With no one on the lakes for the last two weeks there are no catch reports but we thought we would update you with what we have been doing. We had planned to close mid May because generally the weather has warmed up by this point in France and the fish spawn. Indeed there have been reports from other lakes locally that some spawning has taken place but there have been no signs of any ‘jiggy jiggy’ taking place here.
The wettest May on record at Limoges airport was in 1981 when 194.7mm of rain was recorded. This year the rainfall in May is currently at 192.8mm and there is talk about the record being broken today! With a lot of water flowing through the lakes still the water temperature is still not at it’s optimum for spawning but on a positive note the new overflows are coping well even if it is still a bit muddy everywhere. We were also hoping that the contractor would be able to come and sort the new drainage channel out on the swim bank on Kingfisher but even though the gravel has been delivered it is still too wet for the dumper truck.
We intended to use these two weeks to have a break away across the border into Spain with Maisie but with the forecast as it was we decided that this was a waste of time and money. We have taken a few hours off though and enjoyed some nice meals out at Johnnys in Montbron https://www.johnnysmontbron.fr/, a new vegetarian restaurant and at Le Lys et Le Thistle in Pressignac https://www.facebook.com/p/Le-Lys-Le-Thistle-100078849647745/,as well as a few evenings at Mamie’s bar in Montamboeuf (one of our favourites). We would definitely recommend them all to our guests for a good meal at a reasonable price.
We decided that we would try to get some routine stuff done such as getting the cars serviced and getting the lawnmower looked at as Nigel was fed up of fixing the cutting deck belt every time it was used. That hasn’t quite gone to plan though with Jo’s car being booked in but then turning up and being told it was not on the records, Nigel’s Range Rover taking a few extra days as new tyres are needed and the lawnmower being in the shop for 3 weeks but this is France and que sera sera.
We have made good use of the breaks in the weather and got some more jobs done around the house and the lakes! There is always something to keep us busy here. The new aerator is now in Kingfisher, replacing the noisy splash one by the overflow which cut out several times last summer. This will enable us to ensure that the water is well oxygenated if the temperatures start rising. We have also taken a tree down on the side of the first swim as it was falling more and more and tidied up the social area by the second swim as well as buying a new bigger picnic bench for there. The old one has been repaired and will be stained and moved to Lac Lucie.
The swimming pools are nearly ready and a new filter has been put on the pool on Lac Lucie which will be more efficient. Lac Lucie chalet and deck has been re-stained and Nigel has replaced the panels in the doors which were rotten in places. Hopefully we will get Kingfisher re-stained this week as well as there is no one on there.
And we have just enjoyed being here in our little piece of French paradise, feeding the fish, listening to the birds and the crickets and learning about new wild flowers.
With new guests on Lac Lucie this week or are here for a fortnight we are all hoping that the rain will soon stop and the sun will come out. They have already had two carp out on the first evening so fingers crossed there will be a good catch report from them. So à bientôt and here is Maisie waiting for the sun
