The view from my window

The view from my window
The view from my window

Friday 24 September 2021

Reconnecting!

Life continues as normal as it can here in my little corner of France. Nothing exciting, but nothing dramatic either! I think I've totally thrown Facebook algorithms off by blocking them from my phone because I'm now getting bombarded by adverts to "reverse my bunions"! I guess it makes a change from trying to improve my status as a male bodybuilder, but since I don't have bunions I am at a bit of a loss!

I managed to get out in the garden to put my garden "to bed" these past few days and it has been lovely. The weather is glorious (25°C - just my kind of temperature), and cutting back the tomato plants and all the other foliage has really opened up space around here (does anyone else love the smell of tomato plants on their fingers or am I just weird?)! Last autumn I threw a bunch of stringy potatoes into one of my raised beds and believe it or not they have actually grown and seem to be harvesting themselves because every time I go out there, the soil is just glorious and I have a few - admittedly very small - potatoes sitting on top of the bed! Ah, simple joys. I wonder though if it was because I dumped all the mouldy grass clippings onto the raised beds that it made such a big difference to the quality of the soil! One of life's simple pleasures I guess!

Talking of gardening, my gardener showed up the other day to cut my lawn and I ended up chatting with him about cutting the hedges as and when it suited him. I also mentioned that I needed my damson bush cut back and the mirabel plum tree was looking very sad, so he is going to take the plum tree out (a shame as it was glorious) as it is really sick and he will do the necessary for the rest. So I'm thinking I'll have to get looking for some more trees to plant to replace the plum and the cherry trees he's taken out - as I hate an "empty" back garden! My neighbour asked me yesterday if I was responsible for cutting the island in front of our houses so I told him I had asked my gardener to cut it one day when he came with his ride-on mower and I would pay him! There's nothing like paying "the hired help" to get something done is there, but hey, I have no intention of doing it myself, so I feel like I'm doing my bit to keep the place tidy and my gardener sure as heck is glad of the money. Actually I sat with him after I offered him a coffee (my gardener, not my neighbour) and we ended up getting into French politics and boy was that an interesting discussion! 

Next May we have the French presidential elections and I talked to both my neighbour and my gardener about what was going on there. While I know the pandemic will have been hard on any government to handle, Macron's authoritarianism has rubbed so many noses the wrong way - and yet I had so much hope for him when he was elected! So I was talking to my neighbour the other day about which way she thought the election might go and she was saying that while nobody wants to see Macron re-elected, the problem was that there seemed to be no viable opposition - and my gardener said the same thing! Macron basically ran against right wing Marine Le Pen last time and won but this time who knows. Not me, certainly. Oh I've seen the various politicians and understand their views as regards the pandemic, the vax passport and so on, but as to their general politics, I have no idea. We have François Asselineau, who I have appreciated very much during the pandemic. He has promised a vote on withdrawal from the EU (but for god's sake take a look at what a pig's ear that made of Britain) and NATO - but I liked him (not that I get a vote anywhere right now). Jean-Luc Melenchon - I have no idea but my neighbour says he is a nasty piece of work but talks a good talk (don't they all). But the most frightening to me is Eric Zemmour, who is more far right than Marine Le Pen! I had heard of him but only got to listen to him for the first time the other day - the racism just drips out of him like autumn rain on an oak tree. The problem is - he is very, very eloquent so damn! God knows we don't want any more Macron and his (former) relationship as Pfizer's banker, but who the hell do we have to replace him? (Try googling "qui est le banquier de Pfizer en France" - who is Pfizer's banker in France? - and see what pops up)!

Anyway, that's enough drama for today 'cos it's my birthday. Yeah, 63 and still raring to go! I went over to Jordan and Jen's today as Jordan works a half day on Fridays so I got to see my son as well as my sweetheart grandson on my birthday. I swear if that baby smiles any wider he will tear his lips! I can see that the Munchkin is about ready to try crawling - that bum goes up in the air but then he falls flat on his nose! So I got down on the floor opposite him and the two of us grunted our way towards crawling but he isn't there yet. As Jen said, at least she got her floor cleaned because grandma and babe covered most of the kitchen area on their bellies! While I was there Jordan showed me a bathroom sink that he was given from work to replace the one in their bathroom and a tap unit that would cost €400 if sold to the public that his boss told him to take if he wanted it for their bathroom renovation!!! I had mentioned to him about working on my bathrooms little by little because god knows they need it and he said that he had a couple of new sinks that I could use in my bathroom if I just went out and bought the tap units. So job done. I can wait for the rest, he can instal the sinks and taps as and when, I can pay him good money to do that, then repaint the units under them and have half a decent bathroom started! Yay me and yay him, because I feel I really need to push him to gain confidence and get started on doing plumbing on the side!

So that's about it for today at least. I met up yesterday with my dear American friend who I haven't seen for maybe four years because she was living in Ireland (more on that tomorrow). It was hard going because I find her so "broken", probably more mentally than physically, but I feel that somehow she's living her reality that is the US right now, despite the fact that she doesn't live there any more! I love her to bits and hate to see how fragile she has become. But, as I say, more on that tomorrow!

And again I see the terrible covid stats in north America and have a hard time comprehending it from over here. But just for comparison, I took this screen shot of official stats the other day to show just how different things are here!


These are the official stats from the State of Haute Savoie as at 20 September. 

Taux d'incidence - incidence - 71.6/100,000 - (I'm guessing that's positive tests).

Taux de positivité - positivity - 1.4% (down 0.1 points)

23 September

Hospitalisations - 50 (+5)

Patients in ICU - 16 (stable - that includes all ICU patients, not just covid)

Total deaths - 1,066 (stable) - since the beginning of the pandemic. The last four months have shown maybe 10 deaths.

