Time for a little update, it might be a little or a lot, we will see how it pans out.

Being English I like some English products… for example, PG Tips, Branston Pickle, Bisto (Aaaah!) gravy powder (forget the granules, they are a waste of space!) and also OXO cubes, there are many French products that I absolutely adore but there are the essentials that my man and I were brought up on and we (read He) cannot do without.

The other night I used an OXO cube in my gravy and I noticed that it is slightly smaller, not a lot just a little bit, about 10/15% methinks…. They have made the cube into the shape of an X. I cannot comment on the price of the said item as I did not take notice when I bought them, but I am sure, am absolutely convinced, that the price went up as the size went down.

The quality of the product has not changed at all and I am glad to say it still gives the same satisfactory flavour to my culinary experiments.

Oh yes, it is gripe time…

The hound, our dear boy, has just been to the ‘poodle’ parlour for a haircut. He was in an absolutely abysmal state. His hair was around 6” long and was in need of a good ‘wash, trim and brush up’. He was picking up all sorts of mud and grass and had God knows what was living or growing in his coat, he definitely picks up more in the winter than summer! I would comb and brush him daily but as soon as he went out he came back looking worse than ever… So off to Toutou Bain Douche, of which there are many in La Belle France, (Poodle country you know!).

Big mistake… I will not go back and complain, she will only flap her hands and say ‘desolee’…He will never darken her doors again and she will never take her tondeuse or perfumes to his coat again. She has made the most abysmal job of clipping and trimming and he came back to us smelling of the most disgusting antiseptic/perfume… I just won’t recommend her to my canine owning friends. I have had to tidy up the work she has done. Maybe I will invest in some canine clippers and do him myself… or take him back to the delightful Beatrice in a few weeks. She was absolutely brilliant with him when he had his first trim.

Spring is in the air:

Primroses and Snowdrops are up, daffodils are just opening, loads of white and purple violets are showing their faces to the sun, buds are popping and my Sweet Almond tree is in flower…Everything is looking good!

I am doing my best to update our living accommodation by filling holes, painting, tiling, prettying things up. I sometimes think I am flogging a dead horse as I am not getting a lot of input or help from Himself. He will not do any DIY. At the moment it is all up to me and I am pissed off with it. Yes he has done a little in the kitchen, heights that I cannot reach as I get wobbly when I am too high up a ladder, I have a balance problem with my ears which puts me at a disadvantage. I am also trying, when the weather is dry, to make the garden look more inviting. First impressions count and I just have to convince Himself that we need to keep it tidy. His answer is ‘weedkiller’. Mine is, ‘weeds die and leave a mess and they still need to be taken out.’ He then sulks! So I have been over-stretching my spine by bending and raking out the weeds in the patio and path (both look good now) and tidying up the edges of the path as well as planting and transplanting various plants/bulbs to make it look all the more inviting.

We have some hens and they are a bit like the late, great, Houdini, they are all ‘Hendinis’ and can escape through any gap or get over the wall that runs round ½ of their pen, via a very handy roof, and then they vandalise my borders. Oh yes, I know they are looking for something to supplement their diet but, my poor daffodils, they have been ‘chickenated’ and any other perennial plants that are coming up are now raked up on the surface and dying.

Eventually, after I had ‘really’ lost my rag and used a lot of swear words ( the ‘eff’ word came into the equation more than once along with ‘you don’t give a toss’ etc…and I hate to shout!) Himself has eventually found another secure place for the hens so that they do not destroy all the work I have been putting in. At last, I can improve without it being wrecked!

We have had a couple look at the property with regard to running a B&B. The whole property was too big for them! The wife kept asking me ‘how do people find you?’ After the first time I was lost for an answer… We are just off a trunk road, clients find us with no problem at all and most have G.P.S. anyway. Our Immobilier just kept smiling in his Gallic way, and saying ‘you could put a pool and terrace there’ ’you do not need to buy all of it’ etc… I haven’t had any feedback from him as yet. I have decided that I will keep each Immo informed about the others without mentioning any names… just to keep them on the ball. I am restless and need to move!!

My dear Mum has reached 90 yrs old and is still as happy as can be, and no she is not senile, just a happy soul! I am a little bit peeved that I was not able to celebrate with her. When I mention travel to the UK Himself gets a look of panic his face. I do explain that my family and our friends would love to see him. Unfortunately, the majority of his family are no longer with us. There are some cousins that he has never been in touch with and he is not too bothered about contacting them. He would be amazed to see how his grandchildren have grown and they would dearly love to see him. Our no.1 daughter will be 40 at the end of the year and I have told him that he will be going to the UK to help her celebrate along with her husband and friends who have all reached the same age… He is still trying to get his head around it! And, not only that, he has to get his head around a trip to Central America the beginning of next year!! Ha ha, plans are underway!







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