recovery vehicle. He said the lorry was 20 degrees off the vertical. Naturally, I expect many fragile items to be broken. Thank goodness I insured the load on a "New for Old" basis.
And the saga continues!

Removal Woes

This morning started badly. We had a call from the removal company to say their sole vehicle was stuck in Italy in bad snowbound conditions. The roads are impassable. He says he will hire a vehicle to collect our belongings on Saturday and Sunday, hold them in storage, and deliver as soon as he can. The most important priority is for all items to be removed by Sunday evening, as we are departing very early on Monday morning. It doesn't matter too much about the delay, as we stayed in the house there for months in its empty condition. We have the critical items, like beds, anyway. So, what a palaver.
Also, the FSA stopped removal companies from arranging insurance policies in the name of the customer, and charging premiums. So, to get round that, the removal companies have a block policy in their own name, and subsume the premium in the cost of removal. This means i don't have a direct relationship with the broker or insurance company, have no policy, and have to rely on the integrity of the removal company in presenting a claim fairly. And that is because the FSA wants to provide protection to the consumer. A crazy world, eh?