Old Water Heater

Old Water Heater With Mound of Limescale

As part of the upgrade to our electrics and plumbing we removed our old 3 phase water heater, which will now become another water butt near one of the outbuildings.


With the old plumbing there wasn't a water softener, so when I turned the water heater upside down to empty out the last of the water this pile of limescale tumbled out, accompanied by filthy brown water.  To think that we used this for washing and occasionally for cooking - YUK.

It's not surprising that the water here is so hard as it all comes from bore holes drilled into the soft limestone.

Register an Imported Trailer in France - Part Four

The saga still continues, but it is now looking much better than it did a couple of months ago.

DREAL, the French government agency responsible for testing HGVs, has sent me a examplar dossier showing the required information.  The main requirement is that the manufacturer supplies on headed notepaper a list of the components and their CE numbers.

After some discussion, Towability provided this and I took it to DREAL last week.  I have the stamp to prove that this has been accepted so yet another bridge crossed.  However, this did create another requirement; the weight of the trailer when empty and the weight on the tow hook.

So, hitch up the trailer and head off to the gravel and tarmac works at Tours where they have a weighbridge.  I now have what I hope is the last piece of the puzzle; now it's just a case of taking the complete dossier, including photographs of the trailer, into DREAL and waiting for them to invite me for a test.

Assuming that I pass, it's then down to the prefecture to queue for three hours to get its registration number. 

It's a bit late for us, but this process won't be required in the future as regulations are being harmonised across Europe by 2013, so all trailers sold in the UK by then will be legal across all of the EU countries ...... perhaps we should have waited!

Lightning Kills Livebox

The clap of the thunder and the flash of the lightning woke us up at just after 2 in the morning.  It was a violent storm, but as there were quite a few seconds between the lightning and thunder we weren't that worried as these storms (orages) are not uncommon.  

But, as time went on, the gap between lighting and thunder steadily reduced, until there was only a short delay between the two.  We both shot out of bed and unplugged all the computers and the Livebox.The only things left plugged in to the electrics were the fridge and a printer, which was on a surge protector.  Oh, and we left the telephone wire plugged into the Livebox.

A short while later the whole house shook as a bolt of lightning and a clap of thunder arrived at exactly the same time.  The surge caused the main EDF circuit breaker to trip but not before it had cooked the printer!

After this, the storm rapidly moved away so we went back to sleep with the power still off just in case it returned.  When we got up I plugged the Livebox in, but no broadband connection.  The surge must have come along the phone line and cooked the modem.

So, off to Tours with it under my arm, to join the queue of people swapping their dead Liveboxes at the Orange shop. It seems the death of Liveboxes is not uncommon either.

Changing from 3 phase to single phase

Our electricity supply here has always been a problem, with the main circuit breaker regularly tripping if we decide to put on an electric fire and a kettle at the same time.  This is mainly because we have a three phase supply of only 9kw, which means that each of the three circuits in the house needs only 3kw to trip the circuit breaker.

Not knowing how the house is wired means that we don't know which sockets are on which phase, so overloading (it's hard to think of 3kw being an overload, but there we are!) it is not difficult, especially in the winter.

However, we've not been able to change to a single phase 9kw supply because we had a three phase water heater.  This, along with all of the old plumbing, has now been removed, and ERDF will be arriving in two weeks to change us to a single phase supply. Yippeeee!


We'll still have to count the number of electric fires that we have on, but having 9kw will still be massively easier than being restricted to 3kw.

Ribbit

Rainbow Toad from BBC website

This is a Rainbow Toad, only recently found after a 90-year long game of hide and seek with a group of scientists who had dedicated their time to finding this one toad. The photo is from the BBC nature news website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/14151541

Unfortunately, it was not I who trekked through the ridges of the Gunung Penrissen range of Western Sarawak to find this amphibian, but it was I who managed to sneak the following close-up of one of the many beautiful little frogs here at The Old Farm. You may not think this to be such an achievement, but it was somewhat of an unexpected challenge, since these frogs appear to be terrified of me and me alone. Anyway, this is my achievement for the day, an achievement which took a considerable length of time lying dead still and hiding behind the ridge of the pond until the frogs deemed me to be far enough away to come back up again. I was rather proud.

Unfortunately, the sound of the frogs diving into the water still greets me when I deign to even look at the pond.

Frog in pond in France

* A guest entry by Young Riotlife *

A Visitor Comes

Green Lizard under tomato leaves

The prolonged silence ticked over in my head; anticipation coloured the still air whilst I waited for the inevitable roar.

Silence.

‘COME OVER HERE! QUICKLY!’ A sudden screech made me jump, and the tiny green lizard, not nearly as loud as I expected, scuttled into the tomato plants by my feet.

More than a little disappointed, I snapped back into reality and realised the huge dragon set to eat me was only a little lizard, and was in fact a gazillion times more scared of me than I was of it.

I slowly chased it through the vegetable patch, wanting to catch a glimpse of its incredibly camouflaged body, but then I began to feel guilty because the poor thing must have been terrified.

The highlight of Day 1: my little friend the dragon coming to work in the vegetable patch with us.

