Christmas Wishes to all Ark Readers

    I hope all Ark readers have a peaceful and happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the New Year !

The Ocean-going Ark.

    Well, we've successfully completed the first parts of our peregrination and completed the complicated procedures to load ourselves no our dogs onto the Brittany Ferries vessel Armorique. In fact, this blog is being written from a rolling seat aboard in the seaway opposite Roscoff. It promises to be a turbulent crossing, luckily we are both good sailors

   Later... In fact, it has got quite rough, it's better to stay seated, as to walk about risks to make you into a caricature of a drunk, reeling from side to side searching for a hand-hold...luckily, there are not a huge number of passengers on this crossing, it always puzzles me how Brittany Ferries can make a living in the winter, I don't suppose these large ships do many miles per gallon , or more likely per ton of fuel...
  It's quite noticeable how the move to the north from home causes the surrounding conditions to change. It was colder this morning at St. Brieuc , and still dark at eight when I went out to feed the dogs, in France dawn would already have broken. I have just put my watch back to Greenwich Mean time and night is falling fast , over a wave-tossed sea. Not hard for me to find reason to live where we do, even though it's good to visit Plymouth from time to time.

Right, bye for now before these musings disappear, as they've shown worrying signs of doing. See you soon from Angleterre!

New transhumance-- first Christmas in England for thirteen years!

   This year, for the first time for ages, we decided to spend Christmas at Plymstock with our daughter Alyson and her family, rather than at Lille in northern France with Cecile and her large extended family. We felt sad at not seeing our friends in Lille and will miss them. However, the lure of a new great- grand daughter and to see Alyson again proved too strong!
   Mind you, recent health problems  with me left the destination in doubt up to very recently, I secretly feared spending the festive season in Niort Hospital, but I am pleased to say that things are going better and this blog is being written at St. Brieuc on our way to the ferry port. All being well, we should be crossing to Plymouth tomorrow afternoon. Unfortunately, my stroke means I am not allowed to drive until re-assessed, so poor Kim has had to take the wheel for the drive, which she has done with great skill. We left  Mort Limousin only half an hour behind schedule at ten thirty, despite an unscheduled washing of the bathroom floor, when the handle of a plastic bucket of water broke off in Kim's hand, inundating the room.....she valiantly drove us here arriving at four thirty. We are now going to find our evening meal at the nearby Buffalo Grill.

 Bye for now from the travelling Ark!

Progress report

'

   Rereading my last few blogs, I feel that they are a bit self centred, but when you suffer a stroke and find your life suddenly changed and all your previously- held certainties put in doubt, it's difficult to concentrate on anything else!  In my previous blogs I had reported steady progress in regaining the use of my hand, arm and leg... Unfortunately, I have sadly to report a set-back , which has slowed things down for the moment.
  I developed a sudden crisis of arthritis in the thumb joint of the ' good' hand, which was of course not good news as it had been doing a lot of the work that the poorly hand and arm was unable to do. On Saturday after an enjoyable meal at our local Salle de Fetes for us older citizens, this pain moved up the arm and involved both shoulders and neck, very painful!it has since left the good arm ( thank goodness ) and is confined to my left shoulder, which forced a cancellation of my Kine this morning. I am hopeful it will continue its migration and go altogether, the doc has prescribed some strong painkillers to encourage this....
  Kim has been most supportive, she has even had to dress me at times, besides doing the lion's share of the household tasks without complaint. Anyway, there are signs of progress, and I hope to be able to give better news soon.

 Bye for now, tea and drugs parade calling!

Back to the hacienda!

Well, here I am, released from exile and back at La Mort Limouzin once again. Both of us are overjoyed to be back together again, and for Kim not to have to make a three hour round trip to visit me. I shall be eternally grateful for the improvement that Le Grand Feu has made to the damage that the stroke  made to my hand, arm and leg, they are so much better than when I arrived there. I am hoping for continuing improvement and we are commencing a continuing series of Kinetherapy at a centre at Chef Boutonne
  The only blot on the pleasant landscape of my return, were a series of really frightening panic attacks the first time I have ever had such experiences.  I felt I couldn't breathe, was trembling and wanting to run, really had the feeling of being about to die. Luckily Kim was able to calm me down and pointed out that my vital signs were all normal, and I took a Xanax, a thing I never do. After ten minutes all returned to normal. Phew!!
   Research on Google into this condition, showed the feelings, though highly alarming, are completely illusionary, and exist in the imagination rather than the body. Armed with this information, I have been able to fight off any recurrence, but I assure my readers I have never been so frightened in my life.....now that has settled down, I can concentrate on building up movement and dexterity in my limbs, we have a session of Kinetherapy this afternoon at Chef. I'll let you know how it compares with the Grand Feu Kine.
  Our Doctor has also suggested a visit to a Sophrologist as a good treatment for panic attacks, so we're trying that on Saturday, can't do any harm....

   Bye for now from a hopefully convalescing Noah!

Noah's progress, back to the ark on Tuesday

Well, I seem to have been here in rehab at LeGrand Feu practically for ever, in danger of feeling that this is my natural habitat! I can see how people become institutionalised, life seems to flow along without much change, week by week. Luckily, I have been able to return home at the weekends to remind me that life goes on on the outside
   However, the time has not been wasted, looking back I can realise the difference in my current condition and the state I was in when I entered. Then, I could scarcely move the fingers of my left hand, couldn't raise my arm at all, and needed to scoot around in a wheelchair. Now, the chair is long gone, and I can walk around with almost no limp ( still working on that ) my hand works pretty well as normal, with the thumb opposable, and the arm can reach above my head. It's all a bit weak, of course, though much stronger than it was, and I tire very quickly, but it's really a question of  regaining stamina! This weekend, I have been able to undertake simple jobs like lighting the fire, letting the dogs out in the cour and don't feel so completely dependent on Kim. She has been very supportive and in many ways has been worse affected than I, having to do all the driving, housework and pet care, and has never complained. Of course, at times, I have despaired a bit, and lost sight of the progress made when I compare it to the mountain still to climb, the capacity lost compared to that regained but the main thing is to keep positive.

 Anyway, on Tuesday, I am to be released, to return home to stay, we are both overjoyed. Details need to be sorted out for some continuing therapy, but I think the best therapy will be to use the damaged limbs in daily life, to exercise the muscles in doing daily tasks. I'll let you know how we get on! Wish me luck!

 Bye for now, from Le Grand Feu, but not for long......

Noah's journey.

This isn't going to be an easy blog to write and not only because I can only use one hand to type. I want to put it on record nevertheless to keep the sequence of events clear in my mind and perhaps to help others experiencing the same symptoms
 How it started then. On Tuesday 20th, while driving I felt a sort of weakness in my left hand,it felt tired and had a tendency to slip off the steering wheel I was not terribly worried, I thought perhaps another symptom of this wretched shingles. Early next morning,when I got up to the loo, something much more alarming happened. Due to a curious weakness of my left leg I lurched to the left. To save myself from falling, I reached out with my left hand but got no response, so I collapsed onto some bags of clothing and had to continue on all fours, or rather on threes. Having crept downstairs, Kim tried to contact our doctor, but it was two early so she rang the 15 emergency number. They briefly took details then immediately sent an ambulance, no messing, even told us off for not ringing earlier. Kim was left to follow later we knew to take health card and top-up insurance details.We went to Niort hospital A and E and the ambulance staff booked me in. Lots of tests including a Doppler and a scanner in the afternoon enabled them to diagnose a stroke due to a minor blockage of blood but no bleed into the brain
    I spen the next few days on the Neurological wing,finally being transferred to this rehabilitation unit at Le Grand Feu on the other side of Niort on the Monday afternoon  Here they have all the necessary specialists to help restore movement to the affected limbs. I share a two bedded room with another patient. Each morning I take a shower and dress, not so easy with one hand that doesn't work well. For the last two days, I have had a young lady from the Ergotherapy department come to see how I manage, doesn't do to be too modest here! Then it's breakfast at first in the room but now in the patients' restaurant Got to be quick because it's Kinetherapy at 830, followed by Ergotherapy at 10. Then a well-deserved and tasty lunch, then another session of Kine at 2. Kim visits after that very welcome too. Poor thing, she has an hour's drive to be here...
  The weekend, there's no sessions, many people go home. I'm not allowed the first weekend, so Kim is taking lunch with me on Sunday.
 It's strenuous here but I can already see much improvement so I'm hoping not to have to stay too long.
         Bye for now, nearly dinner time, yummm.

A Tail of Two Kitties.

   About July of last year, after the sad death o our much-loved tricolour kitten Charlotte, we decided to take on another tricolour kitten from our friend Annabel in the dordogne who re homes unwanted cats. This little mite looked so like Charlotte, that we felt fate had sent her our way. Annabel warned us she was very timid and spent much time hiding under her bed, but was affectionate when roused out.  After collection, we found that that was indeed the case, we called the kitten Cache-Cache, which is French for hide and seek, as she would conceal herself away in our lounge, where she was confined so she didn't wander off, until she was bodily pulled out of hiding. The strange thing was, that once put on a knee, she would purr and cuddle, but once released it was the same game again. Gradually we won her trust and she would climb voluntarily onto a knee, at length could be released into the rest of the house and could be allowed out in the garden.  We had won out...or so we thought.
 In June this year we were away in the Pyrrenees as usual and a house-sitter was looking after the animals. Cache-Cache didn't seem to take to him, for when we came back she had reverted to her hide and seek persona, but as this time she was free in the garden, it w as not possible to lay hands upon her....we would see her from time to time at the outside feeding station but she would hide and run if approached, and thus it remained until very recently. We felt quite guilty talking to Annabel....then,, some two weeks ago, something changed. She started to mew at me as I fed the cats and finally let me touch her. Then ,one morning we heard a mewing at the back door and when we opened it, in walked Cahche-Cache. She is now quite tame again and will sit on my knee or on the sofa back most of the day!. We wonder what has changed her mind, maybe she senses winter approaching? Anyway we hope it's permanent!
  Bye for now settling down for my first night at Grand Feu.

