9 June 2016

Busy doing nothing

My friend Gail is spending most of June in her holiday home in the Dordogne.  After a fortnight she is already feeling restless and missing her busy life in London.
"Sue, what on earth do you do all day out here?"
Somehow I never get bored of my rural idyll. I don't need the bright lights or designer shops and since losing my hearing I can no longer enjoy the theatre or cinema.  I love my cycling, exploring this beautiful landscape and keeping fit at the same time.  

Today we went into the local town to buy bread and a few other bits and pieces, back in time for a leisurely coffee. Then I went for a stroll around the garden with my trug gathering strawberries and the first cherries.  I wanted to do some work on my folly so I went to look for my favourite weeding tool.  I had left it buried underneath some weeds in a bucket.  The bucket was empty.
"What did you do with the stuff in the bucket?"
"I threw it on the compost."
My gallant husband then raked through the compost heap until he located the missing tool.  

The morning has whizzed by and it's time for lunch.  Salad and pâté on the terrace accompanied by a glass of chilled rosé wine.  Paul wants to talk about the referendum.  I want a second glass of wine.


Too hot in the afternoon to do any physical work so I retire to my sun lounger and read my book -  The Principles of being a Successful Sloth.  I pore over some recipes and plan next week's dinner menus (yes, I really am that organised).  I watch some buzzards circling in the sky.  I ponder on whether the farmer will actually get round to cutting the hay this year.  It's hard work being this busy.

Salut!

8 comments:

  1. We have had more than 10 years of retirement here and every day has felt like being on holiday. Except for the hard work of grass cutting and gardening.
    We have already voted and so are just spectators of the last minute shenanigans.

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    1. It certainly feels like one long holiday when the sun shines.

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  2. There are both Cepes and Girolles about; we had a lovely omelet for lunch. Like Potty we've already voted; we both wanted to vote one way, but ended up voting the other. I shall say no more.

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    1. I daren't risk picking any myself. I shall wait for Philippe to go mushroom hunting.

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  3. Cin-cin to you too, Sue!
    I don't think you're a sloth as you mention in your post; to live in a scenery as beautiful as I see in the pictures here, is the result of hard work that you and Paul put in every day.
    Greetings Maria x

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    1. Thank you Maria. Living here is reward in itself.

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  4. I started my retirement at the age of forty-eight. I built up to it by taking long holidays during the five preceding years starting at 6 weeks and graduating to 16 weeks during the last twelve months.
    I am now a professional loafer with a serene aura :-) :-)

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    1. The great thing about being retired is the freedom to do what you want when you want. I love it.

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