Halcyon days

Originally "Halcyon days'" proper meaning was that of a lucky break, or a bright interval set in the midst of adversity; it referred to the 14 days  in winter (seven days  either side of the shortest day of the year) when storms never occur.  However, the phrase has since come to refer to any peaceful time.

I would have said that I was using it in the later, lazy, hazy sense, but I opened my email yesterday morning (Friday, 26th August) to read of deep sadness from Flax Bourton.  One of our young friends - grew up with our kids - has been being treated for bowel cancer - and it's taken a very aggressive turn for the worse.  She was due to come home from hospital within the day "to say goodbye to family and friends".  Heartbreaking.  Two small boys and a doting husband and adoring parents.  Yeuch.  Apparently the mood in the village is very dark.  Sometimes life just stinks.

We arranged for flowers and a card to be delivered; told the kids by email; spent the day in almost constant thought for her and hers.  Gill Luff rang (!) to let us know, so that we could warn Guy - who is about to go over on a visit; just so that he wouldn't be too taken aback when he arrived.

Difficult to think of trivia when faced with that sort of thing.

Anyway - I took the car back to Marcel again and we (finally!?) got 'round to testing the plugs.  Cylinder 5 wasn't firing; the coil was dead in that hexant.  I drove home.  Marcel wasn't keen on our driving anywhere much on 5 cylinders - the engine warning light was actually flashing at me!  But, no sooner had I got home than his wonderful spares department in La Conception delivered the thing to him!

I drove back and, after a tussle with rusted bolts and seized nuts here and there, he / we got the new coil fitted.  Feels like a new car!  Phew!












And Gilles had a go at the brakes of the quad for me - that's better, too. 

On the way back from the barn, parking it for the night, this bright fungus on dead wood in the fire-pit caught our attention....




















Saturday, 27th August. 

Gotta DO something!  Decided to make good the work on the Cabin door.  Lots of patches where old locks have come out; some putty missing from the window; the "butterflies" that hold the window in place - to be replaced by a screen in the summer - need stripping and re-spraying.  Established readers of these ramblings will know the pattern by now!

Here's a "starting out" and an  "under-coated" shot......


But those "Lazy, hazy days"?   No haze, brilliant blue sky; but just deliciously warm, and no flies.  Warm enough to eat both lunch and supper on the deck, out of the screen room. 

Dear God, this is a beautiful place! 

A fawn and doe surveyed us from the bottom of the trail; three chipmunks came and demanded pea-nuts.











A Canary-Island inspired supper, memories of other good times. 





Give huge thanks for what we have; remember Libby, James, Charlie and Margaret.