The view from my window

The view from my window
The view from my window

Wednesday 12 October 2022

A mishmash!

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results! So I guess on those grounds I'm probably certifiable!!! If only I could learn to pace myself I wouldn't have the "crash and burn for a week" followed by the blahs because I overdid it again. As I've said before, I only have myself to blame but until I get it through my thick skull that everything doesn't have to be done today, I guess I'm doomed!

I was chatting to André at his place the other day and he was watching a vlog about a US family who had sold up completely in Texas and had been living on their catamaran (with their young kids) for the past few years. And he was telling me that he and his friend Matthias were thinking (more like day-dreaming) of doing the same thing - which actually made me laugh because (a) he doesn't know how to sail and (b) he gets motion sick just driving up the mountain! Buuuuuttttt, while I would push him to think long and hard about it, I would never be the one to try to talk him out of it. What right would I have anyway? I mean, I left a good-ish job and lovely boyfriend in England when I was 21 to move to Switzerland (definitely a great move). Then I resigned in 1983 to spend six months backpacking round Bali and Australia (again, another great move). The downside of that move, however, was then having to go back to work (again in Switzerland) in January 1984! Oh don't get me wrong, I was very grateful that my employer took me back but it was very hard to get back to the daily grind after all that freedom! Anyway he told me that he and Matthias were going to take sailing lessons on Lake Geneva to get their initial permits and was dumbounded when I told him I got mine in 1980. Yeah, in the five years that I lived as a single girl in Geneva I never spent even one single evening at home - I was always out! Not that I was always out partying, of course, but one of the things I did was take sailing lessons and I loved it! Oh I doubt that my permit would still be valid after all these years and I'm pretty sure I would never want to live full-time on a sail boat anyway but yep, I got the same thrill out of sailing as I did when I first took downhill skiing lessons! I'm a crap skier too, BTW, but the enthusiasm was always there!

I'm just thinking that now might be the best time to prepare and look into all this but not to do it, given the crazy situation the entire world seems to find itself in right now. On the other hand, isn't it often better to have given it a shot than to live with regrets? A lady at my sewing club finally came back to club last week after four months of hospitalisation and convalescence for a brain tumour they discovered (in May, I think). Then there's my sewing teacher's son who had just gotten his own apartment at the age of 26 (I think he's 35 now) when he was dashing down the stairs, fell and landed on his head, pushing part of his skull into his brain. She managed to keep him at home until very recently but was telling me the other night at dinner that they had had to place him in a secure institution for all their safety, given his unpredictability and furious rages! Then today I bumped into my other neighbours who I hadn't seen for a while. I knew they were off to Morocco at some point so hadn't really noticed their absence, but she was telling me that they had both been really ill with covid two weeks ago and were having a hard time recuperating - and this after both having four shots! They honestly can't say where they think they got it! I wish they'd reached out to me for any help they might need because I'm at home and could have pitched in. That being said, they have two adult children locally so I guess they didn't really need me did they! So yep, it's strange times we're going through and in any case no-one knows what tomorrow may hold, so who am I to try to discourage André?

I got both my water and electric bills this week and both have gone down again, so I'm pleased with that. Add to that that "the guy" is coming tomorrow to see if it would be possible to install a fire insert into my fireplace (fingers crossed) and then the solar panels should be fitted within the next month, it's all go again at the moment. To add to the current energy crises everyone seems to be going through at the moment, here in France we've got strikes blocking oil refineries so people are having to queue up at petrol stations - that is if they are fortunate enough to find one that has petrol! But again, we're so lucky to be just 25 minutes from Switzerland so at least we can make a trip over the border if needs be! So yep, things are tough at the moment. I was in LIDL last week and a rather handsome young man was working the cash register and I started thinking "I really hope you're only doing this as a stop-gap to make a bit of money" because to my mind LIDL shouldn't be his final destination. Not that I'm knocking shop-workers of course - hell I did it myself for five years while I was studying - but it is so mind-numbingly boring! As I watched him I realized I kinda expected him to be sullen because of that, but not a bit of it. He was chatty and friendly to everyone. And then I realized how many delivery drivers we have stopping round here every day - you know, Amazon, UPS, whoever. Boy do those guys work hard, but again are invariably polite and friendly, even if they probably don't feel like it!

