Making hay while the sun shines

... well, not making hay exactly, but we have got gorgeous autumnal weather at the moment with clear blue skies and warm sun (although snow is forecast down to 800m on Tuesday!) so I have spent today in my T shirt and shorts forking through the potager to aerate the soil. I then dug in some well rotted manure and have this afternoon planted the garlic and shallots. The potager has been christened!! In the course of my internet research I have found some carrot seeds which can be sown in the autumn for a spring crop. I think I may have to give them a go too.

I have also cleared out the dead and dying courgette plants and dug over the soil, removing weeds in the process, in preparation for spring planting of summer courge and squash plants. In the meantime, Andy has mowed and the place is looking neat and tidy again.

Tomorrow, while the weather holds, I hope to get out on the roadie again. Pat has contacted me to advise that the Ariegeoise cyclosportive at the end of June next year which we are both keen to enter will be taking in many of our local cols (Agnès, Col de la Core, Col de Port etc), so the training regime starts now!