tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84199124787066477052024-03-08T05:11:24.162+01:00in search of the kiwifollow me as I travel the globesamthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.comBlogger424125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-23551409149820299422018-01-31T15:03:00.001+01:002018-01-31T15:04:38.203+01:00Back Blogging<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully I'm back blogging now. It's been a while and a lot has changed since I last wrote back in June 2016.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There have been a number of reasons why I have been AWOL, the main one being that I could no longer access the page. Blogger was swallowed by Google at some stage and I lost track of my passwords and user names and it all became rather complicated. Coupled with life without electricity and easy internet access discouraged me further from taking the time and energy to find a way back. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But here I am, fingers crossed that this isn't going to be a 'one off' posting, with news and a huge update on snippets of what's been going on in my life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll try to put them in chronological order, but can't promise complete accuracy........</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've moved from France to Spain, well, more accurately Catalunya. I found a property soon after my last blog posting, in the summer of 2016 and bought it in the heat of the summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With plenty of land, mainly planted with hazel nut coppice, along with some olives, almonds, figs and other fruit trees. A considerable amount of clearing is needed as the previous owner was unwell for some time, but I know basically what I'm needing to do and am sure that the weeds won't grow back half as fast as they did in France. It's far too dry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The house is just outside a village of 400 inhabitants with a small general store, a couple of restaurants a bar and summer pool, so I'll have much more chance to be sociable (so long as I make the effort). and only fifteen minutes from the sizeable town of Reus, with all the amenities imaginable, including an international airport with flights back to the UK and beyond. Twenty five minutes from the coast and golden sandy beaches of the Costa Daurada and within easy reach of Barcelona by road or train. </span> </div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-18429908466913913072016-06-08T11:17:00.002+02:002016-06-08T11:17:35.982+02:00tasty and natural<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I was surprised to see elder growing here, I had imagined that the climate would have been too hot and dry, but I was wrong. They were flowering as I arrived at the convent and my hosts had already made elderflower syrup this year. We chatted about other uses and ended up gathering bafulls of flowers that we set to dry as an ingredient for herbal tea, either on its own or to blend with other herbs. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The plants cling to the wettest places and are found alongside streams and in damp valleys where they can thrive. We drove out into the countryside and spent an enjoyable couple of hours harvesting and chatting in the warm spring sunshine. Whilst chatting, it transpired that they had packets of seeds to sprout, that they had never dared to try, so were excited to hear that it was something that I regularly did. That evening we set to soak three different sprouts, mung beans which give chinese bean sprouts, sunflower seeds and cress. A week later they were nicely sprouted and we enjoyed them in salads accompanied by fresh leaves and shoots from the garden.</span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-6652499545209817492016-06-07T10:01:00.002+02:002016-06-07T10:01:50.871+02:00time at the convent<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The convent that I stayed in next was on the edge of a large village up in the hills behind Tarragona, about 20 minutes from the sea. It was the first time I had visited the area and I was pleasantly surprised by the natural landscape. There were high hills/mountains inland, lush hillsides and vineyards, I use lush loosely and to compare it with other areas of Spain, it was still fairly arid and dry compared to the UK or my little patch of France, but pleasing none the less. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Disappointing though, plenty of industrial areas with huge huge warehouses, factories and commercial buildings. They tend now to be gathered into specific areas which is good news but due to the giant oil refinery on the coast there is bound to be a large amount of associated manufacturing in the area. I didn’t let all of that put me off as the landscape undulated and there are still many beautiful areas with unspoiled views, interesting villages and properties to be found.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My hosts are in the process of partially restoring the convent which had been abandoned for many decades. The plan is to renovate the two side aisles of the building, shaped like a church, leaving the central nave roofless as a courtyard within. There had been some work unsympathetic done, before the building was protected as a historic monument, by a recent previous owner, that has to stay. But the rest will continue in a more harmonious style, mainly to consolidate and secure what remains of the building.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The land around the building had long been a dumping ground for the neighbourhood, fly tipping and an accumulation of years of junk has already been cleared and the transformation back into a garden has begun. I was tasked with weeding, strimming the waist high vegetation and to help guide my hosts into planning a suitable garden for the convent. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I toiled each morning, took a short break then trawled estate agent web sites and their offices during the afternoons. Timings in Spain are different again to france, with the majority of shops and offices closing at around 13.00 and reopening anywhere between 16.00 and 17.30 through till 20.00 or 21.00. I began to take full advantage of a mini siesta, even though the weather was not that warm, to ward off the tiredness of constant late nights, easy to adapt too and very useful.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Discovering houses all over the region gave me an excellent opportunity to find out where felt good and what I was really looking for. I soon became aware of the eye sores and the unattractiveness of the local industry as well as the quiet hidden villages nestling in the countryside. Unfortunately the houses that I was drawn to on paper were not in appropriate places for what I have planned for the future. Access along miles of dirt track or through industrial zones won’t be conducive to people visiting for holidays or to attend gardening courses, not the appealing to me either with my quest for easy access and involvement with local community. I saw some lovely and very reasonable properties but my quest continues.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">what is supposed to be there</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">amazing courtyard</td></tr>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-89442195127884641182016-05-26T09:53:00.000+02:002016-06-07T09:57:05.467+02:00spring in sitges<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’m having a bit of time away after the winter, partly holiday and also a bit more of a nose into the possibilities in Spain. I have mentioned my ideas in previous posts from last autumn.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For this trip I have decided to HelpX again, It’s been a while since I gave a hand to folk and decided that it would also be a better way of getting to know the area in a bit more detail. Thankfully I had made arrangements in advance, as Percy was still in the garage, waiting for a new wheel bearing to be fixed, when I was due to leave. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I am away in my new, old Golf, a great vehicle and a joy to drive. Nippy, easy to park, more economical and much less stressful than the van for the journey I am making this time.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My first stop was in Sitges, with a german family who relocated to Spain many years ago. It was good to hear the stories of settling in and integration into a new way of life and to marvel at the flexibility of languages, with the family speaking german or spanish together, the two boys tended to use catalan between themselves and everyone spoke amazingly good english whenever I was to included in the conversation.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I painted for them, firstly the front facade of the house, which wasn’t at all difficult, just the distance from the ground in some instances, the house is built into a steep hillside so it feels high up even before climbing a ladder. It was great to make such a fast transformation to a property and the results were immediately appreciated. Then, after, refreshed one of the guest bedrooms in the house. I discovered quite how poor low cost paint can be, it was taking five or six coats to give decent coverage so it was soon replaced with a higher quality product and progress was much faster. I easily got everything done within the week that I was staying.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I made full use of my free time, heading to the beach most days to soak up a bit of sun and for a glorious swim in the sea, I spent much time touring estate agents, checking property websites and heading out to visit potential properties. It’s interesting to see how different planning laws have affected housing here and how the enthusiasm (greed) of the last property boom has changed the landscape, particularly as it was stopped in full flow when the most recent financial crash hit the shores. There are unfinished estates of houses all over the place, strange zones of cramped housing where the city folk once had allotments and a tiny shed that have since been developed, often without permission, over the decades, leading to fairly smart, pricy properties squashed together with completely inadequate vehicle access and an almost shanty feel. Not cheap either, until you discover that there is little other alternative in many places without being completely out in the sticks. I found nothing that fitted my criterion during the week that I was there, so headed off, as planned to my next host an hour or so further south.