Anyway, the decision had been made that we would be using the bread oven again to make pizzas - so, the bread oven had to be inspected, not having been used since last year:
So, one year on since we 'left Europe' .... we don't think so!!
Le Bruel |
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This year's BruelFest was slightly earlier than previous years - but still only a few days away from the Summer Solstice. We have had some planning meetings .... not always quite aligned to what then goes on! Anyway, the decision had been made that we would be using the bread oven again to make pizzas - so, the bread oven had to be inspected, not having been used since last year: As you can probably see, there is some wear on the oven bricks at the front of the oven and a general clean is needed - in came the industrial vacuum, the damaged bricks at the front of the oven were replaced, and a general inspection inside the oven carried out: - and then, just like last year, we lit a series of fires in the oven, gradually building up the size and heat to test that everything was OK for some 'high-heat' pizza-baking: While this was going on other arrangements for the BruelFest were going on - a bit more ambitious than last year: a tree was felled, the trunk smoothed down, and put in place on the small 'hameau green' area for the game of 'climb the slippery pole' .... and you'll see the bicycle wheel at the top, intended to hold a present to be grabbed by whoever made it to the top: ... interesting proximity to the newly-installed electricity/telephone lines - so perhaps we could pop an executive from Orange on the bicycle wheel and indulge in some light torture, to simulate the experience of going into an Orange shop. Following the bicycle theme, a spit mechanism was set up for the spit-roast lamb - and this was made up of a cunning, steam-punk, contrivance featuring a car windscreen-motor and a bicycle chain and gearing: A shaded bar was constructed from old beams and shade-sails were positioned near the bread oven to give a little respite from the temperatures that the day before the BruelFest were hitting 40 degrees C; and to give a little 'design feature feel' bamboo fronds had been cut down and were erected around the site: All this started on the Friday, merging into Saturday morning (June 17th), the day of the BruelFest. The bread oven was lit in earnest, the lamb prepared, marinaded and placed on the spit. While the marquees, tables and benches arrived, other cooking commenced - including the le gâteau à la broche ... cake cooked on a spit, on a conical skewer arrangement: And then the musicians arrived, Daniel Frouville and his band and started to set up, beneath as much shade as we could provide: It was now getting near 'opening-time' for the BruelFest - 4.00pm, with cakes, snacks and wine to start with. Meanwhile the bread oven was heating up well and the lamb and gâteau à la broche were turning over nicely: It was now time to bring in the pizza dough and start the 'production line'! In fact this time the oven was a bit too hot (when the flour was thrown in to test the heat, it simply evaporated') ... so, there was a bit of cooling down required. But this gave time for plenty of 'dough balls' to be made and there was lots of interest in the process: By now many more people were turning up and the dancing started: As people started to try out the pizzas, the various games started, including some vigorous pole-climbing - and more food and dancing. At this point we were so busy we had no time to take more photos! Over seventy people, young and old, attended the BruelFest this year and the festivities kept going until 3.00am!
So, one year on since we 'left Europe' .... we don't think so!!
