Yes that was a speed camera

Yes that was a speed camera you see there on the photo. and its been pushed off its base, almost into the trees. I am always highly amused at the things they do to speed cameras here.  Sometimes the glass has been sprayed over with yellow paint , and sometimes the whole camera has been duck taped shut.  Its not that the average person here wants to break the speed records, but that they are not allowing the government to take their money and is a continuation of the gilets jaunes movement. 

I have spent a good part of the day trying to contain the chickens, as they now have an enclosure while Jono is drilling in seeds. Otherwise they go off and eat all the seed ! They are not amused at all, and some have quite devious ways of getting out. A lot of our lives is spent putting up temporary or permanant chicken containment measures. Dora has always been able to evade, but this time she looks stumped. They have received a large bag of chaff, which has been spread out across the ground, a distraction measure to give them something interesting to pick through. I have so many young cockerels from our summer chicks, and its hanging over our heads that we have to do the deed. But they are wreaking havoc, and the hens are suffering.  

The sun has come out. Infact, there seems to be sun forecast for all of next week. I am sure I heard a bird song that you normally only hear in spring. I was rushing out with my phone in hand, trying to download the birdsong app, when a the wood man arrived at the same time as a delivery. The bird has gone now. 

I find it so strange, not having people in the house. I have longed for some free time to be able to get on with things, but now that there is no-one, I am at a loss ! So finally this morning I went up to the sewing atelier, and started going through recent brocante purchases. I have built up a collection of delicate hand made and embroidered babies bibs. They are so finely made, and the designs so beautiful, and its quite a task to wash and iron them without damaging them. I had turned the upstairs bathroom into a laundry room for all the whites. First I soak them in cold water with bicarbonate of soda for at least 12 hours.  Then I take them out, rinse them and dry, to see if they are good. If not, I might repeat this, or then put them into a bowl of warmish water with sodium percarbonate. ( sodium carbonate peroxide ). That sorts out most problems. Any little rust marks are treated with citric acid and put in the sun. Slowly slowly all those beautiful old linens are being cleaned up and sorted into piles :  those to be used in sewing projects,  those to be kept as a collection or reference, those to be made into curtains, those that I just don’t know what to do with yet. 

And so we slip into winter, and I have an enormous list of projects to be getting on with. Least of all, deciding when to have the next sewing weekends, and if we will get the bread oven going….

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