Journal Thursday 4th September

Morning all. 5.45am start today, hubs has gone back to bed, but I’m starting to enjoy this quiet time, still dark, 2 sleeping dogs. It’ll only be improved by lighting the log burner, and I can’t imagine those days are more than a few short weeks away.

The kitchen/dining room/sofa in front of the fire room, is where I’m writing now. Sitting outside under the pergola in the pitch black with the foxes screaming around me might suit my Autumn aesthetic, but does little for the nerves.

I’ve even turned on the fairy lights this morning, the ones that run along the old oak beam that we had put in when we knocked the wall through. I have another set in our makeshift drinks cabinet that just emit a nice soft glow from behind the glass, and more that frame the edges of the bookshelf, groaning under the weight of hundred cookery books, but I need to replace their batteries. Seems like this is the time to get that done because I can’t stand a “big light” at this hour.

I can confirm that Florence tickets were procured yesterday, despite my double checking my Ticketmaster France account the night before, changing the password accordingly and making sure I could log in, it wouldn’t bloody work would it. There I am, clock ticking down to when the items would be removed from my basket, waiting for a password re-set e-mail. My heart rate has only just returned to normal, but we have 2 precious (sadly seated because pit tickets were already gone), tickets for Paris in Feb next year. No visibility of train tickets for me yet, I guess it’s just a smidge too early, but I’ll keep checking.

Our wood delivery is due on the 10th of September, perfectly timed to coincide with a French general strike, but there’s also 2 days of planned industrial action by French air traffic control on the 18th and 19th September. Although the Euronews headline is “planned 24 hour strike”, but the wording says from the morning of the 18th, to the evening of the 19th. Well that’s not 24 hours then is it. Reason for concern is we have family and friends flying in, for what we have titled a mini beer festival, as kind of another add on to my 50th birthday. My friend has brought her flight forward to the Wednesday to try to avoid, we’re not sure if my bro-in-law and girlfriend can do the same yet with work commitments etc. Luckily our friends from the Netherlands are driving so remain unaffected. This is good news because we have a 7kg beef brisket in the freezer that we’re planning to smoke, and heaven only knows how we are going to get through all this without significant help. Anyway, that’s to worry about in a few weeks time.

Last night’s tea was home made Spanakopita, garlic and herb chips and (because it was out of date and needed using up), a pot of confit lemon hummus. It never ceases to amaze me how 2 huge bags of spinach disappear to nothing. I had to supplement with some stuff out of a jar with all the moisture squeezed out, but it worked a treat. They just so happened to have our filo pastry equivalent (it’s called brick here), in the supermarket which isn’t an everyday occurrence so I just thought why not. This is the time of year for a bit of nesting, and I tend to cook more when the weather is bad. Call it mindfulness if you will. At least I’m not giving you another soup recipe today, but it’ll come.

TTFN,

V x

“Generate a highly detailed, high-resolution image featuring a cozy autumn morning scene that embodies the essence of quiet living. Showcase a softly lit kitchen and dining area with a warm glow from a log burner, complemented by fairy lights twinkling along an old oak beam. Include two sleeping dogs in the foreground and a bookshelf laden with cookery books. The atmosphere should evoke a peaceful, intimate setting with gentle morning light filtering through the windows, casting soft shadows. Ensure sharp focus on all elements to capture the tranquil essence of this autumn moment”.