* A guest entry by Young Riotlife *

Drought Plays Havoc With Radishes

Big Radish, Little Radish

The drought has played havoc with our fruit and vegetables this year.  Some plants have grown like topsy, like the courgettes, which are 1kg each, and the beetroot where each one is sufficient for a couple of meals.

But, since the drought and high temperatures really kicked in the salad vegetables have been hopeless.  The Spicy Leaf and Rocket flowered without growing any edible leaves and the radish have either not developed at all or grown to be large and tasteless lumps.  Not a great success but we have learnt a lot this year, especially the need to grow the seeds in decent soil, prepare the planting beds properly and, most importantly, have unlimited water available to keep the crop happy.

Swallow and Black Redstarts in the Barn

Black Redstart Chick Fledgling in Swallow Nest

The Swallow and Black Redstart parents are not at all happy that we are in and out of the barn all the time just now getting our renovation material.  The Swallows are at one end and the Black Redstarts are at the other so whichever door we go in we get scolded by one or the other.

The Black Redstarts tell us off by sitting on the swingball pole and making their tch tch tch sound.  The Swallows fly around and around near their nest without going to it and make a rapid chatter.  Amazingly, as soon as the parents start their warning noise the chicks stop making any noise at all.  It is incredible that the chicks have not even left the nest yet but they understand what a warning noise is.

If the Swallows or Black Redstarts are outside when we go into the barn then they won't come into the barn until we leave.  The Swallows are amazing the way that they fly into the barn so fast, see us and turn immediately and leave.  They really are the fighter jets of the birds, quite amazing.  It is very sad that after this brood is a bit older they'll all be looking to migrate south until next spring.

What is particularly interesting is the Black Redstarts have taken up residence in a newly renovated Swallow's nest. Normally they make quite a scruffy, traditional bird nest in the nook of a cross beam in the barn, however this pair have taken over a very smart Swallow's nest. We don't know if the Black Redstarts commandeered it or the Swallows changed their minds and decided to renovate a nest at the other end of the barn. Either way it sounds like the Black Redstarts have quite a brood in and we are looking forward to seeing the fledglings within the next few days.

Swallow Chick Fledgling in Nest

Adult Toad

Toad discovered under plank of wood

We used to have to watch for hedgehogs hiding in our wood piles now we have to watch for toads. 

This adult toad was discovered living under a pile of wooden planks that we had left in front of the Little House until we had time to cut them. I felt a bit mean moving him as he had hollowed out a small depression in the soil and seemed very much at home but staying there he would have been trodden on and baked in the midday sun.

Toads are fascinating creatures and quite different from frogs. They are very difficult to see as their brown skin is perfect camouflage against mud. If they are disturbed they sit tight while frogs hop away. They tend to walk with a lumbering gait rather than hop and they have dry, warty looking skin rather than the wet, smooth skin of a frog. If you ever have to move a toad the best way is to gently bring your hands around the body of the toad, sliding them under the body as you bring them together. Young toads move about in your hands but the older ones just sit put so it is easy to carry them to a safe place. We usually put them either in the wood pile in 'Toad Hall' or under the lavender bushes. You may find you need to encourage the toad to move off your hands when you try to put it down and often they will sit still for a few moments before eventually moving off to somewhere dark and comfortable. Always make sure you wear gloves before picking up a toad as they secrete a liquid from their skin that can irritate your skin.

Toad discovered under plank of wood

Deer drinking from the pond

Roe Deer drinking from garden pond

The drought must really be taking its toll on the wildlife as very early this morning we looked out to find a young deer drinking from our ornamental pond in the courtyard. 

The deer are quite at home wandering through the gardens but as far as we know they have never before tried to drink from this pond. We love to see the deer about but do not want to encourage them to this pond as we don't think their hooves will be very kind to the liner. 

Roe Deer drinking from garden pond

As soon as we can (i.e. when it rains for more than 10 minutes) we want to fix the sides of the pond and edge it with some solid oak beams removed from the old barn roof when it was repaired. This will make it much more difficult for the deer to reach the water so should solve the problem. They'll just have to use the natural pond out the back!

Register an Imported Trailer in France - Part Three

The saga continues, but it is not yet clear which way it will end, although it is not looking good.

I've been in contact with the HGV testing station in Tours about what information they require to test the trailer. Basically, if it doesn't have a full technical information pack then it needs to be put through the entire single vehicle approval process, which included destructive testing of the trailer breakaway cable.

Unfortunately the supplying dealer in England, Towability of Wellingborough, are not willing or able to supply any technical information about the trailer. I am taking this to mean that either they are not interested in helping or they did not build it using CE approved equipment.  Anyway, I've gone back to them to ask them to look again and hopefully they'll come through with something.

I'm also talking to VOSA about what information Towability should have provided with the trailer and whether there were any standards that it should have adhered to.  Update: they've just come back and said that they don't hold any information on it.

Tour de France Arrives Today

The excitement is building, with only a few hours to go till the Tour De France arrives.  Our bike tyres are pumped up and the trailer for our chairs and lunch is attached to mine.  Luckily we don't need a Carte Grise for this one so everything is looking good.

