The view from my window

The view from my window
The view from my window

Monday 18 April 2022

It's been a while!

I see it's over two weeks since I posted but even though I've been somewhat busy, things haven't been that exciting so I guess there was not much to report really! I fell into a bit of a slump for a few days the other week and got very little done, but I've come to realize if I allow myself that slump it only takes a short while for the energy to get going again. I've always known I'm a tortoise rather than a hare, so I guess it's best to go with your natural flow, isn't it!

So what's new, apart from the fact that my ex has been and gone. As I said previously I didn't think he looked very well when he arrived, but that could initially have been put down to jet leg. As time went on however (he was here three weeks), I thought that he looked less and less well, and on his last day here I thought he looked terrible! That being said, things between us were fine, there were a few run-ins with my sons, but at least he has now met Charlie and seen his boys for the first time in three years. There's a whole other back story too, which I may or may not write about in time, but when I was talking to my sister this weekend and I went on a breathless rant for what seemed like about 30 minutes (but probably wasn't), I realized I  haven't done that since we split up! I guess it goes to show where my stress came from, right?

Jen's grandparents had come down for Charlie's birthday so one day we all took a trip into Geneva to visit the Natural History Museum (something Jen's grandparents enjoy very much, apparently). We spent a couple of hours in there, but to be honest when you see some of those sea creatures wouldn't it make you wonder why on earth you ever set foot in the ocean again! There was one exhibit which I can only describe as looking like a huge, fat squid and boy if I ever came across that in the ocean I think I would faint (although I expect the squid might feel the same way looking at me in a swimsuit)!

On my ex's last day we met up over at Jordan and Jen's place for lunch and then sat in the little park belonging to their apartment building waiting for Jordan to finish work. The babe explored his new surroundings, André played guitar and my ex pretty much slept for about three hours lying in the grass. Jen and I each had a bottle of Tourtel lemonade and at one point I looked over at Charlie only to see him playing with an empty bottle. What on earth the neighbours thought seeing us giving "beer" to him goodness only knows!


Other than that I've been pottering around and it's been quite satisfying to be slowly moving things forward in chunks of about a couple of hours work a day. André had given me a €100 gift card for a large garden centre near here so I headed out there one afternoon, fretting slightly because what if I didn't spend the whole €100? Would they give me a credit for the difference? Ha! What a joke! Since when could I not spend €100 in that place? I felt a bit daft at one point, though, because I've been looking for a watering can with a "daisy-thingy" spout for ages but could never find one. I mean, ages and yet while I was in the garden centre I picked up a whole bunch, looked inside one of them and there was the detachable head! Well of course, they put them inside the watering can so as not to lose them! I swear if I had half a brain I'd be dangerous!

Picture of a watering can - just in case!

Continuing on the gardening theme, I saw a youtube video claiming to show you "how to easily cultivate coriander (cilantro) seeds". Basically he soaked the seeds in water, crushed them slightly, wrapped them in cloth and put them away in a warm, dark place for three days. All well and good so far, of course, but do you think I can remember where I hid them? Nope, almost a week later I still haven't found them so I'm kinda waiting for yet another triffid to start making it's way along the shelves and out the door of some cupboard or other soon!

I'm not sure what's going on with the farm since the farmer died, but I was delighted to see the other day that there are now goats, sheep and about a dozen cows out in the fields behind me. But given that they have the whole mountainside to themselves, I can't help but wonder why the cows all huddle together in one spot!

I was also delighted to see that our village is going to hold its first village fête in four years this year. They were doing some rebuilding work at the community hall for the first two years and then of course covid intervened, but I can only imagine how everyone will be looking forward to it this year. It is very rural, something akin to la France profonde, very sociable and it remains one of the most popular village fêtes around!

My friend and I went out to our first vide-grenier last week-end, both of us dreading buying more junk that we didn't need (we didn't), but it was so lovely to be out and about again after so long. It was gloriously sunny but by golly the wind was fierce on that plâteau so we stayed just long enough to have a wander and then hightailed it back to the warmth of the car!


