Good Morning everyone from sunny, blue and windy S of France.
Hope that you got some proper service for your DH after all that nonsense, Ann678. Posts like yours make me sad - but I bet you’re not the only one having to battle extra hard at the moment.
Morning imaginethis, hope you will keep posting on this lovely thread. Not heard of your breeds of sheep, sheepandcattle - except for the Lleyn. The Z breed - dare not refer to your post for the name again or I’ll lose this one - seem to have it all, good colour and a lovely character reference! We had one very naughty little Soay sheep who was the same dark brown colour. Coco was her name and given to us by an English farmer in France, due to her constantly escaping and causing him unnecessary work. All our sheep had names but we always had less than 30. Sounds like you are very fond of yours - they are certainly characters!
I reckon Grannyowl and Ellan should collaborate on a Living with Squirrels book. They do make me laugh. We had nut trees when we lived in Northern France but never ever saw a squirrel anywhere - maybe something to do with the fact that anything that moves amongst God’s little creatures is likely to get shot by the mindless idiots (“hunters”) who take over the countryside rendering it unsafe for far too many months in this country.
Yesterday got a bit out of hand. Started sorting photographs and frames, moved onto shelf clearing and cleaning the study and then decided to decorate, so today’s the day. At this rate we will never finish what we started, but must try harder.
Someone on this thread mentioned frozen turkeys being promoted by the supermarket delivery driver ? Made me think of C........ coming ever nearer. Can’t say I am much of a turkey fan now. It was different in years gone by, especially if there was a huge gang for lunch on the 25th. I did do the full C lunch for 15 one year, with two big tables. It was fabulous but Blimey, where did I get the energy? And I worked full-time. Not sure what we’ll have this year, but the meat always comes from a butcher and not the supermarket since the fateful season when we picked up a turkey a couple of days before C, went to wash it and prepare it on C Day (we stick to our meal on the 25th and not on the evening of the 24th as is tradition in France). A part of the bird was green! Thankfully we had a large leg of lamb on standby, but really not what we had planned. We were fortunately able to march into the supermarket the following day (one day holiday here). We were refunded but the Manager never said anything which approached an apology. Shops in this country don’t ever apologise for anything. So, from then on, always the butcher for anything special - they seem to care more about their reputation.
Only problem with a butcher is that he asks how many it’s for and you have to lie! If not and there’s just two of you, you will be offered a bird which in a poor light could pass for a pigeon! No one here looks at leftovers after their celebratory meal, a large bird being lifted in and out of the fridge for cold cuts, sandwiches, curries etc., When there’s just the 2 of us, we usually say 6.
In the UK we always ordered a lovely Norfolk turkey from our local butcher. Certainly not cheap but delicious. A few days ago I was looking at the price of festive food in my British magazine. I almost fell over when I saw that Waitrose are now selling turkey crowns for £65. That would buy 2 or sometimes 3 good quality 3 course meals with wine here. I’ve obviously lost touch completely with how costs have increased in the UK
Well, our evening chat with our President resulted in his confirming night time lockdowns of businesses, shops, restaurants, cafes, entertainment in many major cities, including southern ones like Montpellier, Marseille, Toulouse and Aix. The second wave is upon us, apparently. We shall continue taking care and trying to keep upright on our surfboards then, to ensure that “it” doesn’t flatten us. Nothing for it but to keep on going, I suppose.
Take care everyone and - remember.....you’re British!! A French friend said that to me the other day when I was moaning. It did make me laugh, but I don’t mind feeling like a stereotype if it means that I can keep going and not get defeated. I’m sure that we can do this ??
Hugs as always from French France ??
