Effie

 tiny gold G string...and on his bare bouncing buttocks a tatoo which said.....

Oh Ford Anglia...I'm so glad you're only joking...I've always lived in the country...and been quite amazed at people who've moved from towns to the countryside expecting silence...and sweet country air. I had to smile when I heard them moan when it was muck spreading time...(phew...merde)...or when the tractors left the quiet country lanes full of mud from ploughing...or when the combined harvester clattered and clanged all day and most of the night...or when they they had to slow down...and follow a herd of cows going back to the farm to be milked !!! Our last home was close to the Norfolk Broads...and I loved hearing the cattle on the watermeadows...the owls...the geese...the ducks...the early morning wake up call from a rooster way across the fields....magic. I loved it all Effie I had my first driving lesson in a Ford Anglia...Many many many...moons ago[:)]     

My cousin lives in the middle of a vinyard...and apparently they spray at least 30 times during the season. We bought a property...halfway up a hill...overlooking an apple farm down in the valley...they spray every week!!! When we lived in Norfolk...we were surounded by wheat and sugar beet fields...during harvest times...and when the farmers sprayed we just closed all the windows...it's all part and parcel of living in the country. If you live in a town...you inhale petrol and diesel...if you live in the country...the air is not necessarily much cleaner...but at least it's more peaceful. Effie [:)]

With all due respect Emma...I've just asked my French neighbour who has a small holding with 14 goats...and two horses on his land...and he assures me that if the animals are on your land simply for your own pleasure...then you don't need to have them tagged. I live in an area where there are a lot of little holdings with various animals on them...and I have to confess that I've never seen anything other than cattle tagged...I also visit the market every week...where a man sells all kinds of poultry etc. and his stock isn't tagged either [:)]   Effie  

Well Adrian...I took over the four pygmy goats that were living here in their paddocks...when we bought the property last year...and none of my French neighbours have told me that I need to register...we're great friends...and they've helped us get over many problems...so I think they would have told us by now. Effie    

chinese silk lined travelling box...which was also large enough to hold a pair of his dear departed father's.....

However on entering the brocante...the thoughts of knickers dropped from her mind when she saw Harry Corbet's son... (His father having long since gone to the Puppetteer's Paradise in the sky)...demonstrating to the pretty plump 'anglaise'...the correct positioning of his long fingers inside...Sooty's smooth velvety....

Sooty aphids...

Hi well done...don't want to pour cold water on your achievement  but do fruit trees from seed bear fruit...or do they have to be grafted? I used to grow oranges and lemons...until I was told that they had to be grafted...if I wanted them to flower. I think I remember Titmarsh putting cuttings in a trench to root...but on second thoughts...maybe that was black currants. Effie[:)]   "To have all give all" Raj

Would that be garlic salt? We used to use table salt...you don't need much...but it has to be renewed after rain. I tried not to kill the little creatures...but when they attacked my lettuces...I decided that enough was enough...however I did relocate two large orange ones to an unused part of our land today...along with two huge snails. Effie  

Hi Hoddy...well I brought over most of my seeds from the UK...they were a mixture of climbers...and various bush varieties of UK nasturtiums which had self seeded year after year...with no problems. I also bought some new seeds here from Lidle...and a local garden centre. It's not that they haven't come up...but many are very spindly...(they're supossed to do well on poor soil which is what we have here)...and they've also got some sort of leaf curl...which I've never seen before. I had visions of them cascading down my steep banks...and drive... like a waterfall of colours from a painters palette...but I think I'm in for a big disappointment...unless the weather is affecting them and they suddenly take off...if not...it's back to the drawing board for me. Effie[:(]    

Every year in the UK my garden was full of nasturtiums...a veritable blazeof colour...but although I've planted over a hundred here they're a great disappointment at the moment...maybe they'll pick up later. They die off at the first frosts...though as they self seed they'll return the following year...Cabbage White butterflies love to lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves...(do we get Cabbage Whites here?) Have you considered solanium...it seems to grow well here...a member of the potatoe family I believe...it comes in white and mauve...and is evergreen too...or perhaps viginia creepers...though they will lose their leaves after they change into their lovely autumn colours. The orange trumpet climber...sends suckers up everywhere in my garden...several feet away from the parent plant...and even through tarmac...lovely to look at but not my choice of climber.  Effie

Problems with grass...water well with whisky...and it'll come up...half cut[:)]   Effie