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">woody, my golf on holiday in the sun<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the sun setting over the catalan hills</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">freshly painted facade </td></tr>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-10244611011618853702016-05-03T21:05:00.001+02:002016-05-03T21:05:18.030+02:00a little landscaping project <br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Just been over to my good friend Vanessa’s for a few days whilst my van’s been in to get a wheel bearing changed. The bearing still isn’t done, but that’s another story. We’d skid a few times during the winter and thought it would be fun to spend a bit of time comparing notes and planing the future a bit considering that we are both single (now) and living in rural france. Most of the time it’s great, though the long dark winter nights can be rather lonely and it takes huge effort to remain upbeat and sociable throughout the winter months. We had a great time, the weather was fairly warm and sunny, there was a gardening project that had been discussed in the autumn to be completed. the emphasis is still on internal renovations of the house, though they are coming to an end, vaguely, after four or so years. (no thanks) So i got on and tidied up a bit outside, around what used to be a cow shed and store room and is just outside the kitchen door. Sorry, no other photos, still getting used to using my phone to take pictures and don’t always think!! Anyway we had a great time and hopefully advanced our thinking on rural living for singles........</span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-84041860393811758822016-04-13T20:45:00.000+02:002016-05-03T21:00:06.523+02:00back home in the sunshineHurray, after a long and interesting winter I have finished in the mountains and am back on my land in Vieuzos. <br />
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It's been a mild winter with plenty of rain, warm temperatures and sunshine, so everything has been growing like the clappers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">winter mustard as a 'green' mulch being cut back and returned to the soil</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">brassicas, fruit bushes and some impressive onions after a bit of weeding</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">russian kale still going strong</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">list of seeds sown, crate four</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another beautiful sunset<br /></td></tr>
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Check out what I've been uncovering in the veggie plot. Immediately after weeding, am getting seeds planted directly in the raised beds and also sowing cells and my usual transplantable toilet roll tubes for beans, peas and squash plants. they should be ready for planting out in a good couple of weeks if the weather continues to be as warm as it has been for the last few days.samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-14630685782817528752016-03-13T22:05:00.001+01:002016-03-13T22:07:48.632+01:00let them eat cake<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">and tarts and all manner of other delicious desserts that we provide here at the refuge.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s often the evening shift that prepares the desserts, the pastry bases having been cooked off in the hot oven after lunchtime service. It’s often a quieter and calmer time of day to be doing such baking and usefully fills the time whilst evening guests are dining.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Dinner is served at seven thirty, soup usually, served in large tureens placed directly on the table for guests to help them selves, followed by a main meal, again served in its entirety on a large serving platter and left for guests to help themselves. It is a mountain refuge (of sorts) rather than a hotel, so participation is the name of the game. Desserts are often individual, sometimes specifically produced for the evening clientelle, though often the same as we prepare for lunchtime.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Chocolate tartlets are filled with home made chocolate filling, as are the lemon ones. Blueberry pies are lined with confectioners custard and topped with tinned blueberries. Apple tarts are baked on site as are most of the other creations, though the pastry and pastry cases arrive frozen and many of the other ingredients ready prepared. Fruit salad arrives fresh in large tubs ready to be improved with other fruits and a good slosh of rum, before being portioned out. Rice pudding is made in bulk and stored in vacuum bags in the cold room until needed. Other desserts, the more fragile ones tend to be made on the day.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">During dinner, we set to and get as much preparation for the following day out of the way, so that the following morning can be slightly more leisurely. That said, after a lunchtime service of two hundred or so, leisurely isn’t often an appropriate word to use. It’s full on right the way through. Individual plates of local cheeses, local ham and charcuterie are set out and cling filmed to help keep them fresh, stored in refrigerators before going on sale the following day. Unused items are ‘refreshed’ as necessary and presented for the allowed number of days before (rarely, if we get it right) being discarded - to the local fox.</span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-62868280086469503152016-03-04T22:00:00.000+01:002016-03-13T22:07:37.497+01:00going to workThe weather is frequently interesting on the way to work, at least it wasn't too windy today.....<br />
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-10686167207110434362016-03-01T21:58:00.000+01:002016-03-13T22:07:19.061+01:00skiing<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Unlike the previous years that I have spent here, snow has been exceptionally sparse this winter. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Through to the end of December only twenty percent or so of the resort was open. I didn’t ski at all until the second week or January, having waited patiently for a decent fall of snow. It wasn’t really that much, but enough to properly cover the ground surrounding the ski runs, making the place much more beautiful and white.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">proper snow</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Since then, the whole resort has been poised, skis and boards at the ready for a really decent quantity of snow to fall. To date, we’re still poised and waiting. It’s just going to be a low snow year. (since writing there has been a couple of decent snow falls and everyone is much happier)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">That said, I’ve had the good chance to have a couple of the best weather days off of the season so far. Twice, immediately after a couple of days of grey, precipitous days when a fair quantity of snow has fallen, beautiful blue skied sunny days with not too many people on the slopes. Each time I’ve been out with my ski buddy Pierre and we’ve said, ‘just the morning, till eleven or so, we’ll leave before the crowds arrive and it gets too busy’. Each time we get to eleven and it’s still great, the crowds start to fill the slopes, we persevere for a bit and then stop and have a drink for half an hour or so. By which time it’s midday and the whole population of France are thinking about food, the temptation is overwhelming, almost without exception everyone has to stop and eat, and by twelve thirty the mountains are almost devoid of people. It happens everywhere, but is most noticeable in a ski resort when everyone disappears for a good hour and a half for a sit down meal. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pierre with his snowboard</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It changes our minds every time and we carry on skiing, making the most of the clockwork eating habits of the nation, only deciding to call it a day when they finally start to reemerge after a thoroughly decent meal. I used to tell guests that lunch time was the best time to ski, but none of them ever managed to go without, or eat on the lifts and take advantage, or the empty slopes, it’s just not in a Frenchmans’ psyche to miss a meal. This phenomenon allows us extra time on the snow without the inconvenience of queueing for lifts or crowded pistes and we make the most of it every time. </span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-24121786097941977322016-02-24T21:53:00.000+01:002016-03-13T22:07:00.363+01:00discovering <br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Back to my winter adventure, or more aptly put, my winter journey of discovery. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’ve been aware for a while that I haven’t written and it’s gotten me thinking as to why I haven’t had the inspiration to do so. To date, there is no one specific cause, but a series of causes and reasons that have reduced my motivation to put pen to paper (so to speak). </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For the last month or so, I’ve been working six full days a week, plus a good hour and a half, two hours, journey time on top every day. It’s not enormous, and I’ve worked much harder and longer hours than that in the past, but it seems to be taking it’s toll this year. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow from my apartment window</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The evenings are altogether more calm, only overnight guests stay on, they all eat the same meal at the same time and tend to be quite self contained. Evenings reminiscent of the Lou Rider days for me, with people sitting round playing cards or games together. Lacking, here, though, is the relaxing crackle of an open log fire and the possibility to recline on a comfortable sofa after a day on the slopes. The ambiance remains one of a self service restaurant trying to be a mountain refuge by night. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Staff planning has to take into account the fact that we might be busy, it’s too late at 12:30 to call in reinforcements as it takes a good hour to get there from the nearest village, so a full team has to be in place for the start of lunchtime service. If it’s busy, fine, everyone works flat out, rather too factory like in some respects, but fast and efficiently, to ensure that anyone that arrives is served appropriately and that after they leave, the whole place is clean and tidy before the day team leave on the last chair lift. When it’s quiet, however, not only is the whole team geared up to work flat out, there is very little ancillary work that can be done to fill the time. If it’s reasonably busy time passes relatively fast, but the fewer the diners, the slower the day passes, when there is almost no one, time drags like eternity and the tiredness sets in. A huge amount of psychological and physical energy is invested in the expectation and preparation for a busy day, the deflation is imminently notable when it doesn’t happen. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For me, with years of retail experience and the fact that I have adapted to so many different situations during my travels, I don’t find the fluctuations too difficult to deal with. Unfortunately for a few of the others, their tolerance for the impressive changes in workload is somewhat lacking and the ability to change speed relating to work load incredibly difficult to deal with. It becomes wearing none the less.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Personally, my journey of discovery, continues with my likes, dislikes and preferences in such situations. For the future I would pay more attention finding a workplace that allows time for personal contact with clients/customers. Perhaps a restaurant, or hotel with live in accommodation. Somewhere with a bit more continuity within work tasks and the chance to take a bit more responsibility. Here, we jump from task to task, from day to day, with no continuity, filling in where needed and where necessary - it’s how seasonal work works I guess, yet it could be more fulfilling.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I frequently have ideas and try to share my skills in customer service and retail management here. On occasion my suggestions are well received and implemented, but I find that the underlying attitude to customers and how they are viewed by retail and service providers remains markedly different between our two countries.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2zOBgvlYgHg5yGPYdYbNsEkqhMUiu-LBSBcsd6e2UJHgRjO_ma7x1qRCFAhdSkSlyMVfIpx5V517MbvC7_vtbpMJp7u9Pa4qTmkU2r51sioRJEu99JPyuCJc1NMk8fEJuxQctXT-MM8/s1600/IMG_1026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2zOBgvlYgHg5yGPYdYbNsEkqhMUiu-LBSBcsd6e2UJHgRjO_ma7x1qRCFAhdSkSlyMVfIpx5V517MbvC7_vtbpMJp7u9Pa4qTmkU2r51sioRJEu99JPyuCJc1NMk8fEJuxQctXT-MM8/s320/IMG_1026.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Refuge where I work. Now with snow</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I now have huge respect for those people who work tirelessly behind the scenes of self service restaurants year in year out, for the effort they put in to producing the food that (some of them) serve, all ours is produced on the premises. Mostly these workers don’t get to see the people they feed, let alone converse with them, and as a customer, I have never given that much thought to what goes on behind those stainless steel and glass counters that one encounters all over the place. If it’s good food, well presented, compliments due.</span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-63834554200035073462016-01-21T18:40:00.005+01:002016-01-21T18:40:51.601+01:00missing dogs<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’m missing my dog walking on a Wednesday morning.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When I am in Vieuzos, I try to keep Wednesday mornings free. I go to Lannemezan market to shop - all my favourite stalls for bread, cheese (right smelly stuff sometimes) pesticide free veg - for the things I haven’t yet grown in the garden, fruit and anything else that takes my fancy. It’s great to have a good nose around and see what’s available before buying and have a chat with some of the stall holders.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Then, after the market, I head out of town to the local dog refuge and volunteer dog walk. A team of volunteers arrive each week to give all the dogs a walk, it depends on how many people turn up as to how many dogs you get to walk and how long it takes. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A great opportunity to meet new folk, have a good chat, plenty of fresh air and give the poor abandoned pooches a bit of love and exercise. I love going and it’s so warming to see how happy the dogs are when the get to stretch their legs, they are all so lovely, even the damaged and lost souls appreciate the attention and respond well to having a bit of calm away from the pound if only for a short while. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://midipyreneessouth.angloinfo.com/classifieds/viewfeatured/499392/the-dog-refuge-les-potes-a-pouf-">article about the dog home</a> click here</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Most of the dogs seem to be re-homed fairly quickly, though some stay for months and months and become favourites to the walkers. I tend to get given the more boistrous, bouncy individuals as I am seen to have a calming influence on most of my charges. I have my brother, the earstwhile dog whisperer, to thank for imparting his wisdom, fairly subconsciously, in my direction, it seems to have stuck and on the whole am able to reproduce his teachings and techniques with positive results.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Unfortunately I don’t often get a day off on a Wednesday during the winter, so I miss my weekly walk. Here are are some photos of the most recent dog walk I did. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjg9y-sNbooEml-PptiTgCoI6EbdX5gcGrwhIF5dDDuL5hSjHf4_P1ogE2Yh4qXsAdewCFgGC6gpnfdZpcZ1I-SlrlR1-Zy8E7JvbzVqIJnk-CmcnjOphqYnNPbUG1a9ZTZjwKAXAFGCU/s1600/IMG_0472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjg9y-sNbooEml-PptiTgCoI6EbdX5gcGrwhIF5dDDuL5hSjHf4_P1ogE2Yh4qXsAdewCFgGC6gpnfdZpcZ1I-SlrlR1-Zy8E7JvbzVqIJnk-CmcnjOphqYnNPbUG1a9ZTZjwKAXAFGCU/s320/IMG_0472.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">do I get a treat now?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqDJNxg7z0uYxidvhSzBCeqAlEl9FfWm24IVKWXUq483IIWlJB37Ga6Kg5DWMUFz2NLJr6swbfpZMHZZG7VofbLnxrWm_ihK1klQfbWbBX294poDmchoFDQhaEEed5AMrc3FGSK89Ii8/s1600/IMG_0487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqDJNxg7z0uYxidvhSzBCeqAlEl9FfWm24IVKWXUq483IIWlJB37Ga6Kg5DWMUFz2NLJr6swbfpZMHZZG7VofbLnxrWm_ihK1klQfbWbBX294poDmchoFDQhaEEed5AMrc3FGSK89Ii8/s320/IMG_0487.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a balmy early January day</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKf61MzXKjnzCv9viOs-FoOqfTRhhfMEJb2A8Rz_ttYWYlEMdGZmkfLRni9r94LXR9nKujtlOtZoucXmXcP1mcQfF_VPuaInSZBX6AvEehId6RyoX_yBYUEeSmdLO7u62Cj0hTGhE0FK4/s1600/IMG_0489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKf61MzXKjnzCv9viOs-FoOqfTRhhfMEJb2A8Rz_ttYWYlEMdGZmkfLRni9r94LXR9nKujtlOtZoucXmXcP1mcQfF_VPuaInSZBX6AvEehId6RyoX_yBYUEeSmdLO7u62Cj0hTGhE0FK4/s320/IMG_0489.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some of the pound</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3P360n33_v67R30fp5vbZ4uOYYJObsjHswqq7KTkkxn8GIr_eysqcAbPBiqL1R0rt9qdZTmIGM0FKkZrjFD2CcAjZfORrXT-aVU-6CmlYBuaRDukaVvyrNOsX1YlG9hdsKIhIHmbSNf0/s1600/IMG_0491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3P360n33_v67R30fp5vbZ4uOYYJObsjHswqq7KTkkxn8GIr_eysqcAbPBiqL1R0rt9qdZTmIGM0FKkZrjFD2CcAjZfORrXT-aVU-6CmlYBuaRDukaVvyrNOsX1YlG9hdsKIhIHmbSNf0/s320/IMG_0491.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some more of the pound</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSXCiBva_iceNP4n-ONpD9mA72uxXvoSJWEEs-YRLgH2yjlezKL_RiJ_mrhghTTx6_Bl-bFEXQfdfj65czl_cWpGzQespaWrYr5gi0rvvFaM3fN7jrA_jEsPeB4k_KIucNYzXXSZO6q8/s1600/IMG_0498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSXCiBva_iceNP4n-ONpD9mA72uxXvoSJWEEs-YRLgH2yjlezKL_RiJ_mrhghTTx6_Bl-bFEXQfdfj65czl_cWpGzQespaWrYr5gi0rvvFaM3fN7jrA_jEsPeB4k_KIucNYzXXSZO6q8/s320/IMG_0498.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wanting another walk already</td></tr>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-82469063923903089742016-01-13T17:59:00.000+01:002016-01-21T17:59:59.709+01:00heading to work<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’ve found my morning routine now. I get up just before six, pass by the bathroom, put the kettle on and spend fifteen minutes involved in stretching and breathing exercises. (the first chapter of a Tai Chi book that I started a couple of years ago) I’ll proceed through the rest of the book one day, but for the moment this does me the world of good, Make a cup of tea and enjoy a bowl of fruit and nut porridge, slow cooked in a thermos that I start off the night before. Put on my outdoor gear over what I am already wearing, thick ski trousers, my big jacket, equip myself with snow boots, gloves, goggles, wooly hat and ipod and set off towards Saint Lary at around seven ten/fifteen. Have to be there by seven thirty. It’ll have to be earlier when it’s snowed hard, but for now, that’s not happened. During the brisk walk through the village I listen to Michel Thomas teaching Spanish. Fifteen minutes every morning gets me to work with a few extra words and I go over and over the class till it sticks in my head. If I get other opportunities, such as alone in a ski lift, of an evening or on the way home, I listen to more, but it gets me to work every morning in a productive manner.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I say to work, it’s the meeting point for where everyone who works in the refuge or another restaurant on the slopes, the Merlans, has to meet to start the communal journey up the mountain.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There is a mini bus that takes nine of us, any one else has to take the cable car and a bus for the first leg of the journey. Twenty minutes or so drive up the windy mountain road to the next stage of the journey, the ‘eggs’ enclosed pods that seat six that take us another 600m up into the ski resort. Before we leave on these there are usually a couple of lorries waiting with deliveries for</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">the two establishments. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The deliveries are unloaded outside the building and the boxes carried upstairs to the departure level by hand. Once all there and the ‘eggs’ are ready to go, some of the team heads off to the top to receive the boxes. Down below, one or two people load each pod with a couple of boxes, making sure that they are easily retrievable as the pod passes by at the top. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The lift takes eleven minutes to reach the top when running well, a lot longer when there are technical difficulties or it is windy, the longest ascent for me has been over half an hour, howling sub zero winds outside, swirling snow and minimal visibility in the dawn twilight (if there is such a thing). </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">At the top, the team manhandle the boxes out of the pods, pass them along a human chain to be loaded into a snow scooter trailer for the next leg of the journey. There is frequently too much merchandise for one trailer, so it heads off to be unloaded before returning for the remaining items. My, our, goods always get loaded second as they go to a different location where they are unloaded once again, in preparation for a downward journey by chair lift to the refuge. To catch up with the snow scooter and our goods, we either take a ski lift on it’s descent, which takes five minutes or so if it’s running, or a brisk fifteen/twenty minutes by food along the edge of a ski slope, way before any skiers are about. Not too bad when it’s calm and sunny, but when the weather sets in, all that clothing I mentioned earlier comes in mighty useful.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We then wait with our goods until the lift team arrive and go through their start up procedures and ensure that the lift is running. Sometimes they are already there. Our goods are then manhandled again and precariously placed on individual chairs on a chair lift, one person sets off ahead to receive them down below. Smaller items go in large plastic crates, though care must be taken as the crates then have to be lifted on and off of the ever moving chairs as they pass by. (Never would this be allowed in the UK, Health and Safety would have a field day)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This lift then drops down into the most remote and inaccessible part of the resort. Frequently accessible by ski slope, but this season, due to the lack of snow, only by this lift. A glorious setting overlooking wild mountain scenery where mountain beasts roam and birds of prey circle overhead. No lights are visible at night and the only sounds are from the constant torrent of water in the stream and the wind in the trees. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The boxes are grabbed off the chairs as they pass then walked, barrowed or sack trucked the last twenty metres to the back door of the refuge where they are sorted and stored immediately.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The morning team frequently don’t arrive and finish putting away the delivery of the day until way gone ten o’clock.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfDSxrOobf4JiDGSCoIfhLzpsK_cG40DeE1znluH2XK5oX3JwP5RU8NIOwSyaueABHslMst_AVqIjTTkxzXoma9a8Wmz-JmCuIfii9Kde5e3NxtJzC_PY0GmpDOk2G3xYe0KB62ZI0vQ/s1600/IMG_0581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfDSxrOobf4JiDGSCoIfhLzpsK_cG40DeE1znluH2XK5oX3JwP5RU8NIOwSyaueABHslMst_AVqIjTTkxzXoma9a8Wmz-JmCuIfii9Kde5e3NxtJzC_PY0GmpDOk2G3xYe0KB62ZI0vQ/s320/IMG_0581.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
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on top of the world at sunriseo </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAo4HZlSSM1wbNELQPYPDvJ3PUoJIGW0-32KcrFuRk1WD9ARFmShFjD7aaUbDvwfpn5hzQXLFzag7c8IVk_NrFpZekl6BzY3jPkKeKIhRQEtzfoO-77HNXMZLVi-6uCYAV06FsYJOZfeA/s1600/IMG_0582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAo4HZlSSM1wbNELQPYPDvJ3PUoJIGW0-32KcrFuRk1WD9ARFmShFjD7aaUbDvwfpn5hzQXLFzag7c8IVk_NrFpZekl6BzY3jPkKeKIhRQEtzfoO-77HNXMZLVi-6uCYAV06FsYJOZfeA/s320/IMG_0582.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">loading our delivery onto the snow scooter trailer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVSTGT7ijI4jEofi-HQpkBnvmC0V1c3BKWJtMZGx8dPIHciBQvLnUxni1K1jc1aJhyek38R0QXburFpe0aDwNnbb5CchQrEJvISOhApLVvLvie63NQBYWWFeFJOBSFHra6PMTLMnisXc/s1600/IMG_0593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVSTGT7ijI4jEofi-HQpkBnvmC0V1c3BKWJtMZGx8dPIHciBQvLnUxni1K1jc1aJhyek38R0QXburFpe0aDwNnbb5CchQrEJvISOhApLVvLvie63NQBYWWFeFJOBSFHra6PMTLMnisXc/s320/IMG_0593.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">last weeks rubbish heading down the moutain</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmXuhswmQC6u9_8baNanTqA_g3M__I8_ccpCjzy4mfkJm1FFEmvZLwqrvQQf6Dqsd8g-DdamUuEWU3KPaGpro-XhOp5LcSDxF0eFucjpPPWeKPTNdt8oLQAFRmdLxE2QRsSUCIkt8Ofs/s1600/IMG_0594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmXuhswmQC6u9_8baNanTqA_g3M__I8_ccpCjzy4mfkJm1FFEmvZLwqrvQQf6Dqsd8g-DdamUuEWU3KPaGpro-XhOp5LcSDxF0eFucjpPPWeKPTNdt8oLQAFRmdLxE2QRsSUCIkt8Ofs/s320/IMG_0594.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">en route - walking down an empty ski slope </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_G9venRiwZLfE7scKbtk_2ZcykEizixU80o4EsFy4UsMAO-2H7WVN0vPjbfP9eaCPnem7fNegk5LpxEfWdCekp35Xv1UZsYqBMhRKIgqq2VmcnHDQx1m4YjTExzWW0QFOV1c2K0zK4A8/s1600/IMG_0614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_G9venRiwZLfE7scKbtk_2ZcykEizixU80o4EsFy4UsMAO-2H7WVN0vPjbfP9eaCPnem7fNegk5LpxEfWdCekp35Xv1UZsYqBMhRKIgqq2VmcnHDQx1m4YjTExzWW0QFOV1c2K0zK4A8/s320/IMG_0614.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we came from right up there in the distance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbT30bYTEXCHAIOnFSqCFOIbI5ELY1n_ymJpsOw484dTIq9jQ-Obxe3MYO2DoSRflh1JoGds6dbDeBOHtO-Jv9tD-tTYpRTf8TicJWdIpvnCmW9vZAxqfPErclhyphenhyphenOSmx3F-UubZYTfEMw/s1600/IMG_0617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbT30bYTEXCHAIOnFSqCFOIbI5ELY1n_ymJpsOw484dTIq9jQ-Obxe3MYO2DoSRflh1JoGds6dbDeBOHtO-Jv9tD-tTYpRTf8TicJWdIpvnCmW9vZAxqfPErclhyphenhyphenOSmx3F-UubZYTfEMw/s320/IMG_0617.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">going down again with boxes of stores</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1UVRtUanKg-vkG3cuVm6prYuPEUzhYlwWFa4oTswCjqYP0Fk9q2pUhcH6uRPLLc5DJoKr9A1yujMGn1QIJE5Tb6cmxxXOILFrCsuBYrsX107Y_MFaHVbbYYqGYRMJaHhWZDnixVlzf0/s1600/IMG_0625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1UVRtUanKg-vkG3cuVm6prYuPEUzhYlwWFa4oTswCjqYP0Fk9q2pUhcH6uRPLLc5DJoKr9A1yujMGn1QIJE5Tb6cmxxXOILFrCsuBYrsX107Y_MFaHVbbYYqGYRMJaHhWZDnixVlzf0/s320/IMG_0625.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and down further</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdykvkHIDTPzKrvyFDaR6emZmSMxtMtlw87oePvGvOwMIqLjwAhOncdlWoRTDZNExg9YlMR2PkjpCPINYAXPhc8blAX7dwpFqPP1B-Ql5iKOPCMhFSWd2xUPy1RE-WTCwVqB53fSEzeO8/s1600/IMG_0628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdykvkHIDTPzKrvyFDaR6emZmSMxtMtlw87oePvGvOwMIqLjwAhOncdlWoRTDZNExg9YlMR2PkjpCPINYAXPhc8blAX7dwpFqPP1B-Ql5iKOPCMhFSWd2xUPy1RE-WTCwVqB53fSEzeO8/s320/IMG_0628.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is going to look amazing covered in snow</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4wIOLeMK99ybKK7VRIei_oIsuK0ob5hGV7Sf391PyDISP9yWxPvSfv2uCUnK2nml8orA15PMLqPF_9XKoKHZr0XPf8D4HjlOmLBFAu8PsyaEDvuwPocgcmdlxhT6c9hgZ5WjegnGLoY/s1600/IMG_0631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4wIOLeMK99ybKK7VRIei_oIsuK0ob5hGV7Sf391PyDISP9yWxPvSfv2uCUnK2nml8orA15PMLqPF_9XKoKHZr0XPf8D4HjlOmLBFAu8PsyaEDvuwPocgcmdlxhT6c9hgZ5WjegnGLoY/s320/IMG_0631.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">to the refuge - new wooden fascade on the left of the photo, the Lac de l'Oule dam is visible on the right.<br /></td></tr>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-61596602239670048722016-01-06T17:46:00.000+01:002016-01-21T17:50:10.142+01:00days off without much snow<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On my first day off I had expected to be heading for the slopes to ski, but with the beautifully warm weather, blue skies and sunshine, I decided I would rather enjoy a good hike instead.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In the view from my front door, I can see across Saint Lary village and the valley across the other side and away towards the mountains in the distance, There is a road pass that rises to the lowest part of the valley over there with stunning 360 degree views at the top. that was to be my destination.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The road and then hiking trail that I joined, part of the Atlantic to Mediterranean Pyrenean GR10 trail, took me in exactly the right direction to reach the pass, col d’Azet and I spent a very enjoyable day hiking up through quaint mountain villages, past miniature working farms, through patches of woodland, through fields of pasture, over babbling streams and, nearer the top, across more open moor type land rising to the ridge and view on the other side. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Strangely, for the end of December, the vegetation remained lush and green, insects and even a butterfly or two whirled about in the air and tiny lizards, basking in the warm sun, darted to safety as my foot steps warned them of my approach. Violets flowered under hedgerows in places and catkins plumped themselves, imagining that spring had already arrived, in preparation for wind blown pollination that doesn’t usually happen for another three or four months. I marvelled at the power of sunshine and warmth on our natural vegetation and prayed, at the same time, for cold winter weather to arrive promptly and put a stop to the untimely advance of the season before it was too late. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I had already had a conversation about cherry blossom that someone had seen in a neighbouring valley and feared that if things advanced too far before the real winter set in, we would see disasterous harvests of fruit next year. If the flowers open and are then frosted, they come to nothing, the resultant fruit, that usually takes the better part of spring and summer to ripen, has no time to form and there is no chance for flower buds to be created again before winter real sets in. The trees are then in a weakened state through this unnatural effort and start up again in the following spring less able to protect themselves from disease and insect attack.