The street where I live

Top-top is on a narrow street, so mercifully there isn't any through traffic unless it's coming to visit me. It's not the easiest street to find, as Mr Kelly, my builder, will attest. He finally arrived after having been to the Mairie to ask for directions, even there being met by shrugs of uncertainty. I'd sent him a photo of the house to help. Although the pigeonnier is elevated, it can only be seen from L&A's (where it's almost the West Wing) and the immediate neighbours. It's a bit out of the way, and I like that.

Recently some people were searching for a party going on down the road. They were holding a little map, asked me in French did I know rue Saint Laurent? I was proud to point them in the right direction with absolute certainty. It is, after all, where I live. This is my neighbour's garden, what you see right outside my front gate, on my secret street.

Family Gardening

My most recent trip to France was 7-12 June, another great visit. We celebrated two birthdays, the contractor visited to look the house over, and I got everything moved out of Abeilhan. The right balance of practicalities accomplished with excellent socializing in between.

Even though I've been spending most of my time in Roujan, I stayed one last night in Abeilhan, to be ready for the movers who were arriving the next morning. Me and a dead bird. Poor thing got in through the loft and couldn't get out. The move I thought would be easier this time around did throw up a few challenges, like the bed base I inherited from the previous owner that wouldn't go down the stairs. So the boys demolished it and took it to the dechetterie in bits. By 2 pm we were done and enjoying a very refreshing demi-peche (lager with peach syrup) at the Grand Cafe. The house in Abeilhan is now emptier than when I bought it, and ready to change hands on 9 July. Hooray.

Over at Top-top, things are really progressing garden-wise. I saw the new fence in person, with sweet young oleander planted next to it. The vegetables are doing well. At Ali's birthday supper, there were tender courgettes from Top-top on the menu. The tomato plants are dripping with fruit, still green for now, but not much longer.

One evening Lizzie & Josh came over for a little gardening session.

I was so pleased to be there, for a change. This city girl hangs on every word they utter. We dismantled the tepee the beans had grown on and expanded the strawberry patch. Lizzie coached us in separating out the baby plants and we put them in the newly turned earth.

While we were hoeing the soil, Josh said, isn't this happy work? Such a simple statement, but it really touched me, being connected to people I love and my own bit of dirt.

Afterwards, it was my assignment from the Boss to give the garden a real saturation watering. I was out there 'til after 9:30 wrapped in that muddy 50-metre beast of a hose; obviously I have yet to work out the best irrigation strategy! I went to bed early, satisfied, only to be woken an hour later by an almighty lightning strike. It was soon chucking it down, over 3 inches in the buckets the next morning...isn't it always the way, when you do a really good soaker, mother nature steps in with one of her own? Never mind, the light show from the "bedsit" was spectacular!