Molene

"We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and man--all belong to the same family".

Chief Seattle

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mouse over thier names
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Jardina

Tabatha

Iris

Saphiri

Princeton

Leafy

Ping Wa

Boris & Co

Francesca

Hedgehogs

Goosetave & Esmerelda

Cows

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Thursday, October 30

Mata Hari

We are listening to a very good play on Radio 4 about Mata Hari.

M’greet was born Margaretha Zelle, on August 7, 1876 in Leeuwarden, Holland. Her story is very exciting and also sad. She was executed by firing squad in the end....

Haiku by K

the tree, denuded of leaves after the rain, looks smaller

Kritik [ ] 30.10.03

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Wednesday, October 29

"Warm as toast now, it is freeezing outside. Dragged back 2 fallen cherry trees from the woods. One for Francesca, one for the fire. Tabatha is asleep on my lap, the very best heating device!"

Kritik [ ] 29.10.03

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Monday, October 27

Johnnie a dear freind from Bretagne came to stay on his way to a wedding. He
lives in the most beutiful 1900's villa on the Emerald Coast, not far from the
famous cliffs of Cap Frehel. Here is a photo taken from his drawing room by
Jean Francois. He came bearing gifts, fresh oysters harvested that morning,
local honey: chestnut: wild flower: black wheat: and acacia, also white wine
from the Loire. (The wine was mislaid until the next morning, but we had it
for lunch! Merci Johnnie.We walked around Molene, the grass was frosty. K took
some photos of the reflections of golden trees on the pond's surface. At that
very moment two large Koi leapt out of the water breaking the calm.

I just saw a kingfisher skimming the pond, I am so glad our villainous cats
didn't kill all of them. The fuel man is coming this afternoon, so we shall
have heating tonight, at last.The wood stove works well but lets out a great
belch of smoke every time you put in another log. Also the other day it became
so hot that a log neaby caught fire! ouside the stove! Now we have a no log
zone, the floor is marble thank goodness.

I have been off-line for about 2 years, painting and have a lot of catching up
to do. Yesterday I was checking out Dan
Gillmor's site, I am sorry not to have been in London for the Blogger's
bash and so I went to Marc
Canter's blog. It was very interesting, I learnt a lot. Mentioned there
was Tribe , I love community sites
such as ryze, ecademy,
bookcrossing, care2,
allikeminds, and freindster
( I do not have any freinds there yet so do link me if you like). Tribe was enthralling,
and has a far better design and layout that these other community sites. I am
curious as to how it has managed to be so invisible? I havn't seen it mentioned
anywhere. Thank you Marc Canter!

Care2 is an enviromentally
freindly community and one can do much to save the planet etc. It has something
which is very usefull, they give you an email account, so what is unusual is
that it has a reminder facility. You can programme it to send you reminder emails
on set dates etc, this is extremely usefull, for remebering to visit other sites
and update things. Rather like Bloglet
in a way.

I also checked out the new BBC
site BBCi, the colour scheme
is gastly, a really yuky mauve with black writing and you can't read. I went
to a forum, only to be told that it wasn't open and to look at the opening times!
What do they think? that we all surf from 9-5! Have you ever heard of a forum
having opening times? Anyone would think it is the BBCi Pub.

I have had trouble getting my XML feed to work so any help would be appreciated.
Also if you see other faults please tell me, thanks. Soon I shall have figured
out the blogrolling links and have more order here.

Kritik [ ] 27.10.03

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Sunday, October 26

Concorde is resting, Concorde will revive!

Kritik [ ] 26.10.03

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Thursday, October 23

Yesterday I did an oil painting of the Banana tree. Above there is a photo of it from a different angle. I shall post the finished picture here or on my art site.

THE EAGLE AND THE MOLE by Elinor Wylie

Avoid the reeking herd,
Shun the polluted flock,
Live like that stoic bird,
The eagle of the rock.

