Are we over the worst?
Jan 29, 2007
Before the winter had even started there was talk of it being extra mild and so it proved up to Christmas.
It was certainly cold afterwards and we have had some pretty chilly days of late but I did expect the days to be getting warmer. February in Aquitaine can be pleasantly warm and the first year we arrived we enjoyed a week at 70 degrees.
However, the anticipation of a warm glow has dissipated after talking to a friend over the weekend who says the farmers, who are notoriously well informed, are gearing up for another cold snap.
Yesterday afternoon was especially springlike but the nights are still bitter and this morning we awoke to find a treacherous layer of black ice on the track.
The weather had made the last week difficult to deal with some of the work so feeling a bit frustrated I turned to a few other pressing little chores.
Some were little maintenance tasks but one which I have been wanting to do was clear the ever increasing strip of grass in the centre of the track.
Over time with traffic from delivery lorries etc the sides of the track were broken away which turned to liquid mud when it rained. Because there was not an opportunity for anything to run off this accumulated.
Some of our friends who visit feared for the sump on the bottom of the car. Now we are back down to the stone again.
One thing I want to do before spring is lift and plant the Poplar trees which Henry and I took from cuttings in 2005. They have grown from 18" to a massive 12-14" in those two years and I want to plant an avenue along the drive.
I managed to lift two of them using the 12" bucket on the Pel Job when a hydraulic hose split and curtailed the operation.