Did you know …
… that if stung by a bee, you shouldn’t return to the same area? I learned a practical and painful lesson while cutting our hedge. It was the only time I’ve ever been stung twice. Apparently when a bee stings, it produces an alarm pheromone …a defensive reaction to alert nearby bees. This pheromone smells like bananas. If you are unfortunate enough to be stung, you may wish to leave the area … because alarm pheromones are being received by other bees.
I didn’t notice a banana smell, but resuming my hedge-cutting after slapping on some ointment, I was stung again immediately, and with unusual aggression. The second sting brought on some nasty, though short-lived, symptoms including a tightness in the throat, hives, and pains across the ribcage. As a precaution Eric took me to see a doctor, who prescribed antihistamines and suggested an allergy test later on.
Hazel’s latest adventure …
… was staying with her Uncle Ben and Auntie Kay in Croydon, while her parents were at a twice-postponed wedding. This went pretty well. Archie the cat and Hazel didn’t really hit it off, although he was deeply interested in her dinner; and Hazel was enchanted, as always, by her journey on public transport – in this case a tram.
61st birthday jollies
For my birthday last week, Eric and I went with the camper van to revisit our favourite coastal haunts at St Cast-le-Guildo. Back when we rented out Les Bruyeres and spent summers in the van, we used to go there regularly, and we’ve missed it.
Our short trip included a night on the promontory aire – featured more than once in this blog – with its superb views, plus two sea swims for me in this lovely cove …
… and two celebratory meals. One, naturally, had to involve moules frites, the other featured some spectacular desserts.
My birthday presents from Helen, Ben and partners reflected my continuing quest for the ecological, the plastic-free and the re-usable. These items also tick the ‘buy local’ box, as they are sold by a company based in Brittany. While I’m not certain China doesn’t feature somewhere in the production chain, the ‘greenness’ of the materials is good news – even the bristles on the hairbrush are made of bamboo instead of nylon.
Fingers crossed for the Writing Retreat!
The countdown has begun to my long-anticipated Writing Retreat here in France. With most participants due to fly in from the US, everyone’s watching the news closely, and exchanging emails full of information, advice, and essential paperwork. There’s lots. Though I will avoid most of the hassle by driving there – and by being a French resident – I remember the bureaucratic horrors of going to England and back last month, and feel their pain.
6 years ago …
… as Facebook reminds me, Eric and I were preparing for our big move to Brittany. We were gradually emptying our house in Liverpool, listing stuff on Ebay and Freecycle (grateful memories of the Scottish guy who was moving into an empty flat, and took away two random carloads). We faced trips to charity shops and the tip, loads of documentation, and all the challenges of moving a city cat to rural France. One of our goodbyes was to a wonderful couple, neighbours Arthur and Shirley, who had transformed a bleak back alley into a communal garden. Below: before and after. Arthur sadly is no longer with us – I so hope that Shirley and their neighbours have been able to keep this inspirational project going.
Click ‘follow’ if you’d like to receive future blog posts by email.
pandejonesadventure 