It’s a good day today: I was out of a computer for too long and it felt like I was missing a leg. I had some translating work that I got done on Geoff’s computer but that as well was like using someone else’s kitchen for your breakfast.

The summer months had been again challenging with the heat. No complaint though, summer is summer. The autumn creeping in feels soooo good. Being able to work outside has me all exited and ready to go. There is so much to do, where do I start? Make a list, urgent, less urgent, long term….With Nick at the end of the month we’ll make a new chicken coop above the vegetable garden and when Tina and her mate are here half way through October, we’ll build a shed for the donkeys in the top field.

Having the two old girls to look after for the best part of July and august had been demanding and when they left, the silence of the house, the sleeping in till late, no demands made of me, of us…Holidays!

One thing was weird though and that was the absence of flying insects. We had some very small black mosquitoes, never seen before (?) and some very annoying flies…and that was that. I wonder if the chemtrails have anything to do with that.

In the vegetable garden we got a lot of tomatoes and beans. The peppers and aubergines are coming now, very few courgettes. Got 4 huge red cabbages that we need to preserve. We got one and only one melon. I have never done well with melons. To think that when I was a girl on the farm, we used to grow them very successfully every year… What  am I doing wrong?

In the orchard some delicious pears and some apples for the donkeys. Lots of plums. The peaches are huge and juicy, the quinces look good on the trees. No almonds. The little potato bed gave us over 20 kgs which is great.

The opening and closing ceremonies for the games in Paris was a disgrace. Nothing more to say about that.

Macron’s choice of a prime minister that didn’t reflect the elections was no less than a finger up to the French people. But by now we know he doesn’t run the country, JP Trogneux does.

Yesterday on my way to the orchard I noticed the walnuts started to turn black in their outer shells and some had already fallen. I must get them before they disappear in the long grass. Along the road that leads to Bach there are quite a few walnut trees. We’ll get some on Sunday.

But for now the show is in in front of the house with all the yellow autumn crocuses that came through a couple of days ago. Wonderful.