There is no butter in our local supermarket because of an apparent shortage in France.
Not to worry because down in the deepest recesses of my chest freezer I still have a few pats of DIY butter made from the milk of our cows.
I do not feel inclined, however, to do that at the moment because rummaging about in the freezer is not one the jobs I particularly like doing, so we shall have to make do with soft margarine for the moment.
We woke up to freezing fog this morning, which then turned itself into our first frost.
So into action we have swung.... the hose pipes are all to be gathered up and stored away, and what a big heap they will make because they are in long lengths, stretching from the river, down the river path, and across to the veg gardens via the big oak.
Also, too, the Rayburn needs to have its insides cleaned out.
I should be paying attention to the vegetables still growing in the veg gardens, of which there are quite a few, and I should be sorting out some sort of mini poly tunnel to give them protection but I am of the mind to let them take their chances this winter, that if the frost gets them then it does.
Just had a quick look at the veg garden and it looks like the frost had settled itself out on the fields.
All is looking good for the moment.
Got my first rehearsal with the choir this afternoon. It is 10 am at the moment, and while my head does not feel worried about the rehearsal, I already have butterflies in my stomach, which I find strange because if I am genuinely not worried about playing. This is something I do not have to do, it is only a donation of my time and skills, that is all. I have free will choice, to do or not to do, so why the butterflies.....
Anyway, have just packed up all the kit ready to load into the van.
And here am I, parked in the mairie (town hall) at Labatute Riviere .....
.... with all butterflies now flown away from my stomach, and waiting for the maire (mayor) to come back from lunch and open up the mairie, which he was late in doing.
Not to worry, the rehearsal went OK, and I enjoyed being the rehearsal pianist, and my hands and wrists kept strong despite my abuse of them the other day when I was on a mission to scythe all the weeds down in the Veg Garden 1.
So, it is the morning of the next day now, and I must be away into Veg Garden 1 to rescue the last of the peppers and do some weeding.
Bye for now,
Vx
14 comments:
Curious here, what's a rayburn? -Jenn
Hope choir practise went well I am sure it did. I have masses of carrots and parsnips still in the garden and they are going to have to to take pot luck. I have dried quite a lot so if what is left vanishes then they do.
Please take care, Diane
JENN, the Rayburn is a wood burning stove which heats three radiators, and upon which you can also cook. It also does a grand job of heating the kitchen!
DIANE, I wish I could grow carrots and parsnips but our ground is too stony!
When there's a shortage here they often just jack up the prices so much people won't buy stuff but it's still available. I keep some butter in the freezer myself, because I have a scone recipe that uses frozen butter. Hope you have butter on the shelves again soon.
I've heard about the butter shortage in France. Well, things happen, things change, for various reasons; one of them could be connected to demographics. The new inhabitants of France are used to labaneh( which is also much healthier), not to butter.
Let's hope the new French Revolution won't start because of the butter shortage.LOL.
Every time I see butter I buy it, as a result we have more butter in the house than I've ever had before. Yes, it's all my fault!
Lovely to hear from you again. I was sorry to hear about your stay in hospital and very glad you are better. I so enjoy hearing about your life if France. I wonder if you were able to make these deep beds or stack a couple of old tyres and fill with soil you could grow carrots? Best wishes
LISA, I am sure that the French supermarkets will find a way of restocking their shelves soon, although, as you said, the price is bound to have gone up!
DUTA, the French do have a tendency to go on strike at any opportunity! The butter shortage will be sorted out soon, I am sure of that, because butter is such an important part of the French diet!
CRO MAGNON, I suspect that most people have been doing that as well, and we would have done that if the butter had been available. Not to worry, you have a supply and we do, even if ours is at the bottom of the freezer!
SHIRLEY, thank you for your kind words, and for the info about growing carrots. I have grown them in the raised beds but the compost we used as the growing medium was too lumpy. But we have recently topped up the beds with a better quality of compost so I should be able to get more success with growing carrots.
Carrots grow well in barrels filled with sieved soil and sand or even compost. I enjoyed reading this Vera.
NORTHSIDER DAVE, thanks for the info, I was thinking about trying to grow carrots in large buckets!
Vera when I planted carrots here in 2006 when we first moved in they were a disaster, they had roots in all directions as they could not get past the stones. 10 years later, and masses of work clearing the bigger stones and wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of compost, they are now growing fairly well though the odd one looks a bit of a strange shape. Diane
DIANE, I think our land is not going to cleared of stones any time soon because it is once was the river bed, but it has improved thanks to Lester's constant efforts to pick the stones up, and the barrow loads of cow manure that he dumps on the land.
Sounds a good plan, fingers crossed for next year :)
SHIRLEY, thanks.
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