The huddled warmth of crowds
Begets and fosters hate;
He keeps, above the clouds,
His cliff inviolate.

When flocks are folded warm,
And herds to shelter run,
He sails above the storm,
He stares into the sun.

If in the eagle's track
Your sinews cannot leap,
Avoid the lathered pack,
Turn from the steaming sheep.

If you would keep your soul
From spotted sight or sound,
Live like the velvet mole;
Go burrow underground.

And there hold intercourse
With roots of trees and stones,
With rivers at their source,
And disembodied bones.

Kritik [ ] 23.10.03

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Wednesday, October 22

The rotter's spam free guide HDRA - How to make compost The first question being "What can I compost?" This could become a never ending list....

Kritik [ ] 22.10.03

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These are essential garden tips, we are already doing most of this. The compost is checked more often than email in Molene!

Kritik [ ] 22.10.03

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Tuesday, October 21

There are all kinds of conflicts which arise from living in Molene.

We searched for about a year to find the perfect place for the cats to be safe and happy. No cars or busy roads (Ping wa was hit by a car last year and none of them are very street savvy). So after laborious searching of the ads, arranging trips to see places, being what our friends thought of as picky, Molene appeared! It was in the midst of farmland, the park unkempt, wild, overgrown, brambles, exotic trees, a pond full of koi with an island, full of animals and birds. A hidden paradise. The only traffic tractors and horse boxes. The cats felt immediately at home. Exploring, joyous to be in this jungle like adventure park.

But every day they go out hunting, bringing back a mouse, a mole, a bird (Francesca is one of the rescued victims of Princeton). Today K was walking with the equipe in the woods, he found on the path a baby hedgehog, it's head bitten off. Leafy was nearby washing her face. A few days ago Princeton killed his second Kingfisher! When we can, we try to rescue their prey, mostly mice which we put to recuperate for a while in the bookcase, then let go where to cats are not.

The cats are coaxed into the cat room at night, there is a big window so they can bird watch. It is not good for them to prowl through the night. They are happy, the other residents of Molene are not. We love all the creatures, Jardina had her babies, she loved them, then hated them. Now she tolerates them. Tabatha was left behind after the holidays by some city dwellers, bedraggled starving, very happy now to be part of our family. Jardina hates her, feels that her home has been invaded by this uncouth interloper. Hopefully the killing games will be less frequent, the other animals will be more on their guard. There are two neighbor's Tom cats who attack and chase ours. They nearly broke Saphiri's back. Jardina has been poorly for three days now, she can hardly walk. She was beaten up. Jardina is our baby, the reason we are here in this paradise.

Kritik [ ] 21.10.03

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Monday, October 20

Still fixing this site.

It is getting colder and the fire is a daily ritual now. It is a modern version of a "Godin" looks like an English letterbox, once it's going the whole house is quite (English meaning = somewhat.) warm. Note: the best way to clean the blackened glass is with cold herbal tea!

We bundled back sticks and fallen branches, from around the hen house and the west end of the pond. The wood pile area looks very neat. Of course, Germans would have swept the chopping area afterwards!

So the whole point is that K said I looked just like Martin Luther's mother, carrying sticks on her back. (Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, after thinking about the state of the church, said that it did not conform to the life of Christ. So he wrote 95 thesis on his proposed reforms which he nailed to the door of the church. The Pope upon hearing of this excommunicated him. He led the rest of his life as the successful founder of Lutherism. Which had a big following with the landowners because it advocated not sending taxes to Rome.)

I must say after all that I feel more like Whistler's mother after Mr Bean had had his way with her.

Iris climbed the Mirabelle tree, showing off on the end of a high branch. Then scuttled down. The rain came. The new kindling is very effective.

Kritik [ ] 20.10.03

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Saturday, October 18

Harvest in Autumn's Wood - by K

Cold steely sky,
Bright, mottled luminescence,
Gray.

Chilled under my parka,
Cold beneath my scarf,
Not used to autumn's foretaste of winter
In mid-October.

