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Rainbow Cottages in France, 7 lieu dit Street André, Saint-Nicolas-du-Pélem (2026)

11/06/2026

Thursday, 11 June 2026 evening

Thursday evening.
Well, I What'sApped Celia to let her know about the swarm. In the early evening she came back to say that Al would come over and help me try to get them into the hive. I was really grateful as I didn't feel able to do it by myself.

The bees were certainly not happy at being disturbed and it took multiple attempts to get the majority of them into the top of the hive. We were both covered in annoyed bees but our suits did the job. Finally, they were starting to crawl up into the entrance and eventually they were also fanning at the entrance with their bums in the air. This was a good sign. Fingers crossed that they remain in the hive overnight and are still there in the morning.

We left the field and Al dropped me off at the calvaire as he drove back home. Phew! I was tired before and now I am absolutely shattered. It's quite exciting and stressful when there are so many bees on the move and it was a large swarm.

11/06/2026

Thursday, 11 June 2026

Dry start to the day when I walked up to the field to do feed the hens and sheep. As I was doing the garden hens The Middle Cottage guests were taking their luggage to the car and we're gone by 0830hrs. I started to do the laundry straight away and did manage to get the towels dry but will have to finish off the bedlinen tomorrow.

Sam arrived and we started on the To Do list. He fixed the door latch as Nino the dog from next door was managing to push open the driveway door. Then removed the tiles from the floor in the bathroom where we're changing from tiles to lino. All the bags of tiles went up to the trailer and will take it to the tip tomorrow.

Then up to the field where he cut all the rubbish timber from the barn into kindling. We've left it in wheelbarrows in the barn to keep it dry and hopefully the Workawayers I have here next week will bring it down and stack it in the kindling sheds.

He done mended a gate entrance which had a broken post and fixed another latch on another gate which was having problems.

Whilst we were up there I walked over towards the beehives and the one we prepared at the weekend for a swarm had a swarm hanging underneath it.

When Sam left I left to go shopping at SuperU and also onto Rostrenen to buy hardboard to put under the lino Sam will fit tomorrow. I visited Lidl on the way back home and bought strawberries.

Back home and steak for lunch with salad followed by strawberries, sugar and cream. Lovely!

I went back up to see the bees and the swarm had not moved. Finally, I suited up and brushed about half of them into a bucket and deposited them at the end of a plank which I'd leant against the entrance to the hive. I'm not sure whether they'll go in. We'll just have to wait and see.

Not a very pleasant end to the afternoon. Felt quite cool out there even though the temperature was still 16.8°C at 1850hrs. Again, the breeze is quite strong today.

Only one egg collected today. In spite of that, supper will be eggs on toast.

10/06/2026

Wednesday, 10 June 2026

12°C at 0800hrs mainly sunny all morning with the occasional very very light shower for moments.

All animals done and dusted and today I've tried leaving the main door shut to the Garden hen house and just leaving them the pothole to come through. We shall see what happens.

Early walk with the girls at the pool for 0900hrs. It was quite cool. I think due to the breeze and I had a fleece and a scarf on. A good walk and then a quick pop into SuperU where I bought several things from the reduced cabinet: cherry yoghurts, country paté, two steaks and a box of patisserie items. Also bought a large bucket of popcorn. It started raining on the way home so we were lucky with the timing today.

Back home for a very early soup for lunch for driving to Bourbriac for today's physio session. Maud was a bit behind so she put heat pads on my back and I lay there for about 10 minutes before she started on me.

Back home by the field where I collected just one egg had a quick glass of water and set up for Langoelan where I was meeting someone to collect something they were selling. I arrived early which is when I started writing this. Came back via the field and collected a further two eggs. One chick seemed to be missing, hope it’s just hiding somewhere. One hen in the garden run is definitely using the pophole so hopefully the others will copy her.

Supper was a second bowl of soup and country paté on toasts, followed by a cherry yoghurt. Typed out the list of To Do things for Sam, who will be here tomorrow. There is so much on there I could do with him here for a month! Lovely sunny evening but the temperature is definitely lower than it has been. 18.5°C at 2000hrs and quite a breeze.

I had a quick chat with my Portuguese returning guest this evening when he got in from work. The Middle Cottage guests, Rachel’s friends, leave in the morning for their St Malo boat. Maggie will be here on Friday to do the changeover after Sam has hopefully finished most of the messy work in there.

I am shattered and wouldn’t have been long going to bed except that the girls have all come through the pophole and I now have to wait for them to go to bed the same way. Be careful what you wish for seems to be the phrase coming into my mind.

