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

29/09/2026

Tuesday, 29 September 2026

Quite a pleasant start to the day and the swallows seem to have disappeared now so they're not waking me in the morning.

I started to do the sorting out of my packing before I came downstairs this morning. I opened a wooden box in the spare room found a pair of brand new female jeans I'd bought. They obviously hadn't fitted me when I bought them but I assumed I would finally be able to get into them. I can never find any which fit me and usually end up buying male jeans from a charity shop and altering them with belt, tightening, etc. However, I put them on and was absolutely amazed. They fitted. I have never had this experience with trousers since I was about 14 years old. I've no idea how long ago I bought them so probably may not still be being sold. If they are though, I shall buy a couple of pairs. Then, as Matthew frequently says to me, "They'll see you out."

I set off to SuperU a veggie stewing pack to go with the beef I had defrosted. Luckily there was a pack in the reduced cabinet along with a large piece of paté à l'andouille and some Brie. I also bought WCILs. On the way back, I went into the Mairie to ask about the walking group in St Nic.

Once I got home I sliced some of the andouille immediately and ate that with some toast. Then I prepped a beef and orange casserole including the vegetables I'd bought this morning. Everything went into the slow cooker along with herbs, stock and w**e and I set it off hoping it would be ready for a tasty supper.

Lots of bits for the compost and for the chickens, in two bowls which I put in the back of the car together with eggs for Chris. Lunch was two slices of butter toast with smoked, trout, lemon juice and black pepper.

I drove up to the field and gave bowl the bowl of food to the chickens and the compost bowl was emptied into the compost bins. And I set off for sun St Nicolas du Pélem to get some information from the walking group themselves as the Mairie didn't have too much. They were driving to Glomel to walk around Étang du Corong. I hadn't really decided about walking today but they invited me to join them in one of the cars so I did.

It was quite a demanding walk, mainly due to the extraordinary amount of tree roots across the paths. We stopped twice for about 5 minutes and overall it took us something over 2 hours, I'm not quite sure exactly. As I got into the car to come back to the parking in St Nic, my watch told me I'd walked a total of 15000 steps today. I think I'd done about 4500 before the lake walk. I was shouted and wouldn't have wanted to walk any further. It was quite humid which made it tiring.

Next week they're going to Tremargat and I intend to join them as it's relatively flat again. I think the week after that it's Kerpert with quite a lot of inclines so we'll see.

Back home and collected two more eggs before having two bowls of the beef and orange casserole with some baguette.

Photo of last night's sky at end.

28/09/2026

Monday, 28 September 2026

Woke up early at and couldn't go back to sleep. The guests from Small Cottage leave this morning and Maggie will be here later to do the changeover and for Honeycomb. I'll do the laundry when I get back because I want to put the jeans I'm wearing to walk this morning, in with the bedding as they've got dirty around the turnups.

Quick visit to SuperU where I met Sam on his crutches, shopping with Lou. Then to the recycling area before meeting Celia, Chris, Kris, Ginny for our walk. Partway through the walk we were joined by Rachel and her son Brad who is over from Southampton for a while. Yesterday the forecast had said it would rain all morning today. We had no rain.

Celia came back for coffee and a chat and we booked to have lunch at Jeanne et Jules on Thursday. Maggie was already here doing the changeover on Small Cottage. The bedding etc was ready to go into the machines, so I added my jeans and and one machine load was hung outside and one inside - hedging my bets on the weather.

Lunch was pork spare ribs with soy, fried mashed potato and slices of nectarine. A weird combination I know, but it seemed to work. Afterwards I ate a WCIL.

I drove out to pay the bill for the fencing and carry it on to a plant nursery which had closed but on 1 September this year had new owners.
Unlike previously, it is now going to be open the year round Monday to Saturday. I had a good look around polytunnels and came away with a thyme plant to replace those which died due to the secheresse. It wasn't in the best condition but it was the only one they had and they reduced it for me. The new people are pleasant young couple and I hope they make a huge success of it.

I then crossed over D790 to drive towards the lake at Canihuel where there is a sweet chestnut tree which produces very good sized nuts. On the way I passed an entrance to a property with a dead pig, just lying on a raised area - bizarre ... I collected some sweet chestnuts in a bucket which I had in the car for such an occasion. Back home and I cooked and ate some of them and they were delicious.

