Flower Blip

Very busy day: quick trip to the market while Mr B snoozed off the lack of sleep from his journey here. I left the kids playing in the garden, so had that constant feeling of having forgotten something while I was out. I guess I just always have the kids with me. Surprising how much you can get done in an hour without the kids... Managed to persuade the English book stall lady on the market to take the books I don't want, even though she's thinking of giving up her stall due a fight with the Mairie over whether she's allowed to have a caravan in her farmyard. Also a long and very entertaining chat with the lady giving away samples of wine in the supermarket. I am seeking out folk who have the time to just chat a bit about nothing much as I'm sure it must be improving my confidence, if not actually my French.

The rest of the day was an endless march up and down stairs carrying junk. Having the van means we can do one big trip to the tip instead of a hundred small ones with the car. But Mr B's shoulder dislocation, aggravated by some ill-advised bag carrying in London, means I'm doing all the carrying. So today I dismantled a sofa (spanner, screwdriver, scissors and a good kick were all used) and learned more than I really ever wanted to know about efficient van packing.

Tonight we relaxed with a chicken tagine that the kids mostly ignored and a lovely bottle of wine recommended by my new supermarket wine lady friend.

So, the photo. *Warning, this section contains nostalgia that some viewers may find offensive*. This it the first object I ever saved up for completely by myself. I bought it when I was about 11 or 12 from Makro for £19.99. The painting came later, in my first term at college, and looking at this takes me right back there: to my teeny Holywell 1 room and playing the Waterboys on a permanent loop (I was a bit sweet on an Irish chap then). Of course, I should have been dutifully studying Roman Law instead of painting speakers, but in the end these flowers, rather than Lex Aquilia, are what take me back there.