Reflections, Recreations, and Preparations

(I am still having a few editing issues with this blog, as it is now best viewed on a smartphone, and I am inputting it on a laptop!!)

Reflections on Retirement!I can’t say that the transition is going without a hitch, even though this is my fourth attempt, having partially retired in 2011, 2017, 2022 and now 2026! I still have that feeling that “I should be doing something, or I should be somewhere” but no this is it! But it is not all “doom and gloom” – I recently read a very good article in the Guardian reviewing the book The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity by Lynda Gratton and Andrew J. Scott. Now a lot of their predictions are pretty dystopian, but the key nugget that I have found most useful is that you “carry on working” not necessarily in paid employment (as I have done courtesy of Mousetrap Cheese Shop) but that you adopt a project or projects and treat them like work!

Regular hours and focused attention. Doing so gives your days structure and this is normally what goes to pot, when suddenly you have all the “time in the world”. It is certainly working for me, as learning Spanish is now my work, followed by projects on English music, Ganapati and frugal cooking. This last simply being a challenge I have set myself, to see just how well I can eat a balanced diet without recourse to ultra processed foods or even processed foods. I have the time, to cook and make nearly everything from scratch; soups, sauces, bread, cakes, jams and pickles! Going out to pick fruits and foraging is exciting and opens up a new culinary world. I just picked pears from the garden, they are like bullets – but cook beautifully and also make excellent jam and pickle!

I am naturally developing a very structured day. It starts around 05.00, as I am both an early riser and also it’s when my brain functions best! Study, walk, lunch, siesta, read, early supper, listen music, bed! However I am also learning from other of my friends, especially in making time for “NIK SEN” – the Dutch “art of doing nothing”, just being – much simpler than all that focus on breath in meditation!

The distractions of the TV and Facebook have gone, and I hardly think about or miss them. I am a life long fan of BBC R3 and R4 and that combined with the abilities of a smart speaker means my listening is exciting and fully engaging!

 

It is also great to now have more time for my friends, most of whom I consider to be family! Whilst I don’t plan to live to be 100, the next few years are going to be fun! Whatever savings I have are going to be spent as the need arises, but only on experiences, and when it’s all gone, it’s gone. And in any case as one dear friend reminded me in French “un linceul n'a pas de poches" (there are no pockets in a shroud! Watch this space, 2027 Guatemala, Opera in Spain, Onam in India and who knows what else!

Preparations for Guatemala.

I am still having this love affair with Chat GPT. I cannot think of a more patient, inventive and responsive teacher. And I can’t help using “we” rather than “it” as my learning has become a real partnership. We have a plan, and I am on week 9 of a 16, I have tackled the present, and the past, and I am now starting on future tenses. We have developed a structure based around “natural” rather than textbook Spanish, and the plan is 100% geared to Latin American/Guatemalan Spanish. Not only is the Spanish of Latin America different from Castillian Spanish as spoken in Spain, but each country in Latin America has developed it’s own, style and idioms. And Chat GPT knows all these variations!

Happily I have the time to work on this skill re-acquisition, after a gap of 10 years. It was tough at first, but slowly it is coming back with increasing regularity and confidence. “We” have been discussing how I might use the voice facility in Chat GPT so that I can practice my pronunciation (Guatemalan) and have some conversational practice, I am very excited about this possibility.

On another level I am very excited that I will be meeting up with two friends I made back in 2012: Eny Roland, who is a leading light in the artistic and LGBT community in Guatemala, his work has been shown around the world, he has a natural talent for making comments in his work that really hit home. He is generally teasing religion and also showing how a conservative society affects those who don’t “fit in”. (Just search Eny Roland on google images – you will be amazed!) My other friend is Ricardo, we met at a concert, he is a respected dentist in the capital city, Our mutual interests of music, art and travel have ensured that we have kept in touch over the years, although he is concerned that he is not the man I met in 2012, I reminded him that neither am I!

I have developed a very nice correspondence with Brandon, who is the volunteer coordinator for Niños de Guatemala, he is working hard on a specific plan for my eight weeks with them. He especially wants me to work with the older scholarship students as they transition from school to work, they need to learn practical as well as personal development skills! That is going to be fun!

