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End of summer?
On Sun, 25 Aug 2013 09:57:40 +0100, David Rance wrote:
[] This is our first good plum harvest for four years. Last year they were early, ripening in mid-July, and the birds had them. The year before that the frost got the blossom. I think, though, that we're near the end of the plums - just a day or two more - but the Reine Claude are just beginning to ripen now so they'll be in full swing in a week or so. We're planning a trip to Soligny-la-Trappe next Sunday and, if they fulfil their promise and you would like some, we could drop some off on our way through. Thanks for the thought! That's very kind. We're fine on fruit for this year though, I think Adele would murder me if I arranged more for her to process. (Sadly we tend to fall into gender specific roles when it comes to putting up fruit and power tools). I'm not sure we'll be here anyway, the "rentre" is coming, our daughter is entering 1ere. Big stuff; thank goodness for bilingual schools! We always try to fit in a visit to the Abbaye de la Trappe during the summer to attend their plainsong services and visit their wonderful bookshop. Another reason for us "adopting" them is that their founder was a certain Abbé de Rancé whom we fondly imagine was my ancestor dating from his libertine period before he took holy orders! Complete rubbish, of course, but my father liked to think that we originated from Normandy. Nice! I always like going to the Tapestry at Bayeux, you see lots of local names. Probably no relation either. I'll be grubbing up the mirabelle this winter, all the bark on one side has died. Feh. That's a shame. We have a greengage back in Reading that seemed to be going the same way but my wife cut out all the rotten bits in the main trunk and put Arbrex on it and it seems to have recovered and is growing again strongly. Glad to here it's doing well. This is a FS graft, and it was never a very healthy tree. It partially blew over 2 winters ago, then refused to stand up again. Now with the understock half dead, it's done. [] We've never had success with peaches or apricots. The trees just die on us! We had a reasonable apple harvest last year and made sixty bottles of cider, but it'll be in excess of that this year. I tried apricots but the tree died. The nursery swore it would do OK here, but I think it was just too wet. The peach tree does pretty well against a south wall, although leaf curl is a constant battle. It flowers pretty early, so that sometimes the fruit sets before a late frost and survives. Very hit and miss though. I looked at it this afternoon and what peaches are there don't look terrific. -- Gardening in Lower Normandy |
#2
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End of summer?
In message , Emery Davis
writes On Sun, 25 Aug 2013 09:57:40 +0100, David Rance wrote: We're planning a trip to Soligny-la-Trappe next Sunday and, if they fulfil their promise and you would like some, we could drop some off on our way through. Thanks for the thought! That's very kind. We're fine on fruit for this year though, I think Adele would murder me if I arranged more for her to process. (Sadly we tend to fall into gender specific roles when it comes to putting up fruit and power tools). I'm not sure we'll be here anyway, the "rentre" is coming, our daughter is entering 1ere. Big stuff; thank goodness for bilingual schools! Not to worry! And I wish your daughter all the best for her new academic year. Just had the GCSE results for my eldest granddaughter. Two A*, seven A and one B. Gets a bit expensive when granddads pay for results! But I don't begrudge it. She's a clever kid. We've promised her a meal in Oxford when we get back - we're trying to get her to set her sights on Oxford in a couple of years instead of a Dutch university (she's thinking of Maastricht at the moment). David -- David Rance writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France |
#3
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End of summer?
On Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:31:29 +0100, David Rance wrote:
In message , Emery Davis writes stuff; thank goodness for bilingual schools! Not to worry! And I wish your daughter all the best for her new academic year. Just had the GCSE results for my eldest granddaughter. Two A*, seven A and one B. Gets a bit expensive when granddads pay for results! But I don't begrudge it. She's a clever kid. We've promised her a meal in Oxford when we get back - we're trying to get her to set her sights on Oxford in a couple of years instead of a Dutch university (she's thinking of Maastricht at the moment). David Well done her! Fantastic results. I believe Maastricht is a very good school, FWIW. (You probably know lots about it). Oxford is a different kettle of fish... We have English GCSEs scores coming back too, I think they get sent to the school here. And American SATs plus the French and Latin BACs in the spring. Really all a bit much, I don't think I would have survived it. Mine really wants to go to the US for Uni, I keep telling her it will have to be a fully funded grant! -- Gardening in Lower Normandy |
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End of summer?
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#5
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End of summer?
On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 09:00:17 +0100, Janet wrote:
You both might like to know that students from the EU (outside the UK) get their university fees fully funded in Scotland. Thanks Janet. I've actually been trying to talk up Edinburgh, (not that it should need much talking up), and we have friends from the school who's daughter is entering her second year there. -- Gardening in Lower Normandy |
#6
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End of summer?
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#7
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End of summer?
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