Illness strikes the Ark

i told you recently of my painful attack of shingles three weeks ago.. Well now something even more serious has occurred, which has knocked us both back, as the Aussies say.
   On Tuesday, I noticed my left hand was feeling weak, it had a tendency to slip off the steering wheel as I drove. I wasn't much worried, the shingles have thrown up odd symptoms from time to time. The next morning it was obvious it was something serious, I could scarcely walk and as I staggered and tried to support myself with my left hand, it didn't work at all, and I collapsed onto a heap of bags. Kim tried to ring our doc but it was too early and she rang the 15 emergency number, who didn't muck about  but sent an ambulance straightaway to take me to Niort hospital. Loads of tests, including a scanner in the afternoon seemed to indicate I had suffered a small stroke affecting my arm, hand and to a lesser degree, my leg, all on my left side. I have spent five days in the Neurology dept being stabilised and have now been transferred to a rehabilitation unit Grand Feu for work to try to restore movement to my members.
  As you can imagine this has deeply shocked us both but we are trying to make the best of it. At least we get first class ,prompt treatment here and our Carte Vitale and Mutuelle will cover the high cost so it's not all bad. It's Kim I feel sorry for, she is left to cope with running the house and animals and driving to Niort each day. She has been a brick, always cheerful and encouraging.
   Bye for now, bit tired after the transfer.nice to be back on line, though!

Hedgehog stranded in the Ark roof, while sweeping chimney.

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Ark hit by plague, when shingle isn't a beach.

  A week or so ago, I found I was getting pain in my right ear, together with pain in my mouth and swollen gland in my jaw. I visited my doc and she and I agreed that there was an infection best combatted with Amoxicilin, an antibiotic. However, a week later, I got all sorts of puzzling symptoms, including pain in my hair and teeth, a rash on my face including my beard and ache in my ear. Back to the docs I went suspecting an allergy to the Amoxicilin, but the doc brought me up short, making a definite diagnosis of 'Zona' which I found, is French for Shingles' !  Well, that was a new one for me....the doc  prescribed an antiviral medication plus an Alcohol wipe to treat the rash, which had developed into small pustules like chicken pox spots.
  Well, it was back home and dive for Google to see whatever is Shingles. It seems it is a strange recurrence of the chicken pox virus, which hides in the nervous system and lies dormant for many years before emerging when the patient is stressed, or his resistance is low. Relatively common in over seventies, it seems. A strange symptom is that the effects are one-sided, on one side of the body, not crossing the mid-line! A great aid to diagnosis...
  A comforting fact I learnt is that the condition is not infectious, you can't catch shingles from a sufferer. You can, however, pass on chicken pox to someone who has never had this illness, so you have to be careful, especially around children- no polite kissing as is usual here!
  The condition usually goes away after about four weeks, but can be quite painful while it lasts. The antiviral medication is chiefly to reduce this and reduce the risk of a recurrence, always a possibility. Rather worryingly, the doc asked if I had plenty of Paracetamol, I got the impression I might well need it...
  I suppose it's early days yet, but the pain isn't too bad, an ache in the ear and neck, chiefly but the painkiller is comforting especially when you're trying to sleep. Kim has been looking after me well, I'm really glad she's back from the UK.

   Bye for now, going to continue my convalescing.

In the teeth of the evidence

Yesterday, Mr Noah  was feeling a bit sorry for himself, the dreaded appointment had arrived for the pulling of a tooth. Three weeks ago, M. Fresch, our dentist, had reluctantly informed me that there was nothing further to be done to one of my lower right molars. The nerve had been removed ages ago, but now apparently the remaining stump had perforated and nothing could be constructed on such a poor foundation.
  I feel part of his reluctance was due to the fact that a patient's surviving tooth can be a source of dental revenue for year, as good as a pension... Still, I have several crowned teeth which are still valiantly chewing away, so we both benefit.
  One of the things I most appreciate about M. Fresch, is that he avoids hurting his clients, and yesterday he injected loads of local anaesthetic all around the doomed molar before cutting it in half and pulling the two stumps with a minimum of pain or fuss. His job was rendered a bit more difficult as I take Kardegic or soluble aspirin to thin the blood, which means I bleed more than normal. Still, he managed well in spite of this, though I did leave the surgery with a cotton pad clenched between my jaws like a dog with a bone....
    I'm glad to say my mouth feels better today, though it will be several days before I can eat crispy food. One (further) down, still loads to go, not bad at seventy plus. I wonder how the original Noah fared, he was said to be over seven hundred years old when the Ark floated off.....

    Bye for now, going to eat something soft...

Sad News-- Death of Toffee, Ark Crew-member

For several days, we have not been happy with Toffee`s health, he seemed lethargic and was not eager for food or walks, not like his usual self. Additionally, his breath was getting very smelly, as it had a few months ago before he had several teeth out and the remainder de-tartared. So we made an appointment with Francois Marty, our vet,  this afternoon to have him checked out. We had resigned ourselves to more teeth to be extracted but in the event it was far worse than that. Francois found a large cancer growing in poor Toff`s mouth, which was causing him a lot of pain. As this had not been present two months ago when his teeth were done, it was obviously a rapidly-growing form, and the vet advised that it was not operable successfully. so we found ourselves faced with the dread decision. We agreed that it was best to end it quickly and painlessly and after an injection Toffee slipped away. Rest in peace, Toffee, it`s been a pleasure knowing you... we console ourselves that he has had a far happier and much longer life than he would have known if we had not rescued him from a concrete kennel in death row at the Melle dechetterie.

