I’ve had a house full of cats here much of the time on account of the unseasonal rain we’ve had. That in itself wouldn’t be a problem were it not for the fact that Tigger, our youngest, doesn’t believe she is a cat like the rest. She demands attention, treats and cuddles. She chases all the other cats who are very lazy and just want to be allowed to daydream in peace. If Tigger doesn’t get what Tigger wants, she is badly behaved, running around the room, across the tops of cupboards, tables and chairs, clinging to curtains and leaping from one piece of furniture to another as if she’s on a feline Mission Impossible. If you’d like to see Tigger and my other cats – they’re all on Instagram this week in honour of National Cat Day!
Meanwhile down at the local bar, there is much talk of the Olympics now that the baton has been passed to France for the 2024 games, known here as Paris 2024.
‘What’ Monsieur Lafont said (whom we call Monsieur Lafont of all knowledge as he always has an opinion on everything) ‘if we had our own local Olympics? We could devise events based on our skills to make it more inclusive…’
Suggestions ranged from tractor driving to eating cheese, making bread and lawn mower racing.
When we first came to France, there were no gates to our garden, anyone could walk in – and they frequently did! One day Mark, my other half, was cutting the grass peacefully on our ride-on mower when a man driving past our house on a ride-on mower took a detour into our garden and started racing my utterly bemused husband. Up and down they went uttering not a word to each other. Le Mans it wasn’t, but typical men, they were both in it to win it. They raced with the speed of a pair of determined but geriatric snails, then the mysterious mower pulled away, raised a hand and disappeared back out of the gate. It looked like dyslexic aliens had visited and created the weirdest crop circles ever.
Watch this space for more news for the rural Olympics in a rather quirky part of northern France!
Bisous and bon weekend from my little pigsty where it is sunny in between bouts of sogginess…
Janine
Editor
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Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream – ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online, and My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life
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Inspiration of the week: How to take a slow tour through the Basque country – straddling the border between France and Spain, a land of emerald landscapes, rugged mountains, precipitous shorelines and rich culture awaits…
Recipe of the week: Nougat de Tours cake – unlike the famous chewy nougat of Montélimar, Nougat of Tours is actually a cake. It’s a speciality of the Touraine region, Loire Valley where it’s been a favourite for several centuries (top photo).
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