Busy Bees

Thought it was time for an update so you can see what we have been working on around the place. But first a wrap on the weather. While kiwis are expecting a humid week with not much sun, we have recently had the most glorious autumn weather. So unusually warm right up to Saturday that people were talking about it when you met them in the street. But good things come to an end and yesterday was not too bad even if a little cold. Today it's just cold and the dark clouds are now rolling in from the mountains. There will be snow underneath - you can feel the ice in the air. Luckily I cleaned out the fireplace last week and we lit our first fire last night. Nice to see the glow of the flames again but with it comes the dust, ash-clearing and bringing in the wood.... I had almost forgotten how much work it is to have a fire!

First update is the ramp for our guests with a wheelchair or walker. Wouter has made the gradient very low for ease of use.

before the ramp

It was good to get rid of the old building materials from out of the house when we converted the bedroom to new bathroom and loo. All the old brickwork has been used as fill and the side stones were collected from around the property. The concrete on top was left over from doing the inside renovations, we only had to buy the dye to match the current tiles.

finished ramp

Next is the path just inside the front gate where our visitors on foot arrive. Before we did anything it was bare earth and because it is hidden behind a tree and gate, no sun was getting there to dry it out, meaning muddy or dirty feet when you came through the gate. Also you had to step down into the dirt and then back up onto the driveway.

stones sorted, edges done, ready to go

Another problem was that once through the gate it wasn't really clear where you had to go to reach our front door. So we made a small semi-circle of stones to level things out, keep feet out of mud and make it clear you must go onto the driveway to reach the house. When I say "we" I mean that I sorted the stones and Wouter did the rest.

artist at work

The best thing of all was that we didn't have to buy any materials for the job - we collected the stones from our garden over the last year while we've been working, the cement, sand and builders mix was from another job. We're pretty pleased with the result.

finished path

The next thing on the list is the front entrance. When we arrived, looking from the road, the left hand side was not done at all - completely bare concrete blocks. The right hand side was partly finished and partly bare. There was a crack underneath the letterbox, the letterbox was rather grotty. Nothing matched - the grey blocks, the half done side and the pillars - all different materials and different colours. There was also a Wellingtonia growing on the lhs which we removed some months ago as we both didn't like the tree and we want to put something else in there instead.

before

Wouter decided to use a mixture of good old whitewash but a bit thicker and slightly coloured with chaux. The result is a rough texture and uneven colour, but we think it's great, very practical and also very cheap to do!

nearly there...

painting over the apricot coloured posts to match the new walls

Continuing work in the hangar is also important if we want to have workshops this coming spring and summer. Before work could begin in there Wouter had to remove a large 1000 litre oil container. Wouter offered it for free to someone who was going to come with a tractor and take it down as it was resting on a wooden mezzanine. However, they didn't show so it was down to the good old rope and tackle. After it was on the ground we used the car to pull it along on beams of wood to save it digging into the concrete and then the driveway.

artichoke

Meanwhile I have been trying my hand at making decorations from things out of the garden. Inspired by one can of gold paint I first tried an artichoke I picked a few weeks ago - the ones I picked recently are no good for spraying as they have gone slightly moldy from being out in the little rain we've had. But the good news is that I have plenty of seeds to plant more for next year.
The next decoration is made from sticks we pruned off the trees last year, tied together with some old string and sitting on a board Wouter kindly made for me, cones placed around the bottom - then sprayed with gold paint.

Lastly a wreath for the front door. This is made from strands of Virginia creeper which were growing through the stones on the ground, wound around each other to form the wreath shape, sprayed gold. Next I attached some suitable greenery from the Bay and other evergreens, and finished off with some gold-sprayed cones.

Last week we were given 4 kilos of olives. The owners didn't want them so I went down on my bike and picked heaps from quite a small tree and came back with a backpack full of them! Why not try my hand at brining them? It will take some time, patience and lots of water to get them to the edible stage, but it's a good opportunity to used something which was unwanted.

Cassy is blissfully unaware of all the work going on around him most of the time. This is one of his evening poses, curled up on his duvet, complete with squeaky cellphone at the top of his head and squeaky baguette under his nose....

Cycling Along the Canal du Midi

Today we both celebrated our birthdays. As a break from our regular routine of work and more work, we decided to make a trip by bicycle along a part of the Canal du Midi and have a picnic somewhere along the way.

Picnic spot

Where to start from and where to cycle before turning around and heading home again? The weather was another consideration because even though it was a glorious day, the predicted wind strength was something in the region of 100kph.

Along the towpath

We had thought of Castelnaudary because there is a fairly wide path there and access is easy. But we looked further on Google Earth (great programme) to see if there were a couple of villages we had not yet visited (as we have been to Castelnaudary a few times now) and chose Villesequelande as our starting point (43 14' 21".03 N 2 13' 57".37 E). We cycled direction east towards Carcassonne, past Sauzens and up to the sharp bend opposite Pezens.

