Worth the wait ….?

*This is the full version Blog Post - an earlier version was posted in error, incomplete and unedited .... apologies !!

Well, it has certainly been a long time since our last BLOG Post …. since April in fact. The main reason has been that I have been unwell - but hopefully that is now receding, although ‘Spring and Summer’ seem to have disappeared somewhere the meanwhile! But what a strange time it has been - and just as one source of anxiety and disruption backs away or reduces, another one or more seems to appear. People’s resilience and ability to understand and respond have been and are being sorely tested and we have needed the comfort and support of friends, family and community in ways that are perhaps new to many. For those fortunate to be able to access the natural world it has provided some peace and perspective - but even here, this year has not steered a predictable path through the expected seasons.

The photo above was taken towards the end of August. In most years, the fields would be looking distinctly sun-scorched and the trees far less green and luxuriant. But this Summer we have had a good deal of rain, with July exceptionally wet. As August started to become warmer, so the humidity levels rose - often into the 90%’s and the vegetation responded with rampant growth. But in fact, this oscillation between wet and warm conditions, started back in the early Spring and has lasted for five months now, with result that plants, animals, birds and insects are appearing and behaving well out of normal seasonal kilter.
I am sitting here, writing this Post, looking out on a very green garden -

- which looks more like late Spring/early Summer. The same view this time last year would have been of a brown, sun-baked lawn, with scorched bushes and very exhausted ornamental grasses and climbing plants. This year, over the last week or two, it has been possible to walk around the garden and take a photo that could be from Spring, Summer or Autumn - take a look:

So, we are waiting to see how Autumn will evolve …. but we know that it will require a lot of mowing, cutting and pruning given the rate of growth on all fronts!

And talking of growth rate - our vegetable garden / raised beds have had mixed results: salad crops did really well early on and then seemed to suffer from the lack of sustained sunshine. But, curiously, our peppers are doing very well, and more predictably, given the moisture, the leeks , brassicas and spinach have been excellent (the spinach variety - ‘New Zealand' - is really interesting, having been planted last year and has been cropping ever since, on a ‘more you pick, the more it grows’’ basis). But our real triumph this year has been potatoes! We sowed ten rows, well over 50 metres, expecting a meagre crop per plant …. and what we’ve got is 2 - 4 kilos per plant, so maybe 360 kilos overall!!

But fruit crops have not fared so well: a very promising strawberry crop was washed out with heavy rain and the fruit trees, pears, plums and apricots have not been able to cope with the rapid changes between heat and wet. The blackcurrant bushes were more cunning and timed their flowering and fruiting to make best use of the fluctuations in the weather - and there was a reasonably heavy crop, with very tasty fruit, which was immediately picked and resulted in some very delicious, powerfully flavoured jam and jelly, great on bread and toast, but also as a marinade for cooked meats:

In the hedgerows and on the trees that border the lanes criss-crossing the countryside between the hamlets this year's variable weather has had its effect: damson trees have been laden, but have fruited weeks earlier than usual and the damsons rapidly fell from their trees to be set upon by birds and wasps; the jungles of brambles are covered with blackberries, but they too are earlier than usual and are small, without much flavour; and the fig trees, which seem to growing from every nook and cranny, have prolific leaf growth, but the figs are small and need more consistent sun to flesh out and fully ripen:

So, it has been an unusual year in the garden and the countryside and we are not quite sure what Autumn and Winter will bring. The trees show little sign of Autumnal change and vegetation generally remains lush and green. If there are some Autumn storms and high winds, then the trees will be vulnerable as they retain so much foliage for the wind to buffet. The farmers and communes responsible for the 'fauchage'  (mowing and clearing) of verges and hedges have got a considerable job on their hands because the growth everywhere is so thick and enmeshed. We will be watching with fascination to see how the colours change and what happens with all the usual indicators of Autumn - like the wonderful fungi appearances we witness every October onward:

- and in fact we already have a fine selection of fungi in the garden .... again, a few weeks ahead of its usual October time. We were going to wait until the next Post to show a 'fungi gallery' ... but cannot resist an early preview:

​And what of the wildlife these past months? Well, as you know, we are certainly not specialists in any way, but we have made some observations:

