temporarily out of service

Hi, Iùll arite this on the french keyboqrd here qnd see zho cqn understqnd it22 ?ost of the letters hqve been ,oved; qnd the nu,bers cqn only be reqched by using the shift key; so I zonùt be zriting q full blog post qt this ti,e;

Fqr, is excellent; zeqther greqt ç nice qnd sunny zith freauent thunder stor,s zhich qre fun; Leqrning loqds of french qnd doing plenty of gqrdening still;

A, hopefully bqck in zifi zorld next zeek qnd zill bring you up to dqte then;

Love to you qll

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a bit of rain

I am glad that I have been getting up nice and early to do my weeding in the sunshine before the day becomes too hot. Just an hour or so’s opportunity to cool off in the pool once my chores have been done before the sun disappears behind dark clouds and the first large spots of rain appear. The quiet of the hillside is slowly transformed by the sound of rain, quietly at first then louder and louder as the sky darkens and massive raindrops descend from the sky. Spouts of water leap from the tiled roof in an arcing trajectory, landing several feet away from the wall below, excavating great holes in the flower-beds and splashing the lavenders with mud and stones.

Its absolutely chucking it down again. Every afternoon for a couple of hours the heavens open. Lightening sparks the lights on in the house making the electricity points crackle and hiss and thunder crashes through the valley, shaking the windows and occasionally making the whole house jump. The meandering stream in the gorge at the back of the house has turned form a gently babbling flow with sun drenched boulders ready to sit on and cool ones feet into an angry thundering torrent, laden brown with eroded soil, crashing down over the boulders throwing up a haze of spume. The little irrigation channel, barely a trickle at the start of the week, overflowing with muddy, foamy water and pushing relentlessly on to wherever it flows, carrying with it all sorts of debris that it has picked up along the way.

It’ll clear by about five and the sun will shine through again. The promise of another glorious day in the Pyrenees tomorrow, but we have come to know that the promise is only good until lunchtime and then the heavens will open again. It happens sometimes, they tell me, a cycle of daily storms, it can go on for weeks and weeks, until an extraordinary high or some other event intervenes and the summer balance is reset. I hope so, because judging by the quantity of rocks and mud being washed off the mountainside, the hills will be flat and the mediterranean will be filed with sludge if this continues for much longer.

one evening

Benji thought it would be a good idea to take the truck to the end of the road to catch the sunset one evening. An excellent idea. We all piled in, complete with champagne, glasses, cameras and had a great ride up the track, bouncing about in the back of the pickup like a load of kids.

The view from the lookout was outstanding. Snow capped mountains to the south, the little village of Massat, nestling snugly at the bottom of the valley, just below us. The sun had just disappeared, leaving behind it a wonderfully coloured sky, dotted with shapely clouds in the warm evening air. We found a clear patch of heather amongst the bracken and watched the view for a while. Ages in fact, spotting images in the clouds and trying to describe where to see the running kiwi, a great white, a dog trying to catch the moon, and the nose of the dog turning into another dog, still trying to catch the moon. The toil of the day melted away as the champagne worked its magic and all that was missing was pudding.

And what a puddings they were, check out the trifle and black currant tart. MMmmm. Donna is the pudding queen. She lives down the road and is a great friend of Justin and Emily, it seems to be her role at the moment to provide great puddings for the workers at the house. They raise our spirits and fill our bellies, she does a great job. Thank you Donna.

climbing rocks

Donna is not just a fabulous cook, she is a great climber too. Ayleidh and I spent a great day being introduced to the rock faces of the local valley by Donna and her climbing mates Tom and Tez. They loaned us climbing shoes, amazingly small yet grippy as ................feet and encouraged us up progressively steep and high cliffs, manning the safety ropes and offering words of wisdom as we scaled ‘4c’s’ and a ‘5a’ faces. Exhilarating, challenging and definitely to be done again, though without a safety rope, I wouldn’t have left the ground.

Andorra

We (that is me and Ayleidh, another helpXer) were given the use of the car on one of our days off and headed off to explore. One of the French builders had told us that Andorra was food for cheap booze and fags, plus it was a country that neither of us had been to, so that is where we headed. It was only three hours away, along interesting alpine roads with stunning views and the weather threatened rain, so not ideal for a long hike.

It is a funny little place, perched high up in the mountains, touting its duty free merchandise from almost every shop we came across. Supermarkets packed almost entirely with alcohol and tobacco products, chocolate, sweets and if you were lucky, cheeses sausages and hams. We wondered if the locals had to go to France or Spain to do their regular shopping. One of the guys at the farm had asked us to pick him up some tobacco, so we did, getting over twenty pouches instead of the three he was expecting with the 40 euro he had given us.

The hills were festooned with ski lifts waiting for the snow, as were the cafes and bars, all patiently sitting out the quiet of the summer waiting for the cold and the winter fun to begin again. I had often wondered what a ski resort felt like out of season, and now i know. Sort of a dejected calm, having a snooze in the summer sun and recharging its batteries, the sound of the bells on the cows jarring the tranquility from their summer pastures, but only slightly.

We reached the capital, without realising it, and spent a good twenty minutes driving round looking for signs to Andorra la Vella before we discovered that we were actually there. It is small and compact city, incredibly squashed and crammed into every flat space within its valley. Tall thin houses bordering narrow streets, car sales rooms on two or three floors, so many ski and motor bike shops, that wonderful european way of looking terribly modern and yet keeping all the old buildings together and intact. The occasional burst of sunshine shining through the clouds to light up the window boxes of red geraniums and multi-coloured washing hanging out to dry. The minute we decided to get out of the car for a wander, the heavens opened with an absolute deluge of film set style rain. We stayed in the car and drove back to France, happy to have at least seen a bit of Andorra.