The Canal du Midi is a World Heritage site

Along the way I kept thinking of Kermit the frog and the Rainbow Connection. Kermit rides his bike in the opening shots of the movie and then the music starts and we see a swamp and hear the first chords of a sole banjo - the camera slowly zooms into the swamp as singing starts and orchestra joins in and there we find Kermit sitting on a log, playing and singing. I think this is one of the most beautiful songs ever (although I do admit my list is a long one!)

Ecluse (lock) between Villesequelande and Sauzens

Old Poplar

Back to the canal - there are some wonderful views from certain points, but you have to remember that as a canal it is not high up for panoramic views. However, you do catch glimpses across to the Black Mountains, across the villages on the northern side of the canal, and on higher points, over towards the peaks of Andorra. Quite stunning landscape indeed. And no worries about the wind as in most places it is very sheltered, having trees on both sides a lot of the time, or the canal is dipped behind stop banks - would be hot in summer but at this time of the year it's quite wonderful.

Wonderful trees along the way

Reeds in flower

Wouter was fascinated by many crows in one field - they seemed to congregate there and when he made some bird noises (he didn't tell me before that he could do bird impressions - the things you find out about a person....) they circled around like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, squawking. Armed with camera, he managed to take a few photos which satisfied his curiosity.

Field of crows

The canal is by no means busy at this time of year but there are a few boats still out for a leisurely trip here and there. You usually see boats in small groups - this is because when they go through the locks they come out together and so two or three pass within minutes of each other. Between 12 and 2pm though, it seems like they just tie up somewhere while the lock operators have their lunch break.

Reflections in the Canal

Cycling back another image came to mind - the Famous Five who were always having an adventure - except there were only two of us - Timmy (aka Cassy) was at home on guard duty and Dick and Anne were off hunting for mushrooms on Kirrin Island. We also didn't have lashings of whipped cream with any of our picnic but we did eat well mainly from our garden (tomatoes included).

I hope our pictures give you some idea of the lovely scenery along the canal and you can imagine a pleasant bike ride while enjoying the autumn sun and the calm of the surrounding nature.

Art Exposition

Last weekend were expositions at both Cambieure and Cailhau (neighbouring village) to celebrate Achille Lauge (1861 - 1944), a local artist from Cailhau. The exposition was to show-case today's artists who could somehow relate to Achille Lauge's work, in the form of a cultural community event and Wouter was lucky enough to be able to take part.

gathering interesting items for the display

preparing prints and text for hanging

The opening was at Cailhau with 6 local artists exhibiting oils, watercolours, specialised photographical images, sketches and drawings, and glass sculpture. Cambieure and environs exhibited work from artists of oils, acrylics and gouache, paper art, and of course printing.

setting up the hall

other side of hall

At Cambieure there were also activities for children - Wouter made a special drawing of the water pump down by the river (well, creek), to make a simple 3 block print, using Cambieure mud as one of the colours. The children were very focussed on putting pressure on the baren to make the ink transfer from the block to the paper. Even some adults had a go and found it enjoyable.

Pamela's first attempt at printing

Alice showing correct placement of paper (registration)

Great pressure and concentration for using the Baren

some adults in the Sunday print workshop

The drinks on Saturday evening proved popular with around 90 people attending - the atmosphere was lively and while socialising, people were looking and admiring the artwork - we saw lots of discussion taking place, which is after all, another aspect of art - encouraging discussion on a picture and how the image was achieved. We met lots of new people and also caught up with others we hadn't seen in a while - very enjoyable.

drinks are always popular!

The texts for the prints and the story book to show the preparation process before you get to the printing stage explained that there is a lot of work and effort required for making a print. And it was only while doing this I completely understood what Wouter was talking about when he was telling me about such things as registration marks and working the block. People often don't see or know about the planning, the preparation, the carving, the printing - and how long it all takes to achieve the final result - they only see one image completed on a piece of paper. The experience was also valuable for us to know what participants in future workshops might expect, want to do, and what sort of questions can be asked.

All in all the event was a success with locals being able to enjoy some local artistic talent on display, children being able to express their artistic abilities and try something they may not normally be exposed to, and seeing an unexpected horse trek of around 20 horses and riders passing by. As a last treat while we were packing up, a local arrived with a preliminary sketch by Achille Lauge, so we were able to see the real thing. Pity the image was damaged with a long tear in the paper, but hopefully the owner will have it professionally restored to preserve it.

Wouter's woodblock prints can be seen here (please note the image copyright) and his art work here (also copyrighted).

