If cats could talk…
Month: February 2022
The key to it all…
Wot larks! (Not)
Our friends have gone away to the UK and we’re in charge of looking after Marvin the dog while they’re away (their resident dog sitter arrangements fell through) So on Sunday evening, after they had left, I was charged with taking him out for his walk. I went to get their spare key from the bowl in the salon, where we keep it, and – quelle horreur! The key was not there!!
Mr FD remembered that Friend had been locked out a few weeks previously, had borrowed the spare key and had neglected to bring it back. Aargh.
We contacted them in the UK and explained the situation. Much consternation. I said I’d be there the next day and could meet a locksmith then, but they decided it had to be done that evening. Not sure why, but there you go. It was now 9.30, so any locksmith was going to charge over the odds, but it was their decision.
Mr FD went to meet the locksmith, who had to remove the lock and fit a new one. It was midnight by the time it was all finished (and Marvin was quite over excited by all the unaccustomed activity!) but at least we had the necessary keys to get in and feed Marvin. At a not inconsiderable charge….
Next morning, Mr FD left for work, and a couple of hours later, I prepare to go to see Marvin. Unfortunately I can’t find my keys, and the front door is locked. Mr FD took my keys and his keys to work with him! I phone him up
“Have you got my keys?” Momentary pause.
“Yes”
“I need them, so I can go to Marvin”
“I’ll meet you halfway between work & home. I’ll leave now”
“I can’t get out of the door. You’ve locked me in.” Momentary pause.
“Oh yes. Sorry. I’ll come home then…”
About 40 minutes later he’s back, with permission from his boss to work at home. Which I think was a good move!
By the time I got to Marvin, he was standing at the door, cross legged!! He was very relieved (ha, see what I did there?!) to get out into the garden!
Since then, I’ve spent two mornings at Friends, with Marvin, and taken him for walks.
Mobile Shopping
The village where I started my walk, that I told you about yesterday, isn’t very big, and so, with St Just a few kilometres away, I’m not sure it was ever a bustling hub of activity.
Certainly now, there aren’t any shops. There’s a Mairie, a church, a small “MĂ©diateque” (library + medi) and a Salles des Fetes – a village hall – but little else. Any shops there might have been have closed down, as people will drive to St Just’s mega supermarket (hah!) or further afield to Roanne. But where does this leave the older generation, who can’t drive, especially in a country where shopping delivery doesn’t exist?
Well, as I struggled up the steep final 500m of my walk I heard the blaring of a horn, and there in the square was a Cheese truck…but it wasn’t just selling cheese.
You can see cheese, cold meats, packets of pastry, bottles of various sauces, a small selection of groceries, butter, milk…This van comes once a week (or maybe more frequently) providing a life line for those who can’t make it to the shops.
What you can’t see is the shopkeeper…Why not? Because he was helping an old lady carry her groceries back to her house.
There are many more isolated villages and hamlets in France than in Britain, and these mobile shops are still a fairly common side line for small independent retailers, driving around to different locations to serve the community.
Out for a walk
I went out last Tuesday for a long walk – it was a beautiful day, and I had no lessons, so I decided to take some sandwiches with me and to try a walk I didn’t know. It left from a village about 5 km from St Just, and meandered through valleys and woods. There was more “up” than I had imagined, which also meant more “down” – I’m not really very good at either! – but as I was on my own, I was able to take my time, and to not worry about holding anyone up. The time given for the walk (of 9 km) was 2.5 hours. I completed it in just under 4 hours, but that did allow time for pausing for sandwiches and cake!
I ate my sandwiches about 2 km into the walk, resting in a restored lavoir, next to a stream
This would have been used by the women of the surrounding hamlets to was their clothes. It was possible to see the vestiges of the trough through which the stream would run, providing clean(ish) water for the laundry. I sat in the sunshine, relishing the sound of the water rushing past.
Then an up, providing me with a view back to the village
The path led me through some woods, and down a steep descent
and on to another hamlet where I sat on a wall to eat a chunk of fruit cake. It was absolutely deserted, with no sound but the birds. However, the hamlet itself was remarkably well kept, so I imagine people did live there permanently.
