Sunday, October 2, 2016

Our place in France Chapter 30

Another week of nothing to report. We are staying in bed later and later because the early mornings are getting really cool now and it takes real effort to leave the cosy snugness. The tree next door is changing from green to golden and dumping masses of leaves on the ground and as I look across the valley to the far distance, I can see autumn colours beginning to show.
An interesting item arrived in the post this week – a letter from the Health Service notifying us that we should go and get a ‘flu jab as soon as possible, and that they will cover the cost. Apparently sent to all over 65’s, people on chronic medicines and pregnant women, this is one of those pleasant surprises of living in a first world country. Whether it is true or not, they certainly appear to take care of the people. The letter went on to say that ‘flu is an extremely dangerous ailment and that numerous deaths result from it each year – mainly in the over 65’s. So, being the law-abiding folk that we are, we quickly made an appointment and are off there next week. Anyway, it is free, too!
Now that it is more or less in the past, I can also reveal that, a few weeks ago, I committed the unforgivable ‘old lady’ sin. While we were away I slipped in the hotel shower and fell. It was a ridiculous shower anyway. With only one solid wall and curtain on three sides, when I slipped I instinctively put my hands out for something solid to grab onto but of course, there wasn’t anything and I continued my quick journey to the floor. I whacked my head, back and leg but that wasn’t the worst of it. It was a very cramped bathroom with a basin, a loo and shower all in a row on one side and not much space between them and the opposite wall. So when I fell, I landed in the small space between the wall and shower and loo. On my back. All wet and soapy. Neels came rushing in to help me and found me slithering around like a beached whale on the nicely tiled floor. Eventually he managed to help to turn over so that I could get on to all fours and then stand up, but not before we had laid all the available towels on the floor to stop me sliding around. What a performance! At one stage I thought they would have to call in the fire brigade to get me up again, but fortunately it didn’t come to that and I have nothing to show for it except a nicely healing bruise on my leg. However, it is not an exercise that I would recommend.
Something more positive that has happened this week, is that for two days we huffed and puffed, pulled and pushed and tried our best to get the necessary wires up and down various lengths of electrical conduit in order to get the TV signal up to the bedroom. All in all, we must have threaded about fifty metres of wire, only to discover after all this hard work that we were still short of two essential parts and had to suspend operations. However, thank goodness for the internet and Amazon, because we quickly ordered what we needed and it should be here tomorrow. This whole operation also involved plenty of shouting back and forth, and, as the house is three stories high in all, plenty of running up and down to find out what the other had said. Really! These games that we invent to keep ourselves occupied! It wouldn’t be nearly so much fun to get a professional in to do all these little things.

I apologise for sending out such a boring chapter this week, but when nothing is happening, well, c’est la vie!

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