Prospecting

We went for a walk to search for possible gardens this afternoon. Despite appearances the very large one in which this car resides is in active use; in fact the cultivated part of it, behind a locked gate, is absolutely lovely and beautifully maintained.

The one we were looking for and eventually found after a muddy tramp through vines is definitely not in active use, but it does have potential. It's sheltered from prevailing winds by a shelf topped by a row of cypresses, and has a view out over the valley. It has a shed, is surrounded by fig trees, and it even has a water basin that S reckons is big enough to breed carp in. Downside: it's even further from a car-friendly track than our current garden is. Also we don't know whether the water supply is viable in summer, or who the owner is. It was a nice day for a walk anyway!

Yesterday evening was spent at a party thrown by one of our neighbours who's just successfully completed his second master's degree. He'd invited about 100 people and plied us with food and drink -- a pleasant evening mingling with neighbours and his work colleagues.  And this evening, my English book group, at which we discussed Reservoir 13 (my choice and still the best book I've read this year). Everyone liked it, even the two people who didn't :) That is, they lavished praise on the writing and then said that nevertheless they didn't enjoy it.