Missing Cream.

Cro: Has anyone seen that large pot of cream that I just bought?

Monty: Er, no boss. We haven't seen it, have we Bok!

Bok: Cream? What's cream?

Dangerous Fun.

The theme of this year's holiday, for Harvey J and Ollie, has been 'Dangerous Fun'.

Anything slightly, or seriously, dangerous has been added to the 'must do' list. So far there have been no wounds, no broken bones, and no hospital visits; just fun. Of course there's still time, but even Harvey J's driving (above) proved disappointingly uneventful.

Don't ask how Harvey J reached the pedals; it took ages to fix. And, yes, his dad's car remained unscathed.

So, would I let him drive my Compact Royce? Not on your Nelly!

Best Friends.

Holidays are times for unwinding, and just letting the world go by.

They are also times for reuniting with old friends, and making new ones.

Harvey J and Ollie have become best friends with our two dogs Monty and Bok, and they are now inseparable. I love to see them all running in the fields together without a care in the world; just as life should be when you're small.    

It doesn't get much better than this. (Bok was just out of the picture)

Bucolic Conscientiousness.

Out in the country one needs to be aware of so much. Which bugs sting, what plants have thorns, and the animals you can, or cannot, trust. One also has to be aware that water is precious, and that out in the styx 'septic tanks' can be unpredictable.

Water, especially, has become a big issue. Hosepipe bans are now almost obligatory in summer, and unnecessarily flushing gallons of water down the loo every few minutes is both expensive and anti-social.

It is probably for this reason that all Frenchmen are instructed at birth to pee outside.

It often shocks the first-time foreign visitor; that Frenchmen are to be seen peeing by the side of the road. For us it is normal; a liberty that we enjoy to the fullest, as we save the nation's water reserves.

Even small boys are occasionally to be seen 'doing their bit for the nation'.

The Sunday Hero: Johnny Morris (1916-1999)

I really loved Johnny Morris. It was he who encouraged my lifelong love of animals. He was the David Attenborough of earlier times.

With his Zoo Keeper's hat, and animal voices, he made sure that we children were glued to our TV sets.

I miss you Mr Morris.... I really do.

Anyone who's never heard of Mr Morris will see from this clip why I loved him so much!

Logs for 2013.

It seems inappropriate to talk of logs at the hight of summer, but farmers must deliver when they can.

My friend José, his daughter Laurence, and her friend Marie-Ange, delivered my last load of logs yesterday (foreground, and rear). They are all 2 metres long, and will need to be sawn-up into 50 cm lengths and stacked, they were cut about 2 years ago, so are all reasonably dry.

I guess there must be about 4 cu ms there, making a total of 11 cu ms that he has delivered this year. We now have nearly 30 cu ms in stock; mostly Chestnut, with a good load of Oak as well. We should be OK for several years to come.

Time to put that brand new chain on the Husqvarna, and let rip.... maybe I'll leave it till September, when our summer guests have all gone. 

Fruit Press.

I should have bought one of these 40 years ago, but (as they say), better late than never. It's an English made Vigo No 2 press; made in Devon.

We found it at our village 'Boot Sale', and it looks unused. Some aspiring cider-maker must have fallen at the final hurdle.

My first operation (after a good cleaning) is to make Verjus. We have tons of green grapes just waiting to be pressed. I'm not quite sure how to preserve Verjus, but no doubt Google will provide the answer.

Cro picks a bucket-full of green grapes, the children crank the handle, and this is the result... our first pressing of Verjus.

It will be left to settle overnight, then used to replace vinegar on our lunchtime salads ( yes, I know what it looks like..... and they had to shoot the horse).

Any other interesting, or otherwise, uses for Verjus would be welcome.