  We shall bury him tomorrow afternoon in our orchard, where many of out deceased pets lie. A peaceful spot... we shall remember him.

   Bye for now.

Controle Technique, the French MOT

  Today, it was time for our Green machine to undergo its first C T, or at any rate, the first since we bought it. One of the best things about the French system, is that it only takes place every TWO years, rather than annually, like the MOT. The other major difference, is that the test is carried out by a separate unit, NOT a repair garage. This does away with the obvious clash of interests between the fairness of the test and a sneaky yen to provide work for the repair side of the garage. I have had my doubts about several English garages...

  In the event , there were not too many unexpected shocks. I had, in fact, asked the examiner to check the rear tyres, as the car had shown a slight vibration and snaking at low speeds. As I had suspected, the tyres were slightly deformed, although not badly worn and will need to be replaced. The other two 'urgent' fails were two or three yellow indicator bulbs which are now white and will need replacing and, a real surprise, the 'stop' lights are not working, all three of them. I suspect a wiring or pressure switch fault. There were also some non-urgent worn items to keep an eye on. Our garage is shut today and tomorrow because of the 15th August bank holiday, so it'll have to wait until Tuesday. Could be worse, then!

    We witnessed a funny occurrence when we arrived at the Testing Station, though. The very competent and affable chap in charge was having a tense argument with the previous client, in for a re-test. His front tyres were unsatisfactory and needed to be changed. He HAD changed them, in fact before re-submitting his car, but only by exchanging them with the tyres on the rear wheels! Unfortunately for him, the tester had noted this subterfuge , and failed the car once more on the rear tyres.... The client was furious, saying he didn't have the right to re-test items which were already passed! What a brass neck, to wax indignant when one's little trick was found out! No shame, some people...

   Bye for now, nearly animal feed time in the Ark.

She's back!

   I see my last article was to give the news that Kim was off to the UK to spend ten days with Alyson, Kerri and the new great-grand daughter Mimi. Well, she arrived safely, passed a very enjoyable time with loads of baby-dandling but has been persuaded to return and I picked her up off the Brittany Ferries vessel Armorique on Sunday. After spending the night at the Quick Palace hotel at St Brieuc, we arrived back to La Mort Limouzin on Monday afternoon and found all in order, the animals having been well looked -after by our friend Agnes. A bit tired after a round trip of over a thousand kilometres but we are now settling down to French life again together.

  Bye for now, animal feeding time!

Up,up and away!

   Yesterday Kim jetted off from Bordeaux airport to spend ten days in the UK at Plymouth, visiting Alyson, Kerri and Mimi. Dont worry, she has promised to return on the second of August, but in the meantime, the Ark will be sailing single-handed....

   Bye for now, got to trim the sails.

A Load of Hot Air

    As I mentioned in my last blog, we celebrated the Quatorze Juillet on the thirteenth at Loubille, so did not really fancy another celebration at Chef Boutonne, our local big town, the more so as there is a firework display which naturally starts very late, when it is sufficiently dark. Jacqui Brown suggested there was a hot air ballon launch at the Chateau de Saveilles, a charming but privately owned chateau, not far from us, to which the public were invited. It was due to start at seven, so we went to see what was afoot.
   The chateau gates were open and a few people were filtering in. We took the opportunity to have a look at the outside of the building, which is charming, with a well preserved moat and several towers. it is all a chateau should be, in good condition and in occupation.
   The balloon support vehicle was parked on the grass field near the chateau and after a while, preparations were being made for the launch. The small crowd were encouraged to wander close to see the team at work. It was interesting to see behind the scenes the management of a balloon launch. First, a couple of small, toy balloons were released, to determine the wind direction and speed. Then, the envelope was stretched out downwind from the basket, whose heater-burners were tested with a horrid roar, which made everyone jump. Then the basket was turned on its side and attached to the laid-out nylon balloon. A large fan was then used to inflate the envelope, the neck being held open by the crew. Finally, the suspension ropes were held out of the way and the propane burner roared out to heat the trapped air. The balloon filled more and more and started to roll from side to side in an alarming way, then gradually rose to a vertical position. the passengers, including, I think, a news photographer, hurriedly scrambled into the basket. More blasts from the burner and hey presto the basket left the ground and floated free. It rose high over the chateau and floated off. The crew loaded their gear into the trailer and set off in chase.
 Altogether a most interesting and pleasant evening. Bye for now, coffee calls

A prickly problem.

  I went down to the sheep field a little late this morning, a bit fuzzy-headed after the celebrations of the fourteenth of July, which Loubille celebrates on the thirteenth, so the villagers get the chance to have TWO meals by attending the events at Chef Boutonne or Couture... They must have more stamina than I . As I opened the gate, I thought my eyes were deceiving me, the surface of their drinking trough was swirling round and round, and what I at first took for a loo brush was gyrating in the middle. I looked closer, and was shocked to see it was a large hedgehog trapped in the container, and swimming literally for its life.

