Journal Thurs 27th Nov 2025

Afternoon all. Woke up to really thick fog this morning, and quite a heavy frost, but the sun was doing its best to burn through, illuminating the outlines of the cows in the field opposite. Red rose hips the only colour that wasn’t a shade of grey for miles around.

Another one of those nothing days that I do kind of live for. Nowhere to be, weather not good enough for any outside shenanigans, shopping done yesterday with some new recipes in mind to try over the next few days. Fire lit. Washing done and hung up. Gorgeous new bedding arrived from Next so that’s just in the wash now. Woodland creatures and toadstools and stars and moons and yes please. And sweet Jesus Christ, how much is a fitted sheet these days?!

Hubs had to nip out to return our utterly useless Orange box to the shop before they charge us 100 euros for it. Tried to post it yesterday via the drop boxes at Carrefour and it wouldn’t scan. *Should add, this is after my lovely MIL found me having a nervous breakdown trying to drop it off at the parcel drop off at Aldi instead….

I tried to take it to the post office and it still wouldn’t scan. I said what do I do now, she gave me directions to the local bar (also a parcel pick up point). I said why would they be able to scan it when we couldn’t. Insert Gallic shrug here. I took it home.

The Orange box hasn’t ever worked because the fibre cable ends opposite the house and no-one seems to want to claim responsibility for actually connecting it. We think the water board might have buggered it when digging something else up but who knows. We have great internet but it’s regrettably through Starlink and we’d quite like to not be contributing to Dr Evil’s pension plan. Beggars, choosers and all that. We are where we are.

Lovely blue sky outside now, but I think I’ve chosen a browse of the Black Friday sales (for needed things not for frivolity), over chopping back all the stuff that needs chopping back outside. Feels like a win, and we’ll dress it up as self care.

Today’s new recipe is apparently the New York Times top recipe for this year. A chicken and lentil soup with a lemony yoghurt. I shall report back once consumed whether it’s worth the hype.

Also contemplating looking for some fabric to make some curtains. Our window fitters return on Monday to re-fit the fly screens. (Too long a story). once that’s done through, I can finally think about some window sills, some blinds and some curtains because some of these windows have never had any, and we have had to lose the external shutters. I’d like to have a shower without startling the livestock sometime in the near future.

Sourdough starter still remains sourdon’t, but I’m nothing if not an optimist.

TTFN,

Vx