A healthy brain seems to be what we need in order to live free of Alzheimer or any other degenerative diseases. A fascinating documentary on ARTE, a French/German channel, three years ago got me to rethink my way around health and the pharmaceutical industry. The program was called “Le jeûne, une nouvelle thérapie ?”= …
The will to act
The reality of us human beings destroying our world on a terrifying speed and scale is escaping me. I don’t talk about it much or if I do it is like I would of a good TV series, with passion but somewhat detached. Like anything on TV, it is removed from me and so has …
DESERT OR PARADISE, a “must read”
For the last couple of years we have been thinking about building a pond below the orchard, where the ground below the fruits trees drops down naturally and where only stones prevail along with very few grasses and juvenile ash trees. We’re on the edge of the “Park Regional des Causses du Quercy Blanc” …
Alger l’amour- Alain Vircondelet
« Juin 1962. La chaleur si particulière d’Alger s’est installée depuis deux mois déjà. Mêlée à la ville dévastée, ruinée, encerclée de barbelés, aux murs perclus de balles, aux boutiques éventrées, aux façades recouvertes de tracts et de slogans, elle semble encore plus lourde, plus pesante et la brise marine qui souffle pas saccades irrégulières, …
Our honeysuckle
The honeysuckle in bloom is delightful. On the way to the donkey paddock it has grown into a robust shrub hanging above the path like a cloud, supported by a neighbouring hawthorn. I don't want to prune it if I can help it so the path has been diverted slightly to accommodate it. Here on …
Billet d’humour de Jean d’Ormesson.
«Myope comme une taupe», «rusé comme un renard» «serrés comme des sardines»... Les termes empruntés au monde animal ne se retrouvent pas seulement dans les fables de La Fontaine, ils sont partout. La preuve: que vous soyez fier comme un coq, fort comme un boeuf, têtu comme un âne, malin comme un singe ou simplement …
Has spring arrived yet?
The conker tree has unfolded his bright new green leaves over the past 2 weeks and the light on the balcony is now so inviting and invading the kitchen with its fluorescent glow… Below, the old wild plum trees are covered in white blossom and it’s particularly comforting this year, may be because the winter …
A charm of goldfinches
This winter has seen such an amazing number of different little birds coming to feed on our balcony. Geoff has been feeding them for a couple of years non-stop, right through the seasons, never missing a day, and we have been rewarded by an extraordinary daily spectacle. Well…may be drama is a better word for …
Notre camionnette,
Notre vieille 403 est chez Michel depuis quelques jours. Elle n’est pas en bon état, et j’ai demandé à Michel notre mécanicien à Puylaroque de la regarder pour nous donner une idée du coût necessaire pour la remettre sur pied. Papa l’avait acheté d’occasion en 1962 pour la ferme où elle a servi jusqu’en 1987 …
Our 403 pick-up.
Our old 403 pick-up has been sitting in Michel’s yard for the last few days, looking miserable. In an attempt to have it back on the road, I had asked our mechanic in Puylaroque to look at it and tell us if it was worth spending a bit of dosh on it. Dad had …
La dame aux ânes 