Back via the field to collect five eggs and give the chickens their tea. Then I made chicken soup and had two bowlfuls. I found a ceramic flower pot and planted the thyme in that and watered it well. Hopefully it will survive ...

18°C at 1700hrs and I brought the washing in from the rotary line which had all dried. As I walked onto the terrace, I realised that I'm not the only one with a very bad memory. Celia who had picked bunches of grapes into a bowl for her hens had left them on the terrace table. As I'm meeting up with her on Thursday, I'll take some for them then.

27/09/2026

Sunday, 27 September 2026

14.3°C at 0845hrs and the first few drops of rain of the day fell but stopped almost immediately. I did nothing at home but just went up to feed the animals. It was a good job. I went early because a chicken was in deep trouble. I use an old jam pan to give the cereal for the goats. It was upside down when I went into the barn. When I turned it over a chicken shot out looking very bedraggled. It must have been in there for quite some time. Unable to turn the pan back the correct way as it is pretty heavy. As I left the field, I decided to walk in The Aboretum and depending on how I felt afterwards, perhaps another walk somewhere else. As I entered, on the right, 50m in, someone had thoughtfully hung a pair of child's gardening gloves which had presumably been lost and found there.

Some years ago I read a book, which I enjoyed, called Driving over Lemons. Coming here this morning I was driving over sweet chestnuts. It's only the beginning of them falling, but my goodness there are a lot already on the road surface. Yesterday when we were driving to our walk one fell on the roof of the car. The noise involved was more like someone throwing and landing a large stone. A few weeks ago it was acorns and they sound almost like gunfire. If there was a sudden gust of wind, 8 or 10 would arrive on the roof at the same time, like am******on from an automatic.

After doing the arboretum circuit, I decided to walk to a wood where I had previously picked mushrooms years ago. From where I parked the car there was a fairly long lane which I could have driven along but, the last time I did this I had the Landrover which was better suited for the terrain.

As soon as I reached the tree cover in the wood I was aiming for, the first raindrops fell. They sounded pretty heavy but I couldn't feel anything as the cover was good. The first path I wanted to take had a sign, Propriété Privée, by which I lawfully abided. The next path went downwards which is great on the going but not so good on the coming back so I avoided that one. Instead, I turned around and went in the opposite direction.

I'm always surprised how little wildlife there seems to be in the woods here. Perhaps they just hide when they know the chasse is about like they are today. I passed three hunters on my way in.

A fork in the path and again I chose the upward one but, as before, a sign saying Private Property. However, before the sign there was a sweet chestnut tree which was producing very big chestnuts. All nuts are not the same size, and because they're quite fiddly to prepare and cook before the enjoyable bit of eating them, I like to collect the largest that I can find. I came home with a pocket full and also a feather which I believe to be from a buzzard.

According to Maps.Me, the app I use when walking so I can manage to find the way home, the path I was following would have ended up down at Kergoten, which is where I turn off the D50 towards St André. However, if I'd continued I would have been a long way from the car and walking back along the road, which I didn't want to do. So I turned around after 2,500 steps and went back to the car. Next, I did investigate a turn which said it had a lake in it, Stang Merrien, but but couldn't go far by car - it needs investigation on foot.

On my way back, as I drove up to the turning which appeared to contain the end of the path, down I went up it for about 50m just to check where it would come out. I think the answer is to walk with somebody else and leave one car at this point and the other where I had left mine this morning. That way we could drive back to collect my car at the end of the pathway walk.

Back home and I'm happy to say that the temperature in the house was 19.6° which, according to my rules, if it's under 20°C I'm allowed to light the fire, meant that I lit the wood burner. Honeycomb guests left this morning and I had their laundry to dry inside in view of the rain - the wood burner will ensure it does.

Lunch was two bowls of chicken and coriander soup followed by a white chocolate ice lolly. I lay down on the settee afterwards and fell asleep while watching Have I Got News for You.

The rain had set in for the afternoon while I was asleep so not in a hurry to go up to the field to collect eggs. Instead, I watched various programs on television and napped. I did finally go up and collect four eggs when it stopped raining but as so often happens, it started to rain again on my walk back home.

