I'm Back

Hi everyone, 

Sorry it has been a while since my last post but we have had colds and now I have a very painful leg which has made me feel quite unwell, diagnosed today as a parva phlebitis,( due to my varicose veins being shot to pieces) As usual I waited until it got worse before going to the Doc's and he has a wonderful way of telling you off..

Doc "How long have you had this pain in your leg"?

Me "since Sunday"

Doc "So why didn't you come and see me Monday"?

Me "Because I thought it would get better"

Doc "English logic, Bof"

Well that was me told off I guess, I now have to wear support hose, all the time to prevent it from recurring and they are very tight and uncomfortable. but I guess prevention is better than cure.
Also when I went to the pharmacy to get some anticoagulant tablets they did not have them in stock, normally they would be ordered and I would have to get them next day but because it is a bank holiday in France tomorrow they are being sent via special courier to be picked up at 5pm tonight, now that is service.

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I am by nature very disorganised so over the last few days I have been putting together a home management binder in an attempt to get myself organised and I must admit it seems to be working to some extent.

I am at present searching the internet to find a better design for the front cover because I don't think it looks very exciting and certainly lacks colour.

The inside cover has emergency numbers for such things as the Doctor, Pompier, Ambulance etc.
and a pocket for receipts so that I can keep a check on what we spend over each month.

This is a to do list but it is just a list and I don't know if it is just me but when you see something the same each day it eventually becomes mundane and you don't actually see it so I think I will design a different one for each day with silly pictures on or something that amuses me then it doesn't become so boring.

Anyway you get the picture, other things that I have in my binder are:

Yearly calendar 2nd yearly calendar for birthdaysFreezer inventoryPantry inventoryMonthly meal plannerShopping listWebsite passwords (in code) known only to us.Recipes we want to try 

 

I have sat down and planned meals for the whole month by looking at what is in the freezer also when I go shopping on a Saturday I look at the weeks menu's and see what we already have and anything needed goes on the shopping list - cool hey !
The inside pocket on the binder has a pouch for putting all receipts in because in the past I just throw them out without checking them. I know I can hear you all screaming at me - what - but that's me or used to be.
Over the next few weeks I will add to it anything I think will help me in my quest.
One thing I think it is very good for, if anything happens to me at least everything John needs to carry on as normal will be in this binder and it will hopefully feel as if a little bit of me is still around on a daily basis.
Any good ideas for this binder will be appreciated, 
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Definately a sign of winter..

I have to give in and admit it must be almost winter because I have the urge to knit or crochet and this morning I have fiddled with some crochet and made  a hat for myself..modelled by my salt pig as you don't want to see it on me. it only took me an hour and it will keep my ears and brains nice and warm.

I have always wanted to make an heirloom bedspread so watch this space

La femme secrète

Thanks to our friend Gemma we now know who our statue is that we photographed on Sunday, she is  La femme secrète she represents August there are 12 in total 1 for each village in the communauté des communes of Cossé-le-Vivien. St. Poix has April they were done by Lise Tatin widow of Robert Tatin 
(as in Tatin museum in Cossé-le-Vivien



Month represented: August
Name of statue: La femme secrète
Location: Quelaines Saint-Gault
Essential mystery of creation, although our knowledge of the mechanisms informs us today, there is the questioning of each of us on the inexplicable beauty of life.

I guess now we will spend a few Sundays searching for the other 11, I could copy them from the website but that would be cheating and I would probably be breaking some copyright laws plus it wouldn't be so exciting.

Usual Sunday outing

We spent our Sunday morning searching out a Vide Grenier and found a very small one, although there were only about 20 stalls there was as usual a beer stall and the Salle tables were set up for a dinner for approx 100 people, there was obviously something other than the Vide Grenier happening. but unusually there was a brass band playing at this one which was a refreshing change (thought of you Joy - you know who you are) when I saw the large instrument being played by the chap in the middle..

We had a quick look round and set off back to the car..

I spied this tree and wondered if any of you can identify it, I certainly have never seen anything like it before, it had what can only be described as very long french beans ( obviously it wasn't)

On our way back home we went through a village called Quelaines St Gault, just as we were leaving the village I spotted this strange and unexplained statue which looks like a queen holding a ball, very starnge, she had clearly been there for some years,
On route back to the car I noticed a lake so suggested we take a walk round to get some exercise,






All of these ducks (there were a lot more than in this photo) were asleep until I approached them, so I clicked quickly so as not to force them into the water

Little almost see through mushrooms, I didn't see any Fairy's !

And a very forgotten mini golf course
(Richard you could go here to improve your golf! you know who you are)







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Couple of pics of our local Tuesday market, looking very sparse a sure sign the weather is turning

And last but not least the first carrots pulled from the garden and also the first time they have come to anything worth eating, this has got to be due to the raised beds.





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Oooh errr

While out having a sunny afternoon stroll on Sunday (It was a belting day, one of those that makes you think the summer is coming back) we came across this snake..

He was curled around this bush and looked like he had his eye on a juicy green lizard which was very close to it but the lizard sensed the imposing danger and shot off before either hissing Sid could eat him or indeed John could get a shot of him...we are guessing he is a grass snake but we are not very up on snakes and we didn't stay round long enough to find too much out.






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Amazing what you see

Saturday on route to do our weekly shop we came across the first of Le Chase (The hunt) it was the first time we had seen it done on horseback, normally the hunters are on foot, they were done up in all their finery, I yelled for John to turn round as soon as he could which was some distance on as there was nowhere to turn, by the time we got back the hunters and hounds had galloped off into the forest leaving this one solitary rider who was happy for me to take a picture.

He had a large horn draped around him so he was the chap who was there to warn of oncoming cars or warn us of impending hounds and deer I am never quite sure which way round it is, this area is literally by the roadside, obviously the forest was there first and the road went straight through it.(when I say road it is a country lane I guess)
We heard gunshots all day so I am guessing a few deer were bagged.

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Sunday morning we went to Bais to a Vide Grenier ( French car boot ) sometimes you can buy a bargain but lately it is children's clothes and toys, for us it is really a chance to get out and get some exercise, Bais is a pretty village although when there are 200 stalls there you can't really see it, but the church there has a lovely two door entrance, which isn't the main entrance, we haven't figured out why, there are plaques one on each door but of course they are in latin so couldn't read them...

 This is the beautiful domed ceiling

Here you can see the big dome better

Here I have tried to capture the stone carvings which were so intricate

Sunday on to the vide Grenier (Which literally means empty attic, we had gone out dressed for the cold but it turned out so warm we ended up stripping off a little, it felt like the summer had returned. There was the usual (Obligatory) bar set up in the center where all the men were sipping on a beer or wine while their wives looked around the stalls. and of course there was the most important part of any French get together  the food tent with sausages on the BBQ and frites (Fries or chips) depending where you are from, there is always a wonderful smell of food at these occasions which makes you want to buy and eat whether you are hungry or not, I would liken it to the smell of fish and chips in England.

This is the centre with a fountain in the centre, it was switched off for the occasion, in the background to the left of the fountain and under the yellow parasol is the afore mentioned bar, to the right of the fountain is the beautiful Marie (Mayors office) I was going to get a closer picture but my camera said it was full.so sadly couldn't, note to self        "get a memory card for camera"

This was the second half of it which went on as far as the eye could see.
The French were doing a lot of buying of toys and children's clothes ready for Christmas I am thinking, they are well into recycling as a lot of them are out of work here, being so rural there is farming or your own business and nothing much else.
Tout a l'heure