Sausages

One of the subject's I forgot to mention the other month was our attempts at Sausage making. Before coming to France we purchased a large hand mincer & filler, and a large tub of salted pig intestines. Well we had a go with the willing help of Sally & Steve who were staying with us at the time, after mincing one & a half kilo's of pork and adding the breadcrumbs and spices it was time to fill the skins ( cant think of the right name for them) it was quiet easy and linking was not to bad after a few false starts. The finished product,seven fat sausages, these were placed in the fridge until the following morning to allow the spice's to permeate the meet. Well if I must say it myself they were the best sausages I have tasted in a long time, We all enjoyed them even Jill who is not a great lover of sausages.
Hopefully this is only the beginning.

More work

Well the last three day's have been hard graft, First off make new fire surround out of Oak and fit, then install log burner (that thing must have weighed a tonne), in and out three times before it fitted right. Then the last day sand the kitchen floor and then two cotes of polyurethane.
Damien and Rob arrived this morning after taking the overnight ferry ( calm crossing) after a very big cooked breakfast we had a long walk through the Forrest.
Hopefully the next ten day's will be restful.

Hi, All
Been very busy over the last month or so , Had Marcus over for a week, then Alanta & Mitchell for Two weeks, That was hetic, then last month Sally and Steve with Ashley & Jo for ten day's, then two day's later a flying visit from Dean & Caroline who were on their way from Normandy to Central Brittany it was great to see Family and Friends. We have Damien and Rob coming over on the 16th for ten day's just hope the weather improves.
While Sally & Steve were here they helped start the decorating in the Master bedroom ,removing some old woodwork and re-plastering the wall's and ceiling, (a big thanks for that) there has been no further progress on that room but plenty in the Kitchen and Dining room (see pictures).
We have also started installing a Log Burner and new Fireplace over the last few days ( We need heating as the evenings are starting to get chilly. The fireplace is made of Oak ,it took me just one day to make at the cost of 50 Euros ,the log burner cost about 450. Well thats about it for now, Take care all, will post again soon.

Before and After.





















A vast improvement over the old kitchen
and all our own work,
but not finished yet.
The Log Burner will be fitted in the next day or so.

Well we have settled into the new place and been very busy. We had a builder in to remove a wall and block up redundant doorways. the Electricians were in for a full week, complete rewire.the weather has been a bit mixed rain then plenty of sun.
We had a visit from Marcus who stayed for a week and enjoyed himself, out walking and cycling.
there have been delays updating the page because of Internet connections (all sorted now)
Below are a few picture updates to give idea of what we have achieved so far.

Moving House

Well the date has been set,

The Caravan has now been sold and we return to Bristol on the 1st May. We have had some great times and made some good friend, on the south coast and it is now time for a change.
The Furniture is to be collected on the 7th May and we fly out on the 8th, hopefully the furniture will be delivered on Monday the 12th as promised. We then have plenty of work ahead of us and are looking forward to the challenge.
When we were in Huelgoat last, we purchased a new cooker ( bottled gas) and a fridge/freezer at a very large supermarket at Morlaix. We have a very close friendship with Douglas and Betty our Hosts over the last four months who have helped us in every way possible, We will always be indebted to them.

New Paint Job

Before

( Ignore the Date's)

The New Paintwork

Well the house is now ours , we signed on the 17th March and then spent the next fifteen days decorating, we have managed to finish two rooms upstairs ,the landing and stairwell. We returned to the UK feeling very tired but pleased with ourselves.The Builders are working at the house well we are in the UK (removing a wall and blocking up a few doors)

More Pictures of the house. ( click pictures to enlarge)

The Stairs, solid mahogany

Kitchen ,Plenty of scope there.

View of Front Door, not visible in yesterdays photo.

Living Room looking towards back garden.

A bit dated, but nothing a good lick of paint can't fix.

A Back view of the house from garden.

The Front, It just needs a coat of Paint.

New House in France

All's going well so far on the house front, We paid the deposit on a three bed breton House in Huelgoat, Finistere last week and have to return next month (15th) to pay the remainder and sign.

The house was built about 1952/3 and is situated only a short distance from the Town Square, it is detatched with about 80ft front garden and about the same at the back, the front of the property faces the Forrest, wich is a National park.there is quite a bit of work to do but most of it will be painting & decorating, although the electrics and heating need an overhaul .

Over the next few months we will be adding pictures ( before & after) as the work progresses

Wildlife Pictures

The First three picture's by Jill.

( double click image to enlarge )

Just a few picture's taken over the last month.

Huelgoat, France

Spent a few weeks in Huelgoat , France last month, looking for property and enjoying the location.
The town is situated by the side of a two hectare lake and surrounded by six hundred hectares of Forrest. Not found a house yet but a few possibilities.

Pictures by Jill.

The Lake, Huelgoat.

Huelgoat from the lake.

New Zealand

Newzealand 2007

Thursday 9th Aug 07.