Steve popped in to return the end of the roll of fencing which he still had after doing the fence for me on Friday.

Very early supper was a large bowl of pork and peach casserole from the freezer, and I made mashed potato with lots of butter to go with it. I followed this by a bowl of cold custard from the fridge.

Now going to watch an episode of the Marble Hall Murders. Hope this will be good.

26/09/2026

Saturday, 26 September 2026

10.2°C at 0840hrs with blue skies but also very heavy cloud when I walked up to feed the animals and top the drinkers. The goats were still where they're supposed to be so hopefully the fencing is working well.

No one wanted to go walking this morning so I'll probably go somewhere myself this afternoon.

Yesterday evening I've tried gone to bed to watch television there was a bit of a commotion outside in the driveway. It seemed that one of the pot-bellied pigs belonging to my neighbour had escaped from the field and her partner and the family were trying to encourage her back to her own territory. It took a while but they appeared to be successful eventually. Why is it animals always feel the grass is greener?

Back in the kitchen I made pea and ham soup with the stock from boiling the belly pork this week. As before two bags went into the freezer and one bowl was for lunch today.

At 1115hrs I set off for a village near Mael Pestivien to buy a a trailer with higher sides than my current small one. I was going to go into the bakers in MP but my Satnav didn't take me that way so I ended up coming straight back to the field to drop the trailer off. 19.7°C at 1230hrs.

Into SuperU to buy beetroot. Yesterday I pointed out to the fish counter person that their prawn price was incorrect. They had languestines at €40+ per kilo and ordinary prawns at the same price. He replied that there was no mistake. I said there wasn't any question of Isis. It definitely was incorrect. He wouldn't have it so I walked away.

Today he was back on the counter and the price was correct, under €10 per kilo. As I walked past I said oh I see the price is correct now. He said that he'd queried it after I'd said something and was sorry that he'd told me I was wrong. At least he had the intelligence to ask someone and the grace to apologise. I'll explained that once you get to my age you didn't often argue unless you knew you were right as there wasn't a lot of point. We laughed. Leave

My Honeycomb guests phone to say they couldn't find the cottages. I replied that they had the directions and Google map link in their acceptance of booking reply. They had no GPS they said. After a difficult conversation, I drove to Lanrivain and they followed me back. They then wanted to know how to get two to St Gilles Pligeaux and I just couldn't explain it to them. They were going to drive to Lanrivain and ask someone French how to get there.

I then collected Chris and Barry and we walked from Coz Salou to the barrier and back. A pleasant walk in a rather nice temperature. We then popped into SuperU as Chris had forgotten to buy yoghurts this morning.

I just got home when the doorbell rang and it was a booking that had come in while I'd been walking which obviously I hadn't seen. It was for Small Cottage for two nights an English couple who had been touring Brittany and Normandy.

I walked up to the field and collected three eggs, then came back and deep fried squid rings for supper with salad, followed by a WCIL and then some Camembert and baguette.
Very pleasant evening weather wise 19.5°C at 1830hrs.

Some bad news I received this afternoon, my worker has injured his foot and won't be working for at least 2 weeks as he's on crutches.

25/09/2026

Friday, 25 September 2026

8.7°C at 0640hrs, sky full of stars, very clear, Orion viewed from bedroom window in all its glory.

Cleared up my bedroom and put a throw and other stuff into the washing machine before hanging it out on the rotary line. It was drizzling very slightly but soon cleared up and was a very sunny morning. There was a lovely moth on the fly screen

I fed the chickens and took recycling to the poubelles on the way to SuperU. I bought lentils, curry powder - for the first time in my life, I may not use it, lol. Also two mouse traps, little gem lettuces, petits pois, chicken, lentils, ham, a baguette and reduced andouilles. I topped up my diesel, price now €2.379.

That was a bit of a cat fight in the garden and when I went out I found Lulu on top of the vine on Utility Cottage wall. No other cat to be seen so I don't know who her adversary was.

