no posts

There is a drawback to the expat life and that is when family crises happen - you are a long way away especially during the winter months when flight schedules are so reduced.

I am currently in England staying with my mother while my 91 year old Dad is seriously ill in hospital. Its going to be a difficult week whatever happens so I will be taking a break from blogging.

Trevor is keeping the home fires burning and I look forward to going home next week.

never have liked being a groupie!

I have never enjoyed being "wife of the musician" at a function and usually stay at home. It is always boring just sitting at the side while the talented perform - though this was a difficult gig for them too - appalling acoustics and sound system not up to the job - for once I was glad not to be one of them.








Trevor was accompanying our good friends Edwige and Alain who had been asked to entertain during the annual new year meal for the "elderly" ( ie over 60's) of their commune of Moliere.

Thankfully the majority of the diners had the good manners to be well older than us !

the gas man cometh

Its felt a bit like living out our own version of the Flanders and Swann song in our house lately.

You know the one - 'twas on a Monday morning the gas man came to call................

First it was the plumber because the hot water tank sprang a leak. Clever plumber fixed it.
No sooner fixed than the radiator in the kitchen burnt out and died so the electrician had to come. Nice electrician told us the cheapest option.
Then it was the computer man needed because the computer came under "cyber attack" from all sorts of nasties and would not play nice. Clever Mediaman came and fixed it.

In between the blender "came apart in my hands" losing most of the soup I was preparing for guests (we had a mise en bouche instead) and becoming inoperative afterwards, then  I spilt a pan of water on the hob and water got in the works and that stopped the oven working .

A new blender has been bought and thank goodness the oven responded to the "turn it off and leave it then turn it back on" treatment.

Holding my breath a bit but as the song says - it all makes work for the working man to do.

changeable

It was well below freezing when we woke up this morning with the garden and field covered in a thick white frost. When we set odd to the shops it was a chilly 4degs but by the time we left the shop it was 15degs and we came back to have our first outside lunch of the year.

 Even better I have just been able to sit outside in the sun reading for a couple of hours. The sun has now got low so I came in - inside it's b.....y freezing - another jumper needed. It has been a glorious day though.

Mimosa

The first mimosa has arrived in town

fair maids

There's cold wind blowing this morning so I didn't stay out in the garden for very long but it was long enough for me to notice a welcome sight - the first snowdrops are through!

I love the country name for snowdrops - fair maids of February. In my cold midlands garden in England they grew well but usually didn't open until March, here they arrive in January and this little clump is always the first in my garden. It is a sign that before too long the roadside verges will be white with the tiny beauties and a trip to Beaulieu woods will be on the agenda to see them in all their glory.

I have a stained glass patchwork panel with snowdrops planned - I wonder if I can get it done in time for this year. I have made a start anyway.

bad light stops play

A rise in temperatures  today meant I could return to play in my den.  I needed to thaw out my machine to sew the border on my blue window hanging. Then there was my nine patch project to start. It was great to be back,the afternoon just disappeared, in the end it was failing light  which reminded me I had other duties  - ie  creating a meal out of yesterdays leftovers.

The bad news is that today the radiator in the kitchen has given up the ghost - a change in electrical regulations since it's installation means we will have to get an electrician to connect the new one - bugger!

Private concert

As always Trevor has several music projects on the go at the moment. The first in January is accompanying our friends Edwige and Alain who are singing at a meal for the "elderly" in their village of \Molieres.









Rehearsals with Edwige and Alain are always the occasion for a good meal and a fun afternoon. This afternoon it was my turn to provide the meal and in return I got a free concert.



Now sitting with a glass of left over wine by the tele while Trevor does the washing up - can't be bad  ( but I did do a good meal!)

Je suis Charlie

Devastating news about the terrorist attack in Paris today but the reaction of the French, demonstrating in support of their republican values reminds me why I love the French.

 ‪#‎JeSuisCharlie‬.

3 months

Its been almost three months since I began this blog - described as "daily musings".

It could never have happened every day as our internet connection is nowhere near that reliable. Also I hesitate to advertise on the interweb when we are away from home. That said I have managed to keep up an almost daily post with the help of photos. It is quite a challenge though thinking of little morsels to fill the space and a real pain when I head for bed after a busy day and suddenly remember I have forgotten.

With the return to activities after the Christmas break we are busy again but even that doesn't really help as of course its patchwork every Monday, dancing Tuesday and Friday etc etc and there's only so much you can say. But I will continue to make the effort - we have lots of fun on the horizon, music events, a holiday, visitors, more music events and more visitors - 2015 looks like being good. (It has started a bit chilly though!)

daily blogging

.........................gets tricky sometimes when life gets in the way - but life is for living after all.

ps The blue and white panels passed the poules inspection!

Diversion activities

I make no secret of the fact that I don't like winter. True the frosty days last week did make everywhere look very pretty but I just don't like being cold. All the achy bits of me don't like being cold or sitting about either.

Plus - I like to be outside, I like to be busy in the garden not looking at dusty furniture. I know the winter weather is good for the garden, I know without the rain the scenery would be arid and boring so I endure the winter months but count the days 'til Spring. Thankfully here the snowdrops should open before the end of this month and from then on its all on track for the return of warmer times.

It is very frustrating waiting to get busy in the garden again - every year I get impatient and start sowing seeds far too early only to have to make second sowings when the time is right.

Its better these days though - now I have my passion for patchwork the time passes more quickly. Tomorrow is the first patchwork afternoon after the break for festivities and I shall be glad to have a chance to talk some French, I get out of practice very quickly when I don't use the language for a bit.

Today I have finished the applique on the central panel of my window hanging for the dining room - just the quilting to do now. It will be interesting to see what the reactions of "les poules" are tomorrow - they are harsh critics!

( I have explained why I call the french patchwork ladies les poules in my previous blog but for anyone who hasn't read that it refers to their picky attention to detail and a french slang term for police which is poules).





The three panels are designed to disguise the rather ugly frame of the window in our dining room and inspired by my collection of Yuan china. It has been fun to do and I am pretty pleased with how they have turned out.



And while I have been busy with that Trevor has been researching a holiday trip to Seville in March - something else to look forward to in Spring - great stuff.

family assortment

10 reasons why families are like a Christmas selection box of chocolates









We all have our favourites

Some people like the nutty ones

Others like them soft and sweet

Some are hard on the outside but gooey in the middle

Some are difficult at first but worth the effort

Some are just plain boring

Some you don't like much

Too many at one time can make you feel uncomfortable

But its not a pick'n'mix we don't get to choose what's in the tin 

and, last but not least, when they're gone they're gone

2015 a bit chilly so far

It certainly has been a cold start to the new year. -5 yesterday morning and -8 this morning. At least today the sunny skies have taken it above freezing and it must be said it is preferable to rainy and damp winter weather. There hasn't been any snow yet but the countryside has been white with frost and looking very beautiful.

Yesterday the both of us began the year nursing a nasty stomach bug so we hunkered down indoors beside the fire playing a game of how many clothes can you wear at once. Thankfully it appears to have been of the 24 hour variety and today we ventured out for a short walk "around the block" - the block for us being the fields and lanes around our house.

Its a bit chilly in our computer area too - that will keep my winter posts short!

Happy New Year