My French Fancy

                                                     Not so much fun: It’s been a busy here with the new heating system going in and a fresh roof being fitted on the out-building. I’ve spent my days brewing endless cups of coffee while watching our bank balance shrink with every invoice—or “devis,” as the French say—that lands on the kitchen table.   Adding to the chaos is a flock of hefty sheep that wander through our property. We haven’t chased them off, since they’re doing a fantastic job of munching down the stubborn weeds. They arrive and depart with uncanny purpose, as if following an ancient trail known only to them, softly baaing as they thread their way between the trees and back to wherever they came from.   So much fun: I managed another trip to Paris (yes, another one!) and, honestly, I fall in love with it all over again ...

                                               Waxing lyrical  The beaches in Normandy unfold like pale gold ribbons against the silver-blue Atlantic. They stretch for miles and the sand feels so flat and firm beneath your feet, that you want to walk forever. If only we could count on the Normandy weather, we would abandon the sardine-packed beaches of the south forever- especially as the shelves of the supermarkets are heaving with Rose wine from there. This Summer the weather has swung from brilliant sunshine and clear blues skies to violent downpours that darkened the sky within minutes and removed all the petals off of the roses. In July, we watched in horror as hailstones the size of golf balls crashed onto rooftops and Velux windows, dented cars and caused huge amounts of damage. Wandering free Later that month, I wandered through Buckingham Palace's crimson...

Did someone steal May and most of June? Where did they go? Why is my life flashing by so quickly, is that a sign of old age I wonder? I read this recently: " That can be a sign of getting older—but not in a gloomy way. It’s more a sign that you're actively living, constantly filling your days with people, places, plans, and purpose. When every week brings a new highlight, the months don’t hang around." -so it's not because I waste many an hour sitting in the garden with a glass of Rose then? We are enjoying some very hot weather here, so hot we have been able to put the hot tub up. I mentioned to Tim that it would be nice to go in the hot tub when it's dark but the trouble is it does not get dark here until about 11 and that is way past my bed time.  On the itinerary for us this summer is the Tour De France which is coming through Laval in a a few weeks, a visit to Chateau de Lalande (which is featured in Chateau DIY), a trip to Paris (always a good idea), a trip ...

                 I can now open my study door to let the su nlight and the sound of the birds in. Spring has definitely sprung here and the sun feels like it is warming up. We had some glorious weather last month which meant we got lots done in the garden- mainly weeding to be honest. Our to-do list is looking quite busy, it includes:- weeding, taking down an old shed, more weeding, painting the garage and removing some wooden cladding on the wall next to it oh, and more weeding. We are now getting some help from our friend Joel who comes in once every two weeks and his nickname is the exterminator as he leaves nothing in his wake. Had a wonderful time in Madrid, so lovely to sit out in the sun in February. Everyone was friendly (and not just my friends), food was amazing and our tour guide Niamh was fabulous. As, we knew we had Niamh to show us around we did not do any research, not a guidebook amongst us. As we stood in the centre ...

      Just don't overtake me! I have realised that there is a universal language that everyone understands- it’s called the Beatles. We attended an event recently which had guys singing and very good they were too. However. I did think it was a bit strange as they were French but were singing English songs to a French audience (except us). The French did look a bit bored as they did not know many of the songs but when they played ‘Hey Jude’ they all came alive and started singing along. The same thing happened in Indonesia last year, everywhere we went we saw groups performing Beatles songs and everyone was singing along. So, if you are ever in an awkward situation and you are struggling to be understood just start singing “She loves you yeah, yeah yeah.” 20 top tips for living or visiting Normandy 1.        A French driver is obliged to overtake you, no matter where you are, how fast you are driving and what the weather condi...

Don’t mind if I do!     What’s bugging me this month   J'en ai mar! Great french expression which means that you've had enough/fed up! And the reason I feel like this is because we are still without internet- 2 months now!   In desperation (and the fact that I am trying to work and I can’t keep going to McDonalds) we have invested in Starlink which was very simple to install and is very quick. It is ideal if you are like us and live in a rural area, plus I cannot get Orange to put in fibre optic even though I have begged them -I literally got down on my knees in the local store.   Talking of Mc Donalds, I have be visiting our local one to access their free Wi-Fi and of course I buy a coffee (can’t really sit there all day if I don’t). They open at 10.00 and silly me thinking I could get a coffee then, they told me that they would not be ready to serve till 10.30! but at least they bring it to your table on a nice tray - in the UK it’s just chucked ...