It looks like we ran out of capacity toward the end of the meringue, I guess we ate too much Hollandaise! We sent a parcel through DHL to Zimbabwe the other day, always an interesting experience. Gavin looked on the internet first three weeks ago and it was 147 euros. Gosh! He was quoted 115 euros by the internet yesterday, 108 euros by the first contact on the telephone and then offered a discount by the second sales person on the phone to 75 euros! The driver arrived 3 hours later, and managed to find our house without phoning us. What a delight, compared with our first french experience with DHL some years ago when it took a month for a Christmas parcel from my Mum to arrive from the UK, which had to be encouraged out of the Bordeaux depot after several rather terse telephone calls from both sides of the water. Maybe they wanted to keep the Cadburys selection boxes destined for the children.
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 Hello All It has been a year since I started pilates and this week I actually decided to take some advice and do what my instructor had been suggesting for the last year and do the relxation exercises to relieve my arms and neck at the end of a long day in the butchery. Amazingly they worked and it has become part of my nightly ritual, apparently I am slow learner. This weekend I enjoyed the company of a friend from Zimbabwe, and her son and partner, whom I had not seen for 12 years. To keep life simple and knowing that the weather would be warm I decided to keep lunch simple with sausages, salad, cheese, bread and a traditional French pudding of Cherry Clafouti. Leaving ample time for gossip. The weekend seemed to be cursed from the beginning with delayed flights on Friday night due to thunder storms in UK and northern France, so they arrived super late, exhausted and then had to battle with mosquitoes during the night in Bordeaux where they were staying.....Home from home really. I discovered that evening that the son and his partner were vegetarian and after I had finished crying with laughter at their weekend getaway choice of a meat farmer/processors farm, I had to modify the menu slightly. Luckily they helped me out by arriving with their own lunch (how embarrassing) veggie burgers which I then nearly burnt on the cooker because I was talking to much. Really......you.... I missed out on the fact that they had closed 2 bridges in Bordeaux on the Sunday so when Gavin went to fetch them it took slightly longer than usual, an hour longer ther and back to be precise. And when they returned to the UK on the Monday the flight was delayed for 2 hours at the exciting Billi terminal in Merignac airport as the airline had misplaced some passengers. Despite everything we had a fabulous day together. Not long enough but good. Happy travels home my friends.
 Hello All Ben is working hard at the moment moving sheep between fields with Gavin here he is trying to find a bit of shade under the grass not too difficult as the grass is so long. The sheep are just about visible in the photos below and enjoying their freedom outside with access to oceans of grass. We managed to get some work done in the house this week with a start on the second layer of insulation it was very hot at the top of the house, so much water should have been drunk but was forgotten because, "oh I will just finish this last little bit before I go downstairs again", big mistake as I ended up with a splitting headache. The cure was drinking three quarters of a litre of water and eating some bacon. Sorted. I will endeavour not to repeat that today (Thursday) when it is predicted to be between 34 and 36 degrees, so yes not that hot for many of you who read this, but quite warm if you are doing physical work outside in it all day. Houses use a lot of insulation and as you can see there is a bit of a way to go yet. We are waiting for a visit from a friend this weekend whom we have not seen for we think about 15 years. That is long time. Longer than Number 3s lifetime, longer than we have lived in France, longer than we have had the butchery for and longer than I have been writing this blog. I think there may be quite a lot of gossiping to do and stories to be told. However I will still be at all the markets a usual this weekend armed with burgers and meatballs to appease the masses.
See you all soon Helen |
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February 2024
Helen FranklinI am farming sheep and goats on the Dordogne/Gironde border with my husband and our 3 children. We have an on farm butchery and sell our meat direct to the public via the markets and delivery points in our local area |
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