In line with most schools in Guatemala the school day is from 07.15 to 13.15. In many place second school starts at 13.15 and goes on until 19.15! So one building, two schools! He hopes that we can agree a plan in the next week or two, so that I can do my preparatory work before I arrive, the idea is to help during the school day and then run specific workshops some afternoons and also provided 1-2-1 support as necessary. I have to apply for my UK DBS check in October.

Niños de Guatemala are completely “knocked out” that through your generosity I have raised not £500 but £695 which translates into nearly $850. They were hoping for $590! I am still happy to receive donations to my bank account (I can send you the bank details), it would be great to take them $1000! Thank you so much (you know who you are!)

Now, all work, and no play, makes Mike a very dull boy!

For whatever reason, I got the idea to play around with AI and it’s ability to change reality! As a result you won’t remember when I met Elgar in the garden, helped Ralph Vaughan Williams with his conducting, got involved in an icy conversation between Puccini and Toscanini, and discussed a thorny conducting problem with Sir Adrian Boult! (See below!)

 

The pictures raised my spirits, when I was stuck deep into reflexive verbs! They now adorn my wall, and Elgar and I feel so much closer! Who said the camera never lies! Actually they are scarily life like! Also, in all my years playing the organ in various churches and for concerts, there was never a photo of me, so I have rectified that with a picture of me in my Graduate Gown and Hood (cap on the console!) as things might have been!

On Tuesday, 22 September the 100 day countdown begins!

Do comment, I would like this blog to have a morsel of interactivity, ready for when I am reporting more regularly from Guatemala itself!

Thanks for reading (if you did!)

Knowmadic Mike!

"Well its all very well old boy, but I just can't get used to this AI.  Though it did help me with my last symphony!"

"Ah yes, Sir Adrian, those notes are not clear."

"My word, yes, that is a tricky passage, 

bet you wished you'd written something simpler, 

now you've got to conduct it!"  

"Oh, I haven't a clue but it sounds alright, don't it!"

"It's no good us sitting here in stony silence, 

who's turn is it to pay the bill?"

I am now officially retired but I have a new job!

My home for three months from 
January to March 2027!

Well that's not actually 100% accurate!    

I have new goal.  I have 132 days before I go to Guatemala and I plan to use these as usefully as I can.  Without work to occupy me two days a week, I need to allow a new routine to develop. I have decided to food shop on a daily basis, buying just what is required for the next meal or two, and also to keep the store cupboard stocked. This also ensures that I go out and get some exercise in. 
 
However, my main task is relearning Latin American Spanish, which differs from Castilian Spanish in that there is no "Formal Plural" when conjugating verbs, and no "lisping".   What you see is, more or less, what you say!

I am aided and abetted in this endeavour by Chat GPT, and have decided to upgrade to the first level paid version, at £7 per month. This means Chat GPT keeps more "chats" in it's active memory, and I don't run out of computing space necessitating a of wait 24 hours.  To get the most out of AI I have to teach "it" how I want things done and and how I want things to be presented back to me. This is achieved by developing "written prompts" which list all the criteria needed for a particular job.  This takes time now, but save vast amounts of time and effort later. So I can just say "produce a two page revision sheet on the verb Ser," and hey presto!

The best thing so far is that Chat CPT can make a revision test and mark it, then instead of just a "tick" or "cross"  I am provided with detailed feedback as to why I made a mistake, and because we work on a daily basis Chat GPT has learned how I think and can show me where and why I have gone wrong in arriving at a particular answer.  This is more valuable than anything.  And of course Chat GPT as my teacher is available 24/7/365!  And I don't have to pay an hourly fee!

Chat GPT has produced course notes, tests, revision sheets and cheat sheets and we are learning in a more natural way than just moving from one chapter to the next in a Grammar Book.  Spanish has become "alive" and as such I am confident that by January when I attend for two week of face-to-face lessons, these will be entirely devoted to conversation and speaking!

So my work now, is about 5 - 6 hours of Spanish a day!  Very different from "can I have 500 grams of Cheddar please!"

