Eggs, logs and VIPs

Another month passes and things continue to change. The hens have started to lay! Just when I was beginning to think we were going to get no eggs - three all on the same day.

The first eggs

and since then, they've been laying thick and fast 

 Our winter heating has arrived....

Half the load - 5 cubic metres, to be unloaded

..unrolled, and then stacked and covered to keep it dry - a days work for yours truly!

We had VIP guests......Buckingham Palace one day....

Lynne and Les, collecting Les's OBE

.......Vue de Duras the next.......!

Lunch at Vue de Duras

We finally explored a couple of our local golf courses ...lovely weather and beautiful courses and the golf wasn't too bad either!

Chateau des Vigiers golf course, the 9th hole on Le Lac course

Another egg.......

How exciting is it to find a fresh laid egg?

We have had some beautiful weather lately, cold and misty mornings and warm afternoons, as well as a little rain (but not much!)

Our appearance on tv has been put back a week, due to the extra Coronation Street a couple of weeks ago. We may have a little 'taster' appearance tomorrow, and then in episode 8 which is now on 7th November, episodes 11 and 12  on 28th November and 5th December.

Update

Little England update.

We now know that our first appearance will be in episode 8, on 31st October. Then in episodes 11 and 12 on 21st and 28th November.

A bit longer to wait - thankfully!

The blog you've been waiting for!

I've been in two minds about publishing this one - but here goes.....

The date for the tv programme we were involved in has been released! It is called 'Little England' and starts at 8pm on Saturday 12th September on ITV. There are twelve episodes and I have no idea which episodes we will be in - or even if we have made the final cut.

I will be watching from behind the sofa - please be kind to us!

I apologise in advance for anything stupid I said or did in front of the camera - they MADE us keep saying how excited we were about everything!

New arrivals

Lots of news to report in this blog, but I'll start with the promised pictures of our bargains from last weekend's vide grenier....

a treadle sewing machine - complete - to use as a dressing table in one of the guest bedrooms

a sweet little table for another room

the marble top for the table below, for one of the bathrooms

Lovely bargains, can't wait to get started on a wash and brush up to get them ready for public viewing.

But now, the really exciting news......the arrival of our new chicks.....
first... the erection of the fence to keep them in

Celebrating the completion of the fence - we're ready for the chicks!

And here they are - or at least some of them! We have five hens (we hope!) and one cockerel.

Examining her new (temporary) home

We picked up the chicks on Sunday morning, but we were not alone! We were accompanied by a film crew (the lovely Kate and Suzi) from ITV making a TV programme about Brits living in this part of France.

Us, Morgan in the middle, who did such a brilliant job of raising our chicks, Andrea and the two Jonathons from Domaine Gourdon, previous home of chicks and Kate and Suzi with the filming equipment.

A quick break in filming  - what to do next?!!

The coop has been painted and decorated, but is still a bit big and high for the little ones, so they are staying in the concrete hutch next door for the time being.

 

We have a couple more new arrivals too..in the bird box above the kitchen window (completely ignoring the new box with the infra red camera!) this little redstart is sitting on at least 4 eggs.....

 ... and these two chicks are the first brood of a pair of collared doves nesting in the palm tree in full view of one of the guest rooms. They are currently sitting on a second clutch of two eggs.

Another first today......the swimming pool is finally ready and we had our first dip

I almost forgot, the gite is looking good, the tiles are laid in one of the bedrooms and shower rooms, and looking great.

Hugh says he keeps on working because he thinks Nicole and I spend too much money when he's not here!........

I wish...........really a visit from Jerry, in his beautiful Rolls!
and this is what Hugh does when he's here anyway....

Only joking, his feet have hardly hit the ground while he's been here for the Easter holidays, and he's back to the UK tomorrow to earn some more pennies.