  I dropped the sheeps' breakfast grain pan and rushed to rescue the poor animal. Goodness knows how long it had swum to keep its head above water, possibly a long time. I put my hand under its tummy and scooped it out. Its belly was icy cold, and its spines were softened by the water. It did not curl up as they usually do when handled, so I figured it was badly shocked. I hurried back to the house and dried it as best I could on a towel, not easy to dry a hedgehog! I felt it should be warmed as soon as possibly, so filled a hot water bottle to go under the towel and on a suggestion from Kim, I directed an Anglepoise lamp to shine on him, to provide further warmth.

  He gradually warmed up and became more responsive. It was strange at first to be able to see and touch his little face and stroke the hair underneath him. A couple of hours later, he began to walk about and took some food so we were able to release him in the barn by the cats' food bowls, where we suspect by odd droppings we are feeding at least one of these creatures. A successful outcome we hope. I have, of course, provided a means so that any future 'swimmers' will be able to find their way out...

   Bye for now, dog walk time!

The biggest cirque in the Pyrenees?

            

We  had a fantastic time at our Colonie de vacances this year with near perfect weather, and some outings to new walking destinations, together with revisiting some old favourites. However, the crowning moment came after the camp had finished. We had always wished to visit the famous Cirque de Gavernie, and we decided that this was the year. We decided to visit it on the way to our next destination, to stay a few days at Orthez with our friends Arlette and Laurent. I was surprised to find that the Cirque was only some 30 kilometres away, and although 30 k is longer on a winding mountain road than on a motorway, we felt it was not too far out of our way.
   You can see from my photos, that the scenery is spectacular, to say the least. You arrive in the little mountain town of Gavarnie and over everything looms the monstrous backdrop of the great circle of mountains, with waterfalls falling hundreds of feet down the face. The Spanish frontier is along the top, but I bet they are not troubled by smugglers! We parked the car in one of the several car parks, walked through the town and on though a narrow road/footpath to approach the Cirque more closely. it wouldn't do to go too near though, the scene is so monumental that it wouldn't fit in the camera frame! We had a very pleasant stroll towards the Cirque, Jilly had a welcome swim in the stream alongside. After a mile or so, we crossed the stream by a little stone bridge, returning to the town by a path on the other side. We saw what must be the most scenically sited police station in the world, I suppose they deal with mountain rescue than chasing criminals!
  I took loads of photos to remind us of a truly memorable afternoon.

   Bye for now, tea time

Bug Out

    I have mentioned before the amazing variety of bugs we see in our area, varying from pretty moths and butterflies to grotesque and alarming insects. However, the king of them all is the Stag-beetle, an armoured monster of a scarab, the size of a walnut. Seen on the ground it is impressive enough, like a sculpture in polished horn but impossibly the creature can take to the air! It flies rather clumsily, pointing up at forty-five degrees,, like a Concorde coming in to land. Still, it does fly quite fast and is an impressive sight, buzzing along like a small helicopter.
  A couple of days ago, I was walking the dogs in the late evening along the track close to our house. The day had been baking, and the air was still warm, even though the light was fading. I counted a half-dozen of these beetles zooming about against the evening sky. I was walking back towards the house with my hands rather full, having the two extending dog leads in my right hand, while under my left arm was tucked Mounette, our tabby cat, who often likes to accompany me on our dog walks. She tends to 'peel off' just before we reach home and I was intending to post her in the door so she would not have to be called in for bed-time.
     Suddenly one of the beetles whirred towards me and flew straight at my face. I am not scared of them, but to be hit in the eye by a walnut-sized beetle would not be pleasant. All I could do was to squint my eyes and duck slightly. Luckily, my valiant cat was on top of the situation. She hit out accurately with her right fore-paw and swatted the insect out of the air. It tumbled, recovered itself at a foot from the ground and flew harmlessly off. I was really pleased to have such an effective protector!


   Bye for now, time to feed the cats (and dogs, of course )

All cry and no wool

 
At about this time of year, it`s time to shear our sheep, to transform them from balls of fluff, like Toto in the top pic, into slim, greyhound-like animals.... It`s a major task for us and we undertake it at a rate of one sheep per day. we have a set of proper electric clippers, given to us by a family who had retired from sheepkeeping although for the first year or so we used Kim`s dressmaking scissors.
   First, you have to catch your sheep. Luckily, ours are fairly tame and wear dog-collars, unusual in sheep circles. you offer them some grain in their usual pan and make a sudden grab. They soon become wary, though...As you can see from the shot of Kim dealing with Rosie, you then attach a lead to the collar and set to. My contribution is to hold the sheep still, not so easy as it sounds. Rosie and Toto have horns which act as convenient handles, Segoline, the matriarch, is hornless but of a more docile nature. Professional shearers upend the sheep onto its bum, we have never succeeded in this. Nevertheless, the sheep is gradually relieved of its fleece with the shearers, which are like a heavy electric clipper for humans, final tidying up and cutting round `ticklish bits` being carried out by the scissors. Finally, the animals are transformed into the slimline creatures in my later pics.  

  Indeed,Rosie`s transformation seemed to arouse feelings in Toto, the ram, which you would have thought safely suppressed by his castration a few years ago. He began to chase her `nude` form round and round the field, though what he would have done if he caught her remains problematical... On the other hand, when he was stripped in his turn, the two ewes looked at him with surprise and scorn, transformed from a lusty Rastafarian to a replica Labrador in a single morning!

