Christmas is coming

Ian commented last night that it's only a month until Christmas. By that time we will have been here two years and I wonder where the time has gone!

One of the things I was lead to believe about France before arriving here was that the French don't do Christmas as they do in the UK. It starts later, is less tatty, more low key, etc etc.. Well. it was the second week of November when our local supermarket planted a 50 foot high inflatable snowman in the car park, and the Christmas lights are up in all the shops. This weeks advertising consists of pages and pages of Christmas essentials, from tinsel to a model of the Eiffel tower to boxes and boxes of chocolates. The shops are full of the same stuff as the shops in UK, all courtesy of a shipment or two from China. I guess that's globalism for you as the supermarkets themselves are mostly owned by multi-national companies now.

There was a thick mist this morning but now it's a clear, sunny day, warm enough to sit outside with just a jumper!

Getting on with life

Reading through my last few posts it almost appears that my entire focus for the last two months has been on the death of my mother. Well although I guess this has taken a lot of my mental focus, and maybe been the reason why I can write about nothing else, the reality is that life has continued and I have been getting on with it.

We have had a rather busy few weeks, starting with a social event at the local village hall. It was the usual format, with too much food, too much drink and a lot of work, but a good way to feel a part of a bigger group. We also had a friend staying with his two dogs, so even Gremlin got some company! The morning started with a walk, a lunchtime meal that lasted until 7.00pm, music and even some games!

I also had a week working in Bordeaux, which was hard (three nights in a city centre cheap hotel) but good to get back into things. It is just enough to keep me in touch with my interests but make me glad I gave it up as a full time job!

We have also been working to get our permanent electric supply, which we succeeded in doing last week, so for the first time in two years I can put the washing machine, toaster and dishwasher on at the same time without having to worry about tripping out the supply.

Add into that walking the dog, and all the other daily things and life has been really busy.