Hello from SW France

[Sue 47]

Hi,
I hadn't heard of Trentels and St Aubin - just looked it up. It's a couple of hours or more north of us. We keep saying we should do a tour of that area but we never seem to find the time . Only drove up there once to get my dog - but that was just a day trip. It's a lovely area . How long has your mum lived there ? Do you visit for hols then ??
Sue x

[Millymollymandy]

Is that how you met Tracey, Shiney? Or is it just a strange coincidence that they both live in the same place?

[shiney]

I met Tracey on the internet, then my mum moved to France. The house that my mum was buying fell through and Tracey offered her a roof temporarily until she found another home, which she now has!

I try and visit once a year and will go to my mums new place near the Midi Massif. The Lot is a beautiful place to live and when I go, I always eat too much and drink too much. Not good for the waistline!

[Millymollymandy]

When we toured around France before we moved here my favourite places were Lot et Garonne and Lot. Too hot for me to live in but great for holidays!

And Shiney - you are supposed to indulge on holiday! That's what dieting the rest of the year is for!

[shiney]

MMM,

The trouble is France has soooo much to indulge in!

BTW....it's flippin' freezing in Winter there. I have frozen to death twice when visiting then.

[Sue]

only just logged on after a while off - too little time etc - so welcome to all newcomers
How about "hello Vera" in the dry outdoors - you could also do a roaring trade in painted goose eggs! with homemade paint

I'm fed up coz I do not have one tomato on my huge plants (guess I am rubbish at pinching out the right bits!) and the only pumpkin I had went rotten - now hoping the next baby pumpkin will survive on a bed of straw but we are getting cold nights, and I'm sure it won't be long until the frosts arrive

I get very envious of all those out there who are successful with everything - trying to sign up for a local horticulture course though, and found a bargain garden computer "game" - by BBC, Geoff Hamilton, helps me design a garden but also learn all latin names etc. So even if I can't grow them I'll baffle you with Latin instead!

[Wombat]

The game sounds great Sue!

Nev

[diver]

welcome t othe site...can you freeze coleslaw as I have a glut of cabbages ...but I live in cool, rainy Merseyside...I suppose there are some compensations to living in the UK, but not many

[trisha5]

[Hi there. I'm in S.W. France too but we are on clay! It is very hard work but at least it doesn't dry out and when it is very hot there is nothing I can do in the garden as it as it like concrete. A vg excuse to laze by the pool. Have you thought of asparagus, it positively needs a sandy soil. Do try to find some sort of shed for the chickens and use the sawdust your husband must produce as he is a carpenter, as bedding for them. They need cleaning every 2- 3 days and the resultant "stuff" makes lovely manure. It also soaks up water so should be good for your sand.
We have been here for 12 years. We also bought a ruin and we are still working on it. My husband too is a carpenter. In this part of France there isn't much envoiremental friendly agriculture. Tha report from the water company every year states that the water supply is badly contaminated with pesticides, I won't allow visitors to drink it, especially young ones. Local people are always amazed that my garden is green even in the height of summer but won't beleive it is due to lashings of compost and just carry on burning or throwinf away compost material.
Like the site very much, lots of useful stuff. It's late here, nite nite. ook over the last couple of days - phew you cover some interesting stuff and I haven't seen half of it yet !

I live in SW France - we moved here three and a half years ago and haven't stopped running about since - so much for the quiet life ! We have renovated our old house and are now building a new house in the field next door. Things are moving slowly ! My husband is a carpenter and is doing all the work himself -( well I help ! ) but he also has to earn a living so work goes on here sporadically - to say the least !
We have one hectare of land but it is soul destroying stuff - just pure sand - soooo dry. I have a small dog proof area on which I have tried to grow veggies for three years but this year has been disatrous really. We have no well or spring so we pay for mains water and it has been so hot it has been impossible to keep up with .I put 3 tons of manure the veg patch this year too - but even that doesn't hold the water for long . It is probably cheaper to buy my veg at the market - but I will have one more years try before I convert the lot to cactus ! I have grown a few tomatoes in pots this year and herbs are in pots too - that way I can keep an eye on the water but the garden itself is now - well dead !
I have six chickens - who wander about , lay eggs in unlikely places or huff and stop laying anyway if I shut them in. Either that or something is pinching the eggs . A snake I suspect -but not sure !
I have two geese who are pets really - rescued when a neighbour moved last year. My French farmer neighbour doesn't understand why I don't put them in the pot - but I like them - and they do lay lots of eggs . One lays every day and the other - every other day - and they laid for 9 months at a stretch - just had a bit of a rest during this summer and have started laying again two days ago , Now I have the problem of how to use all the eggs - we eat a LOT of bread puddings !
I am a junk collector and a recycler extraordinaire - or as my husband says I have a house full of rubbish - still it will come in and I'm cheap to run ! I make my own paint - and am now trying my hand at traditional wall rendering . All good fun and I have a whole new house to experiment on !
Anyway nuff about me - am looking forward to getting to know this group better - you seem an innovative bunch - nice to meet you !
Sue x[/quote]

[Wombat]

G'Day Trisha5 and welcome to the site!

Nev

[Andy Hamilton]

Hi Trisha5 and sue 47, I have been offline form a bit but back now just wanted to say a quick hello.

Andy