Wednesday - 15th October - 2008 - A Man of Simple Tastes

I believe that I'm a man of very simple tastes (although the Girlie tries to convince me that I'm a man who's slightly simple in the head!)

I know what I like and I like what I know!

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the garden.

I like Chrysanthemums. I like Fuscias and I like Lavender - I also like Marigolds.

But what I like best of all are Nasturtiums!

Friday - 22nd August - 2008 - The Handbag Debate

One of the things I love about living in France is that men are allowed to carry handbags over here.

I don't know what I would do without mine.

It goes everywhere with me and contains just about everything that I'll ever need!

Friday - 15th August - 2008 - The Garden

I don't try to pretend that I'm the world's greatest gardener. I do, though, like to be able to sit out in the garden, surrounded by flowers and read and ponder.

My garden is quite small and I aim to keep it as minimal maintenance as possible - whilst I love buying plants, looking after them is a chore that I don't enjoy so much.

Thursday - 14th August - 2008 - Garlic and Oil

I have a thing about garlic. I love to use it in cooking and I also love to store it in oil.

Having been slighty greedy whilst out shopping, I realised that I had way too much Garlic in the house!

Only one thing for it - the Girlie and I sat down to store it in olive oil!

Monday - 11th August - 2008 - Wakey Wakey (adventures in camping - part 2)

In a mad moment of sociability, last week, I offered the Girlie the chance to bring her son Josh (and his mate Nick), over for the weekend (see previous atricle).

They woke up at 8am and we (the Girlie and I), shamelessly lied to them and told them it was only 6am.

When, however, we did need to get them up and about (so that we could go to a Vide-Grenier), I had to resort to a dubious and cruel technique (well, have you ever tried to get two young lads out of bed?)

Monday - 11th August - 2008 - The Tent (adventures in camping)

In a mad moment of sociability, last week, I offered the Girlie the chance to bring her son Josh (and his mate Nick), over for the weekend.

As I live in a very small house, they would have to camp in the garden. I promised to do a barbeque for them.

As I didn't have a tent, I bought one for them. It was one of those instant, pop-up tents that are designed to be erected single-handedly, in seconds, during a blizzard, high up on Everest (by a blind man suffering from terminal frost-bite!)

Friday - 8th August - 2008 - Brittany-Friends.com

Sometimes, being an expat can be difficult.

We tend to move to other countries to get away from something or to find something new.

Sometimes we are trying to escape from something and sometimes, we are trying to find something that we couldn't get where we used to be.

Tuesday - 5th August - 2008 - Tranquility

One of the things that I have come to enjoy enormously since moving here is just to sit in my garden and ponder (often with a good book to read.)

I have to admit to not being the world's greatest gardener and, if it were not for the Girlie's constant deadheading (with is a sort of addiction for her), the garden wouldn't look half as good as it does.

Thusday - 15th August - 2008 - Cookery Books

Comments from the author:

“This article has been dragged (kicking and screaming), from the Old BretonDiary.....”

When I moved over here, I had to make some hard decisions about which cookery books I brought over with me. The following are the ones which made the grade, and why they did so...

Thusday - 15th August - 2008 - Old Book Reviews

Comments from the author:

“This article has been dragged (kicking and screaming), from the Old BretonDiary.....”

A girl at work said to me recently "You like books, don't you?" A bit pretensiously, I said "You breathe, I read - it's the same thing."

I went on to explain that every book I read is like falling in love. But better. When I am finished with Betty (recently read Betty Blue - Phillipe Djian), she will go on the shelf near to Emma (Bovary), Jenny (Love Story) and so on. All patiently and loyally waiting for me to return.

But sometimes it's even better; sometimes I come across a book that was written for me, just for me and me alone. Madame Bovary, Le Petit Prince and La Peste are ones that come to mind. It's strange they're all French - I think I shall have to think about that, a little bit.

Thusday - 15th August - 2008 - Real World Dictionary

Comments from the author:

“This article has been dragged (kicking and screaming), from the Old BretonDiary.....”

I have long felt that there is a need for a real world dictionary to assist all those new arrivals in Brittany. This is my attempt to provide it. It is in no particular order and just details my observations on the Enlgish in Brittany. Feel free to complain (or to sue me for Libel - if I get it too right!)

Thusday - 15th August - 2008 - Getting a job in Rural Brittany

Comments from the author:

“This article has been dragged (kicking and screaming), from the Old BretonDiary.....”

This article details my experiences of finding work in rural France. It is not meant to be a definitive guide and is bound to contain many factual errors (and mabye a few spelling mistakes, as well). However, factual errors (and spelling mistakes) aside, it tries to explain (to the best of my knowledge) what one needs to do to find work and what one can expect (having found it).

Obviously, as soon as they're published, any figures are going to be out of date. This data is as accurate as I can make it, as of 24th October 2006. To find out why I decided to move to France (and what I did before), take a look at... About Me

Thusday - 15th August - 2008 - Food Cruelty

Comments from the author:

“This article has been dragged (kicking and screaming), from the Old BretonDiary.....”

I have been doing some thinking about Food Cruelty, which is something that has started to concern me more and more. I love cooking and eating but am getting quite thoughtful about where my food comes from and what sort of life it had before it ended up on my plate. Although I shall never be a vegitarian, I have come to understand what my friend, neighbour and colleague - Denis, has been telling me... "Eat less but eat better". To find out what I am doing in order to approach this goal, read on.

Thusday - 15th August - 2008 - Market Day at Josselin

Comments from the author:

“This article has been dragged (kicking and screaming), from the Old BretonDiary.....”

On a Saturday morning, I like to go into the early morning market at Josselin. I'm not so interested in bargains but I do know that I'll get the best seafood in the area and vegetables that will make my mouth water.

Thusday - 15th August - 2008 - A Hobbit House

Comments from the author:

“This article has been dragged (kicking and screaming), from the Old BretonDiary.....”

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

Thusday - 15th August - 2008 - A Walk to the Bar

Comments from the author:

“This article has been dragged (kicking and screaming), from the Old BretonDiary.....”

This year, for the first time, my local forest is closed to walkers and mushroomers every Sunday and Thursday. Thus, my Sunday morning walks in the forest have had to be curtailed. Instead, I find that I enjoy a stroll to Lanouee (about two and a half miles away) to do a bit of shopping and to sit in the bar, have a beer, read the Sunday paper and say hello to all my neighbours.

Thusday - 15th August - 2008 - Epicerie

Comments from the author:

“This article has been dragged (kicking and screaming), from the Old BretonDiary.....”

Normally, on a Sunday morning, I take a walk to Lanouee, visit the lcoal shop to buy a few things and then go to the bar to have a beer and read the paper.

Today, however, was different. I bought a car last Thursday (a new Bessie to replace the ailing, old Bessie), and thus, decided to go for a little drive. I ended up at Le Roc St. Andre, about 20 kms from where I live. There is a great boulangerie at Le Roc and so I bought a still warm baguette - one of their special ones, with added seed - a bargain at 1 euro. I then went to the little market (I mean little, only four stalls) and bought one and a half kilos of oysters for my Sunday tea.