So much to do...

We've been here at the Dordogne house for 11 days now, recovering from head colds and jet lag, ironing sheets, cleaning rooms, and pulling weeds weeds weeds. The wintertime tenants, Kathy and Julien, did a marvelous job of keeping the house clean and mouse-free, and the courtyard was immaculate when we arrived...they'd picked up all the obnoxious cones from the Norway spruce trees, and plucked the little weeds out of the gravel as they'd come up. The tulips are blooming, the lilacs and bluebells are ready to burst into bloom, and all in all, things are in pretty good shape.

Yet everywhere we look there are things begging for our attention. Flowerboxes and hanging planters need new geraniums or pansies, the wine cellar must be cleaned out and reorganized, new curtains must be hung, shutters need paint, sheets need to be ironed, tile floors need another coat of sealer, the website needs an update, the swimming pool is still covered, the roses are sprawling and hungry.

It's the spaces in between the plants that have been invaded by the obnoxious "mauvaises herbes." How can one tell the difference between a weed and a wildflower, I wonder? Some are obvious...plantain, bermuda grass, oxalis are dug out with no questions asked. But the brilliant red poppies (coquelicots) we pamper. We've learned to recognize their leaves at this early stage, so we try to weed around them and within them, knowing they'll reward us in June with their blaze of scarlet.

Easter Sunday is tomorrow, and while the local families will be celebrating with lavish lamb luncheons and the children will be searching through the damp, tall grass for their chocolate eggs delivered by the Easter bell, we'll be off for an 18-kilometer hike, starting out in the village of Sireuil, near Les Eyzies.

Our first official guests of the season will be arriving on Tuesday, an English couple from Hampshire. They'll stay for two nights, and the weather looks promising for them, with temps in the mid- to high-60s. Seems chilly to us, but it will be lovely for them, coming from the islands up north.

Today, drizzly rain and cloudy skies. Tomorrow, the big Easter hike!