It’s been a very busy few weeks; it was time to buy and preserve ducks for the next year and a friend knows of a good organic supplier, so Nick went off with Maria and Daniel to collect them. He arrived home with, not only ducks, but also organic roasted peanuts and a huge bag of lentils. The next couple of days were spent in the arriere cuisine, cooking, freezing and bottling various bits of duck.

Spring, it’s rumoured, is on its way and it’s time to start thinking about the garden again. It hardly seems any time at all since we were bottling and freezing last year’s produce, but we need to plant tomatoes, peppers, chillies, all sorts of things, to give them a good start; so Nick built a little greenhouse for them out of old windows and we spent an afternoon planting.

When Kieran was over last week, he and Nick got started on the kitchen for the new house; we bought it over two years ago and couldn’t remember what it was like, but were relieved to find that we still like it. I’d completely forgotten the handles – they’re lovely! Nick’s spent a day changing the bits on the cooker to take butane instead of town gas.

In the midst of all this activity came St. Patrick’s day; we were booked to play near Tarbes last Saturday, so arrived to start setting up at 5pm. We ate with the organisers, then started to play; there were only about twenty people in at the start, but then they began to pour in, till the room was full to bursting. Most people joined in the dancing; there was a really great atmosphere and everyone seemend to enjoy it. We were meant to finish at midnight, but ended up playing till half past, so by the time we’d dismantled everything and got home it was after 3am. Tonight we’re playing at a bar/restaurant in Nogaro, so it shouldn’t be as late. I was quite relieved when tomorrow’s gig didn’t materialise, due to lack of communication; it’s been quite a heavy week anyway.

Today was “big haircut” day; the tilleul tree near the house had got way too big, so Hervé and his son, a tree surgeon, came to trim it. Hervé and Nick have spent hours tidying up the trimmings, but there’s still a way to go; but it will be a lot better once it grows a few leaves.

Well, that’s it for now folks, better get ready for tomight’s gig.

Pendant les semaines dernieres , on a était très occupé. on a fait des confits de canards, Nick a construit une petite serre pour les graines qu’on a planté, fait des anciennes fenetres et on a fait tailler le grand tilleul a coté de la maison. Il et Kieran ont commencé construire la cuisine dans la nouvelle maison; on l’a acheté il y a deux ans, donc j’etais contente que je l’aime toujours!

Notre groupe a joué pres de Tarbes samedi dernier, pour la fete de St. Patrick; c’etait une soirée superbe, ou presque tout le monde a dancé et on est rentré apres 3 heures du matin. On joue à Nogaro ce soir, donc je crois qu’on rentrera plus tot (j’espere).