This and that!

Things are fairly quiet here at the moment but then I suppose it is still only Monday right. With all but one of my classes now being formally cancelled until September at least, I've now only got just the one weekly yoga class until the end of June, but that's fine too I guess. I'm not much good for anything when the heat really picks up so the thought of sweating it out in an exercise class over the summer to make up for the missed classes doesn't really do it for me!

I had yoga again this morning and we were lucky enough to be able to do it outdoors. There was quite a breeze first thing so I thought it actually might be a bit cold but it ended up being a very pleasant temperature, even though I had to keep moving about trying to stay in the shade. How the others can practice yoga in bright sunshine beats me but then it may be that I'm the weird one and not them. That being said, my sister can just sit out in the sun for ages so I guess we're all different. And I remember when I met up with Steve in Rhodes, he and I used to hop from one shady spot to the next while out and about, while his brother and sister-in-law's idea of a good time was lazing on sunbeds by the pool all day, and then meeting up with us later in the evening. I'm not knocking them for that, I just couldn't understand how they could do it!

Anyway today she was going to have us do "exercises for the abdomen", and I remember thinking I haven't seen my abs since I was about 25, but made a valiant effort anyway. Even though it wasn't one of my favourite classes, I again came out of there feeling good. I then headed off back to Thyez for another hour's walk and ended up getting over 13,000 steps in today so I'm well pleased, even if the Thyez walk is probably now getting to be a little too easy. Time to find something more challenging I guess, although round here that shouldn't be a problem, as you can imagine. As I was walking along the river I noticed loads and loads of stinging nettles, so I'm now trying to think of a cunning plan to bag myself a few to make liquid nettle fertilizer for my garden. It's supposed to be wonderful, particularly for tomatoes, but I understand it stinks to high heaven too! I guess taking a huge trash bag, garden clippers and wearing full skiing gear on my next walk might look a bit weird though, don't you think!

I finally managed to get my hair cut on Saturday (after three months?) - or at least after two home hair cuts. I don't know if she was being polite or she has just given up on me but she said the top and sides weren't too bad, although the back was a sight to behold (obviously) and needed sorting out - but then I don't really care what impression I make on people as I'm leaving anyway! I then stopped in at the supermarket and finally found the dual cartridge ink packs I have been looking for for my printer but crikey, they've gone from €34 per duo pack to €40!!!!! Not only that, but everything seems to have shot up in price. I guess much of our produce was coming in from Spain and Italy and now we're "stuck" with the more expensive French produce. Seriously, the cost of my weekly grocery shop has just sky-rocketed, and while this may not be such a big deal for me, I hate to think the effect it might be having on families! In fact, I was finally able to take my donations down to the food bank on Tuesday night for the first time in three months and they were telling me that demand has just gone through the roof!

In other news I've also got an appointment to take quite a bit of stuff to the tip tomorrow afternoon (it's by appointment only at the moment) but wouldn't you know the fuel people called tonight and they want to deliver tomorrow afternoon also. It all happens at once doesn't it! I also got that bloody wasgij (jigsaw) puzzle finished finally and while it's "satisfying" to have finished it I'm not sure I'd buy another one - I might not have any hair left to worry about by the time I finished a second one!

The picture on the box

The finished puzzle!

I was chatting with my friend last night and he mentioned that his daughter had just received her $1,200 stimulus cheque from the US! I had no idea she was American, even though I know she had lived and worked in New York for a few years, and I hadn't actually given it any thought that they might be mailing out cheques to American citizens overseas. I guess I don't see why not - I just hadn't paid any attention to it. So with that in mind I set to and prepared Jordan's US tax return and while he earns a pittance and it isn't that complicated to do, every time I got the forms completed and printed, when I went to save them all the data was erased!!! I did it three bloody times with the same result. I remember that happening last year too so I guess the IRS will just have to make do with the printed copy because I'm not doing it again! Maybe with any luck my kids will now also receive the stimulus cheque - who knows. It'll be a nice surprise for them if they do but then again, don't count your chickens right!

And finally, when I got home tonight I saw an email from my neighbour who is on the town council, letting us all know of his decision to stand down but also informing us that as from today they are introducing a hosepipe ban due to "drought conditions"! So no car washing, no swimming pools to be filled up - you get the idea. I'm just so glad I got my "swimming pool" (oversized paddling pool, truth be told) filled up a couple of days ago or could you imagine me getting stuck with that thing on my terrace and ending up filling it with tomato plants instead?

So anyway, a joke for you. Bill's walking down the road one day when he bumps into Jack and they get chatting about how they're coping during the pandemic. So Bill says "oh I lost my job due to lock down but decided to set myself up in a little business working for myself, being my own boss, kinda thing. I was doing pretty well to begin with - I had a great little number going on performing colonic irrigations - and then they introduced the bloody hosepipe ban"!