By now I was getting a little tired, and still had some way to go, so I didn’t take the recommended detour to see the megalith, named The Head of the Tortoise.
Instead I snapped a selfie of my own head, not a tortoise’s head, looking slightly flushed, and continued along the road.
I met a friendly donkey, who stood motionless watching me, until I drew alongside him, at which he trotted over to the fence and treated me to a cacophony of hee-haws. It certainly isn’t an attractive sound.
There was a polite notice in another hamlet
“You, who love nature, please respect it, and don’t throw your rubbish anywhere but in the bin. Humankind has need of nature to live, and nature has need of your respect. The bin is here” And so it was!
There was apparently a cross to be seen (I’d already seen several on the walk) with a local legend attached. Unfortunately I couldn’t find it, so here’s a picture of a different cross that I came across.
Some crosses commemorate a “Mission” of some kind, but many would be used as boundary markers between people’s land, or as way markers. Some (there’s one quite near us) would be where coffins would be rested as the bearers took them to the nearest church. This one is quite ornate, but I don’t know its history. It was, however, on a route from several hamlets to St Romain, the village, so it’s possible it was a coffin cross.
I was very glad to see the end of my walk, the village, but I was made aware that it was on a hill…I had a very steep up to get up before I reached the car! It was a really hard last 500 metres or so!! But I was very happy I’d made the effort.
A visitor in Church
It was good to see Susan, our Priest in Charge, back after her holiday in the States. it was good to see her partner, Linda, also there.
It was good to see old friends, people who have been there for a long time; it was good to see the Henslee family for their last time in church before they went back to the States.
It was good to see a new family, who have been a couple of times befre, but I didn’t know them.
But it was even better to see who they brought with them:
This is Sundae, who is going through puppy training, and hopefully will go on to become a guide dog. She was reasonably well behaved, but got a bit excited during the Peace, when we moved around church, greeting each other. Jumping up had to be discouraged. She was excellent at finding any dropped crumbs from the after service cake!
Belated Valentine’s Greeting
We don’t “do” Valentine’s Day, but on Saturday we decided, on impulse, to use the gift voucher for the restaurant next door that our friends had given us for our birthdays.
So the Valentine’s menu was out – the apero was raspberry liqueur with sparkling wine, and the dessert was all chocolate, raspberry and little chocolate hearts. That was a bit much for me, but the starter (local wild mushrooms in a cream sauce) and the main (delicious lamb with a bilberry sauce and spiced carrot-and-pumpkin purĂ©e) were both utterly delicious.
Mr FD and I agreed it was our Valentine’s treat for each other. We chatted a bit to the people on the next table, and spent some time catching up with each other, which was good.
After 37 years we’re not very romantic. Actually, we have never been romantic. I have rather longed for a bit more romance from time to time, but I think I knew from the beginning that Mr FD wasn’t the one for big(or small!) romantic gestures on Valentine’s Day or any other. So I can’t complain now if I don’t get flowers.
Now, if he brought me a kitty that would be good!
No more beetroot!
I’ve had to request no more beetroot from the guy who provides our vegetable box.
Mr FD was put off beetroot when he was young, as his dad used to make jars full of pickled beetroot, and then not-quite-force the young MrFD to eat it. So he hasn’t enjoyed beetroot much in any form since then.
He admitted he can “tolerate” roast beetroot in small quantities, so the something with roast beetroot that we had was acceptable. However, with a bag of 9 largeish beetroot to use up this week, I think I pushed him past his tolerance level!
The Beetroot houmous was deemed to be “OK”, (although I note there’s a relatively large quantity which needs eating!) but the Beetroot and Red Onion Tarte Tatin was a step too far. He scraped off the beetroot, and had some cold meat with his potato gratin and salad. I have to say that, although I once went out to M&S, bought a jar of baby beetroot and sat in the office and ate the lot in one go (no, I wasn’t pregnant, but it certainly made my colleagues wonder if I was!) I too have had a surfeit of beetroot!
This week, I have requested no more beetroot. If it appears again, I may be forced to make a beetroot chocolate cake which wouldn’t be very healthy (and that only uses up 175g of beetroot. Hardly a bagfull of the blasted things!)
