Living and Gardening in Brittany

 It's still warm and sunny, in fact 29 degrees this afternoon. I thought that I wouldn't be able to cope with that heat in my garden so off I went to pick up a friend and head to the coast. This kind of opportunity is one of the main benefits of living here. The only problem was deciding which beach or port to go to.  We decided after much discussion to go to St Cast le Guido. There is a slight problem in Sept and that is, that most restaurants on the coast close at the end of August. However we drove to the port which has recently been completely 'renovated' with a huge complex of four restaurants and a couple of shops, and a very long wide promenade. The walkway winds around the rocks to the beach. The restaurants are going to open throughout the year so today's visit will not be the last. The food was delish and for me nothing beats sitting next to the sea, in the sun, eating a French meal, with of course, a glass of wine. Having eaten we paddled alo...

2013 It was the best of years and the worst of years! It began with warm weather bringing every thing on rather too soon. Next it rained. Then it rained some more. And just as we thought we'd had enough it rained even more. The plants were drowning and the grass was like a bog. Lawnmowers were defeated and their wheels spun until the lawns were ruined. The sun arrived. It remained day after day. It was great. The grass dried out, the lawnmowers were repaired and the grass was cut. The sun remained. Walking on the grass was like walking over concrete. The benefit was no need to cut the grass for weeks. However the newly planted flowers and shrubs sulked and refused to grow. I had used all the water from my rain tub so began watering every evening. Of course tap water is not like rainwater and it just kept the plants alive but they didn't flourish. Then whilst I was in UK for a fortnight it rained and saved many lives including some of the dahlias that I had given up...

I have finally worked out how to navigate the new set up. Probably my own fault for not reading the instructions correctly. When things change especially without warning I panic. Then in a state of panic thinking is impossible so my answer is usually to head for the garden.   The summer has been kind to holiday makers but not so kind to me or the garden. As I am unable to work in the heat I finish work at 11am and only return after the Archers which is 8.15 here in Brittany. I have spent much time, money and energy on watering. This did save the lives of many plants but to be honest they didn't really flourish except for the cosmos. I set the cosmos seeds in the conservatory very early in the year and they grew very straggly. Eventually after a spell in the makeshift greenhouse I planted them out. What poor bedraggled things they looked, tiny plants trying to flower. I wasn't hopeful but kept watering them all the same and behold they paid me back with this long lasting...