The view from my window

The view from my window
The view from my window

Sunday 13 June 2021

Spring seems to have been cancelled due to lack of interest!

I'm not sure what happened but mother nature seems to have just skipped over spring this year and jumped straight from winter to summer! Shame really, as spring is my favourite season! I mean, we went from non-stop rain and around 15°C (59°F) to dry as a bone and 31°C (88°F) - and I'm wilting already. Well actually I'm ok as long as I stick around the house because the ground floor stays fairly cool and I can usually get a through breeze going, but of course I can't stay inside for two months can I! Thankfully my basement remains at a fairly constant temperature all year round and is a good place to store fruit and veg, either out on the work surfaces or in the fridge down there. (One thing ya gotta love about winter is you can always keep your wine cold right?)! So the other day I took the bull by the horns and finally got round to pressure-spraying my back terrace. It's a faff to set it all up but it's pretty satisfying to see all that crud coming off all the same. André works in the living room which gives on to the back terrace so I asked him if it would bother him if I ran the Kärcher and he said "as long as you're not doing it in the living room" (smart arse) and then, after I'd finished up, he had the nerve to say he couldn't see much difference! I tell ya, the urge to pressure spray his back teeth right there and then was pretty strong, so I'd say he got off lightly! Then while I was out the gardener came by and cut my grass after almost a month of non-stop rain, so all-in-all everything's looking pretty hunky dory right now!

As I finally got around to preparing Jordan's US taxes on Tuesday I called Jen to ask if I could stop over and leave them for him to sign. I have to wait until they've prepared their French taxes so I can get his final figure for 2020 and then convert it to $$$ for the US filing. What a faff that is for so little income! Still, it has to be done. Actually that's one of the reasons I gave up my green card in 1992. At the time, we were now a family of four living back in Europe, and in order for me to keep my green card I had to visit the US at least once a year. Well with two young kids and a new mortgage there was no way I could have afforded that trip every year so I handed it back. I think the rules have changed since but at least after that I never had to file US taxes again - which is good because I had a decent salary and when the dollar dropped through the floor against the Swiss franc I would definitely have owed! Anyway, Jen said she wanted to run into town to pick up a few things and did I want to come with her. Well I had forgotten how much stuff you have to lug around when you've got a baby in tow! The car seat, the stroller, the diaper bag, the spare bottles. You name it, I reckon a Himalayan expedition has got nothing on a shopping trip with a baby! That being said, Jen's very organized and he was a doll so everything worked out fine, but crikey, there's no such thing as just "nipping out to get a baguette" is there! Still, if you don't prepare you will inevitably get caught out won't you. I remember when André was first born I had a diaper bag for him but decided to leave it in the car while I nipped into the bank in D.C. I realized that was a mistake when a very kind lady pointed out that I'd got "green stuff" running all down my arm! Oh happy days!

Then on Friday I decided to sit in the garden and read for a while but André's US taxes were bugging me so I told him to give me his figures and in about 20 minutes I'd got his return prepared also, so that's a big thing knocked off the list. Just gotta get his French taxes sorted and we'll be home and dry. Oh and it's weird to think that all being well in just over a month he'll be moving into his own place! I was just saying to him the other day that this time last year he was still happily married (or so he thought), and now he's divorced, moved into France, got his residence permit sorted and is moving into his own bachelor pad in a few weeks! Stll, he's happy and I get to see both my kids more than ever before. Lucky me!

Last week Jen's grandparents made the trip down from northern France to see the baby so yesterday we all went out to lunch together on the terrace of the small restaurant near their home and it was really nice. While I can't say the lockdowns have bothered me as much as some, it was a really pleasant change to be sitting outside eating lunch again after all the restrictions and the bloody rain. Yesterday morning Jen and I decided to go to a vide-grenier (a mix of car boot/garage sale organized by the local villages) which was specifically aimed at baby stuff and where all the profits went to a foundation associated with a disease I'd never heard of, nor, I'm ashamed to say, can I remember the name now. But it was really well organized, everything was clearly priced and while the stuff wasn't maybe as cheap as you could get in a regular vide-grenier, it was still a good deal. Jen picked up a whole bunch of clothes for when Charlie is a year old (or more likely, what will fit him at around nine months), a bunch of toys and books and so on. I got a few things too and while everything appeared to be clean anyway, of course we'll both wash it all and put it away until needed. What I really wanted was a baby bouncy seat to keep at my house but I was out of luck, so tomorrow I will head out to the big charity shop near here to have a shufty, failing which I'll just go and buy a new one (but that seems a bit silly as they are in them for such a short time). The vide-grenier was in a village called Contamine-sur-Arve and boy was it pretty. I've driven through it on the main road loads of times, but higher up the mountain and back in amongst the woods were the prettiest rural hideaways you can imagine. I would have loved it years ago but I think as I get older I need to be closer to other people and the size of my house needs to decrease in inverse proportion to my age, rather than the other way around. Still, it was just lovely!