Back on the farm. I suppose that it is a farm, as they have chickens and pigs, cows and goats, dogs and a cat, pastures, barns and an orchard, living was at a fast pace through the day. Eating out morning noon and night was wonderful, with the mountain views, fresh air and quiet. Proper French style, with plenty of bread and cheese, salads and tasty dinners in the evening. Wine and beer flowed into the evening, folk chilled after a hard days graft as the sun went down and the stars went up. time for a bit of satellite spotting before retiring for the best nights sleep in the world.

Justin and Emily's farm

I made it to France just over a week ago. Flew to Pau in the Pyrenees with the lovely Ryanair for a few pence, before getting the train to Foix, several changes later and with the addition of bus journeys due to a local strike.

My idea is, that whilst I am waiting for my work visa for the US to be processed, I should fill my time constructively (by help exchanging) learn more of a foreign language (French), see some more of the world and be somewhere hot, in preparation for the California summers, and not spend too much money.

So far, the plan is working like a dream. I am in France, have spoken a little French, though I am staying with English speakers at the moment. The weather is scorching hot, even for here. I have spent very little money as my first host lives in a tiny farmhouse perched on the side of a steep, steep valley, deep in the mountains miles from anywhere and I have been maxing out on the constructive side of things.

Los Laous has the most amazing views of wooded slopes, the sounds of a stream in the valley, birds in the trees and the occasional deer, Oh, and the constant drilling, sanding and planing going on in the house. It is, at present, a building site, the house is in the process of being doubled in size to allow for twins, arriving any minute.... and the house is far from ready. A new kitchen has to be fitted now that the floor is down, wood burning stove, central heating, solar panel combination installed, windows fitted, I am glad that the weather has been kind this last week. Painting is progressing a pace, along with rendering the outside, fitting windowsills, doors, deck to the balcony and on and on and on. Justin and Emily, my hosts, have gathered an amazing team that get stuck in and get things done, friends and family, the occasional paid builder and helpX, though Ailedh and I have been the first real help through that organisation.

As usual, my skills have been well utilised. With all the building work going on, the hillside garden had been somewhat neglected so I was set to work getting it back into shape. Weeding, planting seeds in unused areas, supporting beans, peas and tomatoes, installing irrigation and making sure that it was all watered as necessary. Additionally, got to move their cows into an expanded pasture, spend a day felling trees and building a new pig park, great fun hauling tree trunks and slashing brambles with a French guy. Strimming nettles and docks from the steepest field I have ever been in. Mixing cement, peeling old render off the walls, cooking dinner and on and on and on.

Hadrians Wall Walk

I returned home from California and 4 days later found myself at the start of a week long challenge to walk the length of Hadrians Wall with my brother and a group of friends in support of Children with Aids.
We had everything for the trek, tents, sleeping bags, food, cooking equipment, sturdy shoes, 3 dogs and boundless enthusiasm and a map. Probably far too much as our packs weighed rather heavy, but we strode off to the west, through Newcastle and out into the countryside. There was a music concert in the city and the Copthorne Hotel put on an excellent free lunch, buffet spread that we took full advantage of. It was great to leave the city behind and head off along the Tyne valley out into green fields and hills.
Night 1 in the corner of a sports field, with our tents, a great fire and several million mosquitos.... to say that some of us got bitten was an understatement. Note to self - NEVER leave home without insect repellent again!!
It gets light early in northern england, the sun emerged at about 4.40 and shone straight through our tents. I listened for movement from the others and then, hearing nothing, pulled my wooly hat down over my eyes and got another 40 winks. They started to emerge at around 8am. We had a hearty cooked breakfast, broke camp and set off for the day.
Up hills, through fields and over styles, along quiet lanes and through woodland, it's amazing to realise how much ground you can cover on foot when you put your mind to it. Looking back, Newcastle shrank into the distance before disappearing beyond the hills. Quiet countryside with the sound of birds on the air, wind in the trees and livestock to contend with. Some farmers dislike having to maintain public rights of way across their land, so put bullocks and more boistrous livestock along the route to keep walkers on their toes. Walking with dogs makes it especially interesting at times.
A couple of days went by without incident. Hard going on the legs and a good challenge. The group had bonded well and we were supporting and encouraging ourselves well. It was great to be out in the wilds, picking up supplies where we could, finding places to camp at night. No mobile phones, lap tops or even music, away from the trappings of modern life, we enjoyed the simplicity of it all.
Then a stumble, Adam fell on some steps and had to be carted to hospital. I went with him in the ambulance to make sure he was OK and to look after his stuff. The others continued walking and i rendez vous'd with them later that afternoon. Carrying two packs was interesting and with his arm broken in three places, Adam was in no fit state to do any carrying. Once seen to, he was free to go home. We made it across town and he got a train home.
I caught up with the team, stopping to buy supplies on the way and we continued along the wall. OUt into wilder countryside with steeper terrain and more stunning views. Walking by day, eating round an open fire and camping at night. The Romans certainly had grand ideas for such a remote part of their empire.
With the injury set back and certain unavoidable work commitments the following week, we realised that we could not complete the whole wall within the time we had set aside. We decided that we would walk as far as time would allow and then get the local bus service to the end of the wall for our final night. It would have taken another good couple of days to have travelled the distance on foot.
An excellent achievement by all involved, and nearly £1000 for the charity Children With Aids. Thank you all for your support