The rest of my day is taken up with listening to music, reading, cooking, and a little "NIK SEN" - "The Power of Doing Nothing"   

 

I am in the process of winding down Facebook, and it and I will part company in one week's time.  And not before time, I am fed up with adverts, reels that I really don't want to see, suggestions of people I may know, but actually have never heard of!  And all the other junk generated by various algorithms!

This blog will enable me to communicate with those "I wish to communicate with" only, for everything else, general chat etc, there is WhatsApp!  But as I am also not glued to my phone please be patient as my responses there may take a little more time.

That's all for this week.

Do use the comment facility below as I hope that this blog will become a "two way street"





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I am amazed and humbled by the generosity of my friends!

Niños de Guatemala asked me if I could possibly raise $600 (USD) as a contribution  to the costs of training me and other incidental costs that will be incurred during my volunteering period of eight weeks, next January to March,  with any excess going towards the running costs of this amazing project.
I wrote to many of you about this and SO FAR contributions amount to $810 (USD)  33% more than hoped for, and I know that this will not be the final total as I am confidently expecting to give them $1000 (USD).  So any further contributions will be most gratefully received! Click here for more details

Since my last blog I have been talking with their Volunteer Coordinator and we are working on what we hope will be a really transformational plan for some of the older students at Niños de Guatemala.  The idea being that as well as providing 1-2-1 support to their scholarship students, and assisting in their English lessons, I will run some workshops around personal development and skills directly relating to transitioning from school to work.

The scholarship students are 16/17 years old and work on a one year programme within the hospitality industry in Antigua.  Remember, Antigua is the number 1 tourist destination in Guatemala. Students have six-month placements in hotels and restaurants, on the basis that if their internship is successful, they will be given  permanent employment.   My role whilst I am there is to help build their knowledge, skills and abilities, so that they will pass their placement! Often, passing this placement, and getting employment will make them the breadwinner for their entire family!

It is tough for youngsters, especially from indigenous background.  Spanish is NOT their first language, most speak the Mayan derivative "kaqchikel" as their mother tongue, and Spanish is as far removed from that, as English is to Japanese! On top of that, they obviously have to speak English as most tourists will have this expectation!   Unfortunately even today, language ability fiercely divides the population, probably as much as "looks"and marks a person out as not of Spanish (conquistador) heritage!

After my last experience in Antigua, way back in 2011/12, I now realise that I would have made much greater impact had I had even the most basic smattering of "kaqchikel", I am putting this right this visit: week three of my stay is an immersive week studying this difficult language! I am hoping from that, to get a much better cultural understanding, to show respect to my students, and to be able to "haggle" in the market!

With the help of AI, I am making great strides with my re-learning of Latin American Spanish, and I have set myself the goal of achieving an intermediate-advanced level in writing, grammar and reading, so that my two weeks intensive Spanish on arrival in Guatemala can be devoted to gaining some mastery of conversational Spanish.  Given that this will be 7 hours a day 1-2-1, I know from previous experience that whilst it "fries your brain" it does work!  

Fortunately, I am staying outside of the city centre, in a non touristic area so that I don't get tempted to fall into the trap of speaking English. English will be for teaching purposes only and then only in English classes with the students.

So, it is full steam ahead!

I will let you know when the $1000 (USD) NEW STRETCHED  target has been surpassed!

Thanks for reading!

Michael

P.S. If you know of anybody who might be interested to read this blog, simply give them the link https://knowmadicmike.blogspot.com.  Do feel free to comment on this post! 

 

Guate2027 Checklist!

 

Everything is coming together!

1. Accommodation booked: through AirBnb, nice I bedroom flat just outside the city centre and closer to where I will be volunteering in Ciudad Vieja

2. Flights booked:  (via Amsterdam and Mexico City) AVOIDING USA flying with KLM and Aeromexico 

3. Language tuition booked:    With a prestigious school where I will do 2 weeks of Spanish 7 hours a day 5 days a week, with a focus on conversational skills, and, 1 week intensive Kaqchikel (that will be a real adventure) as the structure of the language bears no resemblance to anything I have studied before.

