After living in the village for about five years, we were told that we should have a vegetable garden, and were encouraged to take over a garden that had become overgrown after abandonment 25 years earlier. We took several weeks cleaning away weeds and then discovered that the garden was on two levels, that had been impossible to see before, because of the height of the weeds. We also found that there was a well with an old watering system, that consisted of a channel built into the top of the stone walls surrounding the garden, and at regular intervals, a round basin. By pumping water out of the well, the water ran along the wall in the channel and then into the basins. As each basin filled it over flowed into the next channel to fill the next basin and so on. When the basins were full, and with the aid of a spade, the gardener was able to water all parts of the garden, by scooping the water from the basin over the plants. Our neighbour in the village, who also had the adjoining garden to ours, was our chief advisor. This man was a wonderful source of advice, as he had been either a gardener, or a wine farmer all his life. In fact he often told us a story of how he had been called up into the army at the start of WW11. Within a short time of his joining the army, he had been captured at Dunquerke. From there German soldiers had forced a group of prisoners to walk to Essen in Germany, and on arrival had assembled them in a train marshalling yard. At some stage a call was made by the Germans for any gardeners to raise their hands, he raised his. and also encouraged the man next him, whom he had befriended during their march, to put his hand up, but his friend said, Im a butcher not a gardener. Just do it said our neighbour and so the butcher also put his hand up. They were then both sent to a castle in the east of Germany and spent the rest of the war working in the castle grounds, and according to our neighbour lived a very civilized life. The count, who owned the castle, treated them very well and even arranged for letters to be sent to our neighbours wife to inform her that he was well. During the time we lived in the village the Counts son arrived, looking for our neighbour to renew his acquaintance.