16/05/2012

This morning we once again did our weekly shopping, including visiting the chemist for another round of the aged FIL’s medicines. I’m starting to think they are beginning to look forward to our weekly visit, as it was a bit disconcerting when we were about to enter the pharmacy. A chap in a striped waistcoat and top hat barred our entry until another acolyte had finished rolling out a red carpet. He then bowed profusely and ushered us in, where we were seated in comfortable armchairs and offered tea and biscuits. Not without reason; today we ordered the famous “lit médicalisé”. Delivery is scheduled for next Tuesday. Oh won’t the aged FIL be surprised! Especially as he has said he doesn’t want it. “The nurse can just wash me in my own bed.” Uh, no, they don’t do that. Besides, the doctor has prescribed a lit médicalisé, so a lit médicalisé he’s going to get.

We also visited the local DIY store to have a look what they had in stock, and to see if we could find a kettle. I’m talking the non-electric variety here; you know – the old type like a camping kettle, which you can put on a gas hob or wood stove. Well, we’d looked in the various supermarkets without success (“Kettles – yes, we have some nice coloured 2000W in stock. What do you mean, non-electric? ALL kettles are electric. How are you going to plug in a non-electric kettle? Don’t be silly.”)
Well, the DIY store had one. I looked at the price and blinked vigorously. Unfortunately the blinking had no effect; the price tag remained unchanged. 99 Euros. Must be because of the “retro” look. Something else we’ll need to look for on Ebay.

The afternoon was spent installing guttering, whilst LSS mixed up a batch of nettle surprise.
Recipe for Nettle Surprise:
1 kg of chopped nettles
10 litres of water
Add one to the other (it doesn’t matter which way around) and leave for two weeks, stirring every two days until it’s stopped bubbling.
Dilute 1:10 and use as a liquid fertilizer. The surprise is the smell.
*Note: keep mixture as far away from the house as possible.

LSS and I have started having a tug-of-war for possession of the laptop. We bought this before leaving the UK, and we’re very glad we did; we were checking emails using a dial-up modem before our broadband access was connected. I’m looking forward to sorting out the electricity in the sitting room so that I can plug in the server and each of our computers. At the moment all there is electricity-wise is a sad-looking single plug socket at shoulder height. It’s capable of running the printer, router, and Livebox ADSL modem but that’s about all.

So whilst LSS is using the laptop in the evening, I’m reduced to making blog notes in longhand – and my handwriting is not of the same calligraphic standard it once was.

As the weather was still miserable, we once again had a bath in the kitchen. The water from the “ballon” is starting to look slightly clearer with fewer rusty flakes in it.

Wildlife diary: On the way back from shopping, an extremely large hare bounded across the road, stared at us in surprise, and as soon as the car had passed, dashed back across the road again.

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