Spring just around the Corner?

   Yesterday was sunny and dry,the first for a few days. Even though it was nippy in the wind, we did at last succeed in finishing cutting the cour, which had remained half-cut like a drunkard for almost a week. I succeeded in trimming most of the rest of the vine on the buildings and, best of all in giving the car a long-overdue wash. At the moment, there is a diversion in force around Chef, which forces a trip down a muddy, narrow lane, which has left it brown, rather than green.
 The rain returned in the evening, however, so gardening has been suspended for the moment; today seems to have reverted to normal March weather, sunshine and showers. Still, the weather will now be on the up, I am really looking forward to walking the dogs in tee-shirt and shorts again.
  On the health front, I seem to be sleeping better, we are going to risk moving back into the double bed, abandoned as I was disturbing Kim, here`s hoping it works out!

 Bye for now, lunch calls!
 

Mort Lim Diary

   Just a short entry to bring you up to date. We're both fed up with the weather here, nothing but drizzle and rain for a week or more, most unusual for France. We can't sort the garden or cut the grass in the cour and the vine is still awaiting its annual pruning, should have been done by now. The cour and field are soggy, the cats are coming in with muddy feet and hopping on the work surfaces, can't wait for the Spring to arrive.
  Still, moan over, there is good news around, especially concerning my progress health-wise. My hand and arm are continuing to benefit from the Kine sessions and are about eighty per cent back to normal, I can do most of the jobs I did before. Last week we saw the nominated Doctor for an examination to see if I could resume driving and he gave me the all-clear,handed me my licence back together with a bundle of forms in triplicate for the Prefecture and said there was no reason I couldn't drive straightaway! Much rejoicing here!
  Thre was further good news on Monday, when we had an appointment to see the Opthalmo to have my eyes checked, although in fact the Doctor had done a brief test . After having me peer into several alarming machines, and read the usual charts, she announced that my eyes had suffered no ill effects and my vision was satisfactory, although I should have new glasses, not surprising as the current ones must be four or five years old.
  All in all,good news, completed by a return visit to the Psycologist, consulted as I had some depression, she gave me the all-clear on that, too.
  We have bought a small trailer to enable us to take green waste to the tip. Bought second hand from the Field Emporium, we pulled it home last week, another first. Haven't tried reversing it yet...

  Well, that's all from here for the present. Bye for now, morning coffee time!

Home Kine

No, in fact this picture is NOT evidence that Kim and I have decided to hang ourselves simultaneously, but are my attempt to create a Kine exercise machine! We have recently decided to go to a different Kine centre at Melle, as the one at Chef seemed to offer little individual attention and I felt that improvement had stalled. The new expert seems much more dedicated, but unfortunately was n leave for a week just after my first sessions. To keep up the impetus I decided to construct a version of a machine used by both centres. It consist of a cord running over two pulleys, which raises and lowers each arm alternately . The professional version has special stirrups at the ends of the cord but my version works just as well...The machine cost 10Euros for materials, I have seen that the Kine sessions cost 19Euros per session at Chef, at least one third of which was on this machine. Good value, eh?
  I have just had the first of three sessions this week at Melle, and am hoping for great things

Bye for now, I pad battery going!

Update and various reflections

K

I note I haven`t posted an Ark for ages,so I thought I would post a sort of selection of thoughts and reports.
   On Sunday, as it was so sunny and mild, we visited our favourite local attraction, the weir at Rejallant, near Ruffec. it looked beautiful, with loads of water coming down the Charente and we had a gentle wander over the new footbridges. a pleasant foretaste of summer. We used to like the restaurant there but it's gone very up-market and expensive.. Afterwards, we had a drive over the Charente at Condac and visited the hamlet of La Leigne, where we often used to walk.. Later, perhaps when my legs have strengthened...
   Another reflection which comes to mind is gratitude at the warmth emitted by our wood burner . Bought to replace the old and decrepit cooking wood burner, it's true you can't really cook on it but it's easy to light and gives far more heat for less wood, as the air circulates between the caste iron core and the sheet metal casing. As you can see, it only has a small window through which you can see the fire but this feature hides a clever trick. Most wood burners with 'picture' windows have to be cleaned daily or they soot up so the fire can't be seen. The clever trick with our Supra is that the window is very close to the firebox, protected by stout bars . It is of a special glass and is itself protected by an outer double glazing. The inner window becomes extremely hot and any soot burns off, it needs no cleaning at all. Neat, eh?

    Other more personal news is that my cold has finally departed and Kim's is much better, though there is still a nasty cough which is difficult to shake off. She's feeling stronger, though. I'm still having Kine sessions twice a week, and things are gradually improving, not as quickly as I would wish. Still when I remember the state I was in when I left Niort hospital to go for rehab at Le Grand Feu, there's no comparison I'm nearly back to normal, just a case of building up strength and dexterity.

Bye for now,going to get in some logs!

Back home again!

Well, here we are re-installed in our French home,  quite a change from Alyson's house in Goosewell. We spent a very happy few days in Plymouth, having made the sea- crossing both ways and the long car journeys with only one car- driver, as my licence is, I hope, temporarily withdrawn in view of my stroke in October. Kim had to face the driving on her own, which daunted her a bit, but she is feeling proud at having managed it. We stopped at St Brieuc on the way up and spent the night, before embarking the following day. On the return overnight crossing, due to sea conditions, the ferry was diverted  to St Malo rather than Roscoff. This in fact suited us fine, the journey by road back home being 100 km shorter! We thus managed it without an over-night stop. No doubt, foot-passengers for Roscoff, who had to face a long coach trip back there were not so keen....
   Unfortunately, we have both brought back with us an unwelcome souvenir in the form of a virulent English cold, which has left us both very much under the weather, with severe chesty coughs.. I haven't felt much like blogging but will try to upload some Christmas pics and especially some of Mimi, the new great- granddaughter in my next.
   Bye for now, got to take my medicine....
 

Christmas Wishes to all Ark Readers

    I hope all Ark readers have a peaceful and happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the New Year !

The Ocean-going Ark.

    Well, we've successfully completed the first parts of our peregrination and completed the complicated procedures to load ourselves no our dogs onto the Brittany Ferries vessel Armorique. In fact, this blog is being written from a rolling seat aboard in the seaway opposite Roscoff. It promises to be a turbulent crossing, luckily we are both good sailors

   Later... In fact, it has got quite rough, it's better to stay seated, as to walk about risks to make you into a caricature of a drunk, reeling from side to side searching for a hand-hold...luckily, there are not a huge number of passengers on this crossing, it always puzzles me how Brittany Ferries can make a living in the winter, I don't suppose these large ships do many miles per gallon , or more likely per ton of fuel...
  It's quite noticeable how the move to the north from home causes the surrounding conditions to change. It was colder this morning at St. Brieuc , and still dark at eight when I went out to feed the dogs, in France dawn would already have broken. I have just put my watch back to Greenwich Mean time and night is falling fast , over a wave-tossed sea. Not hard for me to find reason to live where we do, even though it's good to visit Plymouth from time to time.

Right, bye for now before these musings disappear, as they've shown worrying signs of doing. See you soon from Angleterre!