• the butterfly population seems to have been hit hard by the variable weather, with fewer butterflies in evidence and fewer varieties appearing. We started trying to photograph as many butterflies as we could, but quickly learned just what a skilled process this is .... and even more skilled is then identifying the butterfly. Here are some we have seen these last months, but they have been few in number compared to previous years:

• The bird population in the garden has been very lively and various. We have been fortunate to have two pairs of woodpeckers, a very vociferous nightingale(s), various birds of prey, and visiting herons and ducks. Also, having been largely absent for a few years, the hoopoes re-appeared, swooping and skimming around the garden in the early morning and evening. The swallows appeared very late - but now, in late September, they are much in evidence, skimming the pond and pool in the early evenings and showing no signs of migrating. Our garden has so many sources of water, and large areas of 'wild vegetation' (that's our excuse ...), that the insect population is high and so we think that it is a pretty good area for the birds, both to feed and nest. 
• Talking of 'insect/wildlife populations' - we have noticed many arthropods in the garden, throughout the Spring, Summer and early Autumn .... more than we usually see - perhaps it is just that we have been more watchful; but we do feel that there is a greater resilience in these populations . The prime time to notice what is out and about is in the early morning  -  we have not space or time (or expertise) in the Blog Post to show/name what has been around, but as an example have a look at this wonderful spider, just emerging at about breakfast time (not sure whose!) after a heavy dew:

Oh, and we have been so pleased that our Little Owls are still about, very vociferous both during the day and in the early evening. They remain very tricky to photograph - but here is one in the early evening on top of one of the barns:

Over these past few months, with various versions of COVID lockdowns, health issues, and very mixed weather, it has been difficult to get out and about that much - but there has been the chance for some lovely walks and also discovering places within easy reach that we have not visited before, but that are truly stunning. We particularly like Lac de Paraloup, high on the Levezou plateau (over 800 metres) - it is a big lake, supplying water to successive lakes down towards Rodez and powering hydroelectric centres through a network of small power stations. As you can see from the photos, it is a beautiful area for swimming, boating and walking and is remarkably uncrowded and unspoilt:

Perhaps the most significant events these last months have been the visits from family. We have not been able to see our families in the UK for 19 months and this has been very difficult, although FaceTime, emails and text messages have been hugely positive 'stand-ins'. So, there have been stories to send online and once again we have had a sunflower growing competition - this year children and parents have sown their own seeds and nurtured them over the Summer, with progress being shown on the 'Huge Sunflower Competition' website .... and last week the winners were announced and Certificates distributed and, of course, everyone won some category - tallest, most beautiful, most colourful, most leaves and a special award for 'courageous  effort against the odds' after wicked slugs and snails did their dastardly work: 

So it was in the second half of August, with COVID travel regulations lightening up, we were able to see some of our family, including grandchildren, and this was a real tonic and 'made our Summer' and the weather was kind to us, so lots of swimming and picnics in the garden!

And what do the next months hold in store? Certainly, with the continuing warm/wet weather there will be much to do in the garden .... the grass needs cutting twice a week at the moment; and we are starting the 'routine' Autumn tasks .... the first of which has been to 'haircut' the virginia creeper that has been particularly rampant this year:

- and there will be a lot of hedging and  tree surgery. We will also be doing some more planting - trees, shrubs and grasses .... some through purchasing at the plant fairs that are around during September and October, but also by splitting existing plants, particularly the ornamental grasses which have done so well this year.

But other than the garden, we hope to restart some of the initiatives that were prevented by COVID: in particular we have been asked when we might start Film Club again. So, if we can take on board the Health Pass system for people attending, we are aiming for a pre-Christmas screening and then a 2022 New Year Season! It will be good to have that starting again, as it was about a lot more than just showing films ... it felt a true 'community event'.  

And COVID restrictions and health issues permitting, we will be visiting the UK - as there have been many changes for our families, with great grandchildren arriving, 'special birthdays' scheduled, and just so much to catch up with. 
​
If you are still reading this - thank you for your interest! And we now intend to get back to more regular Blog posts - news from our very little world here. Occasionally we feel we would like to write about some other topics ... and this was sparked particularly by some of the experience of what it is like to go through 'the health system' here. I started a new Blog, while in hospital and from the responses I have had, I have been encouraged to continue to write some different posts on this new Blog - you can find it here.

In the meantime, in these very demanding times, we wish you and your families every good vibe. We have a certain creature here who is pretty good at taking a relaxed view of life: