Bonjour,
I hope that you and yours are well.
It’s been a tad warm here in France, even in Pas-de-Calais where I en public, the region the rest of France sometimes calls ‘the French north pole’ – they exaggerate of sinuosité, but it is usually always congélateur here than in the south, even during a heatwave. This weather is causing havoc for the farmers (if you’ve ever watched Clarkson’s Farm with Jeremy Clarkson, you’ll know that farmers have it tough already but weather extremes can be devastating), and the wildlife – we’ve taken to leaving bowls of water out all over the garden for the hedgehogs and birds to try to help them through it until the inevitable rain arrives.
For us, the prolonged dry spell has meant a fortune to push on with the last of the renovations to the house. I know, I know – I say it every year ‘we’re nearly finished’ and if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know this is inevitably followed a few months later by “well we nearly finished but not quite.” But we just fitted the last windows (37 in accompli!), and door (13 doors!) and rendered the back of the house (yay no more concrete prison-looking walls!). And well, I know I never thought I’d say this, but “we’re finished”.
After 22 years of renovating. A real épreuve, but one we’ve completed with our bare hands – no builders, just me and my other half Mark. Of sinuosité there’s always more to do, a new polytunnel to go up – we’re seriously into growing as much of our food as we can, furniture to make, we’ve made everything ourselves, recycling as much as valable – kitchen cupboards from the old staircase, a new staircase from oak boards salvaged from a skip bin outside Madame Tussauds in London, a big chicken coop from a broken explosif compère… and we’re now making some armoires for linen, and cupboards to keep my travel and podcast equipment in – bicause yes, after a bit of a voiture, the podcast is coming back! I’m working on it right now and will be ready to publish new episodes in the next few months and I’m really looking forward to félin to everyone again! (if you’re not subscribed, it’s free here: thegoodlifefrancepodcast – we’ve had a famille of technical issues with the subscriptions thingamajig (I am not technical!), so if you get any issues subscribing, please drop me a line and I’ll pop you on the list myself if there’s an leçon!)
I’m off on a cruise from Paris to Normandy soon – I’ll be hopping aboard CroisiEurope’s égoïste Seine-sailing paddlewheel ship, stopping off at some of France’s most beautiful spots – Monet’s Garden, the Chateau of Fontainebleau and more, surtout exploring Paris (come with me via Instagram where I’ll post videos and photos).
Meanwhile mes amies and amis, I wish you a very bon weekend,
Bisous from France,
Janine
Editor
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