Then the other day I stopped in at the very small library in Amancy to join up, even though I already have so many of my own books to read I'll probably never get them all read in my lifetime - I just wanted to support their efforts. So out of a total of - oh, I don't know - a whopping five books in English, you can imagine how thrilled I was to pick up a copy of The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson, whose writing I love! I saw the film version of his book A Walk in the Woods and didn't like it at all, but his writing I find just lovely. So I'm thinking I will also go into town and join the much bigger library (i.e. about the size of four cupboards instead of two) to have a wander round there and sit and enjoy the view. Maybe even walk there and back a few times as I really need to buck up my walking. I've written about this library before - it has the most spectacular view from the reading room, so would be well worth joining!

The view from the reading room!

I was looking after Charlie again on Friday and managed to get a great video of the two of us cracking up laughing. He now says papa and mama so I'm pushing him to say nana! In actual fact I think he was trying to say banana, because that's his favourite fruit, but I'll take that as a win for me! Anyway we were both laughing away so I showed him the video of "the little boy laughing" and he was pressing the buttons and so on - and somehow he's buggered up the apps on my phone. I guess that'll teach me to let him get too close to my phone, right?

My American friend here in France sent me a message from London the other day to say that her daughter had just given birth and included proud nana photos! Mom is American and French, and dad is Pakistani and Colombian, and since the baby was born in London he's also entitled to British citizenship. Heck he'll need a backpack to carry all those passports around with him! They had a scare a couple of days after they took him home though as the baby started "frothing at the mouth" (that's how she described it to me). As he was so little they called the emergency services, who were there within five minutes, and everything was fine in the end, thank goodness. But talk about "jammy" (as we used to say in England) - look at the view from her daughter's hospital room. Yep, the Houses of Parliament!

So while life is very much up and down for most people, I have nothing to complain about and I know it! I worked outside for an hour in the garden and if there's one way to make your house feel "too hot" (it's definitely not), then that would be to get outside for a while. It certainly chases away those blahs!

22 comments:

  1. I always love your pictures!

    I feel like you had a birthday recently (if I'm remembering correctly) because I just did, too - but maybe we're really just born in the same year? Anyway, if so, hope you had a wonderful birthday!

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    1. Hi Bobbie, yes my birthday was 24 September and I was born in 1958 so that makes me 64 (yikes)! So happy belated birthday to us both right?

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    2. Yes - October 8, 1958 for me! One year closer to Medicare!

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    3. So we're twin Librans. Bet you can't make your mind up easily either then!

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  2. I'm having a pity party tonight, brought on because the dog won't poop! Yeah, so many horrible things can happen. I have to remember this dog might be a lifeline to my daughter who struggles so with depression and self inflicted loneliness. I'll get through this and have a healthy dog. Charlie sounds so delightful! What a joy he must be.

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    1. I think with all that's been going on in the world these past couple of years (and is indeed still going on), it would be surprising if we didn't have the occasional pity party wouldn't it. And good for your daughter for getting a (constipated) puppy. They say animals are the best friends. As for Charlie, well he gets to be more fun every day!

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  3. You are really having a problem over there with petrol, as you call it. We have it, but it's a bit pricy and it's going to get pricier. This is how things go sometimes. Living on a catamaran might be fun, no lawn to mow.

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    1. Petrol is already much more expensive over here than in the US, hence most Europeans drive smaller cars. But yep it's a bit of a nightmare at the moment - like playing wack-a-mole with everything that could go wrong. But in the end, sod 'em, we just keep going. And I hadn't thought of the "no lawn mowing" bit for André, but then he lives in an apartment so it's a moot point!

