End of the Age de Glace

Oeuf de goose/Egg d'oie

Chateau Coldspot is defrosting. Spring is definitely springing though has not yet entirely sprung. Green shoots and other signs of subterranean stirrings abound. Even our elderly goose is going with the flow and has produced a solitary egg. Time was when the old girl would lay obligingly from Christmas until Easter. In those days le Comte’s pan-fried goose eggs were legendary. So fond of them was he that we almost bought a defibrillator. But things have moved on and we are all a little longer in the beak. One solitary egg may be the goose’s only offering this year. And here it is, pictured right; the oeuf de goose or egg d’oie depending whether you speak Frenglish or Franglais.

As usual, the changing season heralds the imminent arrival of our first gite guests. Not Happy Holidaymakers this time, but Horseback Warriors from the East. So to speed things up in the bunker I’ve been moved from gardening to painting. Le Comte has given me to understand this is a promotion (although he hasn’t been entirely clear on the point) and I’m hoping a pay rise might ensue. Or any pay at all, come to think of it.

My first job was the newly installed railings. This involved dangling precipitously over the stairwell. We’re not big on Health and Safety at Château Coldspot, but since this is la belle France I did consider having a word with my union rep. The only person I could find, however, was le Comte, and he wasn’t interested so I just got on and dangled. Fortunately, probably due to the yoga, dangling is one of my strong points so I’m dangling in there and generally doing better than expected. So far le Comte seems pretty pleased and even said he thought I was getting faster. I’m not, however getting any less messy.

For reasons which remain mysterious, le Comte decided the best place to work during my dangling was at the bottom of the stairs – which is where several of the larger paint splodges ended up when they fell accidentally off my brush. They didn’t make too much mess, luckily, as they came gently to rest on the top of le Comte’s head just where he can’t see them. I expect they’ll eventually wear off.

Le Comte tunnelling through

And the good news is that there is now light at the end of the bunker – le Comte has broken through. Which is just as well as we only have a fortnight to get finished.

Since the last post (as it were) la redoubtable (= awesome/impressive) Chatelaine has also managed to fit in a brief séjour to dear old Angleterre to catch up with Madre la Matriarch and other illustrious family members. I was treated to several pre-birthday treats. A luxury indulgence involving bubbles and hot stones from Prince A and his Welsh Maid, and a more chocolate and Rioja-based one from Princess 1 and her beau. I am also in possession of a brand new yoga mat. Merci à toutes et à tous.

Nepalrvt Fundraising Dinner

Last but not least the huge dinner for 26 people cooked by le Comte and his new best friend Millie the Moo from Kathmandu deserves a mention. This enormous repas was grilled, fried and mashed to raise funds to help farmers and their families on a mountainside in Nepal. And it did exactly that. Thanks to everyone who came and supported it. www.nepalrvt.org