Morning all. Grey, and there have been some showers, but it feels milder. A quiet Sunday morning until my English neighbour decided to try and start one of his collection of vintage machines. Pop, pop, then quiet for a few minutes until he tries again. So far he has been as successful as the Watford defence. I wonder if he will succeed in creating a cloud of black smoke, or if like many of his other projects it will be left for another day? Enjoy your day whatever you choose to do.
Family xmas gathering in the park today...a lovely walk, the sun came out, kids ran around and fed the ducks, flasks of coffee and hot chocolate, mince pies and meetingup with some rels not seen since pre covid... Then dashed back and watched the F1 on catch up.....................
Morning all. Bright sunshine currently, although the mist that was quite heavy first thing has not fully cleared yet. Yesterday was the third of our grandsons to have his 18th birthday, and we have missed all of the celebrations because of travel restrictions. All of our resident UK family did however get together, and we joined in via Zoom to sing happy birthday to him. The internet can be great until the hackers get to work. Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. Another misty but dry day. Accidentally put my hand on the wood burner last night and now have four fingers with blisters on them. Not painful, but it feels odd when typing, rather like pressing on a sponge. Mme has her second injection in her knee today. The first one has not made much difference, but it needs all three, then a month to see how well it has worked. She seems quite keen to see her young French consultant again. Seems he is good looking. Have a good day everyone.
Today I picked up my new pairs of computer and reading glasses...... . and..... for the first time.... hearing aids..... took me a year or so to accept having them...... walking home I heard leaves skitting across the road and twigs dropping.... as well as lots of extraneous noise.... the real test will be with mme who is very softly spoken.... plus the next accented TV drama........... along with the electric bike ordered a couple of weeks back...... aging is certainly present...
Morning all. Still grey and misty here. Yesterday it actually became worse as the day went on, and fog lights were on all the cars as we went into town. Daughter has sent a Christmas parcel along with a tracking number. This has become a real trial now, not knowing if something will get through customs and if import duties will be applied. A parcel used to take about four days to reach us from England, now it is fourteen days often. Something has gone wrong. Have a good day all.
Morning all...... Xmas is all around......It's beginning to feel a lot like......... Glad to have done all the dastardly work apart from some food shopping.... .taking it easy here.........
Morning all. Grey but dry, although it is only 2°C outside. Son-in-law is currently in Wales where his mother lives. He hadn't been to see her for two years, so as she has a few health problems felt he really should go over. The new travel restrictions brought in by France should allow him back into the country providing he has tests and can have more here. It is a good job he has a residency card otherwise he wouldn't be allowed back. There were reports yesterday that the French/Belgium border had been closed. Probably too late to stop another huge outbreak, but the government are at least trying. Have a safe day everyone.
Morning all. A lovely bright blue sky, but a very cold north-easterly wind. Finished the Christmas present purchases yesterday, and it was certainly a lot busier in the shops than normal. One gent wandered into one store with his mask underneath his nose which quickly changed when one of the assistants, a mere slip of a girl had stern words with him. Found some crystalized ginger, something that was a treat that we had at Christmas when I was small. Had to buy some. Have a good day all.
Manchester United have identified Leeds United's Illan Meslier as the best young goalkeeper in England - but when they sent goalkeeping scout Tony Coton to watch the 21-year-old Frenchman, he conceded seven at Manchester City on Tuesday. (Mail)
Morning all. A cloudless blue sky, but everywhere is white with a heavy frost. The latest restrictions here include a ban on the New Year fireworks, which is a real shame as I enjoy the light show and pyrotechnics from the Champs-Élysées each year from the comfort of my settee. Legislation is being brought forward shortly to change the regulations on entering bars, restaurants, sporting events, etc. A LFT will no longer be sufficient, you must have a pass sanitaire to say that you have had all three vaccinations. The Prime Minister has said,"it is not acceptable that the refusal of a few million French people to be vaccinated puts the life of an entire country at risk". I wonder if the UK will be forced into such measures? Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. Grey, frosty and the wood burner will be fired up before long I think. I am still in touch with our friend Dan Starkey, who cannot safely add his thoughts to the forum in case someone in Whitehall thinks he is being subversive, although he does still read what we post. He has asked me to pass on his good wishes to everyone for a Happy Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year. On a personal note he will be taking the plunge in March 2023 and getting married. Let us hope that by then life has returned to something a bit more normal. Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. Grey and cold out there today. 0°C currently, with a maximum of 4°C forecast for this afternoon. It is unusual to be this cold in December, our coldest month is usually February. Having seen very few reports of hunting accidents this year, one sad story from near to Rennes where a passing motorist was killed by a stray shot. Four local mayors have issued decrees to ban hunting in their communes following the accident. There is quite a discussion going on in different parts of the country about controlling the activity, especially when the animals do not create a great problem. Maybe it has been the wet year, but there has been little activity around here. Have a good day everyone.
I had a near miss here on Thursday when driving home after dropping my daughter off at work. Not a mile from home, a deer suddenly shot across the road in front of me. After slamming the brakes on, stalling the engine and mouthing a few expletives, I started off again only for another deer to follow suit. Thankfully no hunters trying to blast them out of existence though...
Every year we send some rather good calendars to the family, but every year the company that produces them loses the order. Spent a couple of hours this morning trying to contact them, and having finally got a response to my e-mail, I have been asked to type out all the addresses again so they can send them immediately. They deny they have lost the order, but just need to make sure they have the correct addresses. They are so shambolic that some years after my complaints everyone gets two. If the product wasn't so good I would stop dealing with them, but for a large UK company they are rubbish in the admin. department.
Morning all. A white start to the day with another very heavy frost. Postie has just delivered a parcel from our daughter in the UK that could provide you with an hours reading from the customs declarations attached to it. All items have a lengthy code and state country of origin. She has put down that everything was made in the UK, although I am pretty sure that will not be the case. It really has turned into a fiasco trying to send something here these days. Have a good day everyone.
I presume that will apply for parcels to Spain too? My son in Madrid has just cancelled his plans to come home for a week over Christmas - mainly due to fears over being unable to get back there in time to start work again. If the parcel situation is true for Spain, his Christmas presents may have to wait until his revised visit in July...