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I averted myself from dwelling on such possibilities and concentrated on the majesty and grandure of the landscape, marvelled on the immense power of bye gone glaciers that carved the landscape millions of years ago, the constantly changing scenery, that we will never see, over millennia, as the iberian peninsula constantly pushes against the rest of europe, forcing these ancient mountains to resist the ever present attack of natural erosion, whilst, on the surface, we busy ourselves with every day life as if it is the most important thing in the world. To be outside in such amazing natural scenery can put everything into perspective, even if it only lasts an afternoon or a day, it’s a joy to behold and something to be remembered on other occasions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On the third picture, Vignec, where my flat is, is visible in the distant valley.</span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-28446911255387888432015-12-14T09:57:00.000+01:002015-12-26T10:12:37.661+01:00another winter in the mountains<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Now I am in the mountains, the Pyrenees to be exact. Back again for another winter season. This time its somewhere new, a mountain top refuge and hostel for walkers in the summer and in the winter a ski lodge and restaurant. No doubt I’ll write more about the Refuge de l’Oule during the winter, so will leave it for now.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Unlike before I have to find my own accommodation. Fortunately, after the last few years being here, I knew that renting would be difficult close to the start of the season, with the number of seasonal workers that arrive to make the place function as it should. Forewarned, I rented a small apartment back in November, before heading to the UK, so that all would be in place on my return. It’s a great little place, quite modern - so not draughty, about ten minutes walk from where I need to be in the mornings for work, slightly removed from the touristy part of the village so nice and quiet too. There’s a tiny snug little bar just down the road, just to make it easy to stretch my legs of an evening if I feel the need.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">For the last few days I have been driving backwards and forwards gathering all my belongings here for the winter. Sorting out work contracts, seasonal worker ski passes and making sure that I am properly equipped for the next four months. The flat has two bedrooms which makes it ideal to sub let. I’ve bagged the small room for myself and, with minimal difficulty, now have two younger lads to share the large double upstairs. Their room so big that, with the right configuration of furniture, the two beds are almost completely separate and both are very happy especially as they both have decent work contracts for the whole season.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from my apartment window</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">village of Vignec, my winter home</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the way to work</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the green lights show the open ski runs - waiting on more snow......<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">festive lights in Saint Lary</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’m excited to have the whole winter pre-planned and am looking forward to getting stuck in to whatever is in store for me up in the mountains. It’s going to be a bit like before, but more. Snow clearing, bar work, kitchen hand and server, washer upper and cleaner, though no ironing or making beds, the guests have to do that themselves. An entirely french team, with a proper work contract and decent wages, a real step up in the greater scheme of things. The journey to and from work is by cable car, bus and chair lifts, with a bit of a walk across the snow somewhere in the middle, I can see that being a blog on it’s own one day. It’s remote, and at night the only visible light from the building is going to be the stars. It should be amazing. Just watch this space.</span></div>
samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-43573984864617594712015-12-10T09:56:00.000+01:002015-12-26T09:57:13.798+01:00belated celebrations <br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have moved on yet again. Since I last wrote a lot has happened. I left Spain full of dreams and excitement for relocating only to arrive back home, in Vieuzos, to the most wonderful spell of weather imaginable for early November, It was hotter, sunnier and more enjoyable than the weather I experienced in Spain. My heart was captured once more. Confused yet again. I spent a couple of weeks in Vieuzos tidying up for the winter and preparing for my departure. House sat for a neighbour with 8 cats and enjoyed the glorious weather.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Relocation to Spain manifested itself once again as I headed to the UK. Away from the enchantment, a more all encompassing vision of the future rematerialised and it is that that I have focussed on ever since.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I need to jump ahead, else I will be writing for a very long time indeed. My trip to England was a great success, I celebrated my 50th Birthday again with the rest of my family and then many friends, some of whom I had not seen in years. The venue was in London, to make it accessible to more people, and a good friend found the most amazing room in a pub, The Cellars, in Stoke Newington to host the event. A wonderful occasion, the landlords were very welcoming, hospitable and arranged great food and kept everyone well plied with drinks throughout the afternoon and evening. The room was just right and provided a warm atmosphere for everyone to have a good chat, catch up and meet up with folk that they too mightn’t have seen for years either. It was just as I had imagined, a gathering of my wonderful friends, though a few were sadly missed due to prior engagements of one sort or another. We thought of you too!! </span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-77906625192839175052015-11-13T09:49:00.000+01:002015-12-26T09:50:19.178+01:00around vilanova i la geltru<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have visited the area several times on holiday, but never considered it as somewhere to live. Hadn’t taken time out to explore or consider the less touristic and leisurely options of the area. Difficult to do when without a vehicle and on a short break with friends. I was shocked at the prices of property, the amount of unfinished building projects (due to the economic crisis) and quantity of coastal development. Once I’d gotten my head around that, I started to discover little pockets of suitable land, between the urbanisations, considering my new criterion:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">**Still a large piece of land suitable for growing a productive fruit and vegetable garden. With a property ready to move into, perhaps some work needing doing, but not a huge building project straight off.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">**With easy access to a town, ideally on a bus route, or close enough to access at least some basic shops by bike or foot.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">**If I’m to relocate to somewhere near the sea, it might as well be accessible without too much effort. A walk or bike ride would be ideal. A 20 minute car journey wouldn’t do!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">**Somewhere with a more diverse community, where I can meet like minded folk, participate in a variety of community and leisure activities and have more fun. It doesn’t need to be on the doorstep, but accessible without much of a problem.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">** Find a location that will encourage more of my friends to want to come and visit, so that I can spend more time with them and share what I create with as many people as possible.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I could go on and on, but I hope that I have learned enough from the previous two years to make a well informed decision. Requests please......</span></div>
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<br />samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-8513083716127826752015-10-29T09:45:00.000+01:002015-12-26T09:45:53.323+01:00decisions, decisions<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ongoing, I am not so sure. My straw bale build project in France seems less appealing for a variety of reasons. Though have still NOT ruled it out.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">a raft of new rules and regulations for new build properties will push the cost up dramatically from my original estimations.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I already feel that the location is somewhat isolated and for the prospect of one, meeting a significant other and two, for attracting paying guests at a later stage, it is not the most obvious place to be located.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">should I build, I would have to keep the property for ten years before being able to sell it as a house. Rules stipulate that any new build property has to be guaranteed for this period and, as a self builder, I would be unable to offer such guarantee. A sale before such time would only be as building but a not a house.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">it is significantly more difficult to start and run a small business in France than in many other european countries. The rules and regulations are daunting even with a fairly decent understanding of the language. The french think so too.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">if I choose to change location, my improved budget gives me much more scope to get ahead with other plans, rather than spending two years building, before I can even start.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">the longer term plan is still to create the example of a productive garden and invite/allow people to come and learn how to grow fruit and vegetables hands on. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Building a straw bale house still remains an excellent idea. It was a means to an end to enable me to afford a home within the budget I had. Where as now it can become a more leisurely project in the back garden should I move on.