Spring has sprung...time to get to work!!!

I am itching to get planting in the garden but the time is not yet right. Working, as the french do, to Lunar planting, I am now waiting for the last quarter of the moon....11th April...to put in the potatoes and onions. I know its possible to plant them earlier but unless the ground is warm enough they just will not start growing until it is. There is still a risk of frost and also heavy rain. The ground is also still quite wet at the minute so not really good for planting so I am continuing digging and weeding
until the time is right.

we are hoping for a better food supply this year and have really missed the freezer full of goodies in the winter. This week we used the last of the summer berries and other than that we only have one bag of potatoes left in the freezer.

FOX ALERT

We allow our chickens to free range in the garden when we are in but always close them into their run when we are out. When they are free ranging there is always a risk against predators. Our french neighbour came to inform us that a fox had been spotted in the neighbouring gardens and to be more vigilant. The chickens are in their house at night but there is always that risk time early in the morning when we have just let them out and at dusk before they are shut in.
There have been times in the last two weeks  when the chickens have been quite vociferous and giving out warning squawks.....we are not sure if the fox was there but so far they have been safe.
To be honest the chickens would have a real problem escaping...they eat soooo much that even if their wings were not clipped they would never manage to fly very far!!!

Here they are two of them...lounging after stuffing themselves with seed I had put out for the birds as well as pinching every poor worm that appeared while I was digging!!!
All the girls are still laying...as they have done all winter...and despite giving away 3 days worth of eggs to our  neighbours per week , we find we are constantly looking for different egg recipes to use them up.
As well as the usual poached, scarambled and fried...we have had egg fried rice, frittata, egg gratin. Most people coming for aperos have egg mimosa and instead of taking chocs when we go to neighbours for a meal we always take eggs!!!
We are still on the lookout for more recipes!!!!!!

I love Spring.Spring flowers are my favourite. The lawn is filled with violets, daisies and dandelions which most people class as weeds but I love their natural splashes of colour in the greenery. Its always a shame when its grass cutting time as we lose this...I try to leave cutting as long as possible..
I love all the buds coming on the fruit trees....the raspberries, currants and blueberries are all coming to life. The hazel tree..which we didnt have a chance to cut back this year, is loaded with buds.
The chance of having any hazelnuts this year is very dependant on whether we can manage to relocate the red squirrels which use our garden as a local restaurant!!
We bought a squirrel catcher cage.....

.as advised in all the handbooks...simply put bait in the back of the catcher and relocate caught squirrel more than 12 miles away. SIMPLES!!!
1 week later......said squirrel seems able to get bait out withour triggering off the door. Not only that it is now climbing up onto the balcony and looking in the window as if to say......HA HA NO CHANCE MATEY!!!! As well as that it seems to have brought its Aunty and Uncle as well.....

Looks like we will not get any hazelnuts again this year.
As well as having spent 40 euros!!!!

Despite spring starting we are also looking to next winter! Yes...no rest...one has to plan ahead you know!
We have been pruning and cutting down several trees in the garden.They have been very neglected and all we an do is hope that we an salvage something out of them. If nothing else we have a good supply of wood for next year.....saving us at least 300 euros!!!

I am very happy to have had the garden shed installed at the bottom of the garden. Potting.... here we come!!! It will be like my little

haven... hubby has his workshop and I have my shed.
Perhaps I should put a sign on the door..... Bag Lady's shed!!!!
As well as that we laid a patio......

and then we have laid the base for an above ground pool

So the intention is  not" all work and  no play"..although it does seem that way sometimes......if we were being totally self sufficient I can honestly say I would probably buy an apartment by the sea. There is, after all a reason why our ancestors moved away from the country into the city.
Its hard work and you have to plan and prepare. You are victim to the weather and pests.There is no guarantee of a good crop and if there was no crop you had no food....Irish potato famine!!!!!
There are days you feel like a duck with feet going ten to the dozen under the water while trying to give an impression of total serene above!!!
We are lucky to have the safety net of supermarkets, take aways, restaurants....after a hard days work you can say lets put our feet up. Not so in the past...they worked from morning till night to just for basi survival.. If you didnt prepare in advance you were seriously short of food and fuel!!!
Living well for less is a choice and is enjoyable..yes its hard work and its a challenge...but some of us like that......if it stopped being so then there is no doubt we are lucky enough to say we don't want to do it anymore.
On that note...Its Friday...its the weekend...... getting  into a hot soapy bath...accompanied by pastis and coke..and hubby...sausage casserole is in slow cooker...woodburner is on.....70's music playing in the background.....heaven!!!!

Bonne weekend tout le monde xxxx