4. Spanish revision in progress  ably (?) assisted by Chat GPT.

5. Started my fund raising to get the £500 contribution I am expected to make to Niños de Guatemala.  I know my friends will be generous!

6. Reconnecting with old friends from Antigua (remember I was living there for a year in 2011-2012 and have kept in touch with one or two people there.

Welcome back, or maybe just Welcome!

 

So after a very long gap, I am resurrecting the blog as I start on my preparations for Gaute 2027!   I am so excited.   I hope if you are reading this, you are doing so as a result of my "begging" letter in support of my three month trip to La Antigua, Guatemala, and volunteering for Niños de Guatemala.  I want you to feel part of the experience, (especially if you are a donor, to my £500 target linked to this trip. If that is you, then thank you and welcome. 

To recap the story so far. I wanted a project to adequately reflect my arrival at 70 years of age!  And in a "Eureka" moment I remembered the great time I had in 2011-2012 volunteering in La Antigua, Guatemala with and NGO called CasaSito. Having now added a further 6 years of voluntary experience from my time in Peru, the need was to do something significant.

So I decided on a 90day trip back to Guatemala. I did my research and decided that the work of Niños de Guatemala fitted the bill. Mainly because of their high school and scholarship programme focusing on youngsters from 15 - 17 transitioning from school to the world of work.  La Antigua, is a major tourist spot and also home to many retired Americans. The entire city centre is a UNESCO world heritage site and tourism and hospitality is the name of the game!

However, imagine you are a young person from an Indigenous background, so your first language is probably Kaqchikal (A Mayan derivative language), you come from an extremely poor background, you have to learn Spanish as your second language (but the first language of non indigenous, paler, descendants of the conquistadors) and your city, thrives on the ability to speak English because it is a touristic centre. Quite a challenge!   You were lucky enough to be educated and fed, at one of Niños de Guatemala's three schools based outside of the city centre. ANd know you are going to jump into the hustle and bustle of life in the city, or maybe you want to start a very small business. Where to start!

Niños de Guatemala relies on the support of up to 200 volunteers a year to help them achieve their aims and objectives. Most volunteer stay for one or two weeks and combine a few hours a day volunteering in the morning with being a tourist in the afternoon.  I am offering eight weeks, mornings, afternoons and weekends, to work with the high school youngsters and scholarship students on the hospitality programme to get them job fit. Improve their language, communication and personal development abilities and to also build their self-confidence as personal esteem.

In order to do this I have already started to revise my rusty Spanish, and with the help of AI (artificial Intelligence) am starting to make real progress which will be backup by two weeks of intensive/immersion conversational Sanish when I arrive in Guatemala. And then a further intensive week of Kaqchikal language tuition so that I can communicate with  indigenous students and also in the wider community, respectfully in their own language. It will only be a few words and phrases, but I hop ein so doing, I also learn about the cultural,language and other difference that need to be overcome, to work in La Antigua in 2027!

So please follow my journey, ask me questions and let's be a part of this great adventure together.

Please look back at my posts from 2011 and 2012 to see many of the wonders of this fabulous orginal capital of Guatemala, and my volunteering back them.

Thank you.

WIll start work shortly on filling in the gap of the last 3 years. Never happened! But for Guate 2027 I am already up and running!

 I stopped my blog in 2019 but have decided that now I have more time, I shall fill in the gaps and start blogging again, once I am in my new flat in Hereford.  One of many planned retirement pastimes. 

Here is an external picture of my new flat which is currently undergoing refurbishment (new wet room) and complete redecoration. Hopefully I shall move in week beginning September 12 (fingers crossed).

Life goes on.

The long gap between posts is just that, life goes on and the new different and exciting is not a feature of the everyday. I have been battling with mice and slugs eating my seedlings but have at last got some plants to plant.

Today I have been on this adventure in France technically 1 year. It has had it ups and downs and after my last break I return with my “eyes wide open” and a clearer understanding of the challenges and the expectations of all concerned.

But, last week I was in the UK, having an MOT: Doctor, Dentist and Optician. I don't have Lymes disease (but do have a lot of muscle aches and similar symptoms – just wear and tear), I do have gum disease (now under control with a multitude of interdental brushes) and my eyes are fine but have the very first signs of cateracts (they will take years to develop).

