This was certainly a visit of two halves in many ways. The weather when we arrived was glorious although chilly mornings often with frost. This allowed us to crack on with outside jibs. The first was raking up the leaves. The lower drive is the worse. I used the blower to blow 14 horizontal lines of leaves and then Ritz and I scooped up the lines with the trugs and threw them into the wood. Finally, another blow through, including lowering the piles in the woods. Next came the slopey slope and the rest of the garden. In all, it took 5 hours.
A few other bits of trimming around the garden, including just below the hot tub and to the side of the laverie especially trimming off the large spread of brambles.
The boar had been through the riverside, so thought it would be a good idea to rake the areas level. I was quite surprised by how sandy the soil is down there.
It was the first time we had been in April and it’s quite different to either March or May. You can see through all the trees clearly until the end of April and identify what still needs to be done later in the year. The wildlife is amazing as it always is, and it’s nice to see early spring plants materialise, like our four small clumps of bluebells and the ever-present stitchwort. Cuckoo calls were identified very early as with GS woodpecker territorial tapping. Roe, boar, red deer, badger, fox, and pine martens were all identified on the trail cam. The 1 May offered a delightful surprise of a single glow worm on the lower drive.
The second half (actually weeks two and three) was very different with rain, blustery winds and disappointments. The hot tub’s top control panel needed more wire to fix so we were still on random mode. Also, Tony Horrocks our builder who was going to fit a new staircase and pergola overran his current job so he can’t come until later. He offered summer, but our dates clashed with his holiday dates, so this may be delayed until autumn. This was even more annoying as we had to put off redecorating the studio until he has finished. We decided in the end to go ahead and redecorate anyway during two of the more miserable days. We cracked on and got it finished. It looks much better, and hopefully the anti-damp coat should keep the damp at bay for a while.
Another good job completed was the plateau steps. I was quite proud of what we achieved here, as we are not exactly DIY enthusiasts. The last step proved problematic but we thought through it and came up with a solution. All we need to do now is reseat the posts which hold the rope and paint the steps and surrounds. We might be looking at either green or brown.
Another disappointment was servicing the quad. This awesome machine starts first time every time we visit but I am conscious it needs a service even though we don’t use it too often off-road if at all. Our contact servicing shop, Centrac, is an hour away in Gueret. We popped in to see if they could service it in the summer. Unfortunately, they don’t service Canam any more and the nearest place is Limoges, which is an hour and thirty minutes away. It looks like we may have to have another service with the Moto shop in Ussel again. Last time they collected and delivered, so it is an option, although not ideal as they don’t have a Canam computer.
During the first week we also had a blow-out of the shower mixer in the Laverie. This is the second time this has happened, and we should have known better by draining out the water properly before winter. It was easy to replace but it was an expensive item (87 Euro over here.)
On the third week we had some great news. The boat sold! It was a little weight we carried since March. We had an easy process as the buyer had no onward chain. The survey was also completed while we were here with great success so it was only a matter of process. We celebrated with Champagne.
I have already alluded to the magnificent wildlife here. The birds slowly came back to the birdfeeder. Marsh, Great, and blue tits although not so many blue tits this year. Nuthatch also paid a visit. Tree creeper was heard by Merlin in the woods and we soptted a chiffchaff moooching around the french windows. In the woods cuckoos were constantly calling all through the day and late into the evening. Jays and magpies and buzzards also seen.
Brimstone butterflies, red admirals, silver-washed fritillaries and even an old-looking Camberwell beauty made appearances. Common lizzards came out during sunny days. On the trail cam a magificant mature red stag showed his face and the usual roes, wildboar, fox, badger and pine marten. We were treated to a spectacular sight of a glow worm on May day evening and a fly-past of a couple of pippstrelle bats.
All in all, it was a good visit. As usual a couple of frustrations but most things now working including a new extender in the garage to power Tapo Walleye camera and a new Mallory cam to cover the approach to the mill. This took some setting up and I’m not sure how it will work but hopefully it will be better than the slow connection between the kitchen Netgear router and the camera on the garage.
Our next trip will be summer when we will have guests in week 5.
