Shades of Grey

I'm not much of a one for black and white shots. I love to look at them, but need more practice to get them right myself. Although I thought about contrast when I took this, it's needed a bit of duo-toning to make it look how I imagined it. Here are the three bridges across the Tech at Ceret. From front to back you have the 13th century (I think - old anyway) Pont du Diable, the modern road bridge and the unused rail bridge.

Another bright shiny and awesomely cold day today, so after the septic tank inspection* we headed out for a walk down by the river. Mr B was down here for a quiet head-clearing walk yesterday and spotted an otter. In fact, he watched an otter eat his lunch (huge otter, therefore male he supposed) and then slink off. No such luck today - even though the kids were admirably quiet. I may pop down there again with the camera to see if I can spot him.

A day, apart from that, of fighting with Conor over the need for some 'schooling' to be part of 'homeschooling' (I won, in the end) and with Katherine over the need to write something. She, having been a child renowned throughout... well, throughout our house at least, for her story-writing has now declared quite firmly "I hate writing". Odd.

We've** been watching a TV series Mr B remembers from his youth over the past week or so: The Flashing Blade. I don't remember it (Mr B and I have a constant reprise that while he - city boy - was watching telly I - country girl - was out climbing trees) but it turns out it's a French series dubbed into English. In French it was "Le Chevalier Tempete". Tonight we realised that they never bothered dubbing the last episode because it's just the sappy one about the Chevalier's love affair. The kids loved it all though - even despite the quite complex political situation (something about the succession to the Duchy of Savoie. That's probably wrong because even I stopped listening and got on with sewing a rug.) and all the philosophy that kept cropping up at the end of each action-packed episode.

Mr B and I also had much discussion today about the choice we are faced between the mad crazy and potentially bankrupting option of buying a mad wreck to not live in while we do it up, or the nice sensible but still with some work to do house that we saw last week. It's all very difficult. If only life were more black and white. It's the shades of grey I can't deal with.

* Sigh. In France, everything is inspected. We didn't even know where our septic tank was until this morning - so little has it troubled us over the last 13 years. Now, thanks to this inspection, we'll have to have it emptied and inspected again.... Tomorrow the termite man arrives. So much for caveat emptor....

** Meaning Mr B and the kids really. The 'TV' at the moment is in fact my computer monitor. Meaning that my normal approach of catching up on blip while they're watching the telly has gone by the by. I am very much looking forward to having a telly again and getting back my blip-hours.

EDIT: Flashing Blade titles