Does anyone have any other suggestions of how I can hide beetroot? Or maybe, I should just divert it straight to the Municipal Goats…
My Tail
I’m sharing another poem from my book “I Could Pee On That” – poems by cats.
MY TAIL
If my tail is curved then I am at ease
If it is tucked then do what you please
If it twitches then get out of my sight
If it is to one side then I’m free for the night.
If it is fluffed then I simply can’t deal
If it swishes it’s about to get real.
If it is erect then for you I give thanks
If it is gone then I’m probably Manx
If it grabs food then you’re petting a monkey
You should probably walk away right now.
Saturday Archive
I thought I’d share another post from the ex-blog, Fat Dormouse Getting Thinner. I’m finding it interesting reading posts, mostly about what we were eating…So I’m having fun, even if you’re not!! 🙂
- Here is the post from this day, 7 years ago – interestingly, it features the knitting zentangle I showed you a couple of days ago, and discusses a successful Blog Swap.
Sending A Little Love
Hello, hello, hello dear Readers, and a bigFat Dormouse Welcome to Jade from Bohemian Musings. She fell for the pictures of the cats – and who can blame her?!
I recently took part in a “Send a Little Love” swap, organised by Mad About Bags. It was fun to send things to someone else. And – bien sur! – to receive a parcel back!! I was paired with Joy from Daisy Row and here are the things that I sent to her:
Something red – three handmade cards (two red, one a bit risquĂ©!)
Ooh, look! A nekkid lady!
Just in time for Valentine’s day
Something heart shaped, or heart themed: I found this little tray which fitted the bill nicely.
Something delicious to eat: Joy is successfully following Slimming World, so who am I to sabotage that?! So I sent some sugar free mints, made fairly locally, and a fridge magnet featuring Roquefort cheese (which is not made locally – but Mr FD and I passed through the area recently)
Something hand-made: Well, what else but a piece of zentangle inspired art?! Joy asked for something knitting-themed. Yikes! I found a lovely design to copy on the internet. The zentangling is my own, but the idea came from Ellen Wolters’ beautiful design on Flickr. I also sent a rather Gallic-style blue-and-white striped scarf which I found in Roanne (no, NOT in Noz!!)
I think she liked her presents!
I have opened my presents from Joy too, but you will have to wait for another post about those gifts. Probably written on Saturday, as tomorrow will be a bit busy…teaching in the morning, from 8.30 to 12, kinĂ© at 2.15, shopping and then another lesson from 5pm to 6 pm. Home for quick (chorizo) curry. I am dubious about this recipe, but I will trust Good Housekeeping!
Thank you again for your comments – they are always really welcome!
KEZZIE, MAGGIE, JADE, ARIL & POMPOMÂ all commented on those cat photos! They are lovely cats, I have to admit, although George can be a wool stealer when I’m knitting. (By the way Maggie, I loved your blanket for SSC)Â
MICHELLE liked the look of the tagine, as did JANE&CHRIS – did you make it, Michelle? And was it well received? Better than here at Dormouse Towers I hope!!
JANE&CHRIS and KEZZIE sympathised about my “wot, no meat?!” husband. To be fair, he is often open to vegetarian, or “meat-lite” meals, but obviously he was having a Carniverous night!
FRUGAL QUEEN and POMPOM both liked the sound of the Pork recipe. Let me know how it goes, won’t you? I’m saving Froogs’ Rarebit Pork for another time, but it sounds yummy. We have a chicken-y week (with touches of salami) next week. I’ll let you know what we’re eating at the weekend
Who is my neighbour?
I was shocked and saddened to read this story in Thursday’s Guardian newspaper: My life is not my own. I eat, breathe and sleep this’: the single mother who has fed 100,000 neighbours
This wonderful woman, Michelle Dornelly, is putting her own health (both physical and mental) to help her community, by providing food and other resources to those in need. 100,000 of them!
The article is quite depressing, in many ways, as we read of how the local council does little to help her and her charity, how she is having to turn donations away for lack of storage, how she desperately needs permanent premises yet cannot find them, how many people need her help, how her own family is suffering…Yet also it is uplifting that there are people like this who will do anything and everything to help others.
It is Michelle and others like her who are bringing about the Kingdom of God.
View from the Teapot 