and so my list begins ...

rototilling was kindly squeezed in at the last possible moment! and so I was left with a tilled area for a late garden planting. My visitor and I went to the Perigueux market on Wednesday and I snagged the first plants for the garden. Today, while closed for lunch ... I put in a dozen tomato plants, a couple of cukes, 6 peppers and a bunch of cilantro. Upon reflection, I decided to go ahead and put in the potatoes I bought ages ago ... my consultant on all things gardening and french told me it was worth a shot, they might just take off, albeit the harvest would be later than normal. But since spring sprang late this year, I'm hoping for that domino effect. So, in effect, that is one thing semi-checked on the list.

I'm also rushing about to finish up a bunch of new small furniture pieces for the shop...and get a variety of things underway to create a bit more publicity and awareness that I am here. I bought 2 large planters (about a meter long each) for the front of the shop ... that will block parking (hopefully) right up against my wall and also create more visibility that we're here...Also, 2 more signs have been installed on the wall and a 'blade' style sign will be up in late July. My partner in crime also made 2 unique standalone, sidewalk signs that I can experiment with around town...

The new internet site is almost done and with that will come new flyers and posters and such ... for further around the area publicity. Any of my French readers (those that are legit ... heh heh)who blog or have sites or shops and who would be willing to do a link exchange with The Bohemians site ... or post a flyer ... please drop me a note via the contact feature here on my blog.

I have more trip highlights to share, but thought a real time, on-the-ground report might also be in order.

à bientôt!

up to my neck in alligators, I mean potential projects!

okay, I've just about reached the *no excuses* stage...I've assmbled materials for innumerable projects and now have to buckle down ...

I'm still in the middle of my chair project, and now bought the fabric (a grey/taupe linen, basic) that will complement the turquoise/teal I'll be painting the legs and arms.

I've purchased bits and bobs for making brooches, just need a few jewelry type items via Etsy and can get going on that.

I've purchased fabric and ordered patterns for a few things I wish to try my hand at, sewing wise (pillows, totes and maybe some drawstring lounge pants) ... if they are decent, I'll be selling them.

I've still got a bathroom project and the rest of my stairwell project.

We're still a potential *go* on a scaled down version of the café and work will commence on that shortly.

The garden continues to softly call and woo me, each day of sunshine I feel the pull.

I have several furniture pieces awaiting *relooking* and a few bids out for custom projects.

all this awaits but what I really want to do is go to the beach.

sigh.

potager ...

well my garden is in full swing...and some bits are going gangbusters! finished first round of green beans, tomatoes (cherry, heirloom, round) ripening on first vines, 2nd vines bearing fruit, 2nd wave of green beans in full bloom (beans on the way) ... up to my ears in mache (lamb's lettuce) and even got a few early onions. Cilantro is now about 10" tall.

Thinning beets and turnips, planted fennel this week and soon will put in chinese cabbage and chicory.

Mesclun and spinach are growing well. hmm, what else? Oh yes...radishes, carrots and zucchini in different stages of growth.

The only thing struggling are the jalapenos. Maybe there just isn't enough heat ...

flowers are blooming, grass is springing up for weekly mowing ...

it brings me joy!

my morning...

rose for a walk in my garden ... dogs at my heels. weeded maché, picked a potful of fresh green beans, puttered in the tomato plants. Brilliant sun, blue skys, masses of birds singing.

grabbed the bike and headed to the boulangerie. The petite madame is now friendly with me and asks what I am looking for. "Je cherche pour un pain paysan". "Deux minutes, madame!". I look into the rear room to see monsieur unloading fresh loves from the enormous old brick bread oven. She brings me out a warm round loaf. She nods approvingly as I sort out my centimes and get it right on only the 2nd try! (why do I always fail to have my glasses here?).

pedal home, prepare a fresh coffee with beans from Corsica that I bought at yesterday's market, steamed whole milk and cream, and a snip of vanilla bean from my trip to Africa.

grab my volume of La Bonne Cuisine (the original companion for french home cooking, written by Madame Saint-Ange in 1927 and translated by Paul Aratow of Chez Panisse fame ...) for some morning reading and inspiration.

look at the clock ... it is 9:01.

bon week-end!

looky me, looky me!

