Soup Season.

Probably like most people, I'm a creature of habit; salads in Summer, soup in Winter.

It's not yet cold here; a bit miserable on occasions, but not cold. When Winter really begins, a bowl of hot vegetable soup is extremely comforting. We only eat soup at lunchtime, followed by a small amount of charcuterie, cheese, and fruit.

Lunch here is known as La Soupe, and the tradition will be adhered to until about April. It saves having to think about what to eat at mid-day!

I should add that my soup is always eaten with a good drizzle of Olive Oil and either a sprinkling of pepper or cumin. This takes your soup into the arms of the angels.

Writing about soup makes me think of poor Weaver in hospital with her broken hip. Just in case she should read this, I send her my very best wishes.

The 3 C's.

I suppose I must admit to being quite a nostalgic person. It's all a very long time ago, but I often think back to my old headmaster's obsession for his 'Three C's'; Christianity, Classics, and Cricket.

Having been a teacher myself, albeit briefly, I am only too aware that teachers can have a lasting effect on a child's future, and teachers need to be aware of this fact at all times.

I was never too keen on the Christianity bit, but I did enjoy the singing. My school also happened to be in close proximity to a lovely old cathedral (above).

As for Classics, I had a wonderful teacher at my Prep' school, and somehow managed to achieve the highest mark in my intake year's Latin entrance exam paper, and, to everyone's amazement (including mine), I became the year's 'Classics Scholar'. I later abandoned my study of Latin (the result of dire teaching), concentrated more on Art, and later won the senior school Art Prize. My headmaster wasn't amused.

Cricket has probably always been my game of choice, so I was very happy to take part in this third of my headmaster's obsessions, although I never got chosen to play above the 2nd XI. I'm pleased to say that my oldest, Kimbo, shares my love for the game, and has continued to play quality Club Cricket since his Oxford days. He still plays, and regularly puts on a good show! Cricket teaches us so much more than just how to bat or bowl, it teaches us to take defeat with dignity, to praise the better man, and that the Umpire's decision is always final. Not bad maxim's by which to live.

Some people show no lasting influence from their schooldays; mine still play an important part in my life. As Ignatius of Loyola was 'reputed' to have said "Give me the child for the first seven years (in my case a bit more), and I'll give you the man". I have a friend who was educated by the Jesuits, and he always describes them as the most evil bastards imaginable. Not, I'm sure, what St Ignatius had intended; unless he was a psychopath.

Crash Victim.

Sadly we have all sorts of avian crash victims here, the result of having some large plate glass windows.

Lady Magnon cut out some warning bird shapes to fix to the windows on the front of the house, and they seemed to have worked well; until just now.

This female Greater Spotted Woodpecker (I think) crash landed into the studio window, then took about 15 minutes to recover. Poor thing. At least it flew off again OK.

We gave it a good talking-to.

More target practice required!

Here he is, the little darling who killed three people in Nice on Thursday.

His name is Brahim Aoussaoui. He's a 21 year old Tunisian who came to France just one month ago, to find a better life; at the same time as being a fanatical Muslim Jihadist, hell-bent on murder.

The police managed to put 14 bullets in him, but none did the intended job. He was patched-up by caring ambulance crew; demonstrating (I suppose) the difference between 'them and us'.

He will now be prosecuted, sentenced to a few years in prison, then probably let out early for being such a good boy, who has promised not to do it again. Same old story.

And to make matters worse for a late October Thursday, we hear that little Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended from the Labour Party. How I didn't wet myself is a miracle.

 

THANK YOU!

I would like to thank all party-goers, revellers, boozers, demonstrators, wedding guests, cheap meal diners, Piers Corbyn supporters; in fact everyone who has blatantly gathered in excessively large groups over the past few months. Thank you!

Thank you for spreading the COVID-19 virus around so bloody much that there is now a really serious threat to lives almost everywhere.

20,223 fines have been issued in England and Wales since April, and in Scotland 3,000 illegal parties have been stopped over the past two months alone. So, a big thank you to all those selfish idiots who have managed to spread the virus around with carefree abandon. I'm sure that all the young fun-loving revellers are perfectly aware that their age groups are far less vulnerable than those of the over 50's, so this makes their behaviour even more reprehensible. I'm all right Jack, and fuck the rest of you!

Here in France we are back to total lockdown, which could well continue into the new year. I'm beginning to get really angry with people who think that the recommended restrictions are for everyone else, and not for them.  They're not that difficult to follow so PLEASE.....

Back in the UK, several owners of big businesses are asking for 'No Lockdown'. People such as Julian Metcalfe, Sir Rocco Forte, and plumber Charlie Mullins, who probably all work from nice safe offices away from the coal face, are simply worried about their lack of income. Could they care less about their workers and clients; I would suggest that they couldn't give a shit.

No-one is asking people to lock themselves away in a dungeon; just be sensible.

Lady Magnon and I have been doing our best to follow the guidelines, but it's like fighting against the bloody tide.

What one law would you change?

There used to be a very short BBC Radio programme with a title similar to mine.

It asked eminent people what law they would rescind, given the opportunity.

The edition that amused me the most was with a well-know top judge (I can't remember his name) who was so annoyed with motorcyclists tearing around with little regard for either themselves or others, that he wanted to ban the use of helmets. His logic being that without head protection they would ride their bikes much more carefully.

These days we see so many pictures like the above. Criminals wearing either crash helmets or hoodies whilst carrying-out their crimes. Personally I would take the judge's idea a bit further, and ban hoodies as well. Faces should be seen at all times. I would suggest that the only places where faces could be hidden are 'at home'. Anyone hiding their face in public would instantly be taken for a criminal, and arrested.

Of course, at the moment we all have face coverings, and it must be a nightmare for the police, but when things eventually get better, and we are allowed to breathe again in public, I would like Boris to enact this change immediately.

 

Winter Tasks.

I always write myself a list of Winter tasks; it gives me something to aim for, and achieve.

For the moment my list is blank. I'm no longer undertaking any building work, and there is really little else to do. I'm up to date.

I don't know if this is a result of lethargy; I suspect it's more like being satisfied with my lot. Of course there are always the banal tasks that will need doing; log sawing, leaf raking, vine pruning, etc. But no major projects.

If I have to go actively looking for projects, then obviously they wouldn't be classified as essential; they would be artificially created tasks, and my enthusiasm would be zero.

Maybe something will crop-up. The idea of my list remaining blank worries me more than if it was over filled.

What a strange thing to worry about!