Bonjour a tous, I hope you are all safe and well. The blue sky has chased away the grey (for the time being) although I am hoping that it will be a dry day as I need to do jobs in the garden. Temperature is 17c and we have rain!
After the rollercoaster week of last week, this week has been taken at a sedate pace and I feel as if I am miles ahead with things that I am planning for the remainder of the year.
I have actually taken an interest in my knitting again, or rather finishing off what I had started. I have baby blankets and cardigans which I have to send to family so I have been working on completing those. Although I will still take the knitting workshop with the refugees, I think that I would like to do some sewing, well dressmaking, Anie sews a lot so if I got stuck I am sure that she would help me.
For the first time in months, I managed to report a weight loss, probably all the stress of last week but it has given me a boost. Lets hope that I can continue with this. Maybe it was just a result of foregoing wine (well there are calories in that too), not that I drink a lot but a couple of small glasses a couple of nights a week can add up.
Marie-Therese came over on Wednesday and instead of cake and coffee chez moi, we were invited to friends for lunch. We arrived a little too early and left a little too late but we had a lovely time, the food was good, conversation was great and there was even a little bit of humour as three English people were trying to pronounce “crumble” so that the French person understood, it was a little bit like “the policeman” in ‘Allo ‘Allo! After arriving home I was debating what to do with the rest of the day, when I saw another car pull up outside my house…………….recognised it as belonging to Jeannette a lady I haven’t seen in months! She called to invite me to an evening recital at the Chateau de Vaudremont on Saturday. We had a good two hours catching up on things and of course she was disappointed when I said I would be unable to attend, but being a “morning” person, I find it difficult to do much in the evening unless I have the option of leaving when I want too. However, it was a very kind offer and I was pleased to see her.
I have been busy organising birthday cards for the next couple of months (I like to be organised), my birthday book is one I have had since I was a teenager so it is interesting to read the names of people who at one time meant so much to me. Actually, I was just glancing through it now and realised that I had forgotten someone, so I will rectify that straight away!
It is the week of the Tesco order for my cousin in London, I have taken down quite a large order and will ring her again this afternoon to see if she has remembered anything else. Fortunately, “The Daddy” has booked the slot for her. She really appreciates this as she hasn’t left her flat for months (other than to take the rubbish to the dustbins). This pandemic has been hard on all of us, but this lady hasn’t seen anyone regularly, she is relying on her telephone, keeping in touch with cousins in the UK and abroad, it must be really hard for her (and others like her).
My little grandson was taken to A&E the other night as his parents were worried about him. Everything was okay but babies and children can be a worry and it is better to get them checked out. I received a photo this morning of my gorgeous granddaughter, she had chosen her own clothes all colour co-ordinated and she is only three years old!! “The Daddy” is on paternity leave which is good but as “The Mummy” is breastfeeding it is her who is called upon through the night. Hopefully, my grandson will settle and start sleeping longer through the night. My own children slept right through from just over 8 weeks.
“The ex-Paralegal” has been on his own “rollercoaster” this week. Hearing him talk, I remember having a similar conversation with my Mum, you are in your twenties, the years ahead seem bleak, what am I going to do? If I take this road in my life how will I know that it is the right road? I remember the song “ The other man’s grass is always greener, the sun shines brighter on the other side” but to be honest it took me a while to realise that the path you choose may not be the right path but there will be a turning up ahead and you can always try that route. I always say that as an adult, I have never regretted the choices I made (maybe at the time I didn’t feel that way) you make your own destiny. It’s nice to make plans but don’t beat yourself up if those plans go awry, (here is another song) “Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again”. After all that, which I am sure he doesn’t want to read, life is for living and as long as you can recognise the pitfalls and hopefully avoid them, you can then begin to enjoy yourself.
My friends in Bristol, sent me photographs of their tomatoes, they have rather a lot on their plants and some are ripening very well. My own cherry tomatoes have quite a few ripe ones on now and the bigger vine tomatoes are turning orange. I have had so much pleasure from my garden since I moved into this house and I am learning such a lot. Who would have thought that I would have turned into a gardener (of sorts) but it is enjoyable, gets me outside and also keeps my brain ticking over as I “google” things to find out why plants are doing this, that or the other. I am learning all the time, not only French but about plants too.
I am now going out to turn the compost, add some more compostable materials and check on the potager. Then I need to have lunch and do a zillion and one other jobs. Wish me luck!
The photographs were taken in town a couple of months ago, it is part of the display in front of the Town Hall and I think it is splendid.
Bon week-end.