Need to not work quite so hard at the tough stuff; less tree felling and maybe more work cooking and gardening!

But then the main reason for the return was a trip to Istanbul with Andy. Much needed and hugely enjoyable. Andy had found a small hotel within spitting distance of the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque and yet was completely quiet. We arrived on the first day of a three day Eid holiday, so along with tourists we had to contend with everybody out and about. We soon realised that we need to be up and out early and to take it easier in the mid-day and afternoon heat. But had a great time. As you can see.

Terrific food, terrific weather ( a bit too hot?) and lovely people.

Highlights, Haya Sofia and the Dolmahace Palace (absolutely amazing especially the 4.5 ton chandelier manufactured in Birmingham) . Trip on the Bosphorus strait local boat for 2 Euros for 90 minutes as opposed to tourist boat same route 30 Euros.

The Blue mosque resembled was overcrowded and under renovation (actually EVERYWHERE we visited was under renovation!)

Also visited the amazing underground water cistern, the Ecumenical Patriarchate Cathedral of St George, the Topkapi Palace (not impressed) and local bazaar.

Great transport system, especially as the tram stopped 20 metres from the hotel. Would like to go back off season. Amazingly both Andy and I returned to the UK with about 40% of our spending money as everything was so reasonable.

Turkish food and wine is really really good, varied and full of taste and again so reasonable.

Here is a selection of photos.

view from hotel rooftop bar

The Birmingham Manufactured 4.5 ton chandelier! This is one of the most amazing rooms I have ever seen.

Into the light of rediscovery ..... January 1. 2019.

Start of year …… Now that I “listen to” rather than “do” music, I am, as I have previously mentioned, on a voyage of discovery of music that is new to me. I am catching up on composers that I wanted to know more about and just haven't had the time to listen to and explore. With cutbacks in arts funding, orchestras play it safe and so play music that they know will fill the hall rather than music that needs to be heard. As a result we are knee deep in the “greats” and composers who have/had important things to say are left in the dark. We all lose out. 

Thankfully the internet has given access to music and scores so that rediscovery of forgotten masterpieces is available to all. But, as the saying goes, “you don't know what you don't know” so we might not know that the symphonies of composer x and the equal (and sometimes better) than contemporaneous composer y, but y had a better or more famous patron, or access to funding, or was in the UK and not trying to make a living in a developing country.

Anyway, this is a long winded way of saying that, as in life, sometimes the unexpected, the road less travelled or the riskier option can provide amazing riches and insights. Curiosity seems to be less in fashion, but for me, having time to listen means having time to be curious. Because of my musical training I can listen to a Beethoven Symphony whenever I want, because it is in my music memory and I just have to recall it and listen to it in my head, it is there if I need it. But how much nicer to discover something new and challenging and different. A new voice, a rediscovered but neglected masterpiece. And without the necessity of having to follow critical views past and present. One damning review and an amazing work of art, or book, or piece of music is cast into outer darkness sometime hardly ever to see the light of day again.

So I am looking forward to bringing works back into my own personal light by exploring the byways rather than the highways. Such a revelation.

On Sunday I heard a snippet of a piece of music and yesterday I tracked it down via you tube for the music and another site (IMSLP) for the orchestral score and today I have listened to a symphony which probably NEVER gets an outing in the concert hall, but is astounding music. Sir Arnold Bax: Third Symphony. And tomorrow I will probably find another and another and another ……. so much better than hearing yet another tired performance of Beethoven 5!

I know that this is just a metaphor for life, and a metaphor for my 2019. Yours too? Rediscover those discarded hobbies, interests and gifts. Search out the less familiar, take a few risks and who knows what riches are there to be discovered afresh .

What unexpected delights await you?

Happy New Year.

“Quand on a pas ce que l’on aime, il faut aimer ce que l’on a” 30 Dec 2018

End of the Year ……..

The end of the year review........   I don't think so. 