We left Heathrow on the 4.15pm flight to New Zealand, after a flight of 26 hrs we arrived at Auckland. Adrian and Kim picked us up from the airport at 6am we had a shower and cooked breakfast, Jill had a sleep while I spent the day relaxing in the garden.



I counted 13 species of birds visiting the garden throughout the day.

Adrian's House

10th Aug.
Trip into Auckland City , A nice day we walked up Queen Street ( the main street in Auckland) . Had a walk around Mayers park and then a trip to the top of the Sky Tower, fantastic views of the city, the Harbour and North Shore,





11th Aug.
Today we went to Murawai beach on Auckland's west coast, this is one of only three mainland nesting colonies of Gannets in New Zealand, we stood on a viewing platform on the cliffs overlooking the colony and watched the birds soaring over the rock stack while others were mating on the rocks below where they will build there nest, Later we went to a Macadamia nut farm, where we had lunch, and walked around the gardens and lakes





Murawai Gannet Colony Gannet

Sunday 12th.

Woke up to strong wind and showers the temperature had dropped a bit,

We went into the city and visited the museum and then walked around Auckland Domain a large park in downtown Auckland, there were great views from the high ground,

Monday 13th.

Spent the day working in Adrians garden. The Cultivated part of the garden is large compared with UK gardens but the uncultivated part is native bush covering at least three times as much land, this is thick bush containing at least 150-200 Tree ferns plus native trees and shrubs

Tuesday 14th,

Ade dropped us off at the bus station, at about 7.30, the bus took about 35 minutes on arivingat the docks we took the ferry to Rangitoto an extinct volcano about thirty minutes from down town Auckland. we walked for over an hour through thick bush and lava fields going steadly up until we reached the rim of the crater, the weather was hot and the view from the top was spectacular,great view of Auckland City shoreline, The walk back down was a longer route taking a circular path around half the circumference of the island finishing at the ferry wharf. We had a well earned lunch before returning on the ferry to Auckland.




Rangitoto from the Sea

Wednesday 15th.

Today we stayed around the house and garden ,taking a well earned rest after yesterday, The legs were still aching three days later.

Thursday 16th.

Cold overcast , heavy rain pm, took a ride into city, visited Maratime Museum, very intresting, weather turned really bad, strong wind off the sea with driving rain.

Friday 17th.

The heavy rain of yesterday has died away leaving a bright sunny day with a few light showers. We walked along Tamaki drive to Kelly Taltons under sea world, where we saw a large range of fish , Penguins and the hut that Captain Scot used at the south pole just as it was left all those
years ago.

Saturday 18th.

Wet morning, Afternoon weather changed so we went to Gulf Harbour on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula with distant views of Rangitoto.
We saw plenty of new housing ranging from $300,000 to $3.5 million With views out over the sea.we all had a great meal at a Restaurant in Gulf Harbour. The weather changed on the way back and was raining by the time we reached home.

Sunday 19th.

Went to Puhoi an historic village with a quaint Church, we had a Devon cream tea at a one hundred year old tea room overlooking the wooded hills of Puhoi. Later we drove to Warkworth where we walked along the river towards the sea.

Waiheke Island.

Waiheke is situated about forty minutes from Auckland City, The ferry journey was nice (calm for Jill) and we arrived at Matiatia Wharf at 9.45 .The island is quite big and they have their own bus services covering the island, We started our walk at the wharf and followed the path to the southern end of Matiatia Bay and then headed uphill to the lookout on Nick Johnstone Drive, great views of the smaller islands including Rangitoto the volcanic cone rising out of the sea a few miles away. We continued along the coast passing Te Miro Bay and on to Church bay where we stopped for lunch, Church bay is backed by a big sheep farm with a stream running down to the sea.After lunch we walked up the hill and through the bush until we reached Allison Park then followed the road to Atawhia Whenua Reserve ,the going through the reserve was down hill and quite wet although the weather was hot with a nice breeze , our walk finished back at the wharf, it had taken just over four hours. At 4.00 we took the ferry back to Auckland.

Alanta in sleep mode

Easter weekend.
Naomi Rob and the kids + Bentley came down for the Easter weekend, the weather was great bright and sunny but with a slight breeze, Bentley is now 17 weeks old and getting very big ( already bigger than Jack) I think he enjoyed it here as much as the kid’s charging around the caravan and jumping all over people like a four legged Bulldozer.
They returned on Sunday evening looking tired but with a suntanned complexion.

The House.
The surveyor came on Thursday last everything was ok, so now we have to wait for the solicitors to get it together and then we can start looking in France.

Bently

Just a few pictures of Naomi's new dog (Bentley) named by Mitchell who said He is a British Bulldog so we will name him after a British car.

These pictures were taken when he was 8 weeks old

The Latest

Mum is much better now getting around a bit more, although still a bit unsteady.
Damien & Nathan are progressing slowly with buying the house , Marcus is still waiting to move into the flat. and us we cant wait to get back down the van and start looking for a place in france.