The photo is of the boys here 13 years ago. I miss them coming each June.

09/06/2026

Tuesday, 9 June 2026

On the whole a lovely day weather-wise.

I had nothing planned at all so no rush this morning. As I was awake I did the garden hens and the field hens at about 0720hrs still in my nightie. I fed the cats, put some laundry in the machine and went back to bed for my first coffee of the day.

Middle Cottage guests were chatting to me when André came out of Small Cottage to go to work. He arrived very late last night. He'd messaged me to say that yet again the plane was late leaving Portugal so it would be a very late arrival. I didn't hear him and in fact had a very good night's sleep myself last night - according to my Fitbit 8hr 6mins, which which must be some sort of record for me.

Most of the morning was spent doing general clearing up in the kitchen. I emptied all the pots of utensils and cleaned them out. I sorted everything and put them back in again. Hung the washing outside on the rotary line where it dries beautifully in the breeze and sunshine. The new hens did venture out into their garden but not for long, in spite of the fact that I put their water and food outside this morning.

Breakfast was a banana smoothie made with a new machine I think I got from Lidl a few months ago. It worked very well and I had to now think up a few other things I can use to make smoothies.

Lunch was chicken soup and toasts with ham and mayo/mustard. I then went to SuperU. A day or so ago I bought bio yogurts to make more yoghurt and today in the reduced produce section there was bio milk so I bought that to use to do the job. Also in that section where chocolate biscuits and paté which I put in the trolley. The bakery had a large bag of bread for animals and I bought that. It was so heavy I couldn't get it out of the trolley while I got to the car. I could see a man standing at a boot not far away so I asked him. He turned out to be English and we had a chat for about 5 minutes. When I got home I just had to drag the bag off the back seat and along the ground to the garage. I took two loaves out straight away and blitzed them up for garden birds, pondfish and the new hens. I then took two more out and blitzed them into breadcrumbs to use on things like cauliflower cheese, etc. I bagged them up and put them in a freezer.

I spent a good hour or so pulling out yet more of the very tall days is and supporting those which are being left behind. Also did a lot of weeding. When Rachel's friends, who are my guests in Middle Cottage arrived back they invited me for a drink with them. We sat outside in the sunshine and it was very pleasant. I collected some eschscholzia seeds and poppy seed heads for the guests and while I was on the field also collected three normal eggs and one bantam egg.

A bit more weeding done and then I had a second bowl of chicken soup and sat in the Hideaway in the sunshine out of the breeze with a glass of Muscat I'm some caramelized onion snacks.

Supper was smoked haddock fillet with new potatoes and butter. I couldn't quite finish it so left it outside for the cats and a magpie was very interested too until he saw me watching him.

It's been a really lovely evening out here in The Hideaway reading and eating my supper. I'm so pleased we built it.

08/06/2026

Monday, 8 June 2026

Overcast start to the day. Old chickens in garden and on the field fed and released, although the ones in the garden have not come out this morning even with both doors open.

I left home to shop at SuperU but, I thought they were opening at 0830hrs and they weren't open when I arrived. The internet said 0900hrs was their opening time. I drove to the swimming pool parking and waited for Chris on Ginny to arrive for our walk. A good walk, with a small tree which had collapsed across the path to negotiate. We then all drove separately to SuperU where the sign said that it now opened up at 0845hrs.
On the way home it started to rain so we were lucky with our walk.

I bought butter, reduced stuffed pasta, ice cream lollies and frankfurters. Back home before driving off to Duault to collect something for sale online. I came back via Callac Intermarché where I bought Tuc biscuits, asparagus and broccoli.

Two normal and one bantam egg collected from the field hens. It will be about 5 or 6 weeks before the new hens attempt to lay any eggs. I lit the wood burner before having lunch which was a bowl of roast chicken gravy with bread, then a bowl of new potatoes and butter with lettuce and after that, rice pudding with strawberry conserve. I appreciate that for many this will be an odd mixture of food, lol, but I enjoyed each course.

My long stay Portuguese guest from May is back today for a few weeks. He will arrive late but knows where he's going so I don't need to be up, thank goodness. He had left bags from his previous visit, one of which was an extremely heavy bag full of tools. I went next door to ask F***y if her son could perhaps carry it down to the furthest Cottage for me when he got home. She insisted on doing it herself. I can't tell you how heavy it was. I could barely move it by pushing it along the floor.

