Slugs and Snails and Tomato Plants?

 

[caption id="attachment_471" align="alignleft" width="258"] My surviving tomato plant[/caption]

Tomato Plants on the agenda again

Tomato plants? Well, spring in France this year was the worst I can remember, and so far summer has not been much better. By this time I should be on first-name terms with the community of lizards that live in my courtyard, but this year, hardly a hello. They’re all still hiding.

 

Mind you, it’s not been so bad for all the critters in the yard. My pet hate, les limaces, our delightful Burgundian slugs, are positively thriving. I mean, these ones are not shy, they don’t even try to hide, and they’re bright orange anyway. Maybe it’s a warning that they taste disgusting. I’ll let someone else find out. What I do know is they like my tomato plants.

The Realpolitik of Islamism

 

[caption id="attachment_447" align="aligncenter" width="655"] Realpolitik: the Battle of Vienna[/caption]

It is now over twenty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall; for many young people, the Cold War, of which it was the most compelling symbol, is no more than a history lesson. In my desk here I have a small piece of concrete, with paint on, which was recovered from that wall and sold as a tourist trinket. It is perhaps the most telling one I have.

Our children do not, as those of my generation did, live in daily fear of being blown to pieces by atomic bombs or dying an agonising death from radiation sickness. They do not walk into their schools to find posters saying “Better Dead Than Red” on the walls, nor do they crowd around flickering television sets alongside their anguished parents, watching as Kennedy drew his line in the ocean, and curled his finger around the trigger of nuclear Armageddon. And for this we should all be very, very thankful indeed. No child should have to live with nightmares like those.

Why French Men Watch the News

Ever wonder why French men watch the news? I did a piece a while ago about 'Why Americans Go To Church' which was stimulated by some or another piece of typical septic-tank arrogance but was really meant to be tongue-in-cheek. Kinda.

 

Anyway this is also meant to be a bit of fun.  Did you ever wonder why it is that so many French men seem so very well versed in current affairs, news, and general what's the buzz? It has nothing to do with the Bac de Philo or anything like that.

 

This is the REAL reason:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg89TfgbERk

I give you

Mélissa Theuriau

And she's just one in a long long line of stunning French newscasters. Makes the eight o'clock news worth waiting for.

Peg Replacement on a Fiddle or Violin

[caption id="attachment_407" align="aligncenter" width="640"] 19th century German violin[/caption]

To replace a peg, you'll need the right tools.

Some of these are very specialised, and can be expensive, but even after just one set of pegs, you’ll be ahead, and believe me, then you’ll want to do more.

One of the most common problems with old violins is that the pegs are poorly fitted, are not a match to the violin or are just plain old worn out. A fiddle that won’t tune because the pegs jam or slip is a curse. Fitting new pegs is not difficult to do. 

The stove story

[caption id="attachment_368" align="aligncenter" width="614"] The Godin Stove at the bottom of my stair[/caption]

Life certainly has an interesting tapestry here in P’tit Moulin. This morning I was awakened at some ungodly hour—well, just before ten actually, but I am semi-nocturnal—by an excessively enthusiastic clangour (good word that) of my front door bell, of which more later.

 Well, I threw on a pair of jeans and a T and went to see who had disturbed the peace in this manner, and there on my doorstep was a rather scruffy individual, definitely of the traditional French horny-handed persuasion. Behind him was a truck that looked, to my bleary and unaided vision, even older and more dilapidated than my Isuzu, and that’s saying something.

 

 He must have recognised my absence of recognition. ‘Sir,’ he said (in French of course, I’m just trying to make it easy for you. Do keep up.) ‘Sir, the last time I passed you said you had some scrap.’

Low-Key Photographs: What they are and how to make them.

[caption id="attachment_352" align="alignleft" width="636"] Low-Key photograph of Exeter Cathedral, Rod Fleming 1980[/caption]

Tones, Highlight and Shadows

Key is an essential consideration in all photographs. It helps to influence the mood of your picture and to define its message.

Key is just as important in colour as in monochrome work, but to simplify matters we’ll look at these separately.

 

Poaching the River in English!

[caption id="attachment_324" align="alignleft" width="200"] Poaching the River[/caption]

 Poaching the River is back on the shelves, both physical and virtual, so I have been addressing the next issue.

 

 Poaching the River was written only partly in English, or at least the Scottish version of it, and all the dialogue is in authentic Mearns Doric. That is my native tongue of course, although I didn’t really know it until I was at school.

 

 The book was written as a homage to that culture, but it is a sad fact that there are few of us left who understand Doric, or can speak it. Ever since Poaching was first published I have had requests to translate it into English, something I have always resisted, for a number of reasons.

Poaching the River Back in Print and Ebook

[caption id="attachment_324" align="alignleft" width="640"] Poaching the River[/caption]

Poaching the River was my first published book. It's back in print! (and ebook!)