  The shorn-off wool we just throw out, its full of grease, and not easy to transform into garments. If anyone fancies trying, let us know by next year, you would be welcome to it! we did try putting it on the veg plot, we were told it would rot down--it didn`t, just clogged the Rotivator blades...

  Bye for now, lunch-time...

Crisis on the i-Pad

    We are now settling into normal life in Deux Sevres after our hols at Aucun and Orthez, but a crisis reared its head soon after we unpacked. The charger for the i-Pad had been forgotten at Arlette's house in Orthez! Luckily, the machine was fully charged and could be used for three or four days, but I was pleased to go to Ruffec and buy a new one at LeClerc. I have grown very used to it's convenience and find the old Apple desk-top computer very slow now. The only problem is that my photos are held on the main-frame machine and if I write the Ark on the pad, I tend to use old shots available as previously used on the Ark.... Lazy I know but there it is.....I shall have to make the effort and load some more up to date ones.
   A further minor tragedy occurred this morning-- my loaf from the bread-maker failed completely. I suspect the paddle jammed and have started a new one which seems to be progressing normally. I'll keep you posted...

  Bye for now, breakfast calls.

French as she is spoke

   As I said in my last blog, we have been in a French-speaking environment this last week,which has led me to consider the question of speaking this tongue. I realise you have never finished learning, more vocabulary is acquired, possibly a better or at least a different accent is picked up... I have found myself this week sounding the final mute syllables on words ending in e or ent, as the locals do but not the more Parisian French. I hope I don't pick up the local way of pronouncing words like 'pain or domain'  as paing or demaing, which to my ears sounds harsh.
   The locals also have their patois, incomprehensible to outsiders when spoken at breakneck speed. Nevertheless, when I have seen it written, I feel it often resembles mis-spelt French, although I am sure the locals would take issue with me. It seems like Devon or Tyneside dialect, a few 'new' words but really recognizable as a variant of the parent language. Not at all a separate tongue like Welsh or Breton.

 Oh, that's it, the I-Pad has warned me of low battery, I must wind up these musings...Bye for now!

The Ark is in the mountains

   Once again the Ark has moved to the Hauts Pyrrenees for our summer stay at the Colonie Vers Les  Cimes. I would refer you to my posts of last summer for further details, suffice it to say we has profited by genial company, a little Bible study and loads of walks in beautiful mountain scenery. You will have to wait til I return to my computer and load the pics I have taken this year before I can show you scenes we have visited, but we have really seen some lovely country. We have
 also spent the whole week speaking French, so much so that I almost started writing this review in that language. Perhaps I should publish some numbers in French to enlarge my audience a bit, s'il y a des français qui lit celui-ci, prière de me signaler! Thinking further, I suppose that this is perhaps unlikely.....

   In fact this blog is being written neither at the Colonie nor at La Mort Limouzin, but at Orhez, chez our good friends Arlette and Laurent, who have an old farmhouse and an enormous elevage of meat chickens, some 15000 birds who sleep in great arks but can roam about during the day. We are here



til Monday, leaving our house to our very capable house-sitter, Bruce. It always gives us pleasure to spend a few days in their company and eases the wrench in leaving our summer-camp.
   I noticed when I signed on to Blogger, that I have not written an Ark since the first of the month of June, whereas it's now the twenty-fifth, not what you could call regular! It's strange, sometimes you have the urge to blog, and sometimes there doesn't seem to be much to say... Still, I must make the resolution to be more regular, even if it is to keep in touch, as one of my readers sent a mail to enquire if everything was ok.
   We have had a vintage camp this year for the weather, fine every day, and even now the sun is blazing down and it will be a very hot afternoon. I hope all of you are equally lucky.
   Right, must finish now, dogs to walk. Everyone else has retired for a siesta!

      Til the next time, hopefully soon!

A new Noah's flood?

   It wasn't a very propitious start to May yesterday, with the day dawning with heavy rain, which soaked us on the early dog walk. When I went down to the field to give the sheep their morning corn ration, I found their feed bowls almost full of water-- I use these as a make-shift rain gauge, and I estimate that there had been over three inches of rain overnight. This was confirmed when we went to Chef Boutonne in the afternoon, and saw some flooded fields along the route. It was so damp and miserable that I was tempted to light the wood-burner, but couldn't face this admission of defeat, so I compromised by getting the gaz stove in and lighting that. I saw that our neighbour Phillipe had given in and relit his smokey central heating furnace, which bizarrely is on the other side of the road from his house.
  It rained all day, unusual for France, and today is not really much better, though the rain is now just a mist in the air. I do hope this isn't a forerunner of a wet summer...we could do with a resumption of our normally hot, sunny summer weather we used to be able to count on. Still, we are unlikely to suffer water shortages, I suppose....
  Bye for now, the coffee machine has finished, I'm going to enjoy a cup.