On Wednesday night I went to my first Italian lesson in over a year. and there were only two of us, so it was pretty much a private lesson. Heck, there are only four of us when we're all present so I wasn't worried about going back to "in person" classes. Then my friend came over today and we headed out to the Lac Bleu to go walking. Well that was where we intended to go but we were yacking so much I took a wrong turn and we ended up back at the lake at Thyez and walked along the river Arve into Cluses instead - which was fine in the end because I think that's really his favourite spot anyway. Stopping at Cluses we sat on a terrace and had a drink before heading back along the shaded side of the river, so all in all I got in nine miles today and about 18,000 steps total. As he was about to leave I asked him to take a picture of my feet. When he asked why I told him my yoga class starts back up again tomorrow and the first time she says "place your right hand on your left foot" I'm going to be lost because I reckon I haven't seen my feet in over a year. He just looked at me like I was mad!

And finally, since the rain has eased up my ongoing battle with the slugs devastating my "crops" seems to have abated somewhat. Thank God for that as I hate the buggers. In fact, it seems to be too hot for the snails too, so I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't like the heat. Still, if that's what it takes to get rid of the buggers I can live with it!



27 comments:

  1. It's funny that your weather skipped over spring; I'm anxiously awaiting summer here in the states but it just doesn't want to show up. We'll get a 85-90F sunny day followed by three days of overcast drizzle and temps that struggle to hit 60F :/

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    1. I guess this weird weather is world-wide then because spring this year has been just awful! Oh and thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  2. L O L at that image. I am glad you've gotten less slugs, sorry spring has skipped you over. As long as she thinks she will be having grandkids, my mom has the car seats, high chair, play pen all here. And a little drawer of clothes for the girls if they have an accident or need a change of clothes or an extra swimsuit! Always gotta have something, haha.

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    1. I think the only thing I kept from my kids' childhoods was the high chair because I loved it. As for their clothes, so many of my friends had older boys so my kids were "second-hand Charlie" for the longest time. My mother-in-law kept her old crib and high chair and it was really useful when we started having kids ourselves, I can tell you. As for the clothes, what Jen and I picked up the other day was just lovely as they really don't spoil them at that age anyway. One thing about wearing second-hand clothes, I never worried about my kids getting dirty, so I guess there's a positive to everything isn't there!

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  3. We had Spring for a week, and then Summer for two weeks, then back to Spring for today. with Summer returning tomorrow.
    Maybe you should open a tax office and make a few coins while you're at it!
    Now I think you're on to something about slugs ... poor homeless slugs!

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    1. Ha ha, I HATE preparing taxes with a vengeance but since ya kinda get into trouble if you don't file I guess needs must eh! And don't worry too much about my slugs - the fat bastards - they've got enough fat on them to make it through the year with or without a home!

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  4. Yep, same weather pattern here meaning long wet spell encouraged weeds to grow like madness and now hot (26 is hot here!), dry spell has set our clay soil like concrete and I can’t get those weeds out. Meanwhile those slugs and snails have decamped to the greenhouse, Being able to enjoy the outdoors, especially eating outside again and strolling in sunshine, makes up for it though, doesn’t it?

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    1. From what other people are commenting I think this weather pattern has been pretty consistent the whole world over. I regret missing the spring because it really is lovely but there's not much we can do about it is there, except enjoy the summer that we do have (and the dried up slugs)!

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  5. Love the snail joke. Just fine part of my taxes, capital gains unfortunately. I've appealed straight away due to the shutdown covid caused. (Long story). I think I would have accidentally had my finger on the pressure washer trigger too!