This being the time of year I most hate; short, dark days and little sun. I am sure I am affected by SAD to some extent and I always feel below par and a little miserable. The colder weather brings on chills and colds and again you feel a bit down. So this year I break with tradition and have decided that my last blog of 2018 is going to be different, no looking back and no setting up of New Year resolutions; therefore no planning to fail either.

I am writing this at my desk in my gîte looking out at the bird table and the flock of tits that seem to get through vast amount of sunflower seeds each day.

This time of year is busy with the harder tasks of maintenance that can't be done when guests are here so we are chopping trees, painting and decorating and getting things in order for March, when we open again.

Whilst I am making no resolutions I am looking forward to creating opportunities in 2019. There are some things I hope to achieve:

1. I think I would describe my style of cooking as what the French would term “bistro”: homely, uncomplicated and full of flavour with a firm focus on taste and less on fiddly presentation. So for 2019 I intend to improve my cooking skills so that I can present a more varied and interesting menu here at La Ribiere and to that end I want to improve:

- my knife skills – sharper knives and more even slicing, dicing and de-boning

- my pan tossing skills - apparently its all in the wrist action (now then don't be rude)

- re-discovery of the basics – I bought the fantastic book; Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nozrat (see her videos on Netflix) and

- using better ingredients leading to more interesting food and an even healthier diet

2. Work/Life balance is complicated especially when no two days are the same but I hope to get better at some of my work skills especially the cooking (see above) and also my forestry and gardening balanced off with more reading and learning. 2019 is the year I really make an effort with my French. But no pressure.

Forestry: Have got some books on chainsawing, ordered a nice new safety helmet with integrated ear-muffs and visor, and also got some felling wedges.

When John comes back I want to work with him to fully improve my skills. There is a satisfaction in felling a tree that falls in the right way and then processing it. And the neglected forests here need so much TLC.

Gardening: The plan is to have a good “allotment” sized vegetable garden up and running with both the usual and unusual growing in abundance. New Potatoes, beans, peas, tomatoes, squash, corn, chillies, fennel, peppers, etc. Multiple varieties. Carrots and onions etc., are not worth the effort.

French: to enjoy getting to the stage where I can hold a basic conversation and shop with confidence.

Read more: Years ago I used to buy the Man-Booker short list every year as a basis for my reading, so I have a good few years to catch up on. And I joined Amazon prime!

3. Linked to this work/life balance is a plan to make full use of monthly short breaks to the UK and elsewhere enabling short bursts of quality time with friends. It is good that David, Heidi and I have friends in common and I hope we can encourage them to visit and take part in life here. Quality time with a small group of friends has to be the order of the day.

The other thing is to finally get my stuff moved out here before the start of the season. I want to transform my space and own it more. And whilst the stuff is mainly IKEA and only acquired over the short period of 10 months since arriving back in the UK from Peru and my departure to France such as there is, is useless sitting in a storage facility in Hall Green.

Photos 1, 3, 4 and 5 courtesy of Heidi and David

Of course this is all subjective and I don't intend to beat myself up over any of it. I will achieve what I achieve and it is more a general setting of the compass firmly in a forwards direction for 2019.

“Quand on a pas ce que l’on aime, il faut aimer ce que l’on a”

“Want what you have and you’ll have what you want”

I have beautiful friends, beautiful surroundings and beautiful opportunities: I intend to positively exploit them all and I hope that you will also have the same riches in 2019.

October - Autumn has arrived in the Limousin!

The beauty of Autumn

Andy  at almost 50!

It's that blog time again.

Birthday with Thumper!

 I spent a very pleasant time in the UK to celebrate Andy's 50^th birthday and also to visit friends. I cooked him dinner for his friends as my present and we also went out on the day itself for splendid meal of Tapas with a "sourced from Sussex" twist. Really good.

On my travels managed to take in WNO's production of Rossini's Cinderella – fabulous! (Thanks Shaun and Rebecca).

No

Not picked yet

No

Not sure

Probably not

Not sure

YES!    The chemist gave the all clear to eat!

I was away from La Ribiere for 12 days and in that time summer left and autumn has arrived, we still have sunny days (and no rain) but the morning are misty and a bit chilly. However this has brought out the first rush of fungi/mushrooms and I am pleased to say that some have even passed inspection at the pharmacy and declared safe to eat!