Well,the hole truth

  I have blogged before on the Ark about the legacy left in the stones of this old house by its former inhabitants over its very long life, probably more than three hundred years. We have noticed blocked up doors and windows, attachment points for halters and bridles, old mangers and pigsties...but this afternoon I happened on something even more dramatic.
  I was strimming the grass in front of the buildings, when suddenly the ground gave way beneath my feet. I staggered back, dropping the strimmer and supporting myself against the stone wall of the building alongside. On inspection, I found that a stone slab hidden in the grass had split into three pieces, revealing the mouth of an old well, obviously blocked up many years ago, for our elderly neighbour had never mentioned its existence

 The well was round, of stone, faced with cement, and quite narrow, only about two foot six wide. My initial fright was needless, as it was blocked a couple of feet down. the previous owners must have found it handy to water the animals in the buildings just behind. I was tempted to dig it out, a source of free water for the garden would have been worth having, but the thought of digging at the bottom of such a narrow hole to a considerable depth gives me cold shivers, not to mention the obvious danger of collapse of the old stone work. We will fill it in to ground level and replace the stone cover. Perhaps it might be wise to buy a concrete slab to cap the hole. Living in Devon, I have heard of several sudden surprises from old mine shafts suddenly reappearing. Rather than going to the trouble of filling a deep shaft, the miners just inserted beams across the hole some ten feet down and made a timber platform to block the hole, which was then filled level with the ground. The timber would rot after a hundred years and the pit would suddenly reappear, surprising people who had built on or near it!
   An interesting and surprising discovery in our little domain, though, as I am sure you will agree.
  Bye for now, lunch calls.

The turning of the Seasons

  Well, that's the end of lighting the stove in the morning when I get up. I've cleared out the ash drawer, removed the ready-use log supply and swept the hearth. I hope we don't have a real cold snap now, but I'm not going to start again barring a real return to the Ice Age...in real emergency, we've got the gaz heater, of course. Now is the time for planting (for Kim, that is, though I have rotovated the potager) and cutting grass. Time to look forward to swimming and a trip to the Pyrenees. Winter is finished, long live Summer.
  Bye for now, nearly tea time

Debugging. Nothing to do with computers!

   When you're running an Ark, with three dogs and up to a dozen cats, you will find that you have also acquired other, uninvited livestock, what an aristocratic seller of Pekingese dogs we met used to call 'lodgers'. I refer of course to fleas mainly, though ticks and mites are not unknown. It is therefore of intense interest to come across a product,which not only keeps its promises, but comfortably exceeds them!
  When confronted with this problem, we have usually used Frontline,either in its spray or spot-on form. However, the chemical seems to have lost its potency lately and a kitten continued to have fleas after as many as three applications in a week, clearly not a good thing. Our vet advised a product called Sorresto for the dogs, and we fitted all three with these special collars. They look like grey, plastic collars, and had a faint chemically smell which soon wore off. They were a bit expensive, but last at least six months, so worked out reasonable compared with the more frequent spot-ons.
  After a few days we were pleased to find the dogs were free of fleas, but most surprisingly, so were all the cats as well!! The house seems to be a no-go area for fleas and we haven't seen one for months. It's not often that a product proves so unexpectedly efficacious and I would thoroughly recommend it if you are pet owners plagued with flea infestations!

  Bye for now, going to enjoy the feeling of a flea-free house and pets that don't scratch!

Calories, it's not that simple

   A couple of days ago, Kim was watching a programme on calories on the TV. I was only half watching, as it's a subject which doesn't really concern me, my weight remaining stable without the need for dieting. The programme stated that 100 calories consumed in excess of requirements would build up day by day leading to a continual weight gain.
  I feel, from my own experience that this is an oversimplification. There must be a separate process which prevents this in many persons, analogous to the system where the kidneys excrete surplus salt. When I was living in Portsmouth as a young man, I stayed in digs run by an ex-Navy petty officer, who prided himself on his cooking. My skinny frame was a reproach to his feeding, he compared me to a Maltese goat, ' All ----- and toe-nails'..... He decided to feed me up. A full English breakfast was on offer, sausages, bacon, fried bread, the lot, as well as cereal. At work I ate a good canteen lunch and in the evening a copious dinner of soup, main course and a good desert, on which suet pudding was a frequent choice. Did I gain weight? I did not, though I did have to visit the toilet much more frequently....
   I feel this pretty conclusively proves that thin people will remain thin whatever their diet, while people who are naturally plump can remain thin only by eating carefully. Life isn't fair, is it?

    Bye for now, going to eat breakfast.......

End of an Era, sad death of Gremlin

  I'm afraid I have sad news for readers of the Ark-- on Monday we had to have Gremlin put to sleep. He has had a heart condition for many years and had to have medicine to keep him running. Still, he was a happy and apparently healthy cat, enjoying his food and would come running across the cour when called. When he was diagnosed we really didn't expect that he would survive for so long, but he defied all pessimists and seemed to go on and on. However, an ominous lump developed on his side, a cancerous growth, that threatened his life but due to his heart condition it was impossible to operate, he would not have survived the op. But he was not really inconvenienced by the lump, and continued much as before. But the swelling got worse and while I was in the UK for a few days to fetch Kim back, it started to bleed. Agnes, who was looking after the animals, took him to the vet, who said the bleeding was not serious and he could await our return. but it was obvious that the tumour had become infected and its growth was accelerating, and we were not surprised when Francois, our vet, agreed that the time had come to decide. So we came sadly back home with an inert package in the cat box rather than our silky-haired cat. He's now buried under the quince tree in the orchard, joining several of his friends. Kim is going to plant some daffodils and cowslips round the plot.
   Its always sad to say goodbye to a much-loved pet but we are comforted by the thought that he has had a good life and we were able to let him finish it with dignity and without suffering. Goodbye, Gremlin, run free!