La Chaleur

The weather a couple of weeks ago was like an Auckland summer - gentle breeze, around 26-28 degrees, a few showers earlier on - which have long since dried up. But now we are into "la chaleur" - the heat. I've just checked the forecast for Cambieure and today we can expect temperatures in the mid 30s. Our overnight lows are in the low 20s, which I realise is higher than most of the highs in NZ right now, as well as in most places in the UK, who apparently are having an awful summer. We are due to have some heavy rain next week on Tuesday, but if it is as reliable as the rain we didn't have the other day then it will still be dry as a bone.

images thanks to http://www.lachainemeteo.com/meteo-france/

Today's temperature forecast
note that we are on the SE corner - between the 30 of Perpignan and 37 of Toulouse

Tonight's temperature forecast

Luckily for us there is still around 2 meters of water in the well which means we can keep watering the garden. A lot of things in the garden are coming to an end, but there is still enough action to keep us busy and we are trying to plant some late crops to take us through the autumn weeks.

The vegies - well we've had tomatoes galore, along with - potatoes, courgettes, beans, capsicums, carrots, chillies, onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, figs, figs, figs (thankfully this crop has finished but there will be another lot end of September), pickles/gherkins, pumpkins, beetroot, sweetcorn and melons. As much as possible has been preserved for later in the year - the cellar is full of onions, potatoes, pumpkins and beetroot; the freezer is full of cherry tomatoes, chillies, fig pulp, cherries, capsicums. The tomatoes are just marching on like a line of soldiers and I've given away heaps as we just cannot fit anything else into the freezer.

Also growing are gourds, scorsonere (like salsify) and some flowers, like spicata (purple spikes), Reine margrieten (queen marguerites), zinnias, bella di notte (night beauty or belle de nuit), nasturtiums, artichokes (we let these flower rather than pick them and use them to eat as apparently they are hard work for little reward) and a few other bits and pieces. We can't wait to try the melons and I have developed a taste for pickles - never been interested before but now we have our own supply I thought it was time to try - and I'm pleasantly surprised with the result. I've preserved them in a light vinegar and several small batches have been done with different herbs like rosemary, bay leaf or thyme.

Artichoke flower

Interesting eggs on bean leaf - anyone know what they are?

Figs for preparation

Pumpkins weighing in at between 5-9 kilos each

We have found that some things don't seem to work, at least, don't work when and where we planted them, like peas. I will try a few more for autumn and see if they like the cooler temperatures. Planting by the moon is popular here so let's hope I've chosen the right day to plant out the seeds!

Recent full moon

Sweetcorn was a success, but not with french seeds - we found that most bought french seeds are pretty awful, especially given the price of a packet - the stuff we had from friends in france and new zealand is much better so I have managed to freeze several cobs - by NZ prices, about $70 worth!

Wouter with tjankol

and as a boy in Indonesia tending corn with tjangkol

The fete de Cambieure was a lovely evening with around 300 people turning up with family and friends to enjoy the village feast, music and later dancing entertainment.

Setting up

In full swing

Warming up the audience (it's a challenge in France!)

The problem with our internet seems to be fixed at long last. Apart from lots of my time and patience it only took around 10 phone calls to Orange and visits from 6 technicians to do it, spread over several months. The real cause, well, it's not known, but the technicians who were here last could see the problem happening and they simply changed us over to the other line which links Cambieure to Belves. Before that final step we had lots of dubious wiring replaced within the house and the cable from the house to pole also replaced. Now we have internet all day and it's reasonably fast and this makes it easier for us to manage our emails, correspondence and Skype.

In the last couple of months people have been busy clearing out their attic or garage and there were lots of vides greniers (with entertainment) for us to attend and try and pick up some bargains.

Traditional music on Sheeps body pipes

Sampling wine from local growers

We found a few things, including some outdoor lamps which have come up really well after cleaning glass, repainting the frame and hanging on hooks. A lamp with genuine parchment shade:

"Where did you get that lamp, where did you get that style....."

Lastly for this blog, after some effort to get our webmaster into action, our B&B site is running - to take a look:
http://www.lapradecambieure.fr/Site/Welcome.ashx

Mirepoix

Mirepoix is a bastide (square formation) town just over the Ariege border around 30 minutes from Cambieure. It's known for its Medieval buildings in the main square and for its weekly market, which is attended by many people from far and wide. In summer shuffling around the market is fun, in winter there is more space but also there are less traders.

Gargoyle Beams

Covered terraces to drink coffee

Hanging baskets on Medieval buildings

Shops also sell their goods and there is plenty of interesting shopping under the covered terraces.

Character abounds

Pan de bois

Pottery market before it was too hot and full of people

I'm in pale yellow with orange backpack

Saucissons, shoes, cheeses, wines, biological products,....

For the pot
One hears English, Dutch, German, Occitan, French, Spanish

You have to experience the bustle of the market

Obviously I had no idea I was in this shot!

"Behind the scenes"

Mirepoix market is held every Monday and in the summertime they have evening markets. There are other markets held periodically, like the pottery market. Just outside the square is a lovely cathedral.