Damien in NZ

Damien has just returned from a month stay in New Zealand, He went out with a friend Mike and joined Greg who lives there (Adrian's son) for a trip around north island with the Kiwi Experience, Starting out from Adrian's house in Auckland they visited places like Rotorua,Waitomo,Taupo, and the Bay of Islands, and then down to Kaikoura on south island before returning to Auckland for Christmas and new year with Adrian and Cathe.

Damien tried free fall which was a surprise for us as he is not known for being adventurous, but as you can see from pic above he had smile on his face.

12 months later

Sorry we have been out of touch for over twelve months ,just so much going on and a bad and very expensive uplink to the web from my laptop.
Now we have time to catch up,
spent at least ten months on the coast bird watching , walking and photographing the wildlife.
Jill has had a bad spell suffering with rhumatics in her hands and neck , the medication seems to be working. As for me life is still good enjoying enjoying retirement,
will try to get some pictures on the blog soon.

Hope to sell the house soon,then with a bit of luck start looking for a new house in Brittany france

Update's

Latest News,

( Please click links on left)

21/10/05,Wildlife pics, New Pics.

30/09/05 Jill gets leg op,on Tuesday 4th.

28/09/05 Epic Journey, Family News.

New pic of William please clic on Family News.

New pics of old crane ,Portland. clic on Photography.

27/9/05 .New pics of Wind & Kite Surfing.click on Photography

Chesil Beach and the Fleet Lagoon.


Chesil Beach is a ridge of pebbles stretching from Portland in the east to Abbotsbury in the west, up to forty five feet high two hundred yards and over eight miles long, separated from the mainland by the Fleet lagoon, the largest of its kind in the UK.
The beach is accessible from the Portland end at Ferry Bridge, which is tidal emptying in to Portland Harbour; the western end is accessed from Abbotsbury.
You can walk either side of the Fleet, the mainland side has the South Western Coastal footpath, and the seaward side has just the shingle of the chesil beach (a long hard walking but a pleasant one). The walk along this side with the beach towering above you is reminiscent of the sand dunes in the desert, large gullies and depressions in the beach changing shape with the position of the sun.
Flora.
The vegetation is sparse but rich in species , consisting of grasses and plants which can subsist in the hostile environment , plants which can take the salt laden air ,strong winds and little soil ,the plant life starts at the tide line and in some places spreads over large areas of stable shingle.
Wildlife

There can be large numbers of birds at certain times of the year, large flocks of gulls and waders roost on the shingle at high tide, in the spring migrants from across Africa and Europe rest before moving on to their breeding grounds, In the autumn return migration to their wintering grounds, Large numbers can be seen at Portland Bill not far away.
There is a small breeding colony of Little Terns (Sterna albifrons) on the shingle at Ferry Bridge, breeding over the last three or four years has been very poor, owing to predation foxes and hedgehogs, which eat the eggs, Even the work by English Nature, erecting fences has not stopped the destruction of eggs. This year the Terns decided to breed outside the fence with disastrous results.
Other birds Present throughout the year include Raven,( Corvus corrax), Peregrine falcon,(Falco peregrinus) and Kestrel,(falco tinnunculus) other wildlife includes Short-tailed Voles,(Microtus agrestis) mice, Brown Hare,(lepus europaeus) Hedgehog,(erinaceus europaeus) Fox,(Vulpes vulpes) and the occasional Roe deer,(Capreolus capreolus).

The Fleet Lagoon.

The Fleet itself is full of wildlife both on and beneath the surface ranging from fish and invertebrates to large numbers of wintering Wildfowl; there is also the World famous Swannery at Abbotsbury. The fleet is classified as an S.S.S.I. (Site of Special Scientific importance) (More on the Wildlife of the Fleet later).

The Presence of Man.

All along the seaward side of the Fleet the presence of man can be seen in many ways , old fishing huts still remain, once the main livelihood of the local population, some still in use but on a smaller scale. Some of the huts are in need of repair. The old wooden track ways leading up and over the brow of the beach, used at one time to haul small fishing boats to the sea, now lay abandoned; the wood rotted away, the iron fixings corroded by the salt air.
Wooden clinker built boats of all shapes and sizes (now replaced by modern maintenance free materials); lay abandoned, left to the ravages of the elements, to rot away, in a graveyard.
In another five to ten years there will be nothing left just memories like the master craftsman that once built these once fine craft.
There are still scattered remains of the Military presence that once existed here, scattered brick and concrete rubble, on the landward side old military pill boxes, still exist overgrown with bramble or moved by erosion. (The Fleet was used in the Second World War to test the bouncing bomb, for the RAF dam busters.) The military still has a small presence here on the mainland in the form of The RE, bridging camp, and a small arms range at Chickerel.
The most recent signs of man come in the form of plastic, bottles, bags, etc, of cuts of nylon rope and nets and other waste, dumped in the sea by trawler men, as they repair their damaged nets, All this washed in by the sea and blown over the ridge, trapped by the vegetation, with little chance of ever being removed.

In the coming weeks images will be prepared to accompany this page.