I ate some of the andouilles with the French bread for a snack and then spent an inordinate amount of time on the phone trying to cancel my bank card as I can't find it. Because I couldn't give them my three-digit code, as I didn't have the card, we went through a ridiculous amount of security. Everything appeared to be fine and then the Indian gentleman said to me. Oh you haven't used your card for a long time. We can't just cancel it like that, you'll have to go through a lot more security. After having already spent so long on the phone, I was not going to wait any longer. I'm back in the UK in October and, will have to hope no-one uses my card meantime. Barclays really are the end ... Matthew, my son told me to keep looking as he knew I would find it, but I'd been looking and looking and looking for days.

21.5°C at 1300hrs. I walked up to the field in the sunshine and collected three eggs. Goats still secure in the correct field. Really very warm outside in the sunshine.

I set off for Kergrist Moelou which was the home of the Book Club this afternoon. I was early so sat in the car clearing things out. Unbelievably stuck to the bottom of a pack of baby wipes which I lifted up, there was my bank debit card ... I can't tell you how many hours I've spent looking for this.

We were all there at Brigitte's home after a break during August, Brigitte, Steve, Madeleine, Jan, Rob, Nancy and me. I hadn't read the book for various reasons, and so experienced it vicariously as the discussions went on. Coffee and chestnut cake which was very moist and tasty. Next month's book has already been delivered to my son and I'll collect it when I'm there and probably read it there too.

Lamb ribs, mint jelly, tomatoes and mixed beans for supper followed by the usual.

Back home via the field to collect another two eggs. Lamb ribs, mint jelly, tomatoes and mixed beans for supper followed by the usual and I went up to the field again a bit later with outside lettuce leaves, stale bread, old milk and chopped up inedible bits from my lamb ribs.

1900hrs and 19°C, still sunny with a breeze. For washing beautifully dried and brought in.

24/09/2026

Thursday, 24 September 2026

A busy day ahead. I did all the usual chores in the house and on the field. Hung the laundry out on the line and trimmed plants along the driveway

A chap came to view the house next door, which is for sale. English, so we had a quick conversation. I think it probably needs too much work doing for him to take on.

Steve arrived to look at the fencing which needed to be done to keep the goats in. He arranged to come back later in the morning and I just managed to see him again before I left.

I then set off to drive Silfiac for the Brittany Women's lunch. Celia and I met out in the road having arrived from different parts at the same time. We were on the table nearest to the door - places were labelled. It was not the best table to be on as we were the last to be served and I got my lunch at 1325hrs which was far too late and I was not happy. I needed to get back to see the fencer and arranged to take my chocolate pudding with me. All pretty unsatisfactory. They just simply couldn't cope with the numbers in a reasonable time.

Back up on the field, the temperature had soared and it was really warm, particularly if you were working. The goats were trying to get out but somehow I managed to get them to stay in the field. Hopefully now they won't get out onto the road even if they do manage to get into the next door field. The ground was so hard that there was no way the posts could have been put into the ground without the digger and bucket. A good job done.

I needed to go to the bank but the bank in St Nicolas du Pélem is closed for renovations until sometime in November I think. I decided to drive to Corlay to the bank there. There are obviously roadworks of some sort because there were lots of signs saying road closed in 7 km and so on. The road was closed immediately after the right hand turn I needed to take, so I was okay getting to the bank. In the car park I met in English couple who wanted to go to Quintin. I had no idea how they could go as I don't know any of the roads to Quintin other than the D790 which was closed. Using common sense I suggested a road they could take and then take the next main road left so I hope they sorted themselves out.

I collected four eggs today on Steve had two dozen. I've walks up to the field with some outside lettuce leaves for the hens and currently the goats are safely in the correct field. Fingers crossed. There's lots more fencing to do but it really can't be done until we've had a lot of rain and the ground is much softer. It's such a difficult task when the grind is hard and takes longer and costs more.

I came back to prawns in batter with salad followed by the last small portion of cauliflower cheese.

It seems to have been a stressful day somehow and I feel shattered. I won't be long for bad around a few television programmes.

23/09/2026

Wednesday, 23 September 2026

12.3°C at 0850hrs, bright start to the day and no breeze. As I came past the prolific tomato on the side of the house, I realised that I was wrong yesterday. It hasn't reached the guttering. It's reached the wisteria and vine going around the house and is going through those gradually. Some of the fruits are finally turning red.

Usual chores done and I left the house for SuperU, where I bought nectarines, baby wipes, liquorice, smoked belly pork joint and white chocolate Ice lollies.

