A wet weekend in St André

Good to see my Breton neighbour this afternoon as she’d been away for three weeks on the other side of France with her daughter who has just had her first child.  They have chosen an unusual name – Clotaire – who was a sixth century king of France; so there will not be lots of children with the same name once he goes to school.

No change in the wet and blustery weather.  I have so many seeds I want to put in the ground and the plants I started off in the polytunnel are getting out of hand sizewise and really need to have their place in the great outside.  I have always been a fair weather gardener and can’t bring myself to get geared up to work in this horrid stuff we’re getting at the moment. 

Two ducks have gone missing in the last four days.  I found feathers all the way down the lane by the calvaire after the first one disappaeared and, last night, a duck who had been limping for a day or so wasn’t there when I counted them into their house.  The field isn’t entirely foxproof as I’m very religious about putting them away well before dark, but I suppose having had one duck, the disabled second one was easy meat.  I hope that the remaining seven are still there tonight at their bedtime.

Yesterday there was the usual very tiny market set up in St Nicolas du Pélem, but no fishmonger, which was a pain as I had only gone down to get some mackerel. 

However, there was a table top sale being held in the Salle de Fetes and I succumbed to a blue and white plate with an illustration of the Rembrandt painting, Girl in a Pearl Earring.  It's now sitting on the mantelpiece over the woodburning cooker and I find my eye frequently drawn to it while I'm sitting in my usual chair at the other end of my downstairs room.

In the evening a friend came round and brought me these lovely flowers and we then went out to Auberge Le Pelinec at Canihuel for dinner.  We were the first diners to arrive, but soon the restaurant filled up and the atmosphere was very good.   The food was lovely as usual and the welcome from the owner, Patricia, who I hadn't seen since before my operation last July - it was lovely to be back again.

Daisy brought a live mouse in during the morning which she promptly allowed to escape and it took up residence in the wood pile beside the woodburner until venturing out fatally to meet up with Daisy again.

Today has seen me sitting watching recorded TV programmes, talking on the 'phone, reading magazines and writing on the laptop - all inside and cosy but I've just had to brave the wind and rain and go up to the field and put the animals away.  Luckily all the ducks are present and correct - let's hope it stays that way.

Three things I like:

1.   Having visits from friends.

2.   Eating Eton Mess for a treat this evening.

3.   Falling asleep in my chair with Purrdy on my lap this afternoon.