August 2022
Hello Everyone
I am writing to you from our home in Normandy in France. For new readers, we bought our house in a small village seven years ago. We have been coming for three months each year but haven’t been for three years because of Covid. This visit is for six weeks, a shorter stay, as that was all the time that we could afford to be away from things at home in New Zealand. My husband Ron was keen to get back to his French home. I think he was worried about invasions of small animals, but everything was perfect. My niece lives in a nearby village and takes good care of things while we are away.
The thing I want to talk about is the garden and its slow development, but as my camera isn’t working I can’t give an update on progress with images.
So instead, I would like to share some photos of our village, Breuilpont, which we have become very fond of. The photos were taken last time we were here.
Photo 1: This is the street that we walk along to our local charcuterie which has been in the same family since 1889. It is usually a very quiet street as only the local residents’ cars drive along here. Photo by M Long
Photo 2: On the bridge railing of this footpath there are beautiful hanging baskets of colourful flowers this year. Photo by M Long
Photo 3: The local church of Saint-Martin in the foreground, with an end section of our Mairie, or village council offices, to the left. Photo by M Long
Photo 4: I can grow late spring greens in these narrow strips but it becomes too hot in summer with the heat of the stone work. Photo by M Long
Photo 5: A planting in a stone trough that I did three years ago. It consists of marjoram, white geraniums, basil and chives.
When we left home in New Zealand Cornus mas, the Cornelian cherry tree, was in flower. It is now twenty-eight years old and is very beautiful all year. The warm yellow flowers appear before the leaves. Fritillarias were flowering in abundance along with many varieties of narcissus. So much will be happening each day. As I look at the plants and countryside here and how they have been affected by more heatwaves and drought as they were three and four years ago, I have decided to create a garden that has drought tolerant plants that grow in poor soil, which is what I have here.
A reminder again that we are now on Instagram and we are looking forward to our visitors again this season.
Best wishes to you all,
Margaret
