Sitting here listening to the pitter patter of rain on our conservatory back in Scotland it is quite hard to believe that yesterday we were sitting In 30 degrees in Paris!

There was only a space of 4 nights available at the house this summer which is good news on one hand and bad on the other as it means we don't get to stay too long, however we made a very good trip out of the 4 days with a weekend in Scarborough to start off with and a weekend in Paris to finish it all off very nicely!

We had tied in the first weekend with visiting friends in Scarborough who have recently taken over a B&B called Tall Storeys and it was wonderful to see the place and to see just how well life in a B&B is suiting them, here's hoping it will have the same effect on Phil and I when we finally get out to France full time.

We dashed off from Scarborough on the Sunday morning just after 10am heading south in our old jalopy the Discovery.... yes 250,000 miles later it is STILL running and its very proud owner has no intention of ever parting with it just like in marriage.... until death do us part, only I didn't realise I was marrying a Discovery as well as Phil :-)

In saying all that the car ran extremely well even if it didn't have its air conditioning working which for Rosemary and I travelling in the back did have its hot moments it was either sweat it out or get blown away from the men having their front windows open.  We made a quick stop off for Sunday lunch in the Eight Bells in Saffron Walden, one of the first places that Phil and I ever ate out together and in the town where we married.

It was then time to hit the road to Dover with a very tight schedule to achieve to be in Dover by 6.30pm for the 7.15pm ferry.  For those of you who are a regular on my blog you will know that Phil NEVER makes it easy on us getting anywhere on time and even I noticed him a few times glancing at the SatNav to see how he was doing not that he will admit to this but you could certainly feel that he was putting his foot down for the last half an hour.  We breezed into Dover docks at 6.33pm with just enough time to run to the loo and then we were boarding.  Phil will say this was perfect timing and no hanging around to do!

It was a lovely evenings sail across the channel the white cliffs looked beautiful and I never fail to enjoy the sight of them as you sail away particularly on a lovely summers evening like we had. A smooth crossing and a quick exit at the other end with just a short drive to a B&B chain hotel in Calais.  This was a step up from the F1 that we usually go to and it even had an ensuite :-)  basic hotel but with everything you need for a simple stop over and have to say breakfast the next morning was very good.

Monday Morning 29th July and it was to be a long drive south today, we had sat around the table last night planning the route and have decided to do the first 2 sections on non toll roads and we set off in the direction of Rouen then on for a lunch time stop at Chatre.  Phil and I have stopped off here a few times now and always enjoy a spot of lunch and a wander around.  We had lunch in a lovely café full of collectable coffee and tea pots, lunch was an omelette and a glass of wine to kick start our holiday.

from Chatre it was another 3 hours on the road to get to Celon where we were booked to spend the night at another friend's B&B Le Canard au Parapluie Rouge.  Phil and I first stopped here with the kids 3 years ago when we were house hunting in France and we got to know Kathy and Martin really well and are delighted that we have become friends.  I wanted to share the experience of staying there with Rosemary and Peter as I hoped they would like it as much as we do, didn't bank on them liking it so much that they would chose to stay there and not at our B&B when we finally open though!!

We had a wonderful evening in the garden with a delicious meal of quiche and salad, Kathy really is a good cook and her dinners are always very enjoyable especially with all the little extras like fresh flowers on the tables and the lighting in the gazebo.... I aspire to run my B&B like them.

I always sleep really well at Le Canard, the beds are very comfortable and I had to have a peek at the mattress toppers to check them out so I could see which ones to buy for our beds so that are guests are as comfortable as we are there.  I joined Kathy in the kitchen before everyone else was up as I am an early riser and I got some hints and tips for starting my bed and breakfast next summer.  With our goodbyes said and a dozen freshly laid eggs tucked into the car we were off to Bousseresse this time with Peter and Phil doing the back seat driving and Rosemary and I enjoying some space and some air in the front of the car.

We had a major hiccup this year in the garden maintenance which had resulted in a complaint, quite rightly, from one of guests.  I had been very upset at the picture that they had sent me of the grass in the backgarden but resolved the problem within 24hours and hopefully our gardener will now continue to keep on top of things.  The grass problem aside there was also a large amount of overgrown bushes and roses and some weedy areas that we had to get stuck into and sorted out as quickly as possible.  We were lucky today as the weather was not too hot which made it more bearable.

Phil set off with the strimmer and Rosemary, Peter and I got stuck into the weeding and cutting back!

It was surprising after only an afternoon how much better the garden was looking. It was a shame that my marigolds had all died off this year but then the weather had been scorching hot and when they are not being watered everyday this is bound to happen. I look forward to being there next year and spending my evenings watering my pots and baskets as having a splash of colour in the garden really makes a difference.

I also wanted to use this trip to update some photos, the new green shutters were added in January but I need a clear blue sky to compliment them and I was not to be disappointed as the Wednesday dawned very sunny and very hot, high 30's.  It was a good job that the day before had been the hard gardening day as it wouldn't of been a good idea today.

Summer picture of the house with the new shutters.

 

I also wanted to get some other promotional shots done of the table outside set for breakfast and the new patio area set for afternoon tea so that I can use them on my brochure advertising later this year.