Discharged from hospital (since the beginning of the pandemic) - 5,335 (+3)

Regional statistics:

R number (at 12 August) - 1.08  

Taux d'occupation en réa (ICU bed occupancy) - 24.5% (today I just saw 12% but that hasn't been posted yet).

So of course I don't understand what's going on in north America and I can't relate. I hope you will see now why my reality is so very different from so many of yours. Either way, stay safe!



16 comments:

  1. Happy, Happy Birthday!
    I am not sure there is such a thing as a decent and honest politician on the national level of any nation.
    As for covid, 7 people I know have died form Covid since December 2020. To know 7 people who died in one year would be extreme, but 7 who died from the same disease is an anomaly. And these are not just people I knew just to speak to, but people I actually knew pretty well. It is frightening

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    1. Hi Anne, and thank you for your birthday wishes. As for politics - I'm pretty sure they all stink. Or at least, if they don't stink they won't be around for long will they. But compare your experience with covid to mine. The only person I know in my immediate relationships to get covid is my friend Valérie, who got covid right at the beginning and said it was like a bad cold. Plus a few colleagues - and again - just like a bad cold. But for you to have 7 people die - well that's just horrific. The only two people I know of who have died of covid are in the States and are my ex-husband's lovely cousin in Pittsburgh (who also had asthma) and another person in Texas. I don't know anyone over here. Either way, I'm so sorry! Nobody deserves to lose their lives to this horror!

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  2. I, too enjoy the scent of cut tomato plants. One thing about Macron, you may not like what he does all the time, but he's reliable, so I suspect he'll be re-elected. As for the Covid stats over here? It's everywhere. We have people out from work with it, so far no one has died, but you know it's probably not good when you're told someone is going to be out indefinitely.

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    1. I know a couple of people at work contracted covid right at the beginning but nobody was hospitalized so I just don't understand the explosion in north America. The only thing I can think that was done differently over here was mandatory masks in indoor public places (and a few outdoor places like markets) but .... As for Macron I think he will be re-elected, but only because of the lack of a viable opposition candidate! I guess we'll find out next May!

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  3. Oh, Happy Birthday! Some day I want fall in France and perhaps we could celebrate in person. It does seem all countries end up just trying to get the best of the worst when it comes to politics. No one really stands out as being for us, just less awful versions of their opponent perhaps. My niece in law getting so sick was my shocker that we're far from over. I feel horrible for the health care workers.

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    1. When this is all over do let me know if you intend coming to France as I would love to show you around (the best airport to fly into is Geneva though, not Paris). As for politicians, are any of them honest any more? I don't think an honest person could ever make it as a good president (look at Jimmy Carter), because big money is what drives it all isn't it!

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  4. "Alberta reported 1,660 new COVID-19 infections Thursday, bringing the total number of active cases to 20,180. Labs completed nearly 18,000 tests, putting the province’s positivity rate at 9.4 per cent.

    Officials said 1,058 people were in hospital as of Thursday, with 226 being treated for COVID-19 in ICUs. An additional 17 deaths linked to the virus were also reported."

    We only have a population of 4.4 million. Our premier said the pandemic was over at the beginning of July and all restrictions were gone, including masking. Then he disappeared for three weeks at the end of August while covid numbers kept going up. He did nothing until forced to. It's a mess and it criminal I think.

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    1. It was reading your post yesterday that pushed me to post this actually because I just don't understand the numbers you're dealing with. My nurse friend called me again on Sunday re sewing club and I asked her how it was going at work and yet again she said it was fine. A couple of covid cases who needed oxygen for a few days and then they were sent home. Like I said above, the only thing I can think that has been done differently here is mandatory masking indoors and I haven't seen anyone kick off about it. For sure numbers will go back up with the approach of winter but please god let that be the end of it. But you're right, it is a mess and I seriously do think it's criminal!

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  5. Belated birthday wishes for yesterday. I’m almost politics dried out; where have all the honest, middle of the road, sensible folk gone? Concentrating my energy on what I can control, like the garden - no Covid-19, panic buying, or hyperinflation there and yes I love this time of year, when you put some of it to bed and plant a few surprises for the Spring. So sad to see an old tree go but planting then watching a new one blossom and ultimately fruit always brings a smile.

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    1. I have stayed away from the newspapers/TV news during the week because I'm politicked out too, but with the upcoming presidential elections here in France we can't avoid it right now. And yes I hate to see my lovely tree go but in a good wind those branches come flying off and it really is now rotten through and through. Time to find a replacement methinks!

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  6. First up, Happiest of Birthdays!!

    Your garden, even with trees removed sounds lovely.

    Our CVID numbers are uo because many Americans are a spoiled selfish lot.

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    1. Thanks Bob. My garden really is lovely - but no thanks to me. I'm just so lucky to have the fields at the back and the mountain view. But I will definitely replant as I loved my trees (the cherry went last year and now this)! And while I have no doubt our covid numbers will go up in winter (because they always do), I've had a few nurses telling me that the numbers and the severity are really ok - nothing like at the beginning of the pandemic! Except for my kids I tend to keep myself mostly to myself and I'm fine with that. I'm also happy to go walking in the mountains on my own - that's how I'm happy to spend my time. It's kinda sad though when the highlight of your week is grocery shopping though isn't it.

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  7. Here's what's going on here- everyone gaslighting themselves about the virus. As hospital continue to overflow and families lose loved ones, we all pretend that it's over, done, no need to worry any more.

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    1. Oh my gosh, I don't for one minute think it's over and no way would I go anywhere crowded as I wouldn't feel safe. We still have mandatory masks indoors and all stores provide sanitizers for your hands and your shopping cart. I think this winter will be rough again. I can only hope by spring we really will be over it!

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  8. Replies
    1. Thank you so much. It was quiet but that's fine by me!

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