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">a move now would give me ample opportunity to do something else before I get too old. Not a valid reason at all, it’s never too late!!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I can now afford to invest more in a better located, more attractive piece of land/property than I could have done until recently. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">after a couple of trips away, the lure of sunshine and beaches is pulling and is now also achievable and within the new budgetary constraints.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">All of that said, I still love my piece of paradise, where the occasional tractor, car or aeroplane are about the only things that disturb the peace, where the birds sing and the weather does it’s thing (mainly sunnily) throughout the year, I enjoy my time there, almost without exception, although, for a more rounded life experience, there is a whole lot missing. Oh how much easier it would be if I disliked being there or the idea of building an ecologically sound house, I could be gone in a shot.</span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-86365010787712860302015-10-22T09:44:00.000+02:002015-12-26T09:44:36.532+01:0050 and beyond<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Onwards, to 50 and beyond. Wendy, my sister, gave me a great Birthday card that read:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Just remember, Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is Optional. Happy Birthday”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Which just about sums up my outlook on life. Inside, I don’t feel any older than I did twenty or even thirty years ago, perhaps a bit wiser than when I was twenty, but there is no way I feel that I should be slowing down or taking it easy. If anything I feel the need to push harder and get myself into better shape than I have been for a while. I guess that comes from hesitating on my journey and considering options for a while. Pressure off and things tend to go downhill slowly without even realising. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A good friend laughed at me the other week when I explained that I was planning on working in a ski resort again for the winter and if my accommodation ended up being mattress on the floor for the winter I would be quite content, so long as it was warm and comfortable. She protested and said that at my age she would have expected that my demands for luxury and comfort be a bit higher than that. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I can assure you now, Ginny, that it is I who has rented the apartment, so if anyone sleeps on the floor, it won’t be me this winter. Not that it would have bothered me if I had. I now have to find two or three other seasonal workers who need a roof over their heads and are willing to share with an aging english man in the mountains. Another exciting winter ahead no doubt. Can’t wait.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Four months in the mountains, well occupied every day, will give my subconscious time to process the events of this last year, (along with those of the last fifty) and hopefully come to some conclusions of what to do for the next few years of my life. I’m looking forward to being part of a french speaking team in a ski refuge (accommodation for 30 in dorms with half or full board) and also a lunchtime restaurant on the pistes. The only access in the winter is by ski and ski lift, so when the weather gets bad, there is no way in or out. Last season, an overnight team ended up working for five days without a break due to storm that closed the resort. They didn’t get lunchtime visitors but fed and provided for the guests that were also cut off from the outside world. Sounds exciting, and having visited the location already, know that it is equipped for almost any eventuality, well located and looks to be a great place to spend the winter.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><a href="http://www.saintlary.com/ete/hebergements-daltitude#!/refuge-de-loule-590014">Link to L’Oule website</a></span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-28620912281074590782015-09-23T18:26:00.000+02:002015-09-23T18:26:52.455+02:00rocket stove cooking<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I love my Rocket Stove. I’d seen them here and there before, mainly home made affairs, cobbled together with old baked bean cans and old oil canisters and I’d had it in mind to build one of my own one day. In Dorset I was caught with my guard down, at the Scythe Fair, where I saw a professionally forged, easily transportable, robust affair which I bought it without a second thought. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">How right I was.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Since getting back to France I use it most of the time for cooking meals, not just for myself but for four or five people at a time. Mainly pot meals that require simmering for a while, but also fry ups and dishes that require a proper amount of heat.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Lighting it was tricky to start and then getting the burn temperature right. I’ve since improved my wood drying technique and shan’t ever need to cut down another tree to cook with it. It’s a joy to gather those fallen twigs and small branches and know that they have a serious role to play and also to be able to cook on free, easily gathered material at almost a moments notice. I’ll need to be more prepared for when the weather turns and keep a good supply of well dried twigs available for cooking.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Thinking about how much wood I would use on a traditional fire, or the gas I would burn to achieve the same result is absurd. A small bundle of kindling is enough to cook dinner and provide a nice cup of tea to wash it all down. I’ll be heating my shower water with it soon and filling my hot water bottle with it when the nights get cold. The gas stove will always be a welcome alternative for when the weather is foul, an oven is needed or speed is of the essence, but ongoing, my rocket stove cooking is becoming an integral part of my daily routine. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The wheelbarrow in the photos is a makeshift wind deflector, self standing, easily positionable and has many other uses. Ideal</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhLWk1mDcaaCmMcsyeu4VC7-EJFmg6rI81zKf31yKbl7RDiLvN1X_24X4jyEgo13Qy5v6dTzjcN02IK323o4si8PsMqVnF0vKAWIcyn99QNiqEJTZ_uEbAoEpV92QZ3MgkAb94iDdF-E/s1600/DSCF1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhLWk1mDcaaCmMcsyeu4VC7-EJFmg6rI81zKf31yKbl7RDiLvN1X_24X4jyEgo13Qy5v6dTzjcN02IK323o4si8PsMqVnF0vKAWIcyn99QNiqEJTZ_uEbAoEpV92QZ3MgkAb94iDdF-E/s320/DSCF1191.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dinner in the making</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the twigs are burning within the metal tubing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ45BxhnuR4oyvOYSCJ5ARR7mLsM8U_wcjSJrB6vggqkKjyAoA0gr6AJB1ycFwE57WNQLEfhsKPPKUX7-5QQ4MKfIIW2yA9kujO6PGwExnWc1iBqBeiub0mTrczmFLt6IcE_t1POK6Hp4/s1600/DSCF1199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ45BxhnuR4oyvOYSCJ5ARR7mLsM8U_wcjSJrB6vggqkKjyAoA0gr6AJB1ycFwE57WNQLEfhsKPPKUX7-5QQ4MKfIIW2yA9kujO6PGwExnWc1iBqBeiub0mTrczmFLt6IcE_t1POK6Hp4/s320/DSCF1199.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a mini furnace</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a near complete burn with no smoke and hardly any ash</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7I1ppmo400MrHdb7B1O9fEoxjO5VbtMpgHAtlA53ncADw5hBankRp9n8fPT9FSqkFzPgFuYEA8thuvYl_LUg9UzbDSRUGOIMegQM0ba3i3hRoseSQ0TXYuITUm82JrUWEqbPqUK8bbU/s1600/DSCF1196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7I1ppmo400MrHdb7B1O9fEoxjO5VbtMpgHAtlA53ncADw5hBankRp9n8fPT9FSqkFzPgFuYEA8thuvYl_LUg9UzbDSRUGOIMegQM0ba3i3hRoseSQ0TXYuITUm82JrUWEqbPqUK8bbU/s320/DSCF1196.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MMMmmmmmm lentil, tomato and nettle stew nearly done</td></tr>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-44454788348181689272015-09-23T18:17:00.001+02:002015-09-23T18:17:10.707+02:00clay render on a straw bale house<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Anaig is a specialist in clay renders and I have worked along side her on a couple of straw bale build projects. Here was slightly different, it was her project. For years she has put her time, energy and expertise into building houses for others and now it is her turn. I wasn’t sure how the experience was going to unfold. Either there was going to be stress, angst and aiming for perfection or else a very laid back attitude. Thankfully it was the latter. A great team of volunteers, mainly there to gain experience before their own builds and some just for the sheer heck of participation and in return for the great work they have already received. I think that once you’ve done some clay rendering there is always a hankering to do a bit more. It gets into your blood so to speak.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’d missed the first week, where they’d concentrated on rendering the outside of the building and arrived just as the interior was commencing. There had just been raw bales of straw at the start, which need to be promptly covered to protect them from the elements and rodent attack. We worked at an unpressured pace, achieving a huge amount of work within the allotted time. Just a small section upstairs to complete at a later date and a couple of patches that needed quiet, undivided attention to get right. I got stuck in to some of the more challenging tasks such as corners and getting the two sides of doorway and window openings to match. It was great to be given the opportunity, wonderful to have advice and guidance of a professional within the field and a proud moment to be told that my work was ‘superb’ by someone as exacting as Anaig. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The week flew by, we never left the building site, dining in the adjacent barn or outside when it was fine, showering in a makeshift shower room with camping showers hoisted up by a pulley system and spending the evenings discussing our various projects and plans for the future. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’ll have to pop back again later in the year to see how work is progressing. The site stops and starts as Anaig is still working on other projects to fund her build. