Persistent miserable rain everywhere. Low cloud touching the hills
Awoke at 9.30 following a reasonable night’s sleep interrupted by vivid dreams of things that felt significant at the time. Decided to try & get to town quickly so I could catch the Town Hall and the internet cafe. Drove down the hill twice (because I forgot my wallet), and when I arrived wverything was shut. Checked my watch – 11am everything should be open surely? Then I remembered that ilka told me it was Ascension day and so it’s probably a Bank Holiday. It seems the French do still commemorate religious days unlike us pagan Brits.
So I had a coffee in the local bar and then headed home without any paperwork sorted. I decided that as it was Ascension day I should ascend, and so I ascended to the attic and proceeded to clear out 200 years of dust and crap that had settled there. Then I could work down the house and gradually clear the house of dust once and for all.
Here I owe a considerable gratitude to Mr. Dyson and the invention of the bagless vacuum. Even after sweeping the attic carefully, I sucked-up 4 bucket loads of dust using the vacuum cleaner, which I decided to nickname “Lovelace” on account of … well that’s not important, but I found it amusing so I must be going stir-crazy.
Didn’t encounter anybody today, but next-door were obviously entertaining the family for the jour-de-fete. Old Monsieur Tronche was sitting in the garage and there was a hell of a lot of smoke coming out at one point. I think he was meant to be conjouring-up some Ascension delicacy for the family, but it turned into a family crisis and there was a load of shouting for about half-an-hour. Anyway, there was a lot of to and froing with baskets and hats and clearly he hadn’t done the fish/nuts/cheese/booze or whatever correctly. Perhaps he was making some more of his illicit hooche, of which I have just availed myself of this evening and is excellent – 60% after dinner luxury!
After cleaning the attic I went downstairs and used Lovelace on all the gaps in the ceiling and beams to make sure there would be no dust making it’s way down into the living room. And after wiping the surfaces and vacuuming the floors then the place was really beginning to feel clean. I can even walk around in my socks now, which is a comfort I think I may have underestimated in a previous life.
But previous life’s seem a long way away now. And that’s strange and exciting and liberating and I’m all optimistic at the moment. I’ve got my feet up on the sofa and I’ve discovered a very very good radio station that I can’t put down. It’s called Decibel FM (105.9) and I can’t believe how good it is. They play everything I ever want to listen to, like a continuous compilation tape, and include the obscure and eclectic from English, American, French, Italian, Spanish and other cultural experiences. What other station would play 60’s classics alongside, hip-hop, and reggae, and latin and swing, and punk and big-band and drum & bass, and rap, and psychedelic and rock and acid jazz and indie and … well I’m,
just amazed. And all of this with NO ADVERTS WHATSOEVER! Of course, it’s not going to last – I think they are having some kind of installation/test broadcast period where they are trying to ‘groom’ a potential audience before a big launch. What a bugger! I’m currently addicted to the point that there’s no point in putting any of my music on because I can listen to theirs all day.
And I’ve just spoken to my fiance on the telephone and I’m in love and everything is wonderful … hope it’s not just Monsieur Tronche’s digestif kicking-in!
And all this despite the weather.
