Biddulph Grange

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Making a comeback

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I have decide to continue writing as the Winter has been foul as regards the garden and weather. Maybe if I talk to myself here I can alleviate my frustration at not being able to do all my winter projects. In the last couple of days I decided to give up on trying to remove the damned buttercups and get on with more rewarding jobs; So everyday I aim to tackle the following:-    a) dig out for one flag (making a terrace)    b) put one barrow load of manure on new flower bed    c) Fill one plastic bag (large) with leaves    d) remove dead reeds in the gravel garden I really wanted to take some photos of the progress and of the emerging spring flowers which have renewed my faith in gardening but I can't find the s--ing camera. So this is from last year
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Heating in France

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They say there is no free lunch but my god there is no free heating either here nor in the UK. I did appreciate gas central heating for many years but I do not have that option here. I am too far from the town gas supply. One option here are oil central heating. I cannot afford to install it and it is not cheap to run and the cost can rise astronomically without warning. Electric heating is easy and cheap to install and is quite flexible. But it is expensive. The third option is wood. This is my chosen option which is not ideal but it is the best of a bad bunch It is neither cheap nor easy to run. At 70 I have to first of all stack then carry 50cm heavy oak logs into the house every day. It is not cheap. 120 euros last year for 1 corde (3cubic metres) I use at least 4 cordes per year. The stove is very hungry and I keep it lit all night. The problem is that I have to supplement the wood burning stove with electric heaters. The annual electricty bill is about 600 euros s...
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Full Weekend Sunday 5th

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There was a Fête in the Village on Sunday. It was organised by the school for everybody. After 7 years I am still amazed by the organisation of these village affairs. Makeshift structures are erected in case of inclement weather and the tables are prepared for the usual five course meal. It was a starter of beetroot with a kir and meat of some kind, followed by barbecued pork with potatoes and ratatouille and red wine, then cheese and a sweet then coffee. A hundred and fifty meals were served. Then the games began. Villagers had organised themselves into teams to take part in the traditional local sports. A pool had been constructed from bails of hay and a giant sheet of polythene. A moving diving board was provided by a local farmer and the contestants had to put on a pair of overalls while travelling along the moving platform before they reached the edge, otherwise - splash. Another game was rolling a giant bail of hay around an obstacle course. The team who achieved the shorte...
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