Young Farmers Show 2009

We have taken Grandma Irene out today for an exciting day out, the Young Farmers Show of Calvados. After a small coke beverage we enjoyed watching the Combine Harvester Cross and Renault 4 Cross. I think the photos will explain all!!!!

Photographic Evidence

Just to prove Grandma Irene really is here we have provided below photographic evidence, along with a picture of the latest purchase. We are now the proud owners of a 'vachere ancienne' or in others words an old car trailer!!!! Its new purpose will be for transporting pigs and other general transportation around the grounds.

We also spent the afternoon continuing to entertain Lili Rose. She had her first attempt at abseiling this afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed another round in the 4x4!! She is not afraid of anything. Let's hope she sorts Kirsty out!!!!

Grandma is here

We have Grandma Irene here for a whole weekend. We have also had Lili-Rose, Kirstys best friend for a sleepover and a whole day of fun. I think her favourite part was riding Nell.

Josh has also had his new friend Tom to play over the holidays. I think it must be love of the hairstyles. Something tells me that Andrew may have a new vocation!!!!

We're going underground.

Change of plan from this mornings post. As the weather was a bit overcast, we decided to go somewhere where the weather didn't matter.

20 minutes down the road from us are some ancient Norman slate mines which we decided we should go and explore.

Oh and for Laura, a bed picture.

Another Day, Another Departure

Yet again we are saying goodbye today. I really hate goodbyes so in the future I am going to ban people from leaving. Aunty Kay (Kirstys God mother) has spent a few days here, winding down from her stressfull life in the rat race. She has been practising for a career change, with the long term objective of being a childrens entertainer.

The kids have been having a great time, cooking up various delights in the kitchen. Friday nights Pizzas were a real treat, each one hand crafted by the children. Peters was definately the prize winner though because it had everything on.

Saturday, I DJ'd my first French party as well as being roped into playing the Accordion for a whole bunch of people. By midnight I'd drunk nearly 2 cases of beer, and my later attempts at playing the accordion were riddled with errors.

Sunday was a stunningly hot day resulting in Peter stripping naked and climbing in the trough, closely followed by Kirsty and Josh.

This afternoon, we're off to Point Du Hoc to show Kay the German fortifications and let the kids run and climb off some energy. Then we're off to the port to say farewell.

Next arrival is Thursday when Grandma Irene is coming to us to help complete Peters Toilet training.

Peace without puppies

The flow of people and pets here just keeps on rolling. At long last all the puppies have been found homes. The last one was a little stressful finally resulting in a redezvous at the church in Aunay to a strange couple who had been waiting there for 2 hours. Thankfully though the peace has now returned to my mornings and the routine clear up operation is no longer required.

My cousin Lucy and her son Henry have come all the way from Cyprus, via Wraysbury, just to spend a couple of days here checking out the French lifestyle. As always, we have crammed in loads of activities including off roading, horse riding, archery and rock climbing. Depressingly they are leaving us this morning. By this evening though Kay is arriving and I have every faith that the next few days will be completely nutty.

Surprise is a great ride ...

Surprise has had a very busy morning giving everybody a ride!!! Nell decided that she didn't want to be left out either. Kirsty on the other hand, did a runner!! I think she must belong to other parents, swapped at birth!!

Peter has been his normal mischievous self recently. He enjoyed playing with the boys in the valley, right up to the point where they decided to turn him into a mud monster ........

Busy, busy, busy ....

Another week has flown by here in France. Jamie and Laura have enjoyed a relaxing week in the sunshine. Laura was brave enough to go with Andrew, Josh and Kirsty on the walk of the week. I think the walking gene is inherited from someone in the Larcombe clan ....... It was just a short walk this time of approximately 6 km to Mont Pincon, the highest point in Normandy!

My mother is most definitely here .....

The beaches were not safe today. My mother decided to build a sandcastle!!!! Unfortunately, the sand was substandard and it kept falling down!!

The kids enjoyed themselves and Laura has returned home with half a pound of seaweed down her bra courtesy of Peter!!

Tom found a cafe where the waitress understood him and he thoroughly enjoyed ordering coffees and sandwiches all morning. He even indulged himself in a pancake!!

What's on this week then???

At last I have a weeks holiday and I have not got to rush anywhere or do anything!!!! We have got Laura for a few days and Jamie at the end of the week. My mum and Tom are still here and the local hotel and restaurants are still reaping the benefits. My hands are doing well and are not so orange as the washing up disappears as if by magic!!!

Today, Andrew almost had his dreams come true. Laura in the hayloft!!!! Unfortunately for Andrew the floor does not take his weight so Josh had to play in the straw with Laura instead!! He He!!!

Hopefully we are off to the beach tomorrow and then if the weather stays nice we will take a trip to Festyland in the week. The kids have been desperate to go since we moved to France so I suppose we better give in!!! Maybe we can get my mum down a waterslide, after all, she does like water!!!

The pig has not yet been despatched and the goat has survived yet another week. The freezer however has been moved into position and is in full working order. I am sure that it will not be long before Andrew and Gregg become master butchers.

The gite is coming along nicely still, Andrew has been working really hard for the last two weeks. Apparently Laura was scrubbing so hard yesterday that she has found some muscles that she did not know she had!!

The first of the puppies left us this morning. She had a two hour drive to her new home. Lets hope she enjoys her new abode and does not miss her buddies too much. All of the others leave next weekend after they reach the ripe old age of eight weeks. Doesnt time fly??

The Puppies all now have homes to go to.

In a couple of weeks time, some of our peace and tranquility will be restored as the puppies will all be heading out to there new respective families. Also on the departue list for the coming week will be one pig, going in the freezer for the softball crowd, and one goat that will be jointed and frozen in preperation for a selection of curries as and when we get round to them.

I may even have a go at Chevre Bill-Tong, a traditional French South African snack.

Plastering and painting is progressing well in the South wing of the gite. The bedroom is almost complete, with just the ceiling and the gloss work to go. The bathroom just needsa coat of paint or 2 and the toilet roll and towel holders fixed up. All this topped off with a door and then I can move on to the North wing.

Mother-in-law and Tom are continuing to keep Peter out of my hair meaning I can get on with all the backlog of jobs hanging round my neck. Unfortunately the toilet training isn't going quite as well and, on their departure, this job will once again end up in my hands.