My week

It’s been a busy week so far.  Book club was on Monday afternoon discussing Brixton Beach by Roma Tearne and views were mixed.  I like it very much, although partly perhaps because part of the book was set in Sri Lanka and I’ve been there and loved it.  The central character, Alice and her relationship with her grandfather was warm and well written.  Fifty Shades of Grey is a book which we’ve been asked to read in addition to our book of the month - The Way Home by George Pellicanos - but I’m not sure it’s really for me – I’ll think about it.

Tuesday was short mat bowls all day, but I left at lunchtime to enjoy the sunshine and watch my worker finishing the joints on the terrace slabs.  I can't believe it's done as the old mortar was dug out a year ago!

Then should have been physio in the evening but she rang to change to Thursday evening, so I took some photos of garden flowers in the evening sunlight.

I sat in the garden in the evening sun reading a Sandi Toksvig book "Flying Under Bridges", which is a quite funny easy read.

Wednesday was a day off, but I worked in the polytunnel and in the veggie patch and then there was a party in the evening in a friend's barn,

where I met new people and someone who had once come round to buy something I was advertising. She was talking about my blue convertible parked in the driveway and about the owner who she thought was a very large person called Sandra.  I said “I’m called Sandra” but she said no – the woman she was talking about was really big.  After a few more moments she gasped and put her hand to her mouth saying something like “O my God” several times.  It’s lovely when I’m genuinely not recognized!  She said my smile and eyes were the same but that was all!   On my way there I spotted a tiny bunny at the side of the road who waited for me to take a photo and I had a heavily loaded tractor and trailer in front of me for some of the way too.

Daisy and Purrdy had disappeared for forty-eight hours and I was beginning to wonder whether they would ever come home when they both appeared in the early evening.  Thank goodness for that - there is now an uneasy peace, frequently broken, between Harry and the two girls - I feel like Kofi Anna and the Syrian situation.

Thursday was bowls training all day, but I went AWOL at lunchtime to join two friends for lunch at La Vallée in St Gilles du Marché, which had really pretty flowers all over the facade.   We had a good lunch for the princely sum of €10.50 each for four courses including wine, water and coffee.

One of my friends was having a last meal before a colonoscopy the following day.  It was a good lunch and I’ve had my fingers crossed for good results from her examination.  On the way home I stopped to take a photograph of a horse drawn cart with passengers.

In the evening my physio came and worked on my upper back which has been a bit sore since bending over so long gardening. 

Today I went to make an appointment at the Doctors for next week to do my three-monthly prescription renewal, followed by a trip to SuperU as I needed another large bag of bread for my animals.  I then went to the vets at Corlay to settle the bill for Alfie last week before going on to see Harry’s previous owners B&J.  As usual lots of chat and laughter with them and I then drove back a way I hadn’t been before. 

I picked the first of the runner beans on the field for lunch with cold roast chicken and garlic mayonnaise - scrummy!  I don't enjoy frozen runner beans, too soggy when cooked, so have to make the most of the crop when freshly picked.  There's nothing like them with butter melting on the steamy, hot, young, beans sprinkled with a little black pepper.

I can't bare stringy beans and Lakeland do this wonderful little gadget which strings and slices the runner beans,which just need cutting into shorter lengths before a brief boil in salted water.

Three things I like:

1.   First taste of this year's runner beans.

2.   Knowing that a friend is bringing me back Sherbert Lemons and Butter Mintoes from a UK visit next week.

3.   Hearing that my grandson's renewed passport has arrived and I'll be getting a visit soon.