After We had deposited Fennie and Jay at Rodez airport (about an hour away from the Mill) we sped back as our son, Matthew, the owner of the Mill was flying from Brussels for the weekend. He was arriving in Toulouse about 4.30 and catching the train to Maurs where we would pick him up.
On arrival at Toulouse Matthew found a demo going on in the town with farmers on tractors protesting (I think) about milk prices. Despite the difficulties he managed to catch his train although without a ticket as there was chaos at the station.
We don't often get time alone with Matthew as now he has a family they are naturally his first priority so we like to make the best of these times. We chatted about our plans for our time here next year if he hasn't sold it by then. He doesn't want to sell it but with family committments he finds it difficult to spend much time here and it does need attention. We have scrubbed round the idea (for now) of the tipis and I will try and market the gite for the summer months.
On Sunday we had lunch in Montsalvy and discovered parts of the town that we hadn't seen before. We then went on to the Poterie Le Don, a futuristic- looking pottery run by Nigel and Suzy Atkins.
We make regular visits here and usually manage to buy something. A purchase last year was this splendid garden sculpture - a Raven.
This time I limited myself to a small covered pot although we promised Nigel to consider a large hare next time we visited - €800 - a bit much.
Not wishing him to miss his flight and wanting to visit IKEA at Toulouse we drove Matthew to the airport on Monday morning.
Jim has continued working on the potagers, finishing the first one, planting it with broad beans and garlic and making a start on the second. We should like three altogether. They are just raised beds really - for growing vegetables when we are here next year. As the materials are all to hand they cost nothing.
I have not finished my sewing project - the patchwork quilt for the double bed in the main house. I should have got on with it during the first week. I shall have to take it home now and finish it there. Here are two squares of it. There will be 72 of them joined together and then bound with another strip of fabric.
Our last outing was to the Chestnut Fair at Mourjou. As it rained on the Saturday it was a bit of a washout but we went again on the Sunday which turned out very pleasant indeed.
On the Monday (when we should have been on our way home) we entertained a prospective buyer. He and his engineer friend spent four hours looking over the property and domaine. I gave them lunch. He wants a place where he and his wife can eventally retire and be fairly self-sufficient. It will just be our luck that he buys the Mill and we won't be able to spend next year there. It is in the lap of the Gods.
3 comments:
Indeed, where, O where, did the week go? We used to come for four days, now we come for a week but the time seems the same. Maybe we cut down too many saplings. Saplings? they were great trunks - or at least some were.
Glad to see the potagers coming on. Jim has been very busy. If the Mill isn't sold then I look forward to preparing another interesting casserole with the broad beans and garlic - and, the leeks, of course, which by then will have grown tall and strong. Why don't you invent a robot or two to do the hard work at the Mill. I am sure UPL would give you permission to model something on Loic and perhaps Madame Grognonne, too. Loic would have the potagers up and running in no time and there's a bicycle up in the hayloft on which you could send Mde Grognonne into Maurs for whatever it is that potagers don't provide.
But best would be to open the whole place to PC and have a jamboree their all summer long with people bringing tents and kit bags and everyone joining in the fireworks on July 14th.
Oooh - I like Fennie's idea and I know that The Great Dane would go for that - having been a Scout Leader for many years he has a tiresome desire to camp out all the time.
Your Log Cabin quilt will be very pretty, Rosie. I like the warm colours you've chosen.
What kind of garden ornament costs 800 pounds????
Isn't it strange how fate throws things at you when you least expect it? I can imagine getting potential purchasers when I had other thoughts-in-progress too!
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