lundi 27 juin 2011

Mountain Air

 Yes it`s true, we have come down from the mountains!  And seem to have descended into Hell, if you take account of the temperature...After ten days in the fresher climes of the Pyrannees the heat wave on the plains of Deux Sèvres seems like an open oven door!  Still, it`s very nice to be back and to find our little house has suffered no harm. Our neighbour Ian has looked after our cats and sheep and Jacqui has taken on Toffee, our smallest dog so that we could depart with just the two larger ones, more practical by far.
  As you can see from the photos the mountains are a photographer`s dream, you just dont know where to point your camera. Either it is aimed up in the air to capture the peaks and snowy glaciers or it is focussed down to take some new flower or plant.We had reasonable weather with only a couple of misty days, always a risk in the mountains. We had several excursions into the higher peaks, in fact the camp at Aucun is already at a fair altitude. We drove to Pont d`Espagne one fine day with the other campers and from there climbed up to the Lac de Gaube at 1800 metres. It was quite a climb and Kim was especially pleased to be able to do this trip.
I`ll write some more soon about our life at Aucun, but at present my bed is calling.....
    
           See you soon!

lundi 13 juin 2011

Crew member-- Gremlin.

Let me introduce you more fully to an elder member of the Ark`s company, our cat Gremlin. I first saw him as a tiny kitten appearing suddenly in the corner of our sheep field. At that time we kept hens and this tiny scrap was running after them mewing, hoping that they would feed him.  I picked him up with no trouble,  he was so desperate he would have gone to any one. I think his situation was so hopeless that things could only get better. He was so small that he sat easily in the palm of my hand.  His fur was, and is, silky and fine, different to all our other cats. We never discovered where he came from.
  I took him in to show Kim and it was of course love at first sight. We had powdered milk and a bottle to hand and he drank greedily and soon left the danger list. He is now a large and handsome cat as you can see.
   However. he is not as healthy as he appears.  About a year ago he began losing weight and was panting and obviously distressed. Our vet subjected him to some very sophisticated examinations in a surgery whose hi-tech equipment would not have shamed a large modern hospital. Echo graphs showed his heart was seriously affected possibly by his early privations.  However three or four drugs have enabled him to survive and even thrive and we hope to have him aboard for a long time yet. He is a good-natured and affectionate cat and his silky fur is a joy to caress. A few Euros spent on medicine is a small price to pay for his company.  He is eight in 2 day`s time.. happy birthday, Gremlin!

dimanche 12 juin 2011

Away in the Mountains

In a couple of days the Ark will be voyaging amidst these mountains, not, I hasten to add Mount Ararat but the Pyrenees above Argelès Gazost. We are off on our annual week at the summer camp `Vers les Cimes`. This is a Holiday camp which is owned, interestingly enough, by the Evangelical Church of Ortez. It was originally a most spartan collection of wooden huts but has been improved over the years into a modern an well-equipped holiday centre.  It is used through the summer months to provide holiday camps for children, but each year the opening week is the `Camp des Ainés` allowing older age group to spend a week.
  This is our sixth year at this camp near the village of Aucun and we look forward to it very much. Quite apart from the scenery, which is superb as you can see from the photos, we enjoy meeting friends from our and other churches for a week of good fellowship, mountain hiking and Christian instruction.  We are also thoroughly spoilt with tasty and copious meals which we dont have to cook! We are taking Laika and Jilly, Toffee is going to stay with Jaqui and our neighbour Ian will feed and keep an eye on the other Ark crew. We have a reciprocal arrangement to feed his Alsations when he is away.

So, if you don`t see us around on Facebook for a few days, you will know that we are hiking upwards, or drinking aperatifs, eating our heads off or just occasionally, listening to a talented Pasteur giving a new slant on the Good Book.
  Be back in a week or so!

     Bye for now!

jeudi 9 juin 2011

Why do we live in France?

Well, I can`t speak for you, of course but I have been analyzing our reasons lately. Do any of them strike a chord with you?
  We were first attracted to France as a holiday destination.  Then it was a combination of the climate,so much more reliable than the UK`s the wine, bread and life style and the friendliness of the French. Even the language seemed exotic, much more `abroad` than an English-speaking destination. But it was in passing through Roscoff and glancing in an estate agent`s window that we were struck by a more cogent reason to live here--the astonishing cheapness of the houses. This was at the time when the UK housing price boom had arrived but France lagged way behind.
  When we seriously began looking to buy in France, the second housing secret became plain;  Not only were the houses cheaper but they were astonishingly attractive to English eyes. Did you want a water mill, a chateau, an abandoned village, a windmill?  They were all available cut-price!  And dreaming aside a wealth of country stone houses with beams, bread ovens and all sorts of interesting features stuffed the Immobiliers` books. Several outhouses and large areas of land were usually thrown in
  And those were only the reasons we knew at the outset.  Once we were established in our charming house, we soon found more things too appreciate. We can live in a country environment. No noise, no traffic jams, less stress With our attached land we can keep hens, sheep and more cats and dogs than we ever dared before.


      France is exotic; different plants,animals and birds are commonly seen here. Check out Giant Emperor Moths, Praying Mantises Golden Orioles as well as Stag Beetles all add fascination to our daily life.
  I would also add that France is more NORMAL than England today. It reminds me of England 40 years ago. When I return to Britain I feel it has changed. and not for the better!
  Another plus is that all of Europe (except the UK) is open to explore by car, without ferry or currency problems.
And how about health care? It may cost slighly more but the service is beyond the wildest dreams of an NHS client. When Kim`s specialist said she needed a new knee he proposed an appointment for an operation in three day`s time and we had to ask him to delay it so we could go away for Christmas. Our GP is prepared to talk for as long as necessary and doesn`t cut things short with a hurried prescription.  Worlds apart!
Of course there are one or two `againsts` as well. Kim especially regrets being so far away from our daughters and grandchildren  and our former church.
 Food items like Cheddar cheese and Marmite are not available but  can always be imported. Anyway our tastes have change in 10 years.
  All in all, don`t expect to see us heading back any time soon!!

                   Bye for now!