Morning all. Heavy black cloud overhead, and storms forecast. Had a text message yesterday evening telling me to unplug my modem, which I forgot to do, and Mme tells me we did have some crashing and banging in the early hours. Still the modem is intact this morning, so no damage done. A sad sight just down the lane where a lovely green and brown striped snake about 2 metres long has been run over. They tend to come onto the roads to bask in the sun and warm up on the tarmac. Must see if a 40 year old vacuum cleaner has finally died. It is used for all outside jobs these days, but my daughter who was using it reported smoke coming out of it. Sounds bad, but worth having a rummage inside. Have a good day whatever you will be doing.
Whilst I am sure that snakes do make a contribution to life on earth ( as everything does) , I am at a loss to know what it is. On the other hand, I don't suppose thay have much time for us either.
Their main purpose is to be waved at Everton's owners at league matches at Goodison Park Their lesser known but more important purpose in Britain is to keep down the populations of rats and other rodents in Britain apart from Ireland where their are no snakes
Their value is that they are exclusively carnivores, eating rodents, mice, rats and voles in larger numbers than your pampered pussy cats could do it - thus farmers, and gardeners, are very happy to have them around When my carrots and cellery are being progressively eaten by voles i would give an arm and a leg for something which can slither down holes and get at them.
Morning all. Fine and sunny today after the washout that was yesterday. Delved into the old vacuum cleaner and concluded that the motor was beyond repair. Searched the internet to see if any company had a replacement, and there was just the one in England selling a replacement at a cost of £67 +£21 delivery + an unknown import cost that I would have to pay before the courier would deliver to me. Non too impressed with that, so I searched further and found a French company selling what is virtually an identical new vacuum for €64 with free delivery on Tuesday next week. Despite my desire to repair whenever possible, this is not sensible at these prices. It seems that the new one that I have ordered is made in the south of Ireland, and may well be a reincarnation of the company that once was in England and made the original one. Whoever thought that leaving the SM and CU was a good idea should talk to the small traders who are losing business. Just waiting for the grass to dry off a bit, then off to plant some more runner beans that are shooting up like mad in the greenhouse. Have a good day whatever you will be doing.
They certainly didn't have time for this naive Scotsman - my first encounter with one in Oz resulted in me being bitten on the leg. I still have the scar on my leg where 'bush first aid' was applied - leg sliced open between the fang punctures with a hunting knife and the venom squeezed out. They are useful for keeping the rodent population down, but unfortunately can't seem to distinguish between pests and pets - we lost two cats to snakebites and also some budgies from their cages which were hanging in the back verandah. When living in one small country town in Queensland my wife and I became rather adept at controlling them. We kept a hoe at either end of our house - any snake that ventured near was immediately turned into kebabs. Strictly illegal, but when you or your young children are threatened, you do what you must.
Good day.... locked in today as our street has been closed off for the Triathlon... had a great day sitting out and supporting the various classifications and getting to know our neighbours.... been very touched by the paratriathletes....
Jogged a happy memory spending two days at the Paralympics in 2012. A fantastic time we had. And the utmost admiration for the competitors.
Morning all. Bright and sunny again with a decent working temperature. Took some more runner beans down the fields yesterday that were ready to be planted out, and found that a large branch had come down overnight. It was the one that had the children's swing on it, something that hasn't been used for a long time. The trouble is that it is completely blocking access to half of my water butts, and just has created another job that I have to do. Autumn is the chain saw season here, but needs must. Have a good day whatever you will do.
Morning all. Overcast and no breeze so it feels quite heavy. Looks as though the targets for the reduction in numbers of new cases of the virus have just about been met, and some of the restrictions will be relaxed this week. I must read up on what they all involve, but I do know that the curfew will move back to 11.00 pm. Looks as though I will be able to have a few beers outside with some mates as long as we all sit down. Must check that one out. No headlines in the press about "freedom day", just information that masks will still be worn outside for the whole of June and travel news around the EU with our pass sanitaire européen. Have a good day everyone.
They have been making a big thing about opening up the outside gastronomy here. We tried it the other day at a cafe - you can sit outside as long as the tables are 2 metres away from each other, as long as you have a negative test within the last 48 hours or have proof of full innoculation or.....you can prove that you have had the virus and recovered I think a lot of people thought that the 'opening up' would be a bit more conclusive. Not having yet had the second jab we had to take our coffee away from the premises. The second jab comes on Saturday. What makes it all confusing is that every state in Germany has different rules - so the majority of Germans are not sure of what they can do and where. Apparently if I go to a hardware store I have to have had a recent test (or be fully vaccinated) to get in at all yet the supermarket next door allows everyone in with a mask.
What you describe about different states having different regulations sounds like a case where devolved government is not ideal. I have been reading up about the EU health pass, and it is made clear that all 27 countries will be obliged to implement it by the 1st July. If as an individual you do not wish to have your pass, but still travel across international borders, then you will have provide test results. We were issued with our certificates without asking when we had our second vaccinations, Of course this has thrown up people stuck in the UK, who are EU residents, twice vaccinated, but nothing to prove it from the NHS. Fur coat and no knickers comes to mind for a strange reason when I think about issuing a certificate in England.
As far as I know most people here have a vaccination book Frenchie - I have one because of having a tetanus jab about 6 years ago, and my first Covid jab was entered into the same book. To be honest I thought most people had them - is this what is meant by a EU health pass ?
I am not sure that it is, but could be accepted. We were issued with a a piece of paper with one of those boxes filled with squiggles that I now know is a QR code. This can be downloaded to a mobile phone, or the paper itself should be readable. There is info here; https://www.euronews.com/2021/05/21/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-eu-s-covid-travel-pass
Morning all. Not a cloud in the sky and it is forecast to get up to 27°C this afternoon. Thinking I would try and get on with some gardening before it became too warm, I jumped into my old working clothes even if the tee shirt is coming to the end of its life. Quick dash down to the roundabout and the bread machine, only to find that the baker who fills it has gone on holiday for a fortnight. Dressed as I am I hardly wanted to be seen in town, so I returned home, and Mme. can go when she comes back from her French lesson. Meanwhile I will return to my veggie patch. Have a good day whatever you are doing.
We have the NHS app on our 'phones. This shows we have had the 2 jabs. I assume this is equivalent to a certificate, although I am aware that the French just love pieces of paper.
You must live in a posh area OFH I try to embarass my family as much as possible when I go back. I generally wear 3/4 length shorts and slippers to the supermarket (and i'm still not the scruffiest person in there)