I'm turning into a regular femme du ferme here what with my radishes and carrots and mache poking their heads towards the sun. Not to mention the hollyhock seeds I've been gathering through my travels that I have now planted against a sunny wall and send good omens towards. Or the walk through the marché today where I ogled every stand offering fraises, judging quality and price. After which I basked in the sun on a café terrasse, sipped my espresso and weighed the options. I returned to one of my favorite stands where an old man brings a meager selection each week ... but there is always one standout! Last year all of my peppers came from him. I bought his last 8 baskets of berries and returned home and ... *gasp* ... prepared jam!!!

now before we get too excited, let me say that I used French pectin and an American recipe and I'm not sure it is setting up so well. But I prefer freezer conserves so even if it isn't perfect it is going to taste divinely fresh because it isn't cooked. If it is a little more syrupy ... so be it. I have 10 containers and I will definitely need to gift some because I don't eat that much jam in 3 years! but I think I can also use it for little tarts and such ...

I've been searching for dahlia tubers but looks like I missed the boat. It has been so long since I've really practiced the art of gardening that I've forgotten so much about the timing. I'm trying to do some better research and planning so that next year I'll be on top of it. For example, next year I'd like to have a strawberry patch of my own. But I think I've completely lost the mark on that one. And I want peonies too. sigh.

But my wisteria is Monet worthy and my lilacs (deep purple and white) have scented the garden delightfully. And I've got roses everywhere. The plants I mean, no flowers yet but the garden will have masses of roses I hope.

back to being beat again!

Lots of labor is progressing our projects. The week-end was a brocante whirlwind ... but no purchases to speak of!

I went to three open markets / vide-greniers ... nothing really rocked my world but then I did find a nice chest of drawers (commode) at a brocante. It is pine, but that old, faded pine ... not the yellowy American stuff. Monday JY arrived after his week away and I was so (actually WE were so) happy to see each other and fall back into our routine... some of it anyway. I guess absence can make the heart grow fonder ... there of course is more I'd like to say on this subject but it is complicated...I'll have to leave it at that for now.

But in the afternoon we worked on the café...I cleaned stone and JY began laying out the kitchen area. This means preparing the section where walls and a ceiling must be installed. It has all been very interesting to me to what the various processes associated with building and remodeling. Because of standards for kitchens, we have to install a ceiling over the kitchen area vs. the exposed wood and beams which will be in the rest of the restaurant. These beams are ancient and hand carved, so preparing them to accept a level surface has required some skill (which JY possesses, I do not - obviously!). He has affixed metal brackets and strips to the beams which the 'plaque' (drywall) will be affixed to. We have devoted a lot of thought and discussion to the kitchen layout. We are making the kitchen as small as we possibly can (galley style) to maximize the rest of our space. And we are trying to maximize the functionality of the kitchen space as well. Hopefully it will come together in a way that works ... we are not experts in this regard ... but learning together!

Today we spent the morning researching various pieces of kitchen equipment. After lunch, we decided to work in the garden vs. the café interior and capitalize upon the sunshine that showed itself. It was a good decision, all and all. It was revitalizing to be outside and see the end result. JY strimmed the ENTIRE large garden and treated for ortilles (nettles). Lastly, he tilled and prepared two flower beds where we have decided to put dahlias and other flowers that we love. My job was to rake the ENTIRE large garden, piling the remains into countless wheelbarrow loads and deposit them into the far corner of the garden where we have designated a compost area. I also shovelled and moved 3 barrow loads of charcoal which the former monsieur had stored out in the yard. At some point they were bags ... but had been there so long that soil had accumulated, bag material had decomposed and hordes of ants had set up shop. erghh! We both love gardening and particularly, this garden, so by the end of the day we were tired but relaxed and peaceful and re-charged! It was definitely a good day's effort. I'll upload some pics tomorrow to share.