Sunny and breezy afternoon. I whooshed the new hens out of their house into the garden run to enjoy the sunshine. Half an hour later I went to have a look at them and they were all back in theory house again.

I was hungry at 1645hrs so cooked chips in the airfryer and had them with sliced pork tongue and salad.

Really sunny out there now at 1710hrs but the breeze is quite strong. I have been out there pulling up very invasive tall daises. When I say tall they grow up to about 1.80m at the front of the flower bed and hide everything else. It doesn't seem to matter how much we dig out each year the roots still seem to be there somewhere.

07/06/2026

Sunday, 7 June 2026

I got up at 0745hrs to visit the garden run where my new arrivals are settling in. Five very frightened birds were huddled at the back of the henhouse each trying to get to the furthest point from me. I topped up their feed and water and opened the pophole door. By 0830hrs they had not emerged from their home. I opened the main door and propped it wide open with a stone also sprinkling some food outside the door.

Up to the field to get the bee equipment ready for the hive inspection this afternoon. A super of frames which Al and Celia waxed up last week is ready in case it's needed and a box ready to hold honey-filled frames if there are any. It's a funny month for me to be looking at honey possibilities. Usually I do it in early May and then again in the early autumn but because of my back problems everything has been delayed this year. 0nce back home I showered, nowashed my hair and put laundry into the machine.

At 1030hrs I went out to hang the laundry on the line and still the new girls were not coming out. They are certainly the most nervous hens I've ever had. Hopefully they'll get used to the idea of freedom as the day goes on.

There must have been some strong wind in the last 48 hours as two of the doors for my kindling sheds had blown out of their frames. I replaced the doors but the fastenings need to be tightened slightly and I couldn't do it with a manual screwdriver.

18.7°C at 1035hrs, alternately bright and overcast. For breakfast, I cooked a smoked haddock fillet in milk and butter. The sky was beginning to look quite dark and I was hoping it wouldn't rain on my newly hung out washing.

I watched the fourth episode of the series Two Weeks in August with my second cup of coffee as I missed it this morning. Midday and 17.8°C, no rain. Lunch was two toasts with Bayonne ham, followed by rice pudding and strawberry conserve.

At 1415hrs Celia and Al arrived to do the hive inspection. It was the easiest inspection I've ever done with almost no bees landing on my suit at all. It was quite extraordinarily pleasant.
The current super was almost full of honey but we decided not to remove it but to leave it and collect the honey in the autumn. We added a second super, replaced the crown board and roof and Al then adjusted the restraining strap, stopping the sheep from knocking The Hive over, to accommodate the new height.

We then set up a bait hive with replacement brood box frames and a new super full of frames. Now we'll just have to wait and see if some scout bees think we're offering good accommodation. Fingers crossed.
Thank you so much all for your help, Al, and hopefully in the autumn we will have some honey to harvest.

We came back and had drinks outside on the terrace and then set off St Nic, first to visit Chris to get some tomato plants she was giving to Celia and then for a walk around the Arboretum Which was very pleasant.

As they left I drove up to the field to see if there were any eggs. Just three eggs in total today. While I was up there, I also planted out some plants which have been waiting for a week or so to go into the ground.

My washing had all dried on the line so I brought that in. A couple of the new hens did come out through the main door of the henhouse eventually but were soon back inside again. At 1730 hrs I closed the personal door again and the pophole so I don't have to worry later this evening whether they're in or not. Hopefully tomorrow they'll be a little bit more adventurous and come out for longer into their garden area.

Supper was chicken soup and deep fried battered prawns with sweet chilli sauce and lettuce.

A lovely day - it just started to rain around 1850hrs. I settled back to watch some episodes of Garden Rescue.

06/06/2026

Saturday, 6 June 2026

In view of the automatic hen pophole door, I didn't drive up to the field to feed them until 0815hrs. Quite a breeze this morning and fairly grey first thing.

At 0900hrs I went to SuperU for fresh prawns, reduced mushrooms, prepared prawns and, the first time I've ever seen it in SuperU here, Danone cottage cheese. Previously I've had to drive to Rostrenen Intermarché to buy this, so that was a nice surprise. I also bought some bio yoghurt to make my own while I get a moment.

Back came with the shopping and put it away before leaving to collect feed and some hens who needed a bit of care. I decided to put the hens in the garden run for the moment until they have improved a bit. It shouldn't take too long, I've found that hens are remarkably resilient and bounce back when they're happy. In order to get them used to where they're living now, I've shut the pophole on their henhouse for the rest of the day, but tomorrow they'll come out and enjoy the grassy area. When they're up to full strength again, I'll let them join the others on the field. While I was moving them, my new guest asked to buy a dozen eggs. I hope the hens get on and lay a few more, as it's been poor the last few days.