In spare, brambly woods,
Once a field, once an arboretum,
Now overgrown with black brambleberry,
Wood nettle, thistle,
And angelica,
Whose leaves I pick for my healing, rejuvenating,
Herbal tea,
My fingers unfairly protected,
By gardening gloves
Of soft kid leather.
A nettle reaches inside the glove and stings my wrist.

From thin viny stems and gnarled branches,
I pick rosehips, oak berries, apples and cranberries,
Prized as well by crows and thrushes,
Who complain,
Cawing loudly, barking and chuffing,
As I pull off ripe,
Unpecked red and green spheres.

I attempt to discuss an amicable accommodation.
But there is no sense that my words or sentiments
Have been regarded or believed.
However high their beings,
The crows live in a present moment,
In a most real physical world.
They want me to go away and never return.
Never mind that I have rented the orchard,
From the man who planted it.
It is theirs now.
Go away! Go away!
A bramble vine catches me about the ankle,
Tears through my sock and cuts me.
They laugh indecently.

Bright red, creamy pink,
Wild roses bright as beacons,
Surprise me,
Peeking now and again,
From just behind a young light green pine.

I turn and look back,
Amazed at their brilliance.
Have I overstated it?
No.
There is no way to describe such radiant red
Flecked onto the gray green palette that is today.

The chill breeze that sways the roses,
Hurries me through the hemlocks.
Stooping to pick up two large cherry branches,
I will cut them down to size for the fire.
Dry brown leaves crunch underfoot.

Dedicated to EMRR; My mother, on the occasion of her 80th birthday

France
18 Octobre 2003

Kritik [ ] 18.10.03

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Freezing here, lunch "Dinde au Vin" K special with crab apples, rosehips, bayleaves, lemon, etc. on the rue molene, like being in Gstaad, must be the altitude. 175m.

Kritik [ ] 18.10.03

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Friday, October 17

This explains a great deal about what was going on with my dogs,the cats do the same things though.

Kritik [ ] 17.10.03

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Thursday, October 16

Still here! Almost not, K was going to cook linguini al fungi, but luckily checked the mushroom book and found that they were "Toxique" Clytocibe de olivier.....pity there is a whole colony of them under the trees at the far end of the pond.

Saphiri just got home....

We hauled buckets of gravel from a pile by the barn. (12 yesterday 9 today, no wonder we are fit) Filled in the huge "petrin" or bakery mixing bowl made of brass, that just happens to be lying in front of the house. Then filled it with rainwater, (it is useful to have a garden water butt) It is now a water garden, submerged irises etc.

Found a piano, trying to go and look at it, tomorrow.

Kritik [ ] 16.10.03

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Sunday, October 12

<12.7> Dangers to wild hedgehogs If you have slugs the hedgehog will eat them, so never use pesticide! It is harmful to everything!

Kritik [ ] 12.10.03

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Hedgehogs - we have seen 2 snuffling around molene, they are small and fast. Unfortunately there was a squashed one on the road last week. They love dried cat food. But there are 2 vicious neighbours' cats who come and eat it and attack our tribe, so we have to make sure the food bowl is full. They like it soggy. If you have one this is a good site. Epping Forest Hedgehog Rescue - Feeding Hedgehogs

Kritik [ ] 12.10.03

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Icy clear full moon, horse whisperings through trees.

Kritik [ ] 12.10.03

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Saturday, October 11

Ping Wa was in all the time, deep in the cupboard, he heard pear noises in the cuisine...mmm....food?

Kritik [ ] 11.10.03

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The moon is up, though above the clouds. Horses are whinnying, cantering. The owl hoots far away, Ping Wa is still out. Is he disturbing them? The others are in, on every chair and bed. Time for a pear.

