Well …. it didn’t really start that great. My easyJet flight was cancelled so I had to take the next day’s flight with Ryanair to London Stansted, which is about 1 1/2 hours from home so not that very convenient for Barrie. He did come and pick me up nevertheless – don’t I just have the best man ever!?
The following day straight to the dentist and then again three days later. I am now pain free again, hoorrah.
It feels strange to be back because this was home for over 10 years and still officially is but it doesn’t feel like it anymore. I mean, Barrie is here and so are the cats and they all showed me that they’ve missed me which is obviously a huge relief (haha!) – but part of my heart stayed behind in Poirier Cheni and I can’t wait to get back. “Home is where the heart is” they say … I guess at least 51% heart is in France then.
It doesn’t really help my mood that, as I am writing this, I should already be back home. I was supposed to fly three days ago but my second EasyJet flight was cancelled as well – this time because of some technical issues at Limoges Airport. I’ve lost hours just sitting around and waiting at the airport, already checked in and everything and then because all trains back from Gatwick Airport to UK home were cancelled and I had to wait for Barrie, my hero, to come get me again. I really hope this ordeal was a one-off as we intend to fly this route more often, at least in the beginning.
Anyway, I have another flight booked in for this afternoon, third time lucky I guess?
I did make use of my time here, I think. I had countless hour-long hot baths, a massage and acupuncture, caught up with the latest TV shows, bought a wildlife camera and night-time vision binoculars (both of which would have cost me a great deal more in France), went to a most fantastic outdoor spa/sauna place and saw Martin Crawford’s Forest Garden in Devon as part of his online course.
The latter two need of course more explanation as they will influence heavily what I want to do in Poirier Cheni.
I wish I could post some of my own photos and videos here but I was too busy being in the moment(s). But there’s nothing you can’t find on the interweb so you’ll get some visual input as well. Just click on the links – I don’t just want to copy and paste someone else’s photos/videos on my website, that would be rude.
I love heat and I like feeling clean. So it was always a given that I will have some sort of sauna somewhere on the plot. Going to the Wild Spa was very inspiring, and of course a lot of fun. The cold tub and the cold showers after the sauna were awesome, the steam room maybe a bit disappointing as not very hot nor steamy. But then, by total chance, one of the girls working there treated another guy and me to a birch leaf whisking which was absolutely awesome! And then I thought of all the birch trees on the plot and how many birch whisks I could make with them so I will totally incorporate this into my weekly sauna ritual!
I can even see this turning into a little business at some point, like offering detox days or weekends with an outdoor sauna, a natural pool and fresh organic juices and salads from the veg plot. But let’s go small first and build a little one for myself and the few visitors I will have in the colder seasons. All in good time.
The Forest Gardening Course is very inspiring. I did know most of the principles already, having read two of Martin Crawford’s books and having done the Permaculture Design Certificate but it was something else actually being there and seeing all these plants in real life. Walking through a forest of hundreds of different plants and most of them edible is kinda mind blowing. It makes me think of an indigenous tribe in the Amazon forest, just going for a walk and picking up loads of different foods at the same time: “Honey, what’s for dinner tonight?” … “Let’s go for a walk and see!”. A forest garden will definitely be part of the plot – it’s not like there isn’t enough space, it’s just that finding the right spot will require some serious thinking.
The first trees I want to plant, hopefully this winter already, are definitely some pear trees and a Sezchuan pepper tree. And bamboo (for the shoots). I’m also quite taken with sea buckthorn at the moment. I think a lot will depend on what is available in the region, at least in the beginning.
Here’s a nice video about Forest Gardening:
