Question?

Q: What are the best type of cherries?

A: Scrumped cherries, of course!

Our own youngish cherry tree is a late variety, so for early delights we are forced to visit the trees of others. Actually we do have permission, but I like to think of my having been out scrumping!

Now that we've recently acquired more land, I'll put in some more trees. Early season red fruits are my favourites. Cherries, Strawberries, and Raspberries.

The Finished Job.

It feels as if I've been building my 'tower' for years. I've still got a bit of internal plastering to finish off, but otherwise....

Looking back on it all, I'm actually quite amazed by my own and Lady Magnon's skills. It may look small (it's 4 by 4 metres), but without any scaffolding that roofing work was extremely perilous; something I shan't be in a rush to repeat.

My favourite bit has to be the 'genoise' (the decorative bit between the wall and tiles) which came out exactly as I'd planned. Although I must add that my little 'arrow slit' is also quite dramatic, especially from the inside.

I've had sliding doors fitted at the front to save space, and climbing plants have already begun their work of smothering the whole caboodle in greenery. Update in 5 years time.. or maybe 200.

Tell me that that's one hellava sexy roof. Thank you in advance!

Elderflower Champers.

The Elders are in flower again, and that means just one thing; Elderflower Champagne 2011.

The recipe I use is this. 6 litres of water, 6 Elderflower heads, the zest of a lemon, the juice of a lemon, 650 gms sugar, and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Mix together in a clean bucket and leave covered for 24 hrs.

The following day, filter the liquid through several folds of muslin as you bottle it. Make sure you use the right flip-top bottles. Leave for at least 2 weeks before drinking. Chill well, and open your bottles outdoors!

This is the lot I made yesterday, and I shall make another 6 litres today.

Uncle Joe.

I don't know what made me think of Stalin this morning; maybe it was knowing that he'd had several painters SHOT for producing unflattering portraits.

In the Diplomatic world there are only four embassy postings of true kudos; London, Washington, Moscow, and, the most prestigious, Paris. My late father-in-law had Washington and Moscow (amongst others), but sadly he was never offered Paris.

Stalin famously said "A sincere diplomat is like dry water, or wooden iron" (I expect it sounded better in its original Russian). Whilst in Moscow, my father-in-law had to deal with the unpleasant Mr Stalin, and such outbursts cannot have made life easy.

There is a morbid fascination for tyrants who slaughter their own people. Hitler, Saddam, Gadaffi, and even (unwittingly) Napoleon. But I suppose one simplistic view of retaining power is always to kill off the opposition. I wonder if Europe will ever see another of their ilk.

'Stalin' might be a good name for an pompous strutting cockerel; I'll let you know.

Suave Harve and Ollie watch the wedding.

"Who's that balding geezer in the red jacket, Harv?"

"Dunno, Ollie. But I don't half fancy his bird!"

Now that our Union Flag bunting is packed away, I promise not to mention the wedding again.

2 Months away?

I love summer. Children running wild, eating outside, siestas in the afternoon shade, chilled sparkling wines, fresh tomatoes from the garden. Throw in a few swims and an evening barbeque, and life doesn't get much better.

It hardly ever gets TOO hot here in S W France. We occasionally have a few days of 36-38 degrees C, but they are rare. 25-30 is much more common.

It's still officially spring, and it's already been up to 30ish. Roll on summer, but before all that... can we have some rain please!!

The Fountain (Garden).

The fountain's stopped working. The fish have all died. And Cro has become both pissed-off and slightly depressed.

The perfect combination of events to force a radical decision. So I've filled-in the old fish pond with earth, and we now have a mini 'small plant' garden instead of murky water. The birds and animals have a drinking bowl instead of a water-lily encrusted quagmire.

All seems OK. Freddie (our cat) discovered the new water supply very quickly, but I have yet to see a bird drinking there; although signs suggest that they have been.

For the moment I've just bunged in any small plants that I could find (plus a few that I bought), and am hoping that they will spread. I know nothing of garden plants, so I go with the 'trial and error' method. My main objective, eventually, is for thick tufts of aubretia to tumble down over the front, and the rest to be a mass of ground-hugging flowers; only time will tell.

In the bottom right corner are two discus shaped stones; one large, one small. These are two fosilised bivalves that I found nearby. No doubt several million years ago, my house would have been under water..... but with 'oysters' (or similar) like that on hand, I don't think I'd have complained too much.