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    1. I hope things work out with your taxes. I'm so paranoid about accidentally screwing up and getting slammed. Apparently the French can (and sometimes do) fine you €1,500 for every non-declared foreign bank account. In my case I have an account at HSBC in England with about £10 in it but nope, it's got to be declared "or else". As for André's comments, nah, I'm used to him by now!

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  6. I see a lot of parents coming into the store with their young children and I always wonder what ever happened to the simple stroller? Now they have seats that can recline, and canopies, and, leather bottle bags, and leather diaper bags... too much unless you're going on a cross country hike.

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    1. Well things have definitely changed since my kids were little - but then again, there was an even bigger change since we were little. Apparently babies in our house slept in a sideboard drawer (no kidding). I suppose the advantage is you can just close the drawer when you get sick of the screaming!

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  7. Since I can actually remember a few spring days I suppose we had one. Just feels like summer now although I know it will get even hotter and more humid.
    As always, it sounds as if you are staying busy and productive. You are so energetic! And yes- how odd to think that a year ago your son was married and living in another country. I can only imagine that you'll be at least a bit glad to have your house all to yourself again. I think I would have been tempted to spray wash at least some part of him too after that remark!
    But you'll probably miss him at least a little bit.

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    1. Oh yes, André's life has done a complete 180 in the past year, but as I say, he's definitely happy now. I'll be glad to have my home to myself but yep, I'll miss him too so it's fine by me either way. As for your weather - berk, the humidity. Geneva could get pretty humid because of the lake and it's miserable. Thankfully it's a drier heat where I am - but it can still burn you to a cinder in about 15 seconds flat!

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  8. Funny slug cartoon. Put a pie plate of beer out for them and they'll drown in it(while they get snoggered). It works for us! lol

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    1. Oh I'd heard of that before but never gave it a thought this time. Knowing my luck they'd just end up having swimming lessons in there!

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  9. I love the snail and slug.

    I always look up the places you mention because I like to see what places look like. Google earth is wonderful for that. I do the same with patients who come from different parts of the world. I can't travel everyplace but I can see many places from streetview.

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    1. I do the same actually. When people mention places they live or visit I'm forever on google images. I never thought about doing it on google earth though - that would be even better! I do the same with actors - looking them up and what their background is. I guess that's why I'm forever on the computer!

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    1. Tell me about it!!! I walk around barefoot or in flipflops and that "squelch" is disgusting. Almost as disgusting as finding snails have crawled into your gardening shoes!

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  11. I really missed the gathering with other people, like your extended family lunch, during the stay at home. Someday I hope to do that garage sale/boot sale looking with my kids for the little ones. I do not understand anyone that feels the need to have designer dressed babies when they outgrow things so quickly.

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    1. I know a few people who wouldn't dream of dressing their very young children in second-hand clothes and it just seems like madness to me. It never bothered me if my kids got dirty when they were playing so either being given the clothes for free or picking them up for pennies worked out just fine. And I'm sure your time is coming!

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    2. I know a few people who wouldn't dream of dressing their very young children in second-hand clothes and it just seems like madness to me. It never bothered me if my kids got dirty when they were playing so either being given the clothes for free or picking them up for pennies worked out just fine. And I'm sure your time is coming!

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  12. We went straight to summer, then had a few days of spring before returning to summer.
    If you sprinkle diatomaceous earth around your garden it will take care of the slugs.

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    1. I dread to think what your summers are like. It's 5 p.m. now and still 31°C and knowing we can get up to 38/39 and even 40° on occasion fills me with horror! And thanks for the slug info - thankfully the heat seems to be making them sitting targets for the magpies right now!

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  13. You are a good mum doing all that tax stuff for your boys! I'm so glad hubby doesn't have to do that any longer, I hated 'helping' him!
    There is no quick trips to anywhere when you have a baby in tow, as for a day out, it's like a house removal!
    I'm glad your summer has arrived but I hope it doesn't get too much hotter for you. I can't cope with much heat anymore. I love being out but in the shade these days.
    Don't speak to me about slugs and snails. We're still getting a bit of rain so its snail central here!

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    1. Oh it'll easily get to 35-38° here. We've even had 40 on occasion, although admittedly that's rare. Right now we're averaging around 31 and that's plenty, I can tell you. I was never one to sit in the sun anyway but even now I can feel my skin drying out and I had 3 cold showers yesterday. I see the west of France is in for massive storms these coming days, so I guess you can't win sometimes can you!

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