OneGuyFromBarlick

A trip round the chateau at Angers including a viewing of the tapestry of the Apocolypse, which we have seen before, rather magnificent. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_Tapestry. Then its a drive over to Amboise

Angers is a thriving modern student town with magnificent buildings built about 1840. Amboise is a much quieter place, the contrast will be interesting

Sounds ideal entertainment Sue! We have a wind coming from you this morning and unlike the last couple of months it's cool.

So that's where it is.

For me Angers was the French based favourite for the Epsom Derby in 1960.
Didn't win - Lester Piggot on St Paddy saw to that.

I like that Tripps.

It was good I saw even more than the first time, it is a wonderful mediaeval history and political propaganda story!

Jack, cooking and shed...... What exciting lives some of us do lead.

I missed the shed yesterday because of retail therapy..... I shall be in there this morning!

Lovely sunny day here, so I have fertilised all my pot plants, tidied up some stragglers, topped up potting mix and planted some seedlings...then everything got a good watering and swept the front path (again!). Birds are driving me potty at present!
24 C here and I almost put shorts on this morning, but it was a bit windy.

We're in the teens here Maz, I fear summer is over.



Making good progress on the engine...... I shall be in there again this morning.

29-30 degrees here yesterday but with heavy rain during the night the temperature has fallen drastically to 19-21 degrees, however our last few days look set to be 25 degrees. Wendy and Keith go home tomorrow but we have a mutual friend arriving today and staying overnight. Thursday will be the start of the big tidy up, washing and picking fruit. Pears are falling from the trees rapidly as are the last of the plums. Our veggies may have been poor this year but the fruit trees have been laden, the first year for some of the newer trees.

Sue, it's noticeable here as well in Barlick that the trees have done well. Susan tells me she has noted that the hawthorns have loads of berries, the walnut trees in Valley Gardens and the one outside Barlic Bites on Albert road have good crops and the apple trees I have seen also. The blackberries are very early and the crop of smaller berries a bit poor. I think the dry hot spell hit them.

Bumper crop of pears from our tree this year, not weighed but maybe around 80lbs, we have given away and done swaps with neighbours and friends for veg and fruit that they have an abundance of. Sally has discovered a weird taste (in my view) for fried pears with added blue cheese.

Well done Sally, nothing if not inventive!



I'm going to have to put the arm on my mate Terry for a piece of 3/8" plate...... I'm going to need a bed plate soon for the engine.
I'll be in there this morning.
Must call in at Well Pharmacy to register my repeat prescriptions with them......

My friend told me that one about the pears and blue cheese, not sure I fancy it and i am a pear lover.

Go on! It could be a new favourite!

Friends gone. House empty. Time for washing and cleaning, I wish the sun would come out. Then its a few days to tidy up, pick fruit and cook or freeze my mound of tomatoes
, aubergines courgettes and red peppers. Ratatoulle I think

We've got sun Sue, quite pleasant out.
Called in at Well and all they needed was my name, address and age of birth.They will see it is done. Good!

Trying to sort my prescription out. I will call at the surgery first to see if it there or which dispenser they have sent it to.

If you get a prescription here, you get a 6 month supply for long term medication ( an original and 5 repeats). Shorter term medication may be a "one off" script ( such as antibiotic or pain medication).
You hold the the prescription repeats. You can go to any pharmacy in Australia!
( we are not connected to a certain pharmacy). However, you cannot do a repeat prescription in under 21 days ( in most cases). This is to stop you stockpiling medications. There is a clause on medication scripts that says it can not be repeated before a certain date. You can discuss early release of a medication with a pharmacist, if say, you are going on holiday and need to cover the time you are away ( such as going overseas).
You need to see a doctor for further scripts.
A doctor needs to write a travel letter if you are going overseas with all the surgery contact details on, in case you find yourself questioned in a foreign country about the meds you carry.
In general, any medication from a hospital pharmacy will last only a few days until you see your own GP. ( they cut packets down to only provide what you need until then.. And they charge dearly for those few pills. We discovered this when hubby was sick. We thought later that we will probably refuse hospital pharmacy meds in future)

Given a good pharmacist our system works well. My problem was bad service at Whitworth's plus the fact that that their attitude to older people is seriously wanting. I am not alone in this complaint. I get the impression that Well are getting a fair number of transfers......
Kathy is back off holiday so it's a butcher's morning and then some Cathedral of Choice shopping at the Co-op.
Up a bit later this morning but who cares, I am not rushing to catch up.

I just order mine online as required and state where I want to pick them up. Works very well indeed. Mine are not regular repeats as all my medication is take 1 or two etc as required therefore I do not run out at a regular time. I can have two months at a time and more by special request. The pharmacist however frequently does not have everything and I have to make the two mile journey back to collect the missing items.

Today is a quiet day, a bit of shopping, a bit of cooking and a bit of fruit picking. I am beginning to feel homesick after having spent the last week with my close friends from home.

It'll soon wear off Sue! You'll find something to get you moving and take your mind off it.
I shall be in the shed......

Yesterday I teak oiled the front gate and the garden bench as well as sanding and oiling the pine kitcen table to remove various heat ring. I then did some gardening and cooking so the dead flowers are pruned, dead plants removed, 8 small ramekins of individual blackberry and apple crumble made, 2 litres of roast tomato, red pepper and chili soup made, half a pressure cooker full of ratatoille made. Now I have to get them all in the freezer. And I still have bowls full of red peppers, courgettes and small gourds ( patty pan as they call them here) . My runner beans have finally decided to form but we won’t be here to eat them! We had a serving for six plus the other night when we had guests but I am afraid we won’t see many of the others. I have stopped watering every night as there seems little point now. My chard, sweet potatoes pumpkins, courgettes etc manage without and are growing well, as they will do until the first frost at the end of October. We still need to pick the plums and pears and any apples that are ripe already. We have thousands of blackberries but nowhere to put them, don’t mention jam as we have enough to feed an army.

Today I will tidy the strawberry patch, which has also started to produce strawberries, the first all summer. It is getting a bit overgrown and will soon become field again if not attended to. This afternoon our french friends Bertran and Elizabeth are coming round for a cup of tea and a chat. Elizabeth and I will perhaps do some silk painting. Its due to be 26 degrees today with a full week of the same. The kids go back to school on Monday and la rentrée as they call it begins. Ie summer is over here

Still homesick Stanley, ferry on Tuesday night. I badly need my hair cutting etc, and have an appointment for thursday morning at home, and its back to pilates on wednesday evening with no doubt a number of aches and pains to accompany it.

You'll survive.....
Off into the shed now for a bit of planning and plotting.

Took our small motor home for a decent run today....it has been sat all Winter as hubby "doesn't do" the cold or wet. We have one window that we kept checking on all Winter, - the one alongside my bed has a slight leak. I removed the mattress on my side months ago, as I didn't fancy a mouldy mattress. Hubby siliconed the window, but there still seems to be a pin hole somewhere that is tracking moisture. It was good to be back having a drive, and I didn't want to come home! We both wanted to keep on driving...

Wanderlust Maz!
More plotting and the Italian Grand Prix......
Later.... So far it's been a morning of honest endeavour. One load of washing done and hung to dry, bed stripped and duvet covers in the wash now. Then I have to put the clean covers on. I hate that job! Standards are being maintained!