06 May 2010

It looks like spring...

...but it sure doesn't feel like it. The temperature this morning is cooler than chilly. We've had fires in the wood stove for three days running. Yesterday morning, we turned the boiler on to warm up the radiators.

A view of our yard in springtime — the car is under the carport
out front, and that's a plum tree with red leaves on the right.


We haven't had much rain, but it's been pretty cloudy and gray. And windy. In fact, the two plum trees out on the edge of the vineyard — the ones that blew down in February and were pulled back up by tractor — have blown down again. Those men wasted their time pulling and propping the fallen trees back up. I guess we made the right decision when we decided to let our trees lie where they fell.

The plum trees were blown over again by this week's winds,
which are ‘visible’ in the photo, if you know what I mean.


Yesterday the work crew didn't show up to do anything up in the attic. Nobody called to say why. If they don't show up today, we'll have to call Jacques the big boss and see what's going on. The work is so close to being finished that we don't want to to be delayed now. The only big job left to do is to lay down the pine floor.

A neighbor's beautiful tamarisk tree

One reason it was a pain that the crew didn't come yesterday was that we wanted to drive over to Romorantin, which is about 30 miles from Saint-Aignan, but one of us needed to stay here during work hours. So I drove over there by myself. Walt stayed with the dog and was ready to greet Coco and his helpers.

Another neighbor's house in the hamlet

We had friends over again ysterday evening. Our social schedule got busy again all of a sudden. K & J, who came by for apéritifs and finger food, are Americans who have bought a house just 5 or 6 miles from Saint-Aignan. They are getting ready to move permanently to France. We compared notes about contractors, the kind of work that needs doing, and the best places to buy building materials, appliances, and ... wine!

Columbine in bloom in our back garden

As you can see from the pictures in this post, it does look like spring at La Renaudière. I just wish it felt like it.

11 comments:

  1. Yes, it looks fab. This is my first blog, and I send a big thank you to you both. I so enjoy your blogs and photos. I dont feel home sick as much

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  2. Here it looks like spring because there are blossoms all over the place, but it's very chilly and windy. I wish we could go back to last week's weather. It looks like you are soon going to be done with the works. Won't you be glad to see "the guys" going?

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  3. Hi Claude, you are right on both counts. When the weather (re)improves and the guys finish their work upstairs, we will be in heaven. ... Oh, I forgot all the painting we have to do, and the carting of all kinds of furniture upstairs. By autumn, we should be in good shape.

    Sue A., thanks for your comment. It sounds like you are home sick for France.

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  4. The Fouasse looks spectacular! I make pizza a lot, and occasionally Focaccia, but I'm going to have to try this new recipe. Thanks for including it.

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  5. Oops ... my comment was in the wrong posting. I had 2 of them in my Google Reader today, and this comment belongs in the other posting.

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  6. Our Columbine is blooming here now also. The chill is leaving our air and it's going to be in the 90s today. So it goes.

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  7. Do you think it's cooler because of the Iceland volcano?

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  8. I'll keep that in mind, I'm leaving for my first visit to France this weekend! Love your blog by the way! I'm from Tennessee, so we were neighbors once. : )

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  9. What a beautiful tamarisk tree! I will have to research it and find it's growing zones.

    I'm loving your new stairs!

    BettyAnn

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  10. Hello Bob R., no problem for the misplaced comment (!). How is foccacia different from fou(g)asse, I wonder...

    Starman, nobody has mentioned the ash cloud in connection with cooler weather, so I don't know.

    Jessica, hi, enjoy your trip. Hope the weather warms up for you.

    BettyAnn, well, you were here the evening the old folding attic stairs came crashing down! That was the start of our process of deciding to go ahead with the conversion of the upstairs space. Hope you'll be able to come back and see the result.

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  11. Beautiful pictures, Ken!

    I LOVE the tamarask tree.. There's also another one that I love but I don't know the name... I'll send you a picture b/c you most likely know what it is.. .

    Great to see the progress on the upstairs area... WOW! The staircase looks GREAT!!!

    Take care and bon dimance!
    Leese

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