Life with the Big Brutes!
Posted 7 June 2018
Not a breath of wind today. The six wind turbines that surround our property stand silent and still. I’m really glad of it. Will I see them out? I’ll certainly do my best. But I fear the damage to our beloved France may be irreparable.
New eye candy on the Town Hall wall
Posted 23 June 2017
A new face on the town hall wall to whom we must all bow in obeisance! Superior eye candy to his predecessor, M. Hollande, it must be said. Though I’m not sure about M Macron’s icy blue eyes.
How one company has managed to abuse a hidden corner of rural France
Posted 17 February 2017
Last Monday they arrived - the vans, tractors, caterpillars, diggers, caravans and portaloos, the panoply of construction vehicles needed to destroy one small corner of French countryside.
A View From the Bouche of the Cheval
Posted 2 July 2016
In 2005 we too had a referendum on L’ Union Européenne and 52% voted “non”. But Sarkozy ignored it. So very French. A terrible travesty of democracy. And Europe ignored it.
There was once a farmer... where have I heard that before?
Posted 18 January 2016
There was once a farmer who let a field to a hard-working tenant who always delivered his rent and tithes on time. One day the farmer discovered that wind turbines were coming to the village...
A Hamlet At War - Part Two
Posted 23 October 2015
So to return to part two of the “stabulation” or cow invasion in massive hangar saga...
And so, war breaks out – once again!
Posted 5 October 2015
It was a fantastic summer - day after day of glorious sunshine, with temperatures never lower than 26 degrees. All except for the day of our fortieth wedding anniversary party which was grey and drizzly.
A Helicopter, A Murder and A Suicide
Posted 19 June 2015
Much has changed in our little hamlet since I wrote Autumn Leave - unusual for a French “trou perdu” or “lost hole” - their word for “out in the sticks”.
Vive La France
Posted 19 May 2015
Anyone who thinks owning a house in France is the ultimate idyll, think again. Or are we the only ones to face constant threats to our tranquillity, view, finances, well-being and general peace of mind?
The Pain and Pleasures of a New Home
Posted 14 April 2015
I awoke in my new home, sunlight streaming through the makeshift curtains, reached out across the bed and patted an empty space - no husband. What time did he get up?
The Joys of Moving Home
Posted 2 February 2015
Moving must surely be one of this short life’s great time and money wasters. All that sifting, sorting, shifting, shredding, scraping, scrubbing, scouring, sweeping and packing - only to do it all in reverse at the other end.
Growing old gracefully and why keeping your teeth helps!
Posted 6 January 2015
One of the most difficult things about retirement is that it reminds you that you’re getting old. All those childhood dreams of what you might be when you grew up are over and done with.
The Joys of What’s to Come
Posted 25 November 2014
The reality of retirement in all its implications of change and decay didn’t really hit me until September. To be honest, I hadn’t had time to think about it!
Retirement
Posted 10 November 2014
Quite a number of my friends seem to be dying - which is very inconsiderate of them, as I miss them - more than I could ever imagine. You share so many stages of life with your peers.