After a pretty long trip which including stopping in Toulouse for a night where we unsuccessfully looked for famous rugby players we arrived into La Cellette. It is a tiny one shop village in the Limoges region where we would be spending the next ten days helping a retired British couple tame their wild fishing lakes so they could sell up and head back to Liverpool.
We were both ready for a bit of routine, some good food and wanted to get our hands a bit dirty and possibly pick up some new skills. Mike and Audrey are a lovely welcoming couple and they have two adorable small dogs which were soon attached to Jake. Mike picked us up from the nearest train station which was a good half hour away and we drove through rolling hills and passed fields of sheep, cows and dying sunflowers.
We were both ready for a bit of routine, some good food and wanted to get our hands a bit dirty and possibly pick up some new skills. Mike and Audrey are a lovely welcoming couple and they have two adorable small dogs which were soon attached to Jake. Mike picked us up from the nearest train station which was a good half hour away and we drove through rolling hills and passed fields of sheep, cows and dying sunflowers.
We were staying in a beautiful renovated old farm house. The wood was stained and pretty flower pots lined our widow which overlooked the backyard. Mike and Audrey have a beautiful section with a small garden, an orchid, a few beehives as well as a nice big pool to cool off in when we got back from working down at their small fishing lakes. The couple were selling up as it was a bit much I guess for them as they got older and they were ready for a change after 12 years of relaxing in the French county side.
The first job I got to partake in involved learning about bee keeping. There was not much flowers around as the seasons began to change so there was little nectar for the bees to collect. To help the bees stock up for winter Mike has to feed them a sugar water concoction and in order to do this we needed to put a feeder on top of one of the hives.
The first job I got to partake in involved learning about bee keeping. There was not much flowers around as the seasons began to change so there was little nectar for the bees to collect. To help the bees stock up for winter Mike has to feed them a sugar water concoction and in order to do this we needed to put a feeder on top of one of the hives.
In order to do this we organized a smoker using lavender which apparently calms the bees. Smoke scares the bees into thinking they need to evacuate and flee the hive so they fill up on the honey to take with them and supposedly when full of honey they can no longer really sting you. We still suited up in all the gear though as it was 50,000 bees versus us.
We were lucky to spot the queen hanging about while checking the state of the honeycombs. Mike explained that the Queen mates once in her lifetime but not how we think. Apparently the mate literally explodes mid air then the queen collects all the sperm and for the next few years she constantly lays eggs. The rest of the worker bees live only around 12 weeks making the way from their honeycomb nests to being a cleaner in the hive then eventually a nectar gatherer before dying. There was no honey when we checked the hives but Mike had gathered some earlier on in the week and so I was able to help out with jarring some honey and take a small pot for my toast on our travels.
We were lucky to spot the queen hanging about while checking the state of the honeycombs. Mike explained that the Queen mates once in her lifetime but not how we think. Apparently the mate literally explodes mid air then the queen collects all the sperm and for the next few years she constantly lays eggs. The rest of the worker bees live only around 12 weeks making the way from their honeycomb nests to being a cleaner in the hive then eventually a nectar gatherer before dying. There was no honey when we checked the hives but Mike had gathered some earlier on in the week and so I was able to help out with jarring some honey and take a small pot for my toast on our travels.
Mike and Audrey were great company for the week telling stories and sharing tid-bits of history from the area. Mike took us to a small monument and told us the story of a large plane that had been shot down near Bordeaux during world war two. The pilot managed to keep the plane going and eventually crash landed the plan in the fields around the monument. Now once a year at the memorial people bring out bits and pieces collected over the years from the wreck of the plane.
Although there was not much traffic when we would wander down the lanes the typical cars that passed us were tiny little boxes which could barely go faster then 40kms an hour. Mike later told us that in France no licence is required for these types of car (something to do with the size of the engine) so all the little old ladies and men drive around them as well as those who have had their licences suspended i.e. drink drivers. A bit of a scary thought that no licence is needed even if the car can only get up to a max of 50kmph.
After a week attacking brambles I am now very confident on the weed eater but I also think I have done my share of strimming for the year. We managed to clear pathways around both lakes and get rid of a lot of brambles and trees but Jake was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to see it completely redone. I think he would have liked to have at least seen the two big piles of green waste go up in smoke but in the end it was too wet to set these alight well we were there.
Although there was not much traffic when we would wander down the lanes the typical cars that passed us were tiny little boxes which could barely go faster then 40kms an hour. Mike later told us that in France no licence is required for these types of car (something to do with the size of the engine) so all the little old ladies and men drive around them as well as those who have had their licences suspended i.e. drink drivers. A bit of a scary thought that no licence is needed even if the car can only get up to a max of 50kmph.
After a week attacking brambles I am now very confident on the weed eater but I also think I have done my share of strimming for the year. We managed to clear pathways around both lakes and get rid of a lot of brambles and trees but Jake was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to see it completely redone. I think he would have liked to have at least seen the two big piles of green waste go up in smoke but in the end it was too wet to set these alight well we were there.
It wasn't all work as we enjoyed a few walks along the small farm lanes and a few outings with Mike and Audrey. Mike is a bit of a muso and once a week meets up with fellow musician from around the area for a bit of a jam session. Jake and I and Patch (one of the dogs) joined him for an afternoon listening to sweet folk and tread music from all over the world over a beautiful blackberry tart and plenty cups of tea.
On our last day Jake and Mike enjoyed a spot of fishing from the newly cleared lakes. Jake was pretty pleased with his catch of three. While they sat around fishing Audrey and I joined a local ramble (walk) with quite a few other people who originally came from the UK, Netherlands and Norway and now call France home. Every week they start out at a different persons house and go for a small hike. It was a lovely social walk which took a couple of hours and I got to see some more of the French countryside. There was even a slight detour we took to see a crumbling tower which supposedly housed an Arab prisoner sometime last century. The men in the group and I climbed up the barely there stairs in the dark to find two large rooms with what would have been a grand fireplace at one time taking up half of the circular walls. A bit spooky and mysterious but it was fun to explore inside.
Whilst in La Cellette we were also in food heaven with some great home cooked food. I enjoyed trying homemade jams of fruits new to me. Jake loved having a roast pork with all the trimmings. We hadn't had crackling in a very long time and this baby had plenty of it. The pork came from a rare breed of pigs grown locally and was delivered straight to our door from the farmer himself so we knew it was as fresh as they could come
Whilst in La Cellette we were also in food heaven with some great home cooked food. I enjoyed trying homemade jams of fruits new to me. Jake loved having a roast pork with all the trimmings. We hadn't had crackling in a very long time and this baby had plenty of it. The pork came from a rare breed of pigs grown locally and was delivered straight to our door from the farmer himself so we knew it was as fresh as they could come
We had a lovely introduction to the wor away scheme and will look to try somewhere else sometime in October probably in Eastern Europe as we will be coming from Munich after Oktoberfest. Before that however we are excited to see some more of France and are escaping to the city of love, Paris, for a weekend.
Next stop: A weekend away in the city of love- Paris