The Village of Wooden People?

    On recent visits to Cognac, the GPS has taken us through the village of Bréville, whose chief peculiarity  is a large number of wooden statues lining the streets. The last time we passed, I took the opportunity to stop and photograph some of them and to try to find out why the streets are largely populated by crowds of wooden beings, human, animal and mythical.
I found that the images were by various different sculptors and had to revert to the Net, once I had returned home to find out the reason behind this plethora of wooden statues. It appears that it has specialised in woodcarving, having several different workshops and training schemes and an annual fete with woodcarving as a theme. Obviously, the town has decided to display some of the best figures in its streets to an impressive degree. it certainly makes the town memorable!

  Bye for now, lunch calls

Are you a Sitztpinkler?

 I read a fascinating article on the side of the BBC news today which not only added to my knowledge, but showed me the German race in an entirely new light. A German man was being sued for 1900Eur for damage to a marble bathroom floor by a slight mis-direction when using the toilet, what the French refer to as ' pisser a coté ' The learned judge ruled that a man was not obliged to sit when using the apparatus, and that the standing position was still considered normal for men. WELL, I was not aware that the matter was in any sort of question, but as background it appears that a debate is taking place in the Fatherland as to whether the seated position should be considered the norm. Indeed, it appears there are traffic light-like signs appearing, forbidding the standing position at the adjacent toilet bowl. An opposing faction refers derisively to seated pee-ers as Sitzpinklers, implying that their masculinity is in doubt.
  As I said, the whole question is quite new to me, and the traffic light would not have conveyed any meaning. I have in the past been taken to task by Kim for a few misdirected drops, but I assure persons inviting me into their homes, that my aim is usually good, and, if the worst arrives, I would, of course, rectify any spillage with toilet paper. In the circumstances, I intend to continue proudly erect, ein Stehenpinkler whatever the traffic lights may instruct. The German male has, however, fallen slightly in my eyes.....

   Bye for now, just going to strain the greens, see a man about a dog, take a leak in fact, standing, of course!

Is There a Kitten in the House?

  I promised you at the end of my last blog to let you have news of an event after we returned from Lille. The sad death of Charlotte had left an empty space in our household, even though Mu-Mu or Mounette, as her official name is, had tried to comfort us with extra cuddles. Then Kim, surfing on the site of Annabel Hinchcliffe, who re-homes loads of kittens, had an appeal for a tri-colour kitten,  who had the name of  Lottie! We felt this was an omen, and after discussion agreed to take her on.
She was said to be extremely shy and really needed special care to win her trust with humans.
Annabel`s house is in the Dordogne, a couple of hours from here, but we are not fazed by distance and set out to fetch the kitten. Unfortunately, it was a day of mist and drizzle, as seems common lately, but we arrived ok, after a rather idiosyncratic route provided by the GPS, and found the house with not too much difficulty. Annabel was sorry to see the kitten go, she is a lovely lady and has the same attitude to cats as we do.... After coming back by a more direct
route suggested by the other GPS, we installed the new kitten in our isolation room, otherwise known as the salon. This has a wire door so the new arrival can see the other animals but there is no further interaction.

At first, the kitten hid, each time in a new hiding place, so each time we wished to cuddle her, it was a game of hide and seek. She even spat and clawed the first time we pulled her from her refuge. The strange thing was, once placed on a knee, she was quite tame and affectionate and seemed to relax under caresses, even to purr. Yet once released, it was the same game again, we even re-named her Cache-cache, the French for hide and seek, with a more formal name of  Cacharelle. Still, there are only so many hideaways, even in so cluttered a room as our lounge, so we unearthed her each time, and now she has gained confidence she can usually be found sitting in `her` armchair. We also have
been taking her on our laps in the kitchen, when we are looking at the TV in the evenings. Gradually
we are winning her confidence and in a few weeks we will risk letting her out of quarantine!

  Bye for now, going to play with Cache-cache. Kim is unfortunately suffering from a painful kidney stone and has gone back to bed with a hot-water-bottle.

Sad News, death of Charlotte

I haven`t felt much like blogging about it, still a bit choked up when I think of it. A couple of weeks before Christmas, our poor, trusting Charlotte, who had never received anything but kindness from us or our dogs, decided to climb the wall into our French neighbours` garden. They have two dogs, which are never walked, a Jack Russell type and a Setter, and the two of them must have set about Charlotte. I was alerted some time later by their barking, and found the kitten prone in the grass, soaking wet with the dogs barking at her. The owners were out but I rescued the kitten who was conscious but quite limp. We dried her out and comforted her, but she was obviously badly hurt and we took her at once to the vet. Despite his treatment, she died three hours later of crush injuries. We were both very sad, really not in the mood to celebrate Christmas this year.  RIP Charlotte.

  However, time moves on, and we did go  away to Lille on our usual Christmas visit to Cecile and Patrick and I think the change did us both good. I will tell in my next blog of our doings over Christmas and the start of the New Year.

 Bye for now, time for lunch!