Visit from Apeldoorn: Bertjo and Annette
I will start this blog with a positive note, a nice visit from friends from Apeldoorn. They have driven thousands of kilometers to pay us a quick visit and their presence was really nice. Good discussions, laid-back atmosphere and sun sun sun!
And then came the hail the size of golf balls
On July third, around 17:00, storm broke in. I was with a friend in the garden, weeding and because it started raining, we decided to go hide in the green house. We soon realized that this storm was something else then just rain. Ice the size of golf balls and bigger were coming through the plastic of the tunnel, reaching the ground and bouncing back up. This got quite dangerous and we went sitting under a wooden table we have in the tunnel. It probably lasted 10-15 minutes but it seemed quite longer.
Once the storm was passed, we came out of our shelter and realized the damages done to the tunnel, the garden but also damages to our cars.
One of the VW Golf actually lost the whole back window....
All 3 windshields are cracked and need to be replaced. All 3 cars have dents all over and because we have old cars, this will not be covered by the insurance.
The tunnel has become a real sieve but this will be the last of our worries. What touches me the most is the garden. The plants have been shredded by nature's strength ....
And the potato field will certainly not yield as much as expected.
Before
After
..... and then the flood
Incredible... The mayor came with an expert to evaluate the damages and offers will be asked to local artisans for re-enforcing the road and re-building the retaining wall, probably this time using concrete instead of stones. This will not be as nice as the stone wall but we will do something nice to make him disappear in the big picture.
Work Away
On July 21st, Joam and Maria arrived from Granada to spend 2 weeks with us, helping with the many task we have. They know each other since kindergarten and work really well together. Having new people around us gives us structure, confront us with the need to communicate openly with strangers and help us in many ways with tasks we would not have done without them, at least not yet.
Joam and Maria have cleaned the entire chicken run from all branches and leaves that had been falling after the hail and the heavy rainfalls. The chicken have now a nice even ground to walk and scratch on and pilled branches and leaves to play with/lay in/ find insects etc. They set wooden posts in the ground for the future pig's fencing.
With clear instructions from Mike, they also build our first "Hugelkultur" bed (raised garden bed).
"Hugelkultur" are no-dig raised beds used in permaculture. They hold moisture, build fertility through the organic matters used (gradual decay of wood), maximize planting surface for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs.
On top of this bed will come more dirt from the fertile soil of the chicken run. And this will finally be covered with a layer of straw serving as a protection.
We will leave this raised bed mature and probably start using it next spring.
Chicken update
For the forth time this year we are allowed a broody chicken to care for 6 eggs. She was our first hen this year who started brooding and our best mom as well so we give her green light for the second round.
As of today, 4 eggs have hatched, 2 chicks died while opening their eggshell (not strong enough thus not viable) and one died a couple of days after birth. All and all, we have now 3 more young chicks for a total of 10 this first year. A nice experience!
Our brave Tesla
Tesla have been through lots since we moved to France. Last June, on a Saturday night after work, we found Tesla lying in the grass. At first I thought she was chasing a mouse but when I got closer I realized that she was still because she just couldn't move anymore. I picked her up and we then saw that one leg was hanging. We decided to give it a day to better evaluate the situation. On Sunday we knew it was not just strained. So on Monday, we went to the veterinarian in Aurignac for some x-rays and she saw that the head of the femur had been pulled out of the joint. She then sedated Tesla and tried to put the bone back into place but unfortunately it kept on coming out. The option was then to operate..... puff.....
This is a picture of Tesla quite lost in our apartment when she came back from the vet with a cone covering her head and pain medication. For 1 week, it was quite a challenge but after that she was calmer, we removed the cone, we saw that she was using her leg again and things are getting better and better every week. Rehabilitation will last up to 6 months, after which she will probably not improve anymore. Seeing how it goes already, we have good hopes.
Our container
When the container was delivered to us about 1 year ago, it was impossible to set it at the right place. On delivery day, the ground was too wet for the heavy truck to drive deep enough on our property and the nearly 12 tons container was too heavy to handle. So the container had been placed near the road waiting for some miracle to happen.
Mike's ingenious idea made possible for the container to be turned 180 degrees and to end up at the right place using rolling logs and a 2.5 ton digger. This was an achievement, something Mike wanted to do for a long long time. DONE!
As I write those last words, August is well under way... We will welcome 2 new helpers from Work Away program: Alejandro from Spain and Jonathan from Australia. Mike's brother Dan will pay us another visit this year and all these people will help us fix the main roof of the house. A big job that have been asking lots of preparation. The whole story will fill my next blog.
And as a closing note: the garden is growing well, the outside plants have become stronger and the garden will yield some veggies but not much fruit. From the outside garden, I am harvesting zucchinis, potatoes, beets, kale and beans. In the green house, tomatoes are finally maturing and there are loads of cucumbers. For late fall/winter harvest, I am planting purple broccoli, white cabbage and leeks. More on this topic on the next blog! Thanks to all of you for following our journey xx