 

 We also set to work on sorting out the new patio area that needed a good weeding and I really wanted to put something a bit more decorative along the side of it to block out the overgrown field.  This was a good enough excuse for Rosemary and I to set off for the garden centre!!  We did the local one at the end of the road first then Gamme Verte and ended up at Mr Bricolage where I purchased some cane fencing that just so happened to be the perfect length to fit the patio area. (of course I measured it before I left Phil!!)  I also picked up a couple of Hydrangea's for the garden to keep in pots for this summer and then in the Autumn I will move to the garden for planting.  Rosemary kept me practical on all the other things that I would of loved to buy but quite rightly I won't be there too water them and they will only die off and that would be a waste of money.

The fencing along the edge of the patio really made a difference:

Before the Fencing...

 

 



 

After the fencing.

 

Then add a splash of colour to finish it off...

 

 

Before you enjoy a light lunch in the garden!

 

The field behind the barn also needed some intention especially as the next family in had 4 children and were looking for space to play football and behind the big barn is perfect.  Phil and Peter worked on the fixing the belt on the tractor mower and soon had it running and Peter kindly said he would cut it for us while Phil got on with the strimming! .

 

 It was extremely hot and we kept them going with glasses of juice. Rosemary also made a great job of weeding around the Laurel bushes that have really come on since I planted them last October.  Unfortunatley the same can't be said for my Lavenders that I planted around the patio area they were "Mown Over" during the unfortunate over grown garden incident!

 

 

From overgrown Laurels....

 to a manicured display....

Just to prove that I do actually do something Peter got a snap of me pruning the vine!

Phil would like to remove this vine but I really like it even if it does start to take over everywhere!  After a good crop all over though it looks respectable.

After a very hectic day in the garden we had barrows of stuff to put on the compost heap!

 

Peter worked extremely hard on the lawn mowing... I think this is a great picture!

 

We were finding grass everywhere for the rest of the week I think I swept about 50% of it up from the lounge, some of it even came through the washing machine and survived stuck to Phil's socks!!

 

The heat on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday was HOT and too much to handle at midday!

 

The workers taking their Siesta..

 





 

Ah bless!

 

Rosemary also did a wonderful job of sorting out the hems on my curtains, some were too long and others too short so they were taken up and let down accordingly and really made a difference in the rooms.... all part of the aesthetics!  I have been very lucky with Rosemary's sewing skills and she has produced some lovely curtains and soft furnishings for the house including the 2 new sets of seat cushions that I forgot to take a picture of!!!!  Promise to have them next time.  All these things make the house a home and its lovely to watch it all coming together.

 

Despite all this hard work we did  manage we did manage some time off  so that it was not all work and no play, we had 2 very enjoyable evenings out at Hotel Alexia for dinner they do an amazing salad and would highly recommend a visit there if you are in the area.  It looks a little non districptive from the outside, Travelodge ish!  The food is really very good and the burgers are amazing as well as the salads but beware a large really is very large.  I usually go for the small plus a plate of chips ;-)  Perfect!

 Before eating out at Alexia we also enjoyed a pre dinner drink up at La Promenade overlooking the lake.  This lake is just under 2kms from our house and can be walked in under 25 minutes.  It is a lovely place for an evening stroll..

 

 

We also headed out for a breakfast at Café Chaud as no trip to La Souterraine is complete without at least one coffee and breakfast here and one of their decadent Cappuccino's!!

 

 

We also made it out to our usual favourite place that I have written on here a couple of times about "Auberge Des Pecheurs" in La Celle Dunoise.  Situated by the river its a lovely place for a spot of lunch or in our case an ice cream on this visit.  It was far too hot to do much else on the Friday as the temp hit 40 degrees! ( according to my neighbours outdoor thermometer)

 

Some of the flowers in the garden were looking stunning especially the yellow rose bush at the back door!

 

 A selection of summer flowers in the garden.

We had the usual visit from the Cockerel and Hens from down the lane and very annoyingly the Cockerel had decided that it was our garden that he wanted to be in for his morning chorus!  He could only manage a "Cock-a-doodle" the "doo" was missing and he sounded like he had a sore throat!  I did lean out of the window one morning and tell him to get back to his own back yard!! This time we also seem to of attracted some new cats now known as...

Booties and Smudge

 

 

Pictures taken of the front of the house with a beautiful blue sky!

 

 

Things are now starting to take shape and plans are slowly coming into fruition  in what will be an exciting year ahead and one where a dream starts to come true!  Life throws many different things at you as you progress down its pathway and people come in and out of your lives and many leave footprints that will last a lifetime!

We have been extremely blessed with the friends that we have made in life and we sadly lost 2 very special ones this year, one who was very much a part of the beginnings of Les Eaux and another sadly, through illness, never made it out to see it but was always wanting to know the next instalment of the adventure and I know is with me when I swing on her garden seat that was a lovely gift to us.

We have seen friends go through traumas that have really made you sit up and think and realise that life is not a dress rehearsal there is no going back to redo things so you have to make the most of every moment.

Our friends and family have been an integral part of building this dream and we hope they will be there for many more years to share it with us and reap the rewards of all the hard work. Thank you Rosemary and Peter for all your support on this last trip it certainly made the gardening challenge a much more enjoyable one! Next time we say the trip is just a holiday we promise it will be :-)

 

So what next for Les Eaux De La Petite Fontaine.... keep watching!  October will be painting, carpet laying and moving around of bedrooms in preparation for opening our B&B in June 2014.  Lots to do with marketing before then but looking forward to an exciting few months ahead.

 

 

And on a last note... a word of warning...

 

This is what happened to the last person that volunteered to help with the gardening in 40 degree heat!!

 

 

 See you in October x