I toasted two slices of bread and spread them with butter and Bovril on one piece and orange marmalade on the other. I like this combination and eat alternately 1/4 of one piece of toast and 1/4 of the other.

Then I drove to try and find Étang de Blavet. I followed the GPS instructions, parked and walked as the way down to the water didn't look car friendly. Well, I could see the water but I could not reach it, there must be a better access point somewhere.

Time was running out so I came back up the hill and drove to my physio appointment in Bourbriac. After the appointment it was such a beautiful afternoon. I could not go home so I just drove to the outside of Bourbriac, to the lake at the Salle de Forge, walked around that and wrote the first half of this blog sitting in the sunshine at a picnic table. I love the way people are catered for in the countryside here. Always a seat or a table and benches. This was a really nice covered picnic table.

I started to drive home and then realized I had got to find access to this lake or I would be thinking about it all the time. I put it into the GPS system again. It took me to the same place but I found another small lane and followed that. I arrived at a very tiny beach alongside the lake across the road from Moulin de Blavet.

It was an attractive lake but clearly had no way of walking around it. I took some photographs, sat there for a while and then came back home via the field to collect five eggs.

A late lunch was cauliflower cheese again. Still a little bit left for a snack. I prepped some prawns and took the shells and cut up heads to the field for the chickens. As I was leaving the field I had a car slowed down on the corner and when I looked my goats were both in the road. One part of the fence has come down completely. We've been waiting to do this until the ground was soft enough to bug in the large posts that clearly something has to be done straight away.
As my worker isn't available this week, I contacted a friend who will come and look tomorrow morning and erect the fence in the afternoon. Unfortunately, I'm out for an arranged lunch tomorrow and probably won't get back before 1500hrs, if then.

Prawns in batter with salad for supper followed by a vanilla éclair. 20.1°C at 1930hrs.

22/09/2026

Tuesday, 22 September 2026

12.1°C at 0830hrs, brightish and no breeze. Lovely light walking u to the field entrance where I waved hello. Nothing in the diary so had to decide what I would do today. None of the other walkers were walking this morning.

Well, I spent virtually the whole morning in the kitchen. With the remaining half of last week's cauliflower I made yet more cauliflower cheese, because I love it. I also prepared the reduced price crab which I'd bought. This always takes me a long time, but I was determined to get the last flake of crab out of the claws and shell. My hammer and a thick pile of newspapers figure in the preparation. When I'd extracted the crab I had half of it mixed with mayo, lemon juice and cayenne pepper on two slices of hot buttered toast for my breakfast.

I blitzed part of yesterday's baguette into bread crumbs to mix with cheddar cheese for the topping of my cauliflower cheese. In amongst the cauliflower, I dot tiny blobs of purée de piments for extra enjoyment.

I stripped three chicken legs, cut up the chicken and got everything ready in the saucepan for chicken soup later. Then into the garage to collect and plant out three of the plants which Chris gave me yesterday. I have put them down the driveway under my yellow climbing rose. All watered in and the watering cans refilled from the waterbutt next to the garden door.

The cauliflower cheese went into the air fryer to cook and once it had finished I left for SuperU. I'm never very happy about leaving it on when I'm not here. Not sure why, but just feel it safer to be here while it's working.

My SuperU trip was to buy the 24 bottles of w**e which Matthew had chosen. I needed to go in straightaway because there were limited supplies of two of the labels. I also bought some reduced vanilla éclairs. The boxes, each containing six bottles, were really heavy to lift out of the trolley and then, when I got home, into the garage where they will stay until my trip back. In the garage I managed to find some bubble wrap so I packed it in and around the bottles to stop them chinking in the car on my journey back to Cornwall.

Annie couldn't come last night for the eggs so came today, unfortunately while I was out, so I didn't see her. 23°C by 1300hrs when I got back home.

After having a dish of cauliflower cheese with fresh tomatoes for lunch, I walked up to the field to collect five eggs. Then I had another dish of cauliflower cheese ... Followed by the usual.

After watching a couple of episodes of James Martin cooking in Brittany, I set off for the swimming pool walk, to pick the cep that Gill identified for me yesterday from my photograph. It was very old and dry but I thought some bits may be worth rescuing.
I was amazed by its size, as I had always wrongly imagined that ceps were much smaller.