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  4. What a lot you have going on right now. It sounds like an excellent time to get a fireplace and solar panels. I bet a lot of Europeans are going that path right now, and I hope you get it all done in time for winter. And you are so right about never knowing what is around the corner, so we might as well all seize the day and follow our desires! Carpe diem:)

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    1. The fireplace guy came this morning and will send me a quote, but in any case, it won't be fitted before April!!! Good thing it's not urgent for me then! And you're right about carpe diem. I know so many people who "waited until" and then everything went tits up before they could go for it!

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  5. I bet your son was amazed that you had gotten your sailing permit! I read a book last year, I think, about a family that decided to chuck it all in and take off on a sailboat. Let us just say that it was a cautionary tale.
    What a life you've led and what a life you do lead. Always busy, always interesting. I love that about you.

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    1. I think my son was pretty impressed but as for taking off and living on a boat, I think my advice to him will be 1. get your sailing permit, 2. go on a couple of sailing holidays and if you're still up for it after that, 3. ask for leave without pay for six months! Who knows what he'll do but I understand his frustration at the thought of having to work another 30 years. So yeah, I guess he gets that from me (but we still have to be sensible because we won't always be young either)!

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  6. I have read A Walk in the Woods before I watched the movie. I think, the book was so much better too. Lately I have been listening to a lot of books as I clean up and tidy my home or drive someplace. I think, I prefer reading over listening but, it sure helps the car rides and house chores more pleasant.

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    1. I think they absolutely murdered the film as they were trying way too hard and to be honest Robert Redford is just too old for it now (in my opinion). I must try audio books I guess because goodness knows I would get a lot done that way!

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    2. I read the book first and watched the movie and agree. The movie was lacking and I didn't care for Robert Redford in it. Come to think of it, I can't really think of anything I like his acting in much, LOL.

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    3. I don't think a film EVER comes close to the book - well maybe The Shining was pretty close but the book was still better. I think Robert Redford was just too old to be believable and the film tried too hard. A bit like Clint Eastwood forever being the leading hearthrob as a much older man and all the sweet young things were still falling for him. Don't get me wrong, he was still a very handsome man and I like older men anyway, but there comes a point where it just isn't believable any more (unless you're a very rich newspaper magnate I guess)!

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  7. I wouldn't want to sail around the world. I learned how to sail on my honeymoon, many, many years ago. I thought it was like very slow camping. Just wasn't for me. Maybe if I tried it now, I would enjoy it more. I'm much better at sitting now than when I was young:)

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    1. I agree with you absolutely. "Slow camping" and no, I wouldn't want to be confined to a boat. I think I'd rather do full-time RVing than that, but even that no longer appeals!

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  8. Afraid to say that despite being married to a man with a strong sense of adventure and a succession of boats over the years, the longest I’ve ever managed on board is probably 3 weeks. As soon as the wind gets up, the waves build and the rain becomes incessant I need my bed to be on terra firma and don’t get me started on the damp that infiltrates towels in salty air!

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    1. I don't think I'd even make three weeks, to be honest. I'd be forever pushing to moor in some quaint little cove and visit the local taverna (and stay there)!

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  9. So good of you to give advice but realize it's his decision. My Mother was always the same way and I always appreciated it. The book is almost always better than the movie, aren't they? Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know you tried the soup and enjoyed it. That always makes me smile.

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    1. My parents were the same too, although it could have just been exhaustion at that point as I was their 7th kid! It was one thing to go to Switzerland at 21 but I imagine a total other thing for them to see me head off backpacking to Australia at 24!!!! As for the book, yes you're right, but then can a film ever compete with your own imagination - I don't think so. And thanks again for posting some great recipes. We have our next board game evening on Saturday and I'm going to take your white chili/chicken, which I'm sure will be yet another big hit!

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