My wife has glaucoma and has to have an eye test every 3 years. The latest test was last week, and she just received her renewed license in the post today.
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The cheerful news is that I managed to refuse a âfood giftâ without causing offence 
a neighbour asked me if I knew what "Treeepe des Con " is.
My brain swiftly translated treeeep as tripe (aaargh) which I donât like at all although I hadnât a clue what animal is a âconâ, but always ready to learn⊠
Turns out the neighbour had bought this at the nearby market and was now regretting it 
I soon had her saying Tripe, Tripe, Tripe⊠and we both agreed le Treep didnât seem particularly appetising⊠(but thatâs just us being picky)
I had explained what animal bits and bobs were doubtless in this delightfully packed delicacy⊠and she nearly swooned⊠(yes, I use that word deliberately as she is of an era when ladies swooned, gracefully)
Later I discovered she was saying âTripes de Caenâ⊠which Google tells me is an old recipe and beloved by everyone (except us 2 )
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Iâm sure you will manage somehow.
I have always liked tripe the English way, white sauce and onions and was initially put off by the brown stuff served up from Caen, but then found to my delight that it tastes just as good.
But, due to the sight of it, will always hesitate before ordering.
My dadâs favourite, though with vinegar and loads of white pepper instead of sauce.
Talking of offal, I had tĂȘte de veau the other day, with sauce gribiche maison. It was the daily special (the cheffe told us that it was on every day of the first week in the month) â but it was warm! I was expecting a cold, round slice of it, like I had the only other time Iâve eaten it (in Dieppe). Of course, I finished it, but we wonât be going back in the first week of next month.
My cheerful news is that Ameli and I are on speaking terms, but she wants some sort of assurance or else Iâll be suffering a maladie. At least, thatâs how Iâm translating what the website says.
Thatâs how itâs usually served in Lancashire. The vinegar gets rid of the pungency.
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Tripe with onion sauce, my Dadâs favourite.
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My dad was indeed Lancastrian.
I seem to remember boiled onions served whole with it.
I am Lancastrian too.
Now a proud Trivygois.
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Things you donât often hear at the Parkrun pre-brief:
âIf you see a dolphin, donât worry, youâre not hallucinating, they were around earlier but watch for the swansâ nest on the left hand side, they get a bit grumpy during Parkrunâ
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Blissful. Cloudy sky and light breeze. Managed to get some pruning and tidying up done round the pool without melting. 
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While filling the car this morning was greeted by a Brit whoâs lived in the area 18 years. he was filling 3 jerricans, and agreed when I suggested he was doing some serious grass cutting.
Another beautiful day, 31 in Autun, 29 in Cussy.
The other âEnglish way was cold with malt vinegar and brown stuff called elderâ and some lettuce
Happy with local tripes, tripoux and andouillettes, but think the Roman way is better; unfortunately my wife wonât eat any of the above.
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Measure the voltage from neutral/phase to earth - it will be rather obvious that you get ~230V when you expect ~0V and vice versa
Or use one of these
Others are available - I just chose one at random for illustration.
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Celebrated the longest day with an alfresco dinner at friends up in the Cantal - couple of degrees cooler than down in the Lot Valley, and in a sensitively restored corps de ferme,. Unfortunately unlike chez nous, not very well-equipped to handle that sort of heat. But with the aid of good company, good food and some very good alcohol (Catalan vermut, Cote dâOr wines and some forty year old armagnac), we coped with the conditions. and conversed wholly in French until the neighbours left around midnight. In fact we were coping so well that I didnât leave the table till 4 oâclock this morning, but got up at 8am thankfully ,with a clear head.
Itâs a while since Iâve done that sort of thing , but good to know itâs still doable, at least in moderation (if thatâs the right word to use).
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Iâm not feeling glum.
This evening, I just spotted my first glow worm of the summer.
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Had a Franglais chat with Monsieur Dupi, and we will have a stere of wood delivered tomorrow morning. Thatâs probably plenty for now, unless we move here.
M. Dupi was super friendly too, talking about when he was young and our house was one of 6 cafés in the village. He also told us that the new village café will open next month. Gradually getting to know a wider circle of local people.
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Weâve just finished setting up our new watering system - now weâve got a 19mm hose which winds on to a Gardena CleverRoll. The pressure is wonderful and itâs surprising the difference between the new hose and the old 15mm one. It doesnât kink or get twisted. But the old one is not being wasted. Stuart dug (by hand - no mechanical digger involved!!!) a 40 metre trench. Itâs to take the well water through to be able to water the beds in one of the paddocks. So all troughs, flower beds, vines and tomatoes are being watered by hose pipe - we donât have to use the watering cans to do all the work. Result! especially in this hot weather. 
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We have a dropper system on all the fruit trees and soft fruit in our orchard.
We also have pipes running to flower beds.
They all are fed from our well.
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@Jane_Williamson - weâve thought about a dropper system but I really do like watering with a hose. I plug in my MP3 player ear buds and for the next hour or so wander around watering all the flowers and shrubs. Thereâs something quite therapeutic for me in doing it this way. But I do feel sorry for Stuart and any of my neighbours who hear me trying to sing along to whatever it is Iâm listening to. It reminds me of the olden days. I was put in the school choir just to make the numbers up. The teacher said that I wasnât to sing - just mouth the words. Iâve never forgotten that! 
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