May goings-on!

The sun is shining , there's masses of gardening to be done--and I'm stuck indoors on the computer.

I'm creating a brochure. I was rather pleased with the map--which I'd poached from my neighbour's brochure for 'Centre de Beauregard'--- but having re-drawn it on my computer it doesn't want to be 'inserted' from 'word'--and the scanner's having a wobbly. So that's all gone on hold.

Meanwhile I've had a baking session for next week's visitors, which has gone quite well alongside sorting out e-mails.
I'm not a fan of 'facebook'--but it's one way of knowing where my wayward nomadic son has got to. I understand he's on a bus to Buenos Aries.......... and then the flight back to Taiwan, where he's lived for the last few years. He spent all the 'SARS' outbreak in Taiwan--where there were plenty of outbreaks. The last 5 months have been spent travelling all over S America. A couple of weeks ago he said he was scuba diving off the coast of Columbia. Since then he's been working on a pig farm in order to earn enough to get back for his flight from BA as he'd been robbed & was a bit short of cash.
I haven't needed to mention 'swine flu'.................. everybody else on his facebook has already done so!

This week-end saw Jacki hold her 4th 'Cross country & show-jumping fun day'--I helped Mrs T with the teas. It was a lovely day, but not a very good turn-out. We put this down to other events taking place over the May holiday.
Geoff was thrilled to be put on the water-jump where he spent a happy couple of hours watching kingfishers on the River Charente!

Charroux Tourist Office sent me a brochure this morning......................
20-24 mai 2009 is their 'Festival de la randonnee'--- it's their 3rd year of this event which includes:-

Saturday 16th at 16hrs....the official inauguration of the Festival, the 'lancement' of the tourist season followed by an opening 'spectacle' and an 'aperatif'!!!!

Wednesday 20th mai ( this is franglais at its worst) there's a 'folk ball' ( ie--evening dress unlikely to be seen!) 6 euros

Thursday 21st mai 8.30am Randonnee 'la Terre de nos Ancetres'
This means that there is a guided ramble up to the pre-historic grottoes at Chauffaud...where there will be entertainments.
This is followed in the evening at 8.30pm with a cine-debate on the theme of 'joys & pains of rural life over the last 50 years' ( in French!)

Friday 22 mai at 9am is a randonnee around Charroux.

Saturday 22nd has a big multi-randonnee--bikes, push-chairs, horses & foot-soldiers! with lunch en-route sur reservation for 12 euros. In the evening there's a soiree musicale, in the parc du chateau de Rochemeau.(7 euros)

Sunday 24th May is the final day--again a randonnee in the morning and at 2pm a'baladoreve' to be held in the garden of la 'Grande Maison' --culminating in the 'pot de cloture' still in the garden of the big house at 6pm.

It all sounds a bit dry--but is really a bit of a get together & a wander round and a chat to one and all..before eating & drinking!

The wild flowers are in full bloom along the chemin around Maureville now. The early orchids are nearly over, as are the cowslips and bluebells. I haven't seen a coypu in ages......the chasse culled them quite ruthlessly this winter. Geoff found a yellow and black Fire salamander in the woods----in perfect condition, but dead.
Walking along the chemin at the back of the house two days ago, was a 3 foot grass snake, which had been cut in two by the tractor.
The swallows, sparrows and numerous blus and great tits are nesting quite openly around the house and garden. I saw a hoopoe a month ago--but not since.Geoff fears the same of his wheatear. The kestral has a nest in the back of the house like last year.
The black redstarts are here, nesting in the barn again. Nightingales and chiffchaffs and blackbirds have nests around and about--and are making a lot of noise. At night the owls are really noisy. The little owl can be seen regularly, but others are more discreet--and think we are deaf!

So that's about all for now--back to the gardening whilst the sun is shining methinks!