Modern cars are marvellous - when they work. I love my Peugeot 2008, but he has an awful lot of bells and whistles, and he is very communicative. His latest communication was that the level of additive in one of his filters was dangerously low and I needed to do something about it. Of course, with bells and whistles, you have to take the car to a garage to make any sense of it, and I have a quote for putting said additive into the required spot, but from 10 days ago, when the car started to tell me this, the garage couldn't actually put said additive in until sometime next week. I was sent away with my quote and dire warnings about keeping my kilometres to a minimum as a problem would be even more expensive to fix (I believe them as a replacement wing mirror (new) was 650€ - I went previously owned). Anyway, that meant that I got to play on public transport for my trip to the big city (Angers) this week for my rendez-vous with my rheumatologist.
It was actually quite fun and relaxing letting the bus take the strain. At a higher level, I could see over hedges and across fields that I can't as a car passenger, and shouldn't as a car driver. The journey took about the same time as it would if I had driven myself, although the wait at the bus stop for it to arrive added on time. it was less stressful as it wasn't me driving and of course I didn't have to find the entrance to the car park I use that seems to move every time I visit the city. Overall a positive experience, and as I had to wait for the return bus, I could sit in a café and enjoy a pot of tea, watching the world go by.
The big event in our village this year will be the 148th Comice - a sort of village fete/agricultural show/fertility festival/excuse for fun and games all rolled into one. Most years I do a blog about floats and animals and the like, if you look back through August posts. Since November last year, I have been part of the Decorating work party. We have brainstormed ideas, then spent happy Thursday evenings making bunting, lots of bunting, panels with music, panels with silhouettes of dancers, templates for painting silhouettes of dancers on covered straw bales, bunting (did I mention the bunting), and table decorations for the sit down meals. On Friday there was an open meeting to engage even more volunteers - an event like this needs about 240 volunteers in the run up and over the weekend of the event, and for taking stuff down too. That is in addition to the municipal staff who have to do the 'at height' bits, and the farmers who provide the fields, the straw bales and other more arcane services. These two photos are unashamedly nicked from the Comice Facebook page, while you can find more on the website.
Along with most of western France, we have been on orange alert today for storms - it's been hot, consistently hot, for about 3 weeks now. Not the seriously awful 35 - 42ºC we were going through this time last year, but consistently 28 - 31ºC in the shade. Last week there was a bit of rain, which drove up the humidity to seriously unpleasant levels, bringing on a heat related malaise that I never want to experience again. This morning was a bit cooler, but this afternoon the promised storms hit. We reckon about 12mm rain here at home (probably more at The Shack as it is a bit further north and on the track of the storms), and for a while, a more comfortable temperature, but it will take a while to cool down the inside of the house.
And then of course on Friday, there was the earthquake - no pictures of that! But at 18:38 on Friday afternoon/evening, as I was sitting perspiring on the sofa with a cat at my side, there was a bit of noise, and the sofa seemed to wobble. I thought that there had been a particularly overloaded tractor and trailer going past, or wondered if the structural integrity of the sofa was about to fail. Social media soon put me right. We are so pleased we got the chimney fixed last year, or that would have come down I think. Anyway, no damage hereabouts, although people are blaming poor internet and dodgy electricity on it.
The trail camera has been rotated about 90º to the west, as something was setting it off in the early morning, but with the rising sun falling straight on the camera, I had no idea what it might be. I think this is the culprit and it is not one of ours!
The stag is out and about quite a bit, always handsome to see, and doesn't he know it!!
While the boar have been busy doing what boar do, at least twice a year, and then brought the latest batch to visit. I have got a nice little video, but with the storm bouncing around making internet connections a bit hit and miss, really couldn't be bothered to fight the fight to get it up. Perhaps for next week. But here is a cute, stripy person.
And of course, not just one.... Have a good week!
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