[[I would like to come up with a creative way to keep the dogs away, just like you did with the cat litter.  I thought this was a great idea]] We've moved many many times...and on one occasion I let the cats that we had at that time....out too soon....and one went missing...never to be found again...(heartbreak hotel)...so I got the idea of boundary marking with the cat's litter trays. If you do this as soon as you move in...and before you allow your cats out in their new garden...it not only tells any neighbouring cats/dogs that there are new cats in the neighbourhood...but also gives your cats their own scent to home in on...if they go too far from their new garden. We've never lost a cat since we started doing this twenty years ago. With regards to keeping your cats in and your new neighbour's dogs out...as I said in a previous post...Jade one of our Siamese was almost blind due to progressive retinal atrophy...she was a great hunter...her ears became her eyes...and she soon cleared our garden of all the little rodents...(cats will be cats)...and then taught herself to climb the chain link fence. Her greatest joy was to sit in the sun...in the church yard next to our house...and listen to all the new interesting noises...however she was then at the mercy of the feral cat...who would chase her...and being semie blind she was not only unable to find her way home quickly...but unable to get back over the fence...and on one occasion was lost for twenty four hours...we finally found her half a mile from our house...completely bewildered...and very frightened. So...we made the fence higher...and when that didn't keep her in...we used an electric fence. However we now found that we had become prisoners in our own home...garden gates had to be locked...the front door could never be left open...and I was constantly checking to see where Jade was...as I knew she'd find a way to get out eventually. I wish that I could think of a simple solution for you Herbie...but short of building a huge cage for your cats...which I'm sure you'd find unacceptable...I don't know what else to suggest. I had to put our last remaining Siamese to sleep eight weeks ago...he was attacked by a local cat soon after we moved here six months ago...what with that....the trauma of the move...(catteries/flying etc)...he became ill...withdrawn...and terribly unhappy...so rather than watch him suffer I asked the vet to put him to sleep. No more cats for us. Blessings to you and your cats Effie  

[[Shoot them with an air gun if they trespass.]] Why punish the dogs who know no better...if the cats trespass on the neighbour's land...do the neighbours then have the right to shoot them? Several years ago...we we moved into our new house in the country in the UK...and a huge feral cat came into our unfenced garden...(which had been part of his vast territory until we moved in)...and attacked our three Siamese...one of which was almost blind...needless to say they were terrified...and we were distraught...however we realised that the feral cat was not to blame...and quickly had a high chain link fence erected...our side of the beech hedge...surrounding our property. We emptied the cats litter trays all around our land ...on our side of the fence...letting the feral cat know that this was now our cat's territory...it took a while...but eventually it learned to keep out. When we lived in Cornwall...my son's cat Tiger was shot to death with an air gun...it was some time before our friend ...a local farmer ...(who knew that Tiger was missing)...found Tiger in his corn field...a few feet from our property...my son was heartbroken. I feel for these three cats and they're owners...it's an awful worry...and I wish them an early answer to their problem....but hurting these dogs... is not the answer. Blessings to all concerned Effie  

Well this is my first spring here...and I've been so taken aback by the speed of the growth in all areas of my land and garden...that we've had to get a gardener in to help. The grass in the goat's paddocks went from easy for them to keep down...to eighteen inches high in no time at all...and took my husband days to mow...and take to the tip.One moment the cherry tree was in full blossom...and the next it was loaded with beautiful ripe red cherries...and within a day or two they'll be gone.The elderflowers are blooming a month earlier than in Norfolk...so I've made four litres of elderflower champagne already.And the roses are stunning. All the flowering trees have been awe inspiring...I thought that England was heavenly in spring...but I think France takes a lot of beating...magic! Effie  

Hi there...I've collected Acers for many years now...my first a beautiful red one is about 14 years old now...and has moved with me five times...in one house I sank its rather large pot up to the rim in the flower bed...among the shrubs...it looked stunning...and  thrived...but it was difficult to get out...as it had rooted through the hole in the bottom of the pot! They come in many colours...red...lime green...harlequin...varigated...and as you know have either broad or filigree leaves...they used to be very expensive...but then as they became more popular the price in many garden centres in Norfolk came down...so I stocked up...and have nine now...I find them hard to resist. I keep all mine in pots...(plastic and glazed china)...and move them around...(rather like moving furniture)...through the seasons. Mine all survived quite happily outside again this winter...I don't know whether the fact that I put gravel on the top of them has helped...but I've never pampered them other than that...the gravel helps to keep the moisture in when its hot...oh and I do feed them with chicken pellet manure every so often. Mine flowered too this year...and now have beautiful little sycamore type seeds hanging from their branches...I may try growing them when they've ripened...my son in law who also loves them...and he grew some from cuttings. Glad you love these pretty little trees...they're such a joy aren't they. Effie    

Thank you Chris...I am already  very familiar with your very interesting... and informative site...bless you. I hope you won't mind my bending your ear...do these snakes remain in one area...(like the little sand lizards in my garden)...as I've seen them on both occasions not far from my little veg patch? Effie

Hi Tag...I was really amazed at how these two love birds stood their ground...and having read Chris's post...'of how unusual it was to see them'...I realise that I missed a great opportunity to get some wonderful close up photos...as they certainly were very single minded with regard to mating there and then...and never mind who's watching...even the magpie didn't dampen their ardour! Effie Ps love your humour