Later on the way home I parked in a side lane and went into the woods to walk up to the Menhir de Rossil, 3.7m diameter and 7.3m tall, not very far into the trees. So dry in this wood that I didn't see any fungi at all, no people either.

While I was out, my doorbell camera announced that somebody was in the driveway. I tried to speak to them but couldn't hear what they were saying. Probably a delivery chap so I hope he'll come back again as he left nothing in the postbox.

Back home for chicken soup, and a cold sliced boiled bacon and lettuce sandwich. Beautiful afternoon, 25°C at 1700hrs, and only the slightest breeze.

I picked some more of the yellowy-orange striped tomatoes from the large container against the outside of my garden wall. They really have been incredibly prolific and the very small round red tomatoes just inside my garden gate have grown to enormous heights, and have reached the guttering on the house. There are lots of tomatoes on the plant, but they're currently mostly green and small.

Caramel, my neighbour's cat, is no longer frightened of me when I appear after he's a snuck into in my house. He comes in several times a day for food and definitely sleeps in here. I have a feeling my neighbours don't feed him at all. Perhaps he's just there to mouse.

I have a feeling it could be a lovely sunset tonight. If it is, I'll drive up the hill on the top lane and try and get some photographs.

21/09/2026

Monday, 21 September 2026

Quite a broken night of sleep but because I went to bed early I did get nearly 7 hours. It didn't feel enough though and my final waking was at 0520hrs which was much too early.

The swelling on my right wrist has reduced completely and hardly any pain this morning at all, and that's really good news.

Light drizzle as I walked up to do the universe (should say, animals. This is the problem with dictating instead of typing.) this morning, of course it hadn't been forecast to rain at all. A walk was arranged with Chris, Ginny and Celia for 1000hrs in the Vallée de Fouadel as usual. I put my recycling bucket in the back of the car hoping that, unusually, I would remember it was there and luckily I did.

Maggie had agreed to come after my walk to do the changeover on The Hive in Utility Cottage and other stuff. My bedding was set off in the washing machine and I just had time to hang it out before I went to meet the girls.

Off to SuperU where the sky looked strange in the carpark. We were late setting off as Ginny had spent too long chatting with Brent and Joyce in the supermarket. I blame it all on her anyway. As a result, I had to leave the others and return exactly 30 minutes after starting the walk so that I was back in time for Maggie. . There was just a bit of drizzle in the air but I think we were lucky.

One of the funky I took a picture of was so strong as it grew that it pushed the moss up from the ground and it still had the moss lying on top of it. Quite a lot of fungi beginning to appear now that it's quite damp overnight.

My chiropody appointment was at midday, so I had to abandon Maggie to see the podiatrist. I quite enjoy my bi-monthly sessions with Natalie, not only for the way my feet feel afterwards but also for the conversations we have.

Revisited SuperU as I needed to check on the prices of Pinot Noir and let Matthew know. I'll take back 24 bottles for him when I go to the UK in October. I took some photographs of the shelves with the Pinot Noir and he can make his choice

Next I visited Chris as she had some books and puzzles she wanted to hand over. I also came away with a gardening tray of foxgloves and campanulas which I will plant tomorrow. I put them in the shade in the garage.

22.9°C bright sunshine at 1500hrs. Hey, it's chicken soup with tarragon for lunch followed by baguette with butter and Camembert. Four eggs collected from the field and back for a bowl of cold rice pudding with cherry jam.

I lay on the settee to watch an episode of Midsomer Murders but fell asleep for nearly an hour. Woke up and went back into the recording to the last scene I remembered. I warmed up the last bowl of soup and ate that while I watched.

Just heard from Matthew who should have left Barcelona today for Bristol airport but the plane has been cancelled, so they've got an extra night which they'll spend in Barcelona and
hopefully fly at 0700hrs in the morning.

Annie is coming to collect a dozen eggs this evening. Glad to say the hens are laying fairly regularly now.

Rainbow Cottages in France

29/09/2026

28/09/2026

27/09/2026

26/09/2026

25/09/2026

24/09/2026

23/09/2026

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21/09/2026

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