Rain and French groceries

Friday, 21^st June. A day of rain, constant and dispiriting. I did a lot of writing, and then abandoned it for the delights of cleaning up the mill room lobby where Bill has been fixing architraves around four doors and painting them. There was a fair bit of water leaking out from beneath the freezer and the fridge, so we pulled them out and mopped up. When we put them back, the tiles were dry, but it will be interesting to see how long before the water seeps out again.

After three or four walks around the lake in the rain we decided to go into town because there was nothing else to do and we had run out of milk. The little shop in St Georges has closed and is up for sale, if anyone fancies running a mini market in a French village. 

We had a lazy, late lunch during which we suddenly discovered that the previous night the wind and rain had pulled the ivy off the wall at the back of the mill. It was just climbing onto the roof tiles, so that’s about twenty or more feet of ivy to clear up when it stops raining. We’re hoping that the blackbird’s nest is still in the bit that remains.

We headed off to Vergt and made an appointment with the vet to see him on 22^nd July about Tim’s return to England. Then I left my two fellas in the car, sitting together beneath the tailgate, and dashed off through the rain into the Intermarche.

 I didn’t have a euro to put into the slot to release a trolley, so once inside I trailed one of those cute little red baskets on wheels around behind me. I love shopping in French supermarkets as they are so different to Tesco and the like. Bill and I had a difference of opinion about whisky; Bill said all the names would be changed to something in French and I said that wouldn’t happen, that Laphroaig would be exactly that anywhere in the world. Well, I won the argument, but they had no Laphroaig and as I went around I forgot that I was entitled to buy either chocolate or whisky for being correct!

I found the “English” section that Bill swore didn’t exist and found some ginger biscuits and some Tuc crackers to go with the goats cheese and Roquefort. I spent 46 euros, and the euro at the moment is worth 99p. Amazing when I only went in for milk and Colgate toothpaste. Oh, and French shampoo, and that wonderful lavender soap. And bread. Strawberries were on my list,too, but I couldn't find any.