My week back has mainly been devoted to finishing the fence work, erecting a 743 foot long electric fence (yes, I was sad enough to count every foot) to deter Otters from have a meal of the carp and in finishing off the first of several paths through the woods. This first one is to enable non-anglers to walk close to the lake on the far side but to not walk along the bank itself and disturb the fish or the anglers!

743 feet of fence.

Because the woods have been so neglected, making the path has entailed clearing undergrowth and then felling all the dead wood from what was once a lovely coppice of hazel and chestnuts. I must have felled close to 200 dead trunks. I now feel I have got the hang of chain sawing in safe and productive manner and also believe myself to be the king of the bow-saw.

It has also been time to get back to some local cuisine, so I made “Pâté du Limousin, pommes de terre et viande” basically the local meat and potato pie and a couple of loaves of bread for good measure. I had to make chestnut bread as I have now frozen about 15 kg of them. 

Pate de Limousin

Cooking them and peeling them ready for use is a bit of an art. You have to peel them whilst they are hot otherwise the skin goes hard which means that you almost get blisters on your fingers, but hopefully the end justifies the means. 

OLive bread and Chestnut bread

Boil

Peel

Ready

Last Friday we went to Limoges for the “Frairie des Petits Ventres” loosely translated could mean the “Merrymaking of the small bellies” I think “small” as in “empty” as it is a food festival devoted to local meat products and takes place in the “Rue de la Boucherie” which had been the centre for butchers in Limoges since the middle ages. The fair dates back to these times but in its current form was revived some 46 years ago. The highlight of this is “offal” especially tripe and things like blood sausages, (boudin noir - black pudding), andoullietes (tripe sausages) and duck hearts.

For more on the topic of Butchery in Limoges go here: 

www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/05/the-proud-history-of-butchery-in-limoges.html

Three happy merrymakers!

Tucking in - Boudin Noir in a Baguette ...yum!

I loved the duck hearts and the boudin noir with chestnuts but have to admit that the tripe sausages had a smell rather too reminiscent of diarrhoea and thus not a pleasant experience – what one would call an acquired taste! 

The tripe sausage - innards exposed! An experience.

Possibly the worst band I have ever heard.

However it was great to experience the “merrymaking” with local beers and ciders and be part of a Limousin tradition. On average 40,000 people attend the fair held in just two small streets from nine in the morning until two the following morning. Making merry in honour of St. Aurelian, patron saint of butchers on the 3^rd Friday of October for hundreds of years!

Sunday also had the surprise of my first “Vit Grenier” (clear your attic) – a French car boot sale. Have to say I have never seen so much junk being sold alongside a cider festival (Limousin is famous for its apples), but except for a wonderful display of ancient tractors altogether a rather underwhelming experience.

So back to the countryside and on the look-out for deer (welcome) wild boar (not welcome) and avoiding the crazy local hunt who are out an about every weekend. So far this year they (the hunt in france) have managed to shoot dead a cyclist wearing bright blue, as they tend to shoot first and think about what they shot afterwards. Not helped of course by hunting often after a very boozy lunch! I don't go into the woods at the weekends!

Very French

That's it for now, except to say that with the nights drawing in and the clocks goig back at the weekend it is time to get started with “Learn French with Alexa” downloaded from YouTube.

Saw this and was amused - it was in Tate Modern

Oh, and to enjoy some of the comestibles brought back from the UK .... and picked up at the market.

Suet, custard powder (for the anglers), spices, treacle and other goodies for autumnal cooking!

Finally,

I will shortly have to say goodbye to my mate Diesel, as he and his owner John will be returning to the UK for Deer management duties in Scotland.  He won't be able to take me out and let me play sticks with him!  ACTUALLY, Diesel is one of teh most disciplined and obedient dogs I have ever seen. He sees me as "the guyI play sticks with" but as soon as John (his owner) takes over he reverts to being the well trained Deer stalking dog he has been for the last 9 years. I look forward to him (and John) returning to La Ribiere in 2019.

Diesel the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizlar:  here offering me the chance to pick up the stick!

Bisou, Bisou.