Ah yes beautiful Chris...really stunning...but I just wish they wouldn't climb...I can cope with them on the ground...but up above my head...makes me shudder even if they are harmless. Are they likely to come in the house...as I have all my doors open from dawn to dusk...and I really don't want to find that one's slipped under my sheets. Several years ago in the UK...I took a small grass snake off our Siamese...I placed it in a container to show my husband...but it escaped in our property...I believed that it had found its way back outside...but three weeks later we found it under my bed...in a very dehydrated condition...with a dead mouse...(another gift from the cat)...I immediately put it in some water...with a drop of Rescue Remedy...and it drank and drank...and very quickly revived...so I let it go in a nearby meadow...but the thought that it had spent three weeks in our property before finally ending up under my bed...made me feel a little queasy to say the least. Have a nice day Effie of Aquitaine

Hi there Chris...and thank you for your words of wisdom...I've read many of your answers here...and feel that if any one knows their wild life..you do. I first came across one of these snakes a couple of weeks ago...it was beside my vegetable patch...hunting for lizards I think...I was in awe of its amazing colours...and stood and watched it.. until it reared up to get a better look at me...and as I tried to slip back to the house for my camera...it was gone faster than I could blink. I looked it up in one of my books...and felt happier knowing that it's not venemous...but I have to admit that I'm not really comfortable with snakes...though I have got a photo of myself...taken in Singapore... with a huge boa constrictor wrapped around my shoulders.  It's strange that many people...and animals...fear snakes...(my monkey went hysterical even if you showed it a rubber snake)...yet for myself I love to watch all the lizards that have their 'territorial patch' in my garden....and  yet if you look at them closely...they're only snakes with legs really. But given the choice...I'll take lizards every time...(smile) Effie    

[[I get on well with him and don't want to upset him.]] You sound as though you've got a really good relationship going with him...you helped him when he was sick...so why not tell him of your fears...he may surprise you...and be only too willing to sort the problem out. Effie  

I went outside this afternoon…and looking down the drive saw a magpie…jumping around…and pecking something. A few days earlier I’d found the remains of a baby black bird on the grass and decided that a magpie was probably to blame for it early demise…and as a blackbird was also on the drive keenly watching this aerobic performance…I justifiably thought that the magpie was up to no good yet again. So I ran down towards it clapping my hands in an effort to drive it away. Imagine my horror as I saw that the magpie had been attacking what looked like a very large snake…I froze…and before my eyes…it unravelled into two rather large snakes which had been mating. As I approached them they quickly separated…and slithered into the shrubs…on closer examination I found that one had climbed a medium sized conifer…and was watching me…"merde!"…I said not too quietly! Well I didn’t want to hurt either of them…but I also didn’t want them so close to the house… so I decided to chase them away with a blast of water from my hose…as the water hit the one in the tree it just lay across the branches completely unperturbed…now this shook me as snakes usually run for cover if threatened…another blast had little effect…but after about the fourth soaking it got the message and to my relief…disappeared…so I hosed down the whole area which backs onto a wall…hoping to chase the pair away once and for all. I’d no sooner turned my back when the amorous couple were once again on the edge of the drive…coiling their supple bodies around one another in a frenzy of serpentine passion…so I chased them off yet again with the hose…in a desperate bid to get them to move into my neighbours woods…where both they…and I…would feel safe. The larger of the two climbed up the shrubs…and ended up on the top of the wall…I went around to the rear of the wall which backs onto higher ground covered in very long grass… and found him coiled…watching me…with hard unblinking emotionless eyes… so I returned to the house…got my camera…(and my Wellington boots…well you never know what lurks in the long grass here!)…and on returning took several shots of him. I then went back and recoiled the hose…looking back at the drive…I saw to my astonishment…that the pair were at it AGAIN…I grabbed my camera…but they were now wary of me…and disappeared into the bushes…where I got the occasional glimpse of them writhing around…finally I saw them part company and slither away…still in the shrubbery…and much too close to the house.  I don’t know much about snakes…where they lay their eggs…etc…but I really don’t want to find an angry maternal Nagina…lunging at me next time I put my hand in the shrubbery! So tomorrow I’ll buy some serpent repellent…and hope that they take the hint…and move into my neighbours woods.  Effie

Ahhh..... Dick...."Each to his own"...as the old woman said as she kissed her cow. lol.[:D] Nice talking to you. Love and Light Effie

Hello Dick...sorry to hear of your fall...yes you're perfectly right about socks...silly mistake...won't do it again. LOL Re your consequences...I immediately took Dr. Bach's Rescue remedy for the shock...and then all night I alternated between the homeopathic remedies Aconite 200...and Arnica 30. My husband bless his heart...rubbed all my sore places with Arnica oil the following two days...and used  Hypercal on my swollen toes...and I also recieved 'healing' from my fellow healers. I'm happy to say that although I am bruised...I'm certain that without these natural remedies...I would have been still in my bed. If I can advise you with regard to your old wounds please don't hesitate to ask...I am a trained Aromatherapist...and registered healer...and have been working with the Bach flower remedies...and homeopathic preparations for nearly 25 years now...and if I can't help you...I know a 'man' who can. LOL Thank you for caring God Bless you Effie