So Saturday has arrived. Samedi est arrivé as the revolting French would put it. Who knows what the day will bring. A dramatic about turn in the England cricket team’s performance on the pitch at Lords! Hopefully. Not sure I can look. I’m a lightweight like that. Hide behind the sofa. A bit like when Dr Who was on when I was a kid.
Got a bit of shopping to do this morning Fosters for a chicken and some lamb then Waitrose for posh balsamic vinegar, asparagus and a few other bits and bobs. Also need to take my linen jacket in for cleaning. The one I wear to go and watch cricket matches. Not sure it’s ever been cleaned! About time.
Some days a jacket can be seen as over dressing, especially in these times of unusually hot summers, but I have to have somewhere to keep my wallet and phone n stuff.
The French are indeed revolting, again. They do have form when it comes to revolting. All I can say is just get it over before the Rugby World Cup in September. Regime change, whatever. We don’t care who is in charge as long as the bars remain open for watching the rugby. And the restaurants and the little boulangeries down the street where we will be nipping out to buy our pain and croissants for breakfast.
I’m currently researching duffel bags. I have got a big North Face one somewhere that I used for the Coast to Coast walk but I’m blowed if I can find it. It must have been left somewhere. Worranuisance.
I’ll be away for six weeks so need some storage capacity. Not that I have six weeks worth of underwear so will have to get some cleaning done en route. Can’t imagine I’ll be wearing the same pair of shorts for six weeks either. Or t shirt 🙂
This will be the longest trip we have undertaken. Timewise. Kids are taking it in turns moving into our house in the meantime. At least someone will benefit from the tomato harvest, and the raspberries, apples and anything else going. It’s a bit of an adventure and although still two months away we are starting to get excited.
Everything is planned for the first month. Then Anne flies home with some of the girls and I hang around for a couple more weeks, at least until after the Japan v Argentina game in Nantes at which point us lads will amble back at a comfortable pace. I daresay you will be hearing a lot more about this trip when it happens.
Ciao for now mes amis.
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The morning shop has been done. Some fresh produce from various markets as previously discussed.
I feel I need to do something today although the criquet is on. At lunchtime i can trim the bits of lamb shoulder purchaysed from the butch. They didn’t have fillet but tbh what we have is fine. Spending time cooking is one of the luxuries of the modern society.
Back in the cave man days the time would have been spent looking for the food but obvs that isn’t the case nowadays. Not totes true as I do like to meander around the aisles in Waitrose checking out the food action. If you get the timing right you can pick up some good reductions though that is not my primary motivation in Waitrose.
I do sometimes stop for a coffee but am very conscious that most of the people in the caff are old farts with whom I don’t really want to be associated.In their old caff I used to occasionally treat meself to a bacon roll. When they opened this new one they changed the bacon from back to a few measly bits of streaky so I stopped that. They may well have changed it again now but I’ve not tried it out to see.
Bought a book yesterday: The Living Mountain (Canons): A Celebration of the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland: 6 by Shepherd, Nan. Arrives today. It was mentioned on a TV programme about the river Dee. See how it goes. If I don’t order these things there and then I forget.
I don’t always read all of a book. Sometimes i just read a few early chapters and decide the rest of it can wait on the shelf. My recent purchases about the Manx Electric Railway are good examples. There is only so much you can absorb about changes to the per way between 1906 and 1914. Nice to have though.
Someday soon I’ll sort my bookshelves in the shed. A quick glance to my left identifies the follow books on display:
- The Fighting Ship of the Royal Navy 897 – 1984
- The adjustable Spanner (definitive guide)
- Manual of Seamanship Vol 1 1932
- The Great Eastern Railway, Cecil J.Allen
- The London & North Western Railway, O.S.Nock
- The Ultimate Guide to Knots
- Llyfr Y Tri Aderyn, Morgan Llwyd
- The bartender’s guide
- Spitfire, Portrait of a Legend
- Collins Bird Guide
- Blacksmith
- Bradshaws 1863
I think you will agree there are some gooduns in there. I have yet to open the book of knots. It includes some bits of string/rope with which to practise my knot tying. May happen 🙂
Meanwhile the cricket is trundling along nicely, for the Aussies.