Blog 15 June
It is DDay time
and our region has been a WW2 military vehicle car park for the past week. It
is the strangest experience trying to get around and being confronted by 1940s
vehicles and people, it is a real time warp and possibly a little distressing
for those who were actually there, but the energy and passion that goes into
keeping this world famous event alive is extraordinary
Mike and I
have a deep founded fear of traffic jams and getting cornered in a place you
have no control of getting out of, so we have as normal avoided all the big gatherings
because we live here and we can catch up on new memorials in peace, after the
go home period. We did however step out
at the moment the sun went down to share the coordinated firework display along
the DDay beaches. We went to our local spot at Brevands
point and were astounded by the crowds already there at 10.30 but managed to
park along the road and walked in but as we waited for the spectacle to start Mike
and I were clocking the continuous flow of cars down the one car wide road to
the now full up car park and as the fireworks started and the flow of traffic
was still flowing, we waited for the last stragglers to treble park in the car park
and made our way out. The fireworks were too far away to make us want to stay
so we did our great escape and will wait for a report from a local about how
they were stuck there until one in the morning.
There was
one event I did want to do and that was to see a vehicle parade but from past years’
experience they never happen when they say they are and you can end up on a
town street corner waiting for hours as these events are not organised but spontaneously
created by a gang of owners in the mood for a cruise. I did however get my wish
come true as we made our way out of Brevands to go shopping. Mike pulled over to let a Jeep through and we
were cornered for about 5 minutes as 100 military vehicles ranging from
motorbikes to petrol tankers and lorries swung past us on a round trip through
catz and up through the Brevands Avenue
back into town. I did all my waving and clapping hands and Mike was happy that I
was happy without the discomfort of standing around on a street corner.
We went
into Carentan early on Saturday to get parked up and have a look at the
Military car boot called a bourse
Militaire and realised this is no way the last time this will happen, it is big business and the quality of 2nd
hand anything to do the with the world wars was amazing and for sale…..we took
a walk around Arizona camp which is a live museum where all the participants
dress, eat and sleep as though they were at war….with the fear and upset, blood
and guts left out. The hobby of collecting is fascinating but the dressing up
and playing soldiers is a little harder to fathom, but good on all those who did
show up in there 100 thousands keeping the DDay story alive.
The weather
was fantastic all week and our pool warmed up nicely, our re-enactor customers
had packed their uniforms and set off
home having lived their dream of being here in 2014, and we got our garden and
privacy back. We slopped about in the pool for a whole day, well not a whole
day as it was lawn cutting day as well, so we
finished off with a grass cut and weed killing session
And finally
yet another lorry of gravel to put another layer in front of the barn and to
cover my Italian garden. Mike hired a mini digger from our local goat farm and
spent all day moving 14 ton of sand and gravel into place. It took as long as
it would have done by hand but the energy saving was immeasurable on our bodies
and for that I was delighted. Now we wait until next year to put a final
dressing and the job is done. Getting the area in front of the barn gravelled has
been on our wish list for 4 years and now it is done 
Ok then,
the pumpkins are in and we are on our way to being the pumpkin growers’
champions for Normandy. Our friend
Shirley got the notion to start a competition to grow the largest pumpkin and
Mike and I were in there before she had time to get her own seed sewn. So we
have given over a whole raised bed and we are determined to get a gong on this
one
The Italian
garden is my little madness as it will need lots of attention but I am in the
process of potting up my garden so one day when we do need to leave we will be
able to take some of it with us. So now vide grenier Sunday is an opportunity
to buy cheap pots and architecture to make this work. Mike has installed our
water cart so that I have a constant
source of water……I am so excited and as I have discovered that I love plants in
pots and this is a real project to
challenge my artistic flair.
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