Update: The same post lady appeared today clutching my parcel, that someone who had received it, met her, and told her to deliver it to the right house. Our regular post lady would do the same as you describe, but now they have people who do not have the same knowledge of the community.
One of our non-resident Brits has been here since the middle of December, so will have to hotfoot it to the border soon unless he has a long stay visa. He is a commercial photographer, and travelled the whole of Europe prior to Brexit for his work, so he may well have applied for one.
State of Emergency declared in Iceland after volcanic eruption. I hope our Icelandic friend is safe. https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/iceland-volcano-erupts-grindavik-fourth-time-lava-spills/
Frenchie unearthed and interresting fact about Akureyri.... He seems to have left these boards long ago in any case
Overcast, but not too cold. The warmer days have brought the cowslips in the verges out, the hedges are starting to green up, and the ancient pear tree in the garden has buds that look ready to burst open. The cattle are being followed as they are moved to new pastures by a huge flock of egrets. I have seen maybe half a dozen of them in a field in the past, but there must be between one and two hundred of them. I have tried to photograph them, but as soon as I get anywhere near, they take off. I wonder what is going on after the cranes seem to be stopping in the area instead of going further south. Climate I guess.
Twenty years ago when we were working on the house, I built a full height cupboard into one corner of the room to provide some storage space, and to cover up the electricity meter and fuse boxes. It was there that I realized that nothing was straight here, with the wall being 150 mm out of vertical from floor to ceiling. At the top of the cupboard is a shelf on which I store things like spare light bulbs, spotlights that I have replaced, but might be useful one day, and other things electrical. Mme's flower arranging baskets, and other associated bits and pieces are also there. None of these things need to move unless wanted, as the meter is read from a device on the outside of the house. Today though, it will all have to come out as we have to be changed to a smart meter. It will only take about half an hour, we are told, but it will be longer for me to get down, go through it all, and wonder why I have kept some things. I hope the engineer is not a large man, as I don't wish to have to take the doors off.
That didn't work out well. Surprisingly there was little to throw away, and once the cobwebs had been removed it was quite clean and tidy for the meter man to do his work. Of course, he had to turn the power off, but after twenty minutes he left me with a booklet telling me how to save on my bills, use less is the message, and a bizarre key ring. So Mme went to reset the clock on her nice new cooker. The time was locked, and despite the instructions telling her that she had to press two buttons at the same time, nothing would unlock it. It is a mini-computer, with multiple functions, but without the clock being set you cannot switch either of the ovens on. Switch it off at the mains, wait, then switch it back on often works on many devices, but not on the cooker. So decided I would have to contact the company who supplied the cooker. Try switching it off, waiting....... Been there, and it didn't work. We will have to send an engineer out, earliest will be Thursday. Will he be able to resolve the problem, or only find out what it is, then have to send off for a spare? It depends! Tomorrow I was planning a trip to Chateauroux to get some materials that I cannot get locally, so I suspect I will be eating out at a little bar somewhere. Things will feel better then.
The Paris Olympics in the summer will be based in the capital, but many sports will be going to towns and cities around the country. My trip to Chateauroux yesterday showed that preparations are well underway to host the archery. Flag poles have been erected at the Maison Sport, a regional centre for many different disciplines. With many flags flying, it is a colourful sight. I suspect that the chances to get a ticket to watch will be easier for a less popular event, such as archery, than something like the athletics that will be in Paris.
Friday night football following Chateauroux had become a bit of a nightmare as they kept losing games by the odd goal. Six weeks ago, an assistant for the head coach was brought in, the style changed from possession to attacking football, and the results changed. Since then, four wins and a draw have lifted them off the foot of the table, and if they can keep it going should avoid the six team relegation drop due to restructuring of the leagues.
Good Afternoon Everyone, Just a quick note to update on Mrs Fez: Following her November treatment for five consecutive weeks of RT from M-F and chemo as well on a Wednesday, she has been rescanned and given the once over: To say we are gobsmacked is an understatement - currently she is clear of cancer and precancer cells! Not at all the news we were expecting, and we know it will come back (there is no cure, ultimately, because of how the cells mutate with this cancer) but she has no further treatment for at least the next 3 months (next examination) if not 6 months (next scan). Over the moon!!! Overseas holiday booked - well, Isle of Wight the insurance premiums for anything else are crippling!
Slowly thawing out here this afternoon after our gas supply shut down late last night - no hot water, no central heating and no gas hob - not pleasant on a cold day. When I contacted my power supplier via online chat first thing this morning, I spent two frustrating hours trying to get my message across first to an AI bot and then to a human based somewhere in Mumbai who didn't seem to understand the difference between gas and electricity. Eventually sorted the problem via a five minute phone discussion with a young lady in Perth - she organised an engineer to come and fix the problem - and he has just left after successfully doing so. Sometimes I truly despair over modern technology...
The engineer arrived yesterday to sort out the computer on Mme's very swish new oven, that was locked, so you couldn't turn the ovens on. He read the instructions, as we had, and agreed there was a problem. He scanned the bar code on the oven, which brought up a very detailed description of all the parts and operating systems onto his laptop. Problem-solved. The instruction manual was wrong. No mention of having to use a third button. Resetting the clock has now been written down in the manual, so if there is another power cut we will be able to deal with it ourselves.
We are trying: Ecuador and Galapagos just before her treatment; The Fat Duck (Michelin *** a la Heston Blumenthal) a few weeks ago (I had an "0" in my birthday); Aintree for the Grand National next month. Phillies vs Mets baseball at the London Stadium in June Isle of Wight trip booked up. Looking at a European river cruise for next year, insurance premiums (health and putin) permitting... Rhine or Danube Doubtless we'll have a look at other things she wants to do. She has an "0" birthday next year which I've been saving up for for the past couple of years - we'll see. But at least we're looking forward again and we can talk about these things, something that has been a struggle if not a complete impossibility. Got to say it really hasn't sunk in yet!
Given that little list and looking at events around the world, it brings into sharp focus how lucky we have been to live here, even if we know things ought to be much better