After JY headed home, I also worked in the potager. when he inspected the garden on Monday, he told me the lettuces were planted too closely and so tonight I relocated every other lettuce, creating 2 rows where there had been one. I also began a sort of a fence. I took willow branches that I had stripped and retained last year, and made a little spike fence surrounding the garden. I then put some chicken wire intermittently since I don't have enough for a continuous fence. Basically, I'm just trying to give my dogs the message to keep out. If I need to ward off other critters, I'll have to do a more thorough job.

I also puttered about, making a little stone border for another flower bed, gathering all of our various tools and implements from the day and returning them to the gardening room ... in case it rains.

By 8:00 p.m. I was worn out. I heated some leftover vegetable curry and, too tired to bother with rice, just ate that. After a hot bath and a bit of this and that ... I've retired for rest and tomorrow's projects ... c'est ma vie!

jardinage ...

I believe I mentioned we started the potager last Friday. Since then, I have added tomato plants, a zucchini and today a row of jalapenos. Friday we put in carrots, radishes, green beans and mache.

The radishes are already sprouting!


Today I also created a little herb garden just outside of my sun room. There was already a small, raised planting bed bordered with old stones. The space is only about a meter long, but we'll see what I can get out of it. I put in 3 lettuces, cilantro, chives, 2 types of basil, 2 types of parsley, savory and thyme. I'm sure, if they all start and thrive, they will be crowded in there! good!

let's see...what else ... JY had told me to swing by the trocante and check out a small electric mower he saw there. So a swingin' I did go. I got there at noon ... and dashed in. The fellow was nice ... no pouty looks because it was lunchtime. I came for a specific item, he could see I wasn't trying to sneak in and browse. He rummaged about and found it. It looked cute and they gave me a 4 day return option so I bought it. It has this chunky battery that you charge. I charged it overnight and part of a day and then took it out there and ...... drum roll ...... c'est NUL! that's right ... it's crap. So back it goes on Saturday. the blades whirred like the dickens but no GOOD cutting to speak of and it kept stopping.

but now I know that, yet again ... JY is right. I DO need a mower that isn't meant for a 180 pound man to wrangle with. So I'm on a quest.

Oh I know what else. I put up the cool rose trellis that the old owner fashioned in his forge. It is circular, bilevel and kind of rusted and cool. you position it over the rose bush and then the rose can grow up it and around. It is kind of bent to the side so it reminds me of a slanted sundial. I love it. and it was free. and a relic from my home. My house has given me so much, so many materials to work with.

pfft.

I'm dissatisfied with the recently whiny direction of my blog. I've thumbed (figuratively) through my archives and I used to be a lot more interesting. AND entertaining. what's to come of me? harumph!

Well, instead of whining about my whininess, I'm just going to forge ahead with another activity update. Last week was spent in continuation of the café. Not as much progress was witnessed but if you check out the flickr account, you'll see we did finish retexturing one wall with a golden plaster, including the fireplace. The stones on this west wall were smaller and not very pretty, although two larger pieces were left uncovered. JY also fashioned a new window sill.

I helped with the mortaring, which led to some problems. In fact, I don't think there was a day last week that didn't behold a Kim misstep (le sigh, oops! more whining) but I AM a novice and couple that with I am a novice who isn't fully fluent in the language.

Case in point, JY gave instructions on mixing the plaster in a big cement mixer. Now I could fit inside this thing and tumble, and it has this big mixer thing spinning inside (technical term) which makes it kind of scary.