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Well, true to our word this Post is about our bees' nest - but also about other wildlife in and around the garden here at 'Nichoir'. But, first of all, the nest: to recap, our neighbour's amateur beekeeper friend (Gabriel) had contacted a professional beekeeper - and a week later they came to deal with the nest and to inspect the location and the size of nest: The professional beekeeper was, like Gabriel, surprised at the size of the nest but said he could do the job, but it might take a few hours. So, the first thing was for them to get into full protection suits: They then went upstairs to open the shutter, so they could get to the nest from the outside. This was a delicate operation as it meant opening the window from the inside to get to the shutter catch - and we did not want 15,000+ bees in the bedroom! So, the first thing to do was to get the room as dark as possible and then, opening the window as little as possible, slide a flat piece of steel through the gap to flip the catch - it worked, phew! Next thing was to rig the ladders on the outside wall of the South Garden to provide access to the shutter and then get up there to open up the shutter. A bees' nest is composed of multiple honeycombs, parallel to each other, with a relatively uniform bee space. It usually has a single entrance. In 'our nest' there were now seven honeycombs. The beekeeper took a large knife and very carefully separated each honeycomb, one by one: The bees remained remarkably docile considering - some went into the box with the honeycomb (the large box was balanced on Gabriel's head while he clung to the second ladder!), while others settled on the inside of the shutter and these were carefully brushed off the shutter into the box. It was a delicate, slow operation - the beekeeper had explained to us the extent to which bees sense human emotion and will react to anxiety and panic and to calm: The beekeeper used the smoker occasionally to settle the bees down if they were becoming a bit angry and gradually most of the bees were brushed into the box: At the end of this process, with the nest fully removed, the last traces of the propolis or bee glue (a resinous mixture that bees produce by mixing saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources) can be seen on the glass of the window: forThen it was down the ladders with the box. The box lid was sealed up, but a small hole cut in each end. Meanwhile another, smaller box, with a honey comb was carried up to the window and any remaining bees were brushed into this. This box was brought down and used to take in the many additional bees that were flying around and settling around the immediate area. The box containing the honeycomb was now the receptical for any bees not in the main box; the bees contained in the larger box communicated with the other bees who then gradually moved from their smaller box to the larger one, entering it through the small holes that had been cut - and they were given gentle encouragement with the large, soft brush, and the smoker was used to generally calm the bees: Then there were some final sallies up the ladder with the smoker just to round-up any remaining bees that had appeared; very careful and patient brushing and coaxing of bees into the main box, with occasional puffing from the smoker; and then the boxes were packed up and the operation was complete! The whole thing had taken about three and a half hours and the beekeeper confirmed that there were around 18,000-20,000 bees. From what we could see (and later checked the following day) very few bees were harmed and there were just a couple of dozen left crawling on the stones and some flying around the window, but did not seem particularly aggressive. We thought it was an amazing job and we were so pleased that there seemed no distress on the part of the bees. We offered payment but were very politely refused - the beekeeper said the bees were not wild bees and a swarm in such good condition and health would be valuable to him and his colleagues and it was for him to thank us. He mentioned that we seemed to have a lot of bee-friendly shrubs and flowers in our garden and one in particular (it was 'Love in the Mist'/Nigella Damascena) he did not know ... so we told him what it was and promised to send him some seeds in the Autumn when we collected the dried seed pods. Then it was 'bye-bye' to the beekeeper and to Gabriel - and to the fascinating bees, of whom we had grown rather fond. - and Other Things! We have had guests here, staying in the Chambres D'Hotes - a good friend, with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and family. He is a considerable authority on birds and had been surprised on a previous visit by the diversity of bird-life in the garden - so on this visit decided to do an informal 'bio-bird-blitz' and record the birds he sighted - and this is what he came up with after their three day stay: Blackbird - House Sparrow - European Goldfinch - Wood Pigeon Whitethroat - Swallow - Crow - Kestrel - Buzzard - Hoopoe Turtle Dove* - Black Redstart* - Red-Backed Shrike* Cirl Bunting* Corn Bunting* - Yellow Warbler - Hen Harrier* - Red Kite* Black Kite* - and, in passing, particularly noticeable were: Hummingbird Hawk Moth (2 species). The * signifies species that may be of particular interest to bird-watchers. Dedicated readers of the Blog may recall our snake who lives in one of the walls adjacent to the main barn. Over the last couple years we have not sighted him/her .... but a couple of days ago, walking along beside the wall ... there he/she was: Not sure of course whether it is the same snake, but it is a bit coincidental as the location is exactly the same and we reckon he/she has doubled in size and is now about 0.75 metres - maybe a bit scary for some people, but we have identified it as a Aesculapian snake, which is harmless to humans and non-venomous and in fact has the virtue of eating unwanted vermin, like rats.
So, quite a 'wildlife few weeks' here at 'Nichoir'! I'm writing this on the eve of the UK Election, having followed all the process since MayBot's calling of the Election - and have to say, perhaps with the 'privilege' of distance (although we have voted), that it has been a deeply depressing exercise. We are just hoping that the subsequent Brexit negotiations will be demonstrate some grown-up politics and will acknowledge that the public may just be able to distinguish between assertion and fact. Send in the bees we say ....... |
AuthorSimon lives at Nichoir, Le Bruel, with his wife Noella. They moved here in May 2013, with their Newfoundland dog, Oska, and their cat, Snufkin. Together they have set out on an adventure to create what they hope will be home from home for family and a rather special Chambres D'Hotes for guests. Categories
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