We're off to the Friday market in Montrichard in a few minutes to get our last minute supplies as I think that sitting on the edge of the road for 4 hours might make me a bit peckish.  We need to be early this morning as the roads will be shutting prior to the Tour de France arriving and we don't want to be trapped.

The weather is not brilliant, with it being just over 16°C with a stiff breeze and hazy sunshine.  I've put my shorts on as a sign of optimism but I'm not totally convinced.

Broad-Winged Damselfly

This beautiful female Broad-Winged Damselfly was spotted on a bramble leaf on the edge of the woods. Its shimmering turquoise body looked absolutely stunning in the late evening sun.

The Broad-Winged Damselfly is also known as demoiselles.  The Latin name, Calopterygidae is derived from "beautiful winged" which to us sums it up perfectly.

Broad-winged Damselfly

Bees Pollinating Blackberries

Bee flying from blackberry flower

The blackberry bushes are now in full flower and absolutely covered in many different kinds of bees. This is a really good sight at a time when there are so many articles about how bees are struggling for survival. 

With such a large number of bees feeding on the flowers as you get close to them it sounds like the hedgerows themselves are buzzing.

We think bees are fascinating creatures and we also have a love of honey so once the renovation of the buildings is under control we plan to put a hive or two in the fields to really encourage the bees onto the land.

Bee on blackberry flower

Register an Imported Car in France

Our guide on how to register an imported car in France has been updated this morning as we have now registered our second car in France.  The second car was much more straightforward as we knew what we were doing, so we hope that this up-to-date guide will be useful to you.

If you need any advice with registering your car in France feel free to send us a comment and we'll help as much as we can.  Good luck.

Outside Temperature Gauge

Maybe being out in the wilds away is making us appreciate small pleasures even more, but we are immensely pleased at our new weather station with its outside temperature sensor.

We've put the outside sensor on a shaded windowsill facing North-East so that it doesn't get any sun. In this way we get an idea of what the real temperature will be for us outside as with our pale English skin we shouldn't really sit in the sun.

This morning it is a balmy 21°C in the house but a cool 13°C outside so we'll give it another few minutes before we go out.

Tour de France Comes Past Our House

The excitement is building with only a week to go until the Tour De France 2011 comes past the end of our road near to Montrichard.  It's not something we've ever been concerned about previously, but this year we've already got our seats booked.

It's definitely not the Alps here with a big hill being a couple of hundred metres high, but our grandstand (well, a couple of folding picnic chairs) is on a long uphill stretch so we should see the cyclists doing a bit of work.  I hope that we don't feel too guilty munching our baguettes and slurping down some cheap wine while the cyclists are working so hard in the scorching midday heat.

The forecast from Meteo is for it to be slightly overcast and 25°C so we're really looking forward to chilling out for a couple of hours while the caravan meanders past us.

Heatwave Ends - What a Relief

Sometimes it seems churlish to complain about the weather when in the round it is so fantastic here. But, and there always has to be a but, Monday and Tuesday of this week were horrendous.

The sky was blue, but it was incredibly humid with a strong, warm wind. These all combined to create a couple of stiflingly hot days where even at night the temperature didn't drop below 35C. Normally on a hot day we sit in the shade, but with the warm wind the temperature was the same in or out of the shade.

Last night there was a fantastic storm, with thunder and lightning. Not only did this water the veggie patch for us (thank you) but it broke the heat. Getting up this morning has been a real pleasure with a bright blue sky and a gentle cooling breeze. Now we're certainly not complaining.

Hoopoe Family

Over the last week or so we have regularly seen what we thought was just one Hoopoe around the house, including this morning sitting on the windowsill (in France,windows open in so the windowsill is outside) about 6 feet from us.  He looked very striking with his long beak and upright crest glinting in the early morning sunlight.  Unfortunately we couldn't photograph him because as soon as we moved to pick up the camera he flew away onto the front lawn.

Amazingly though, this wasn't the most brilliant Hoopoe sighting that we've had this morning.  Later, there was a family group of three Hoopoes on the lawn, picking away at the insects and worms.  A Hoopoe lays up to 8 eggs, but we don't know whether these were all juvenile Hoopoes.  We'd also love to know whether they have nested here or whether they are just coming here for food.

The good news is that they don't migrate back to Africa for another couple of months so we should get lots more sightings of them.

Baby Caterpillars

Scattered within the hawthorn and blackthorn bushes are these nests that look like matted cobwebs.  On closer inspection though you can see that they are home to dozens of tiny caterpillars that look very much at home munching the leaves. It's lucky that they move slowly as they are devastating anything and everything in their path.

Having watched these cobweb structures for a few days now we think the black dots might be the caterpillar eggs though unfortunately we don't know what species they are.

Nevertheless it is good to see them as it is more evidence that we are doing the right thing here by leaving lots of wild patches for weeds and trees to grow in.  It may not be the ideal outcome for the caterpillars and butterflies, but they will also make a tasty meal for all of the birds that are also being encouraged by the wild spaces!

Emerging caterpillars eating hawthorn leaves