Standing side by side, he demonstrated the formula. "First three sand" (he shovels 3 spadefuls of damp, coarse sand into a bucket, skims the top like he is measuring flour, and heaves it in the whirring mixer. "Then two cement", he dumps white cement powder into a separate bucket, "wait and add some water, let it mix and then five more sand". He hands me the shovel and grabs the powdered tint, a bright ochre ... and measures some in as I shovel the cement. I toss that in and start shovelling sand as he comes back. The bucket of sand is HEAVY and hard for me to lift, let alone empty into the mixer. But I'm determined to do it. He continues shovelling and I watch, noticing that this time he is not putting just 3 spadefuls. I realize that he meant 3 buckets-ful not spades-ful and I have to tell him I've gotten it wrong. A storm gathers on his brow but quickly passes as he corrects the amount in the mixer, shrugs and says he isn't sure if it will be okay. I of course am devastated at my failure. But now I have it right and the first mixerful is depleted and we are on to the second. This time I'm shovelling and he adds the color. By the third round, I'm on my own. I've got the three buckets sand in, the two buckets cement, the water ... feeling pretty frisky and then I realize JY wasn't there to add color. I get it in and add more sand...but it doesn't mix thoroughly and the next day will show what Kim's handiwork produced ... two lighter streaks as the wall dried.

Sigh. but its done and now as I look since they are kind of symmetrically showing on either side of the fireplace...maybe it won't be awful.

The plaster continues its way out the door to the garden and eventually the sun room will have all new walls. For now, just the wall the clients will pass is rebuilt and looking swell.

Also completed this week was a BricoDepot run for electrical and plumbing supplies. Because JY was sidelined with a sick child, the shopping was done by me, which meant sorting out the list with JY and then braving the world of bricolage (DIY) in French. I survived. Feeling accomplished, I decided to tackle the Chambre de Commerce on my own and see about getting a vendor's license for the markets/brocante. I am now enrolled (hopefully) as an auto-entrepreneur and will be able to pay tax into the system which should result in qualifying for a carte vitale (health card)! We will go through a similar process together when we complete the paperwork for the café later in the month ... but I'm now going to be official...this week or next.

Friday JY tilled a huge space on the property and we began our potager. The soil is good but it hadn't been turned in some time and the tilling was difficult at first. I followed behind, hauling big armfuls of weeds and matted overgrowth into the wheelbarrow, creating a big pile in the back corner which will house the compost pile. The second and third passes were easier. We (well mostly he ... I was rather scoffed at, I mean instructed from afar :/ ) planted rows of carrots, radishes, mache, and haricots. I rather deserved scoffing at, I inquired about watering the seeds and ran off to get my homemade watering can, an old plastic milk bottle with holes gouged in the top. JY looked askance at this American city girl and rolled his eyes. When he later stood for 15 minutes or so and soaked with the hose, I was rather embarrassed. Secretly satisfied later though, when it rained into the night (and all day today). Harumph, guess he doesn't know EVERYTHING! ha!

I'm on the look-out for tomato plants to embellish the starts underway in my kitchen. I've got all the seeds ready and the small bed prepared for the herb garden which will be right outside the sun room. And two window boxes of flowers are now sprouting, indoors still. Oh and my new climbing rose to plant. Tomorrow I may hit the trocante (thrift store) in search of a used mower. And there's a brocante/vide-grenier (flea market) I'm considering. And coffee with a new friend.

Next week, no partner here as it is spring school holidays and JY is taking his son to the beach. for some kind of 3 wheeled beach sailing? he sketched it for me and I'm sure it happens in the states too, seems like I've seen such out in the desert. but anyway. I'm going to be continuing on preparing things for the jewelry stand. and working in the garden. and trying not to be too lonely but instead busy; not too whiny but instead more reflective.

Look at this picture of a potager until I take some of my own tomorrow. There were lots of photos of pretty potagers, but this one is more like mine at the moment. I even have the makings of that little fence you see, if I decide to do so. We were in a hurry to get things in, no plan was developed. I've still a lot of open space so maybe I'll look into that (a plan) too next week.