Rabies!

All the cats have now had their rabies vaccines, been weighed and given a clear bill of health, but here's the kicker! Do you remember a few weeks ago when I was so worried about Finn's weight? Well, he's the heaviest of them all! Gigi is next heaviest, which is funny as she's almost the smallest (Bambam and Cotton weigh the same, which is tiny).  The dog was the worst for his shots and cried like a girl as he hid behind my legs! Tomorrow it's the turn of BF's dogs, sheesh!

The house drama continues and I can't even talk about it!

Today I packed up the large wool cupboard.  The balls are arranged by colour. Box one is white, blue, purple and pink. Box two, reds, browns, golds and all the rest! You would think that seeing all this wool would give me a sense of perspective, but no! I was thinking about how many lovely wools I should double up on, just in case! I must stay away from the wool shop!

I lost myself tonight in The Handmaid's Tale and Poldark. The first was quite moving and the second a bit too political. Both needed women to give the men a good kicking in the tenders!!!

Tomorrow, I have lots of forms to fill in. They say that moving house is as stressful as divorce. I would argue that case but I'm not sure in which direction! Both induce insanity!!!

Thank you Nigel Slater.

It's been a tough weekend emotionally. I feel a little put through the ringer and although I love this rain and how lush the gardens are, the weather and stress combined have edged me closer to a fibro flare. I'm not too bad, but my shoulders are tightening and threatening to undo me!

I took a couple of hours out and watched Nigel Slater with my BF. I love his style of cooking and presenting his show. So gentle and softly spoken, like a soothing balm.

I'm now cooking his slow roast pork with Asian spices and roast potatoes. A good end to the weekend and something to get me ready to face the phone calls and unpleasant jobs tomorrow.

 I did get pony cuddles from BF's horses, Flash above and Benson below <3

Oh heck! (and that's being polite!)

I've been back less than a week and things seem to have hit a good deal of stumbling blocks. To say that I'm stressed is a huge understatement, but I am. It's the feeling of not being in control that's the worst part.
Six weeks ago, all parties concerned agreed on a date for completion and that date is ten days away. It seems that we're not going to make that date and it's frustrating the hell out of me! Yesterday I was in danger of developing stress related Turettes!!!

Lets look at some photos of the house and calm down before another round of phone calls begins.
We have about 6 apple trees all varying in age and condition. 

We also have two walnut trees and a couple of cherry trees :D

In our favourite town of Guemene, there are at leat three wash houses where traditionally women would gather to do the laundry.

The atmosphere is so hushed and almost waiting for the chatter to resume. I can see myself sitting here to do some sketching when I'm in need of inspiration.

This washhouse had been renovated with a typical Breton roof of tiny tiles.

In the water running from the central wash area there were lots of tiny purple/blue dragonflies. You can just see one on the leaf in the center of this picture.

Back in the main part of Guemene, there are lots of old and empty houses. 

I think I may be painting some of these in time.

Back to my garden, I have my very own standing stone! It's not very big, about the size of a milking stool, but it's a good spot to sit in and sketch. I drew plans for the gardens while I was sitting here.

The main garden is sooo overgrown now, but we can't wait to get stuck into tidying it up and adding our own plants.

However, first on the list of essential items is to put a toilet in the bathroom!!!

Hardly suprising!

I have high blood pressure! Well, I think anyone could see that coming!  My family all suffer from blood pressure and heart related issues so I need to watch my diet, stop eating such rich food and cut down on my stress. Hmmm.....  how successful will that be, I wonder. 

I've had a quarter of melon for my breakfast and will have some green tea with mint mid morning, probably with some more fruit.  I don't eat a lot of chocolate or biscuits or snacks, so it must be the lack of portion control that's getting to me. That and the red wine! Hey ho, abstinence, here I come!

Packing....

That's all I seem to be doing at the moment! That and frequent runs to the tip or charity shop. I'm amazed at how little value is placed on books these days! I managed to sell a whole bag full for a measly £5 when I knew full well there were some collectables in there, but I guess it was better than a kick in the teeth!
It's a shame that as a society we care so little about reusing things. I love second hand items. I love the feeling of using a tool that's been repaired and cared for, or reading a book that's clearly been read over and over. I found a lovely crochet blanket in a charity shop once for less than £5 and I had to have it, just for the love and time that went into making it.
Clearing out my home has made me realise that I'll only be keeping the things I really cherish and I'll mourn all the wasted money on items that I wanted for no good reason!

This purchase, however, I bought for a very good reason! I really, really wanted it ;) The ebay seller contacted me and simply said 'make an offer', so I made a silly offer and it was mine! I stressed so much that I'd probably bought something nasty and full of poopy bits, but no! Barely a handful of waste was in the fleece.

 It was dirty, but plain old dirt, that's all. The fibers were long and crinkly and I had to wash it right away.

 My son commented on the wool people enjoying the sun, haha!

 And look at how soft and fluffy it is now. I can't wait to spin it, but it's been packed with the rest and will be on it's way to France next week!

 A very rare picture of me and my lovely BF <3

 I had Walley for the day again on Sunday and he and Manchee had a great time in the woods, running everywhere really quickly!

Tomorrow we're off to Brittany. We'll be taking a few things to store and will spend some time at our house. I can't wait :D

Where did the morning go?

After a fairly tiring weekend I tried to have a lie in this morning! The dog was having none of it and fidgeted, huffed and scratched until I gave in and staggered to the kitchen for a cuppa.  Now he's asleep on the sofa and I've somehow managed to waste the morning on my laptop! The thought of buying a fairly cheap ice cream maker is however spurring me to get moving!

My lovely BF created another recipe for our 'book' and it was divine, all my favourite things on a plate. It's a warm version of a salad nicoise with cooked mackeral fillets and a caper butter dressing.

 Sunday I had Walley for most of the day as he needed another haircut and Echo wouldn't let me do it without sticking her face in the clippers! Walley was an angel while I clipped him and Manchee just watched from a safe distance  He was clipped last week and didn't enjoy it one bit!
We then went for a cool walk in the woods and they came back and crashed out on the sofa ( I joined them and we all had a nap, haha).