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAJ6eW94B_cN2CnUappzUin0nuTvIh1oR_F8WPddy783HFlmjSElO5BS9PXbBZl6LUe8qiGTObtmQP0WB1Hmr5YNTXPSuYe7ubh21bzh82WXfct593ikY1cP2oW9qMwa_YY5yfoq10uo/s1600/DSCF1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAJ6eW94B_cN2CnUappzUin0nuTvIh1oR_F8WPddy783HFlmjSElO5BS9PXbBZl6LUe8qiGTObtmQP0WB1Hmr5YNTXPSuYe7ubh21bzh82WXfct593ikY1cP2oW9qMwa_YY5yfoq10uo/s320/DSCF1156.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">what a beautiful setting</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirHSVzRaNFr5XAm8tOp6rEvrrdrvJ5E7zn0SkRcB3rIDjpRbnMDzgF8jTo6TcBck_c-Xvdn_OZT-qzoYIS_xzDOClA8FVOZCjgWU2l-9RyT2dtlG52xNPgLoUOk5cZxhoKHWSlereO9E/s1600/DSCF1159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirHSVzRaNFr5XAm8tOp6rEvrrdrvJ5E7zn0SkRcB3rIDjpRbnMDzgF8jTo6TcBck_c-Xvdn_OZT-qzoYIS_xzDOClA8FVOZCjgWU2l-9RyT2dtlG52xNPgLoUOk5cZxhoKHWSlereO9E/s320/DSCF1159.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">waiting for windows, doors, cladding and a roof</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2RAcyJ3HXrW12HqPX-L8tjfQc1QOuJ9DLnh4_BSfuDGyFUeY1WLQUC1fTZYNg3BsGytWXMfJ4Cd07caWOEggXpAljNrTA1xmqV_LEX4sc9Zxv3FLFNDp2WMdoGBgv-kVdTpot3CHVDc/s1600/DSCF1169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2RAcyJ3HXrW12HqPX-L8tjfQc1QOuJ9DLnh4_BSfuDGyFUeY1WLQUC1fTZYNg3BsGytWXMfJ4Cd07caWOEggXpAljNrTA1xmqV_LEX4sc9Zxv3FLFNDp2WMdoGBgv-kVdTpot3CHVDc/s320/DSCF1169.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">core render complete</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQcBEAKbpLI7eW_2aW9d8snuxIgTtt-PHdm-VfJzdsR1xCf5Isb7loulUUDr6rd89hUOjRKXZRlPe-BMXUXoAwOlWLH5c8P2cGuRIW2MfSdc6WU5IOiIGh6z5N53uvMTlot8fWVi3WKI/s1600/DSCF1174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQcBEAKbpLI7eW_2aW9d8snuxIgTtt-PHdm-VfJzdsR1xCf5Isb7loulUUDr6rd89hUOjRKXZRlPe-BMXUXoAwOlWLH5c8P2cGuRIW2MfSdc6WU5IOiIGh6z5N53uvMTlot8fWVi3WKI/s320/DSCF1174.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">straw walls before render</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJ__b5NLcN4BFBrot96u16sO72YMoeLtVMJzn-ui_aymtWm_sYGnBIsjiDUx-F-rGJEXHedHlkElqI6qniviOvMgTuEawcl7dWgotpDoT2JNXAXUsynA58B672H2qZJDNGAJ4fnvp5P0/s1600/DSCF1177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJ__b5NLcN4BFBrot96u16sO72YMoeLtVMJzn-ui_aymtWm_sYGnBIsjiDUx-F-rGJEXHedHlkElqI6qniviOvMgTuEawcl7dWgotpDoT2JNXAXUsynA58B672H2qZJDNGAJ4fnvp5P0/s320/DSCF1177.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">now that's a picture frame</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirA2QWIqMhvPWFbHPHNyTGcUOZh5-wGtWTtCYuMH31rnspAihRad0CJJTTffSOYLezKQ3Dg0R13D7fooAioutGdCXmZClN9_FoalUVqo-VpuR-2xCfb7vapKsTdaMLSfQ14mVJhOgyVPw/s1600/DSCF1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirA2QWIqMhvPWFbHPHNyTGcUOZh5-wGtWTtCYuMH31rnspAihRad0CJJTTffSOYLezKQ3Dg0R13D7fooAioutGdCXmZClN9_FoalUVqo-VpuR-2xCfb7vapKsTdaMLSfQ14mVJhOgyVPw/s320/DSCF1158.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some of the tools we used<br /></td></tr>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-12147279809271904722015-09-23T18:07:00.000+02:002015-09-23T18:07:31.674+02:00A Fuller week<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Here’s a tiny glimpse of a great week spent with good friends from the UK. For some reason there is minimal photographic evidence, but I have excellent memories of us having a lovely time. A lack of sunshine on certain days meant that the showering facilities were rather colder than expected and the composting loo was deemed not to be up to the standards of modern day living, a few too many flying, stinging, biting things for comfort, but all in all, I believe a positive experience. We ate and drank well and had several tourist excursions to places that I would never have visited on my own.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://gouffre-esparros.fr/le-gouffre/la-visite/la-visite-en-images/">http://gouffre-esparros.fr/le-gouffre/la-visite/la-visite-en-images/</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A great, though much longer than expected, walk in the mountains to see the tallest waterfall in europe. Little Emma did amazingly well having set out on a walk that we thought was going to be an hour and a half but was actually nearer to five hours. we should have taken out picnic with us.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-BQL2YeeaUezK4T21RuCe6z70tij0FiAx3J5sqc1GASCAdk2HAW54eiAhO8cz7Qf5a6VKwGhuYKt5zWXUzOMhCjs0dvrgI7-FAgau77hHbayynretP8QAmS2CceYv07SlZ5eoz_S8r0/s1600/DSCF1133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-BQL2YeeaUezK4T21RuCe6z70tij0FiAx3J5sqc1GASCAdk2HAW54eiAhO8cz7Qf5a6VKwGhuYKt5zWXUzOMhCjs0dvrgI7-FAgau77hHbayynretP8QAmS2CceYv07SlZ5eoz_S8r0/s320/DSCF1133.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">there were that many people we could see where to go</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEInkPTS28g6VNYIKj_nL7DOnNnH4RSsuEUIhuFAqpwQMsRWG71PC6P-BtcnoDAo8neaQYF7Xvkdd8Joq-vl6Mnl4Ss-io1JEWRROu5u5aOhVjSrv8sGzgrEx4xLXyliIbBYkW6tSzlw/s1600/DSCF1142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEInkPTS28g6VNYIKj_nL7DOnNnH4RSsuEUIhuFAqpwQMsRWG71PC6P-BtcnoDAo8neaQYF7Xvkdd8Joq-vl6Mnl4Ss-io1JEWRROu5u5aOhVjSrv8sGzgrEx4xLXyliIbBYkW6tSzlw/s320/DSCF1142.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">can you spot the Fuller family?<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPt20bShiB2DerxkudY55qVJNOXwtaHEIeKc9JqQKrn5XAUC0t8n2JewRFHpD7E1UhvFzTfpnBHqqmM_WbpbwM2JGaVQq_1Hum0RwegvwQzUl2k6HE6eWujjmnDQdURFadBEUbSlm8e6c/s1600/DSCF1147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPt20bShiB2DerxkudY55qVJNOXwtaHEIeKc9JqQKrn5XAUC0t8n2JewRFHpD7E1UhvFzTfpnBHqqmM_WbpbwM2JGaVQq_1Hum0RwegvwQzUl2k6HE6eWujjmnDQdURFadBEUbSlm8e6c/s320/DSCF1147.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">getting soaked</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiph9IYHUIYMCp8rN4k3Njah-tq56tBrbZ9bdP_LOmdfxzRtyPg9yLo272K2XQa8i4pthPgjR3rvyUX7JOYMLrZBCypFdWALWZf8wgM12dq-E37JqHIU4bbICJJ7CwVOtwZ27nkumf_30U/s1600/DSCF1149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiph9IYHUIYMCp8rN4k3Njah-tq56tBrbZ9bdP_LOmdfxzRtyPg9yLo272K2XQa8i4pthPgjR3rvyUX7JOYMLrZBCypFdWALWZf8wgM12dq-E37JqHIU4bbICJJ7CwVOtwZ27nkumf_30U/s320/DSCF1149.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brilliant achievement</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLyaM5M6aYlSt0ORrB7lOva7M1udtsyIR0uNsdyGaSc2HAdRgvimxIeb8PpjXS_9N0WfZ1OKwzR6rmBF19uY9OEWUl1goZrAqMZ5g2-Qwq-W8vPvxovNflAFXrL25lTS9UzCCMsKoHWM/s1600/DSCF1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLyaM5M6aYlSt0ORrB7lOva7M1udtsyIR0uNsdyGaSc2HAdRgvimxIeb8PpjXS_9N0WfZ1OKwzR6rmBF19uY9OEWUl1goZrAqMZ5g2-Qwq-W8vPvxovNflAFXrL25lTS9UzCCMsKoHWM/s320/DSCF1153.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cirque de Gavarnie from a distance</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Next time I’ll wear appropriate footwear when I have the opportunity to visit the local amusement park. Parc de Demi Lune. Proper flying fox and tree top rope bridge experiences - they didn’t approve of flip flops as appropriate foot wear otherwise I’d have spend half the day up in the trees. Emma thoroughly enjoyed her pony ride and we all had great fun with the craziest crazy golf ever, but the best bit for everyone were the bumper boats. Out on a lake with ten or so other bumper boats. Little, inner tube surrounded tubs powered with outboard motors, with their drivers intent on bumping into and splashing the other occupants, known or otherwise, for fifteen minutes or so. It was a free for all, we all ended up soaked having had great fun.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The whole visit flew by in a moment and i was left standing in a bit of a daze, had a short moment to gather my thoughts before heading off for a weeks’ participation on a straw bale build project in the mountains.</span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-76295661880910639432015-09-19T14:26:00.000+02:002015-09-19T14:26:46.862+02:00an untended bounty<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I had always imagined that a vegetable garden needed constant attention for it to thrive, so my spring efforts were somewhat of an experiment, knowing full well that I would be absent for a good three months at the start of the growing season. I had diligently planted a whole array of seeds and seedlings before my departure, tucking them in with a good layer of mulch and through the wonders of modern technology, 3 minutes of water each morning through fifty meters or so of leaky hose.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">From the cool of the UK I watched the weather maps as a heat wave passed overhead, temperatures frequently reaching the mid 30’s and several weeks without a drop of rain. Would my tiny quantity of irrigation be adequate? Had the sun fried everything to a crisp? would the deer have found a bounty of tender shoots and ravaged everything in site? I could only wait and see.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Prior to my return, the weather had broken and a series of storms had passed over the region giving everything (left?) a good dousing. The weather continued to be warm, but the excessive heat had passed for the time being.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Wow, what a wonderful surprise. I strimmed my way towards the vegetable beds, clearing the thigh length grass and weeds as I went, to be greeted by an a bountiful array. There was a massive carpet of squash and pumpkin leaves reaching the length of the plot, numerous orange and red mounds protruding through the greenery. Spires of swiss chard thrusting up through the weedy undergrowth, hints of beetroot leaves poking through - the tenderest, sweetest beetroot that I have tasted in an age, large as a fist and without a blemish in sight. They had sheltered well under the weedy layer. The french bean seeds had germinated, done their thing and plump pods of semi dried beans awaited harvest. They will do well for soups and stews later on. A second sowing followed immediately and are now flowering several weeks on. The lettuce had thrived and produced great flower heads of fluffy seed that was caught and blown by the breeze, I’ll not have to sow lettuce again for a while I imagine. Four tiny tomato seedlings, had decided to stay too, planted the size of a match stick and abandoned, I hadn’t imagined for a moment anything would come of them. Left to their own devices, without support or training, they had spread wildly, crossing paths and scrambling through the current bushes. Garlands of green tomatoes nestled in the foliage, here and there with the faintest hint of red. Again, they have continued well, providing a bountiful crop for over a month, unfortunately recently hit by blight after a few wet weeks, the remaining crop has been immediately transformed into jars of chutney.