Buy it HERE from Amazon.co.uk

or

HERE from Amazon.com

ISBN:978-0-9554535-0-2

 

Poaching the River tells the story of a sleepy Scottish coastal village where the tranquility of life is literally blown up in the air.

Acclaimed as a ‘true classic’ of humorous fiction, Poaching the River opens, after introducing the heroes, Big Sye and his pal Peem, with the return of the beautiful Rae Swankie to the village of Auchpinkie in Scotland.

Boracay, A Hidden Tropical Paradise

[caption id="attachment_282" align="alignright" width="640"] The beach at Boracay[/caption]

Boracay: White Sand and Plenty of Fun

 

 Boracay is a bouquet of impressions. Triangular sails silhouetted against the sunset, tropical forest all around, an avenue of palms along the beach. Pure white sand, clear, unpolluted tropical water, adventure excursions, fun night-life and a laid-back atmosphere—not to mention exotic dancing girls. All this at prices that remain very reasonable. Does this appeal? Well, instead of Phuket or Bali, consider a trip to Boracay instead.

 

Boracay (pronounced bor-AH-cay) is an island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It's a popular resort amongst Filipinos and other Asians. It has an amazing beach, lots of eco-tourism and adventure sport, and great night-life. However it is relatively unknown by Western tourists, and remains fairly unspoiled and friendly. Plus, for Brits and other anglophones, English is almost universally understood and very widely spoken in the Philippines.

Penetrating Damp in your Traditional House (Damp 3)

[caption id="attachment_277" align="alignright" width="183"] Typical French town house with damp walls[/caption]

Penetrating damp is the result of  water coming through the walls.

Once you’re sure no water is coming through the roof by following the previous articles in this category—and the saving grace of that kind of leak is that it is very obvious and marks its presence clearly—the next issue is this one. Here's an excellent overview of the problem.

 

 I'll take time for another of my provocative asides here. I’m pretty convinced—actually I am totally convinced—that there is no significant problem of rising damp in most traditionally built houses, at least as long as they have been left that way. Note that last bit. I’ll come back to this later.

 

 Meantime, if we have discount the possibility of rising damp in most cases, we must look elsewhere for the source of water and there are two issues to address here.

Why your house is damp and how to fix it 2

[caption id="attachment_266" align="alignleft" width="214"] An old building in Burgundy roofed with traditional tiles[/caption]

Damp in your old house and how to deal with it.

Part Two in a series explaining where dampness in old buildings comes from and what you can do to combat it. Most of the advice is applicable anywhere.

Before worrying about how to get rid of dampness that is already in the house, it makes sense to make sure no more can get it first. There are a number of important areas where unwanted moisture can make it into your house. The roof is the easiest to deal with so we’ll tackle it first.

Fiddle Repair Can Be Fun Part 2

[caption id="attachment_175" align="alignleft" width="217"] The pegbox[/caption]

It's a lot of fun to repair your own fiddle.

I have one fiddle that is over two hundred years old, which I found in bits, with all her varnish stripped. She would surely be worth more financially if I had had a restorer fix her, but I did it myself, she sounds and plays wonderfully, and I get a real kick out of the fact that I saved her myself. Because, believe me, she was kindling-wood before.

 That brings me to an important point. There is one rule which you should bear in mind whenever you touch an instrument with a mind to fixin’ her.

DIY In France--Where to Get Stuff

[caption id="attachment_249" align="alignleft" width="200"] DIY works in progress[/caption]

DIY materials for your house in France

 

A good many incomers to France have no idea where to go to get the materials for their DIY restoration of an old French house. I have even heard of British second-homers filling the car boot with bags of cement and bringing it with them, which is laughable. This article is intended to help.

Why Your Dream House in France has Damp Walls

[caption id="attachment_239" align="alignleft" width="208"] Rainy Day in Burgundy[/caption]

The Damp

Just about the first thing that everyone notices when they get their dream house in France, and I base this on an admittedly unscientific but extensive post-prandially-conducted survey, is the damp. Unless they have bought in the Midi, of course. For those further north or west, it is a big issue.

 Ask anyone yourself. You’ll soon see that this is the case. You might be forgiven for thinking that parts of France were perpetually under water, from the stories you hear. They’re not; it just can seem that way.

 In order to get some sense of perspective on this, let’s examine a few facts. Large areas of France are indeed very wet. A quick glance at the map will show that weather systems coming in from the Atlantic under the prevailing westerly wind have a choice; they can either swing up north and east and drench Wales, Ireland, the north west of England and of course Scotland, or they can slip in over the Bay of Biscay and take up residence in France, where they will be nicely bottled up due to the fact that from the Med to the Rhine Basin there is a rampart of mountains which prevents any further progress.

 I understand that this is to do with the exact position of the jetstream, a system of ferocious winds at very high altitude.

 Normally, summers in Central France are reasonably dry and very warm. Just what the holidaymaker likes, apparently, and perfect for ripening all that lovely plonk.