Mon Retour Au Jardin

I returned from a grey and cold London on Wednesday to glorious sunshine, kev said that the last week had been amazing and i must say the weather in London  and Wales the previous week was lovely, sunny and warm, but the Monday and Tuesday before i came home were grey and the wind was icy. I love my week in London but i have to say on Friday I’m always glad to touch down in Toulouse and make my 50 minute journey back to my lovely French house, all the London stresses and madness melt away on my  journey home to Fayssac, and the final pleasure  is a bounding Barnaby Pickles covering me with licks and big hugs. Even Miel popped her head around the door on my return. And of course its always lovely to come home to my Kevy and knowing we have a few days to work on our home is an extra treat, not forgetting all the wine…….. As i mentioned in my last blog spring has most definitely sprung, not only are the trees bursting with blossoms but the fields are now carotid with beautiful wild flowers.   I haven’t a clue what they are and keep saying I’m going to google wild flowers of South West France, but have to admit readers that i haven’t got around to it yet, so if anyone does know what they are please let this ignorant blogger know. Now i know some people think we should leave mother natures gifts where they are and enjoy them in their natural surroundings, but i have to admit to borrowing a few to brighten up a room or to in the house, well come on mother nature you have so many flowers you won’t miss a few… will you? So i did borrow a few and whilst i was picking them and arranging them into a perfectly formed bunch… well i an a visual merchandiser! Anyway whilst i was arranging them i noticed a stunning little butterfly had decided to make a temporary home in my bunch, and here she is, it is a she its to beautiful to be a he, sorry guys.   We have soooo much to do on the house but whilst the weather is so lovely we have to spend time in the garden and what luck  as its March its officially time to “return to the garden” “Mon detour au jardin” as all the billboards were telling me on my journey into Gaillac the other day, so it would be rude not to listen to them and do as the locals do. Its true March is the time to dust off your hoes and get your potager ready for plants, El leclerc and Gamm Vert our local garden centre have big promotions on and aisles packed with plants and gardening accessories. The other sure fire way to know spring has sprung is that the red wine aisles have be reduced and a rose explosion has happened. So we quickly realised we needed to create our potager so bought a rotavator to help us, kev delighted in putting it together and there were no spare bits left over.   Mmmm now how to use this beast of a machine…..     Is it working??? Like all gadgets that claim to do amazing things, they don’t perform on command they need to be coaxed and cajoled and the instructions do help.     We have decided to have our potager at the front of the house as it faces south and there is plenty of space, being visual i didn’t want just one big clump of mud no no no i decided upon meter wide strips all neatly and evenly laid out to precise measurements, now all we need to do is strip all the grass of them and dig them, EASY i pronounced ha ha ha. One down five to go… Three back breaking days later they are done and a i have the blisters to prove it.   Now all i have to do is buy the pants and plant them…..   mmm now what to plant?