When I got back I was sitting watching my latest Netflix goodie (Anatomy of a Scandal) when the bloody phone went at 11.15 p.m.! I'm getting more and more of these telemarketers and I know it's randomized computer dialing, but do they really think they're going to get any money out of me at that time of night? I don't answer, of course, and they never leave a message, but still, time to unplug the landline at night, methinks!

And finally, I talked briefly over Easter with a friend who is going through a very unpleasant divorce. So unpleasant, in fact, that she found out he had placed what seems to be voice-activated recorders in her home - which is her home that she bought before marriage! Man oh man, there are so many ways you can be spied upon it's unreal. But that brings to mind a story on a site that I follow where one lady discovered that her soon-to-be-ex had placed a GPS tracking device in her car, after he'd run off with his mistress but before their divorce was finalized. So she got her own back on him (and probably drove him mad in the process) by getting her neighbour to place it in his car until the divorce was final. He was a travelling salesman!


18 comments:

  1. Happy Easter! Wow Charlie’s grown, he looks amazing. Things do seem to be getting back to normal a bit now and it’s good to get out and about. I hate telemarketing. I must get half a dozen calls a day. Drives me mad. What a horrible job they have. I couldn’t do that for a living.

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    1. I agree the telemarketers have a rotten job so I'm never rude but ....! The last one I talked to I asked her what their CEO earned and told her to get back to me!

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  2. You've been a busy bee! Charlie seems to enjoy a drink now and again as we all do ;) I have to say I chuckled at your coriander seeds story! I hope you find them soon. As for your friend, I have a friend who separated from her husband but she has agreed to give him ANOTHER chance, he is nasty as your friend's husband-ugh!

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    1. I suppose it's easy to fall for their sob stories and so many (women and men) get suckered into giving chance after chance. I think the trick is watch their actions, not their words. Words are cheap!

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  3. Charlie and the bottle... that's cute. Did you buy and of Thiery's cheese? I'll bet it's delicious. In other words, your Ex lazed around for a couple of weeks; at least he showed up, that does count for something.

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    1. The ex visited a few friends while over here, but there was a lot of lazing around too. And yes I bought some of Thiery's cheese - I always do and somehow it always tastes better being bought from the market!

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  4. That picture of Charlie is wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Oh Charlie fits right in, as you can imagine!

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  5. Glad your ex has come and GONE! Sounds like he may be unwell.
    Little Charlie is so adorable! Such a fun age!
    The picture of the farm reminds me of "Heidi". Did you ever read that? I read it so many times as a child and cried and cried, every time.

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    1. That's the whole point with my ex. I/we, and I think even he, thinks he may be pretty unwell. I triggered it when I spotted certain things, asked André if I was imagining it (he said not) so I managed to catch him at layover in D.C. and sent him a long, but very kind message laying out our fears and begging him to get to the doctor's/hospital. He agreed that he was worried too and will let us know! And no I never read Heidi (I'll have to put it on my ever-growing "to read" list) - but watching Belle and Sebastian is what made me fall in love with France as a little kid.

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  6. Glad you survived being thrown into situations with the ex with no criminal charges or bloodshed!
    Charlie is absolutely adorable!
    I have Anatomy of a Scandal queued up and ready for some serious watching time.

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    1. I was fine with my ex, even had a few good conversations with him, but I think it was André and Jordan that did the blowing up with him. They're all ok now but it was tense at times!

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  7. Hopefully your ex husband sees a doctor. So many people are afraid of cancer that they will avoid doctors until it's too late to help them.

    I think cows group together for safety because even though they are domesticated, they were wild at one time. There is safety in numbers.

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    1. I think not wanting to go to the doctor is very much a male thing because we woman often don't have much choice. I think he will go, though, because he told me he was scared. I hope he does! And yes of course, cows are probably more afraid of us than we are of them, so it makes sense!

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  8. What a cutie Charlie is! Hopefully your ex will heed your advice.

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    1. Charlie is an absolute doll - and I love that picture. That kid will fit right in!

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  9. Being let loose in a garden centre is always enjoyable but with a €100 gift card that must have been divine.

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    1. It was heaven on earth! Every time I go there I want to completely re-do my home and garden but to say it's pricey would be an understatement!

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