I can't remember if sleep was hard to come by in the first confinement, but this time round it isn't easy, and there have been some deeply weird dreams. Today I am trying a healthier day to see if that makes any difference. First off, and force majeure as there is no bakery in the village any more, was breakfast, and a delicious bowl of porridge with quince jelly to get the day going. Hopefully the oats will prove that they really are a super food - quince is also pretty special. I should point out that I don't make the porridge, and it is also not my quince jelly - so a double treat, in that someone else made it all!
The weather was once again miserable, so for much of the day, I had to content myself with staring at the computer and dealing with trying issues that threaten to overwhelm me at the moment. So it was a relief as it got round to four o'clock that the skies cleared a bit, and I could change my mindset and find a blank attestation, my map of allowed walks and a few bits to deliver. Then I strode out armed with ID card, attestation, face mask and a desire for exercise and fresh air.
Once I had dropped off the things that needed to be dropped off, and had chatted with a friend who was walking her dog, I pursued the route I had mapped out in my head. Once I got to the highest point, I could look out towards the main road and one of the chateaux in the area, but actually while I thought a view into the distance would help, it only showed how short a distance I could go towards the horizon.
Back into the village and I went down to the Pont de Godeau (you can wait there, but Godot doesn't turn up I find) to see how the local river is swollen with the recent rain. That was a far more satisfying view.
This time, parks are not closed, so I could walk around the village lake and look back along the valley. Here I could let my imagination run wild as I was close to the site of the Battle of Vieil Baugé, (in)famous for being the turning point of the Hundred Years War. But sadly I stayed firmly grounded in the here and now - not least as next year is the 600th anniversary of the battle, but how many of the plans for celebrating that will actually happen? I had hoped my Scottish friends would be able to join us, but that looks less likely (the invitation still stands, guys).
Clearly I need to prepare myself mentally before taking advantage of my precious hour out and about. Something for tomorrow.
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