One of the hens managed to scratch me as I was catching her and tore my wrist skin. I couldn't find a plaster so was given a sticky strip which is used for animal legs apparently. I put a bit of tissue under it having first washed it with water from my water bottle in the car. Glad to see though that it was my trademark pink, lol.

1120hrs as modern photographs 14.9°C and a bit of rain again. One of the feed buckets is far too heavy for me to get out of the car, so I'll have to wait until I spot one of the boys from next door and ask for their help.

Lunch was cold roast chicken, mayo with garlic grated into it, chips,lettuce and tomato. I'm not really a chip person. Usually have them while I'm in a restaurant but only about eight chips. I noticed these airfryer chips in a chiller cabinet in SuperU and thought I'd try them. They were better than I thought they would be. I had thirteen. I never worry about eating fried food and really think I prefer them deep fried.

After collecting three eggs from the field on checking on the new arrivals and topping up their water, I settled down for the afternoon in front of the wood burner and television with a hard-boiled egg and mayo sandwich. 1500hrs and 16.6°C.

Chicken soup and a jar of asparagus dipped in melted butter. Very lazy evening in front of television. 2020hrs and the sun is shining brightly out there.

05/06/2026

Friday, 5 June 2026

15.3°C at 0935hrs and as I came back from the field the sun was just coming through. I love runner beans and always have too many at the same time. I'm not keen on frozen runner beans but last year thought I'd try again. I defrosted some yesterday and knew that they would be very floppy and not what I wanted to eat - nothing like thresherunners. I tipped the defrosted ones into a bowl and took them up for the hens. I have to say even the hens didn't look very interested, lol.

Mid-morning there was a broadcast link of the celebration of my cousin's life. Peter, who died on 27 May, aged 86. He had lived in South Africa and Rhodesia since the mid-60s after he drove, with other students from Bristol University, a vintage car from Lord Montague's Museum in Dorset to South Africa and liked it so much he went back there to live. When I was at public school in Clevedon and he took me out one weekend, for a welcome break from school, back to his flat in Clifton. I only caught up with him a few times in the intervening years but always enjoyed his company and his calm personality.

Breakfast was bacon pieces in an omelette with cheese and my second cup of coffee, as I didn’t get that in bed this morning.

This morning, I washed a heavy bath mat and, in spite of spinning twice more after the normal cycle, the water didn't come out of it. I'm hoping it was just the heaviness of this particular bathmat and not that the machine has stopped spinning effectively. I hung it on the line and kept going out to squeeze the water accumulating at the bottom. The next load in spun without a problem thank goodness. The rain started at 1120hrs so I had to bring everything back inside to dry.

A bit of indoor and outdoor gardening this morning. I tided up some hanging plants which had got out of control, chopping off the ends and inserting some of them them back into the pots. When I bent down underneath them previously, they were catching on my hair so something had to be done. Then outside to do a bit of weeding as it's still another 9 days before my American Workawayers arrive. I don't ever remember seeing the weeds grow like they have this year. It's as if someone's poured fertiliser over them ..

Four English guests arrived late lunchtime to stay for six nights. They are friends of Rachel who's one of our walkers. Rachel has a BBQ evening at her home this evening which I'm hoping to go to if I think I can stay awake. I seem to be very tired at the moment.

Collecting layers' feed tomorrow morning and some hens. Got the car ready by collapsing the rear seats and put in four empty feed bins and cat baskets for the new girls.

Lunch was the bacon I boiled yesterday ona sandwich with mustard mixed with mayo and lettuce followed by a chocolate dessert.

I went up to the field with Rachel to collect some poppy seed heads for her to dry and also eggs. Just one blue bantam egg so far today ... We were joined by Altesse from next door. Finally, some some crops are appearing on the field - baby courgettes and tomatoes, also couple of globe artichokes.

I fell asleep this afternoon watching Lovejoy but still feel tired. I drove to the field to collect eggs but there were only two more. I am going to give the social evening a miss as I'm still tired and it's not warm out there at 16.1°C at 1845hrs and a cool breeze.

I've just lit the wood burner and I'm going to relax here for the evening with a bowl of chicken soup and an episode or two of Dalziel & Pascoe.