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There are varieties that are missing in action. No carrots, new zealand spinach or parsnips. I imagine that they either didn’t germinate or got crowded out by the weeds. Many seeds need frequent watering till they become established in a garden situation, others may have been discovered by the birds, slugs, snails or smothered by mulch. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Now that the bulk of the weeds have been cleared. More accurately I should say reduced, a few late starters are emerging. Not surprising really as the dense weed layer was at least waist high in places. Brassicas are taking up the challenge and forging ahead, I remember last year, they did very little till the cool of the autumn arrived, then forged ahead to produce admirable. It looks as if we’re heading the same way this year. Curly kale, savoy cabbage, hopefully brussel sprouts here we come. I say hopefully, as my random line free planting doesn’t allow for easy labeling, so it’s a case of wait and see.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As the season progresses I keep sowing a few more seeds, tucking in a few more transplants of things for later on. It’s a never ending process, cultivating food, harvests need to continue for as long a time as possible and with as much variety as can be achieved. The variables are enormous so it’s always an exciting challenge.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When I find the lead to connect my camera I’ll post some photos and you’ll see the transformation over the last few months. It’s great to be back to see what has been occurring in my absence. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Elsewhere the weeds have grown and it almost looked like it did when I first bought the property. This time, however, it’s quick strim to get the place back into some sort of order. Those back breaking hours of bramble root chasing certainly paid off. I’d certainly recommend taking the time to dig out that knobbly bit of root where all the bramble stems spring from, as opposed to just strimming the stems back, relentlessly for years and years.</span></div>
samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-57684507952205190902015-09-18T17:57:00.000+02:002015-09-23T17:58:06.659+02:00an untended bounty - a few photos<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still not taken a great number of photos, but here are a few of my successes in the garden:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-125951689793301372015-09-17T13:49:00.000+02:002015-09-23T17:58:42.714+02:00a dilemma<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A dilemma, or as one good friend remarked, a golden spanner in the works.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">After patiently waiting for many years, I have received monies owed to me from a venture that I left nearly a decade ago. Through changing circumstances my ex colleagues have managed to buy my share of a house and land that we owned together, something that I hadn’t envisaged happening for many years, perhaps at retirement age or possibly never.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Immediately after receiving the cheque, I was overjoyed to come to the end of the waiting, the uncertainty of broken promises and disappointments as their attempts to arrange finance fell through. The relief to no longer worry that investment for repair and upgrade would become necessary on a house that I no longer wanted or needed. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Over time the weight of this invisible burden is lifting and the life changing possibilities of such additional finance are dawning on me. A process of realisation that has continued for several months now with more and more diverse and interesting options manifesting themselves to me as time goes by.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Needless to say, my original projects are on hold whilst I reevaluate my options and try to discover the true impact of this fortunate change in circumstances. I shall take my time and enjoy discovering the possibilities. There is no rush to press on regardless and the future will reveal itself when it is good and ready. </span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419912478706647705.post-47680667987531415942015-08-20T16:28:00.001+02:002015-08-20T16:28:04.914+02:00Bristol<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Bristol was a real treat. I’d never been before and was lucky enough to stay with a great friend, Mike, just before he packed up and headed to a new life in Spain. He knows the town like the back of his hand and we spend several days touring round all the interesting and alternative spots that he thought might take my fancy........</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clifton Suspension Bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eco hamlet in central Bristol</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they even stick pencils in the road outside schools!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaudi style community restaurant</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaun the sheep was everywhere - on tour</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Then off to see Simon, another host with a stunning wooden house and fascinating gardens just out of town. A short visit but definitely worthwhile and someone I hope to meet up with again. His home was an inspiration to home made, lifestyle similarly put together and outlook on life coming from the same sort of place as me. Along with two other helpers we had a terrific time, ate the most amazing vegan, mainly raw, feasts and put the world to rights.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my home for the week</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecjL5HjH_G-5qXIVHKqpkq9LUpHutHSnjmlysr4lqzAePoo7JPHYSjS5PQzTQKRN2E8x9Ou1g8_aK_kv6YV2HiN9A4XLsviAD2BadyeueqvpNN-X0jj1qN3gbQspaUU3tlD7AjKZbeUk/s1600/DSCF1076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecjL5HjH_G-5qXIVHKqpkq9LUpHutHSnjmlysr4lqzAePoo7JPHYSjS5PQzTQKRN2E8x9Ou1g8_aK_kv6YV2HiN9A4XLsviAD2BadyeueqvpNN-X0jj1qN3gbQspaUU3tlD7AjKZbeUk/s320/DSCF1076.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hand made home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxVauIAj4YXYQ10KwO9AFDKTCFwfIHnemPVhB4dX0UfOkDDKBmn9MofoWmhDaNX1SSmK75wf9wnOUEJxteGUYKeKiF5rbuOzoBdPwInL-2lW9GF7hpt9rA3tkB3oEZKqtDc46j4smwro/s1600/DSCF1081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxVauIAj4YXYQ10KwO9AFDKTCFwfIHnemPVhB4dX0UfOkDDKBmn9MofoWmhDaNX1SSmK75wf9wnOUEJxteGUYKeKiF5rbuOzoBdPwInL-2lW9GF7hpt9rA3tkB3oEZKqtDc46j4smwro/s320/DSCF1081.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a pizza rocket stove</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtoF6F_VfhPidmmrAzjtMw_TFjK6s8cbiY7bjFe1Sv-CeJjAfyUkUYGQ7smoaVc_HvqJEFwC9_5nMkmcN3IMdwjH-uzoj35y3zt_w4tl9IcBdFDfepl2ris740fFAwlag9LbrNGPUGyM/s1600/DSCF1089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtoF6F_VfhPidmmrAzjtMw_TFjK6s8cbiY7bjFe1Sv-CeJjAfyUkUYGQ7smoaVc_HvqJEFwC9_5nMkmcN3IMdwjH-uzoj35y3zt_w4tl9IcBdFDfepl2ris740fFAwlag9LbrNGPUGyM/s320/DSCF1089.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside the wooden yurt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXQTtfq63HeEhcqLpWg8LM-cVkbNTq-eCzqjZcyY1F3kcvrX3FsJUNvqoKYIC68SSuDOirtes3O7BNNIZxQFy0faqgkYWl_SqIBM9lePTjGNeY823Xf5iOir02XfoJT-D4vXIXK_zG4c/s1600/DSCF1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXQTtfq63HeEhcqLpWg8LM-cVkbNTq-eCzqjZcyY1F3kcvrX3FsJUNvqoKYIC68SSuDOirtes3O7BNNIZxQFy0faqgkYWl_SqIBM9lePTjGNeY823Xf5iOir02XfoJT-D4vXIXK_zG4c/s320/DSCF1091.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with a mezzanine bedroom space</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd6SbmMXIj0ePE8zNwEyT-wFL4NHYSSGo7n5TL47re0QnfnXrt_NZL3-IL_cUHqtoDVECmjnQt93jj5NpE0LH0N_3xn7amQH5yjA1-pgNKVf9EQ5YsnXa_HHqAgEcIyJKdcpgXUW2J3I/s1600/DSCF1099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd6SbmMXIj0ePE8zNwEyT-wFL4NHYSSGo7n5TL47re0QnfnXrt_NZL3-IL_cUHqtoDVECmjnQt93jj5NpE0LH0N_3xn7amQH5yjA1-pgNKVf9EQ5YsnXa_HHqAgEcIyJKdcpgXUW2J3I/s320/DSCF1099.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">grow it all together garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15jf4bMGF1iAumMxVZNCuBVKvZr-x7ACuELEr5Kezq8IilcJ1emPcqS40cvOcUqgnuYjMBPFB9ZrcMm2Ymaylqf_2tJrHHzSVB-E8CZhv0y4TcNJdTBIodcxFbCFDwEKb3cY1M9jllBo/s1600/DSCF1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15jf4bMGF1iAumMxVZNCuBVKvZr-x7ACuELEr5Kezq8IilcJ1emPcqS40cvOcUqgnuYjMBPFB9ZrcMm2Ymaylqf_2tJrHHzSVB-E8CZhv0y4TcNJdTBIodcxFbCFDwEKb3cY1M9jllBo/s320/DSCF1106.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">brilliant use of digger tracks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My return, through Bristol was timed for Bristol Pride. Stayed with Mike again. I hadn’t been on a Pride march since the 90’s in London and was pleasantly surprised with the size and efficacy of the event. The march, complete with banners, music and chanting took us through the centre of town, including a shopping centre! culminating in a canal side park with stands, stalls and a couple of stages hosting various acts. The main stage, rather mainstream and modern for my tastes so I tended towards the alternative stage, with drag acts singing the old favourites, encouraging audience participation and plenty of the usual acid humour thrown in for good measure. We ate drank and enjoyed the acts, scenery and spectacle of the day before heading back for a couple of hours shut eye before heading out clubbing. The things one misses without realising. I had thought that my clubbing days were long gone, but no. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, dancing the night away through to four or so in the morning. Unlike days gone by, I was fuelled with mineral water and lemonade this time so woke up the next morning almost as bright as a button, vowing not to let it be so long again before I hit the dance floor again. </span></div>
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samthegardener65http://www.blogger.com/profile/13021614610260439281noreply@blogger.com1