Kritik [ ] 11.10.03

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Thursday, October 9

Princeton and Tabatha Twitchett, checking the pond. Princeton already baptised a few weeks ago. Trying to grab a bird, helas he did, a small Kingfisher, so breathtakingly scintillating. Cats are wild vicious beings, amusing themselves. They mostly don't eat their poor victims. Just toy with them cruelly.

Kritik [ ] 9.10.03

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K painted some beautiful defenbachia.

Kritik [ ] 9.10.03

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Sunday, October 5

The cows are fine today, frolicking in the chilly sun.

Dear dogs: "Dear dogs,
While you know I love you dearly, there are a couple of things that have been bothering me lately. I thought it might help me to get them off my chest. While I have tried to talk to you about it, you seem to miss the point. I thought perhaps a letter might lend it more weight. "

Kritik [ ] 5.10.03

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Saturday, October 4

Les vaches!

Choking and exclamations, from outside. Sounded as though one of the cats was being sick. The whole house was engulfed with, and filling with, thick smoke, a spectacle using dry ice? No, Old farmer Bleu had lit the "Pile". This had been added to for the last month, dead trees, limbs from OUR trees he had hacked off OUR garden defense system, bordering His field, then piled on hay etc.

The cows loved this snack center and dug in all day. Now they were "confused"
or "certain" that their prized discovery was HOT! The stupid...farmer had lit
the whole thing, now there were huge flames shooting up singeing OUR trees. The poor sweet cows, still milling round trying to grab their petite dejeuner were almost burning themselves and inhaling the wet grass smoke; he didn't shoo them off..........it has died down now, raining

The cows are still there, bewildered. As I was a few years ago when the building of our flat in Toulouse was burnt out by arson. Shaking on the sidewalk, holding Jardina, with our pile of stuff, thrown out of the window by K before the smoke overcame him. Watching the stupidity of the firemen as they tried to find a fire to extinguish at the back of the building, not listening, when we said "But the smoke you see is coming from another fire burning through the floor of our flat!" He replied "It's the job of the Pompier to decide where the fire is." K has permanently damaged lungs as a result and the fire smell never goes away. But we would not be here living in this Eden had that nightmare not occurred! The poor cows we love them.

They talk to k every evening, on his trash walk with the cats. They don't like the cats. Recently one of them came bounding across their field, it was chasing what appeared to be a very small svelte black animal. It was Saphiri, what had she been doing, to cause so much upset...?

Kritik [ ] 4.10.03

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Friday, October 3

The rain has stopped, the radio is on.

Kritik [ ] 3.10.03

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"We should have emptied the dustbin into the pond! It will be overflowing now!" K called from the landing.

Kritik [ ] 3.10.03

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Thursday, October 2

The light is fading, wabenzies sachez (?) by with thier hyper horse boxes. The cats are in. Les Quatre Seigneurs, tarama and cheeps.

Kritik [ ] 2.10.03

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Everything is still glistening from more torrential rain, the green dustbin I put under the broken pipe by the barn is 3/4 full. Great idea, but alas if it rains it is useless. You don't need to Water! So K poured yesterdays crop into the pond.

MOLEne Whitewash ! Whitewash! hang Witewash! Poor little gentleman lying on his back little hands palms up. Another victim. He'll be food for Francesca and the hedgehogs. I put him on the cobbles, near the oak shoot on the "rue molene".

Leafy has hurt her wrist, so she isn't allowed out, she was away for 4 days last time.

Kritik [ ] 2.10.03

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They are all asleep, except saphiri, the black pantherette, she is marauding the frogs.

Kritik [ ] 2.10.03

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It rained last night at last! Everyone was pleased. The pond became a puddle at the shallow end, behind the island, no sign of the fish. Amazing how everything seems to have grown since yesterday. The hedgehog food (cat food) got soggy, put out new stuff...one of the chatonettes - Saphiri - ate it! Put out more!

Kritik [ ] 2.10.03

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"Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough.

We have a higher mission - to be of service to them whenever they require it.

If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men."

Saint Francis of Assisi

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