04/06/2026

Thursday, 4 June 2026

I waited until a shower stopped and then drove up to the field at 0720hrs to check that the door was opening correctly at 0725hrs. For some reason the door seems to be 2 minutes behind the actual time. Not that it really matters except when you're waiting to see if it's opening or not. I was anxious this morning because last night when I checked, there were two chicks who I couldn't see and I assumed that they hadn't gone in. However, as the door opened this morning, all eight adult hens and four chicks appeared, so that was a huge relief for two reasons. Firstly, that the two apparently missing chicks were not missing and, secondly, it meant that all the birds had managed to climb up the slightly adjusted steps last night to go to bed - at last. The chicks are certainly growing ...

Back home and I fed the cats before taking my shower and then putting laundry into the machine. By this time, 0830hrs, the sun was shining. Dishwasher emptied floor, floor mopped, cat biscuit container refilled and more cat food brought in from the garage.

Off to the pharmacy for my monthly meds. While the prescription was being filled, I went into SuperU for on promotion cat biscuits and wine. Also bought air freshener, cornichons, babywipes and reduced pate, mushrooms and pizza dough. Met Sam as I was coming out, who was supposed to be strimming this morning but it's alternately heavy showers and not, so not very easy to do. I just got back to the car when it absolutely poured down and when I reached home I had to sit in the car for nearly 10 minutes before it stopped.

Breakfast was fried bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, egg and bread. Then I made a pan full of mushroom soup for the freezer with the reduced mushrooms, potato, garlic, parsley, s&p, lemon juice and milk before blitzing it for freezing. When I reheat it I add cream, cayenne if required, and thinly sliced fried-in-butter mushrooms.

It’s certainly another “April showers” day today and impossible to go out of the house and guarantee it won’t be raining before you come back in. 16.4°C outside and 19.4°C inside at 1140hrs. 20°C inside temperature is my guide for wood burner lighting, so I struck a match and lit the fire which has been laid and waiting for such an occasion for more than a week. Finally, I can burn all my ice lolly sticks ..

I put a pan on the hob to cook a bacon joint. While it was cooking, I lay back and watched an episode of This is not a Murder Mystery. When it's cooked, I remove the skin, score and salt it and crisp it in the air fryer.

I cleared out the large fridge drawer, which does become rather a dumping ground. Also removed the large fan which I brought in from the studio during the exceptionally hot weather. It's on a tall stand and get in the way so it's good to have it put away again.

Up to the field to collect just three eggs today. One of the new hunting dogs from next door followed me up to the field which I don't really want in case they get into the hens somehow, so I had to shout at him to make him go home. They both look very similar and it's only the different colours which differentiate them for me at the moment. Altesse wears an orange collar and Armor wears a green collar. They're both very friendly and nice looking dogs - Griffon Bleu du Gascogne. The photos are of Altesse in my garage entrance.

Sliced pork tongue on toasts for supper, after the usual chicken soup with a chocolate dessert for afters and the the remaining melon half.

03/06/2026

Wednesday, 3 June 2026

14.1°C at 0710hrs when I walked drove up the lane to check that the automatic door opener had worked this morning as I changed the time. It had worked. I tried to adjust the steps leading to the automatic pothole so that the hens would be happier going in as Sam won't be here till the end of next week. Well I went back in after my walk one hen had laid there in the nesting box.

Cats fed dishwasher emptied and I drove to SuperU to buy milk, cat food on promo, nearly €80 worth, wine, pork tongue, chocolate desserts and snacks. Also reduced chicken thighs and chocolate desserts.

Then to meet Chris and Ginny at the swimming pool for the first time in ages. I met another friend on the path whose dog, Gaston, had died a couple of days ago - so upsetting, he was a lovely boy. I caught up with the girls at the stone bench where we met Rachel with her two dogs and then turned round and came back to the beginning with them. It wasn't cold and did start to drizzle on our way back but not too badly.

Once back from the field, I deep fried the remainder of the dos de cabillaud from yesterday for my lunch.

Lazy afternoon, I slept for more than an hour. It rained pretty much continuously so couldn't do anything outside, although this morning I sort of did trim a lot of wayward vine pieces back.

I collected five eggs from the hens and gave them chopped up stale cheese, lettuce pieces, and breadcrumbs. I drove to the poubelles to drop off a rubbish sack and some recycling.

Supper was chicken soup followed by a sausage sandwich, and grapes.

Rainbow Cottages in France

11/06/2026

11/06/2026

10/06/2026

09/06/2026

08/06/2026

07/06/2026

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