Tag Archives: kidney bean mushroom

Tuesday 25th April 2017 – I HAD ONE OF THOSE DAYS …

… where I did nothing at all of any note.

After my early night (and falling asleep yet again in the middle of a film) I had an early morning – like 05:40. And I was up and about by 06:20. This really is becoming ridiculous.

Once breakfast was out of the way I didn’t do very much at all – just took it easy and lazed about.

There was a reason for that too – in that it was raining. First rain that we have had since I can’t remember when. Several weeks, at least. maybe even when i was exploring in Verdun a month or so ago. I really can’t remember.

However the sun did come out eventually and I plucked up the courage to go off and buy a baguette in Brehal. I could even sit and eat my butty and drink my coffee outside here, fighting off the cat who insisted to try to push the tray off my lap and climb on instead.

This afternoon though, I had things to do.

As you know, I’ve packed Caliburn upside-down. The things that were easy to hand went in first and the more difficult things went in last. That meant that my cheque book (which I shall need at the weekend) was right at the bottom.

Consequently, I unpacked Caliburn and eventually retrieved it. It really was right at the bottom too and took some finding. But tidying up in there has made much more space and I even found a few other things that will come in handy in the immediate future. I did forget to look for my nail scissors though.

Tea was more of the kidney bean whatsit that I made last night, and now I have to pack.

Yes, I’m moving, but not very far. I’m in a little apartment here that has two bedrooms, a kitchen/diner and bathroom. But it’s let until the end of the week to people who need both of the bedrooms.

But there’s a bedroom in the main part of the house with a sink and so on, and the landlady has rigged me up a kettle and so on in there. And there’s a kitchen in the garage space which is used by people who camp here in summer (there isn’t anyone at the moment) and I can use that.

It’s only until Saturday night, and then I have to move on. I really do hope that one of these ruins that I’m seeing tomorrow is up to the task. I’m totally fed up of having to keep on moving house like this – one day here, two days there.

Monday 24th April 2017 – REGULAR READERS OF THIS RUBBISH WILL RECALL …

… that on several occasions over the past years I’ve had to go out to look at some non-functioning wind turbines installed by a company that had its office in Montlucon.

And so today, it was more of the same. A 10Kw wind turbine installed on a mast just about 12 metres high (in order to sneak under the local planning laws but totally ineffective of course) and not functioning at all.

“When you switch it on and the blades turn round, there’s a pile of smoke that comes out of it”

One glance told me everything that I needed to know about it. There’s a water leak in the shed roof that drips right on top of the transformer. The transformer and all of the connections are thoroughly corroded and the corrosion is causing a short circuit. And that’s burnt out the inverter.

Furthermore, the owner has tried to connect up an exterior socket to the system and fractured the bus bar while he was doing it. Loads of other things too, and I could go on for ever … "not with a bayonet through your neck you couldn’t" – ed … about all kinds of things.

But anyway, I’m not getting my hands dirty fixing it.

He’s paid €32,000 for the installation, and he’s been quoted over €10,000 for the repairs from another company. But that’s not ever going to fix his problems – not until he can mount it about 30 metres higher. He told me that when it was working he had 7.5KW out of it, but I’ve heard that before, especially with the measuring equipment provided by the installers.

I had a bad night last night.

A nightmare, in fact that awoke me at 12:40. It concerned a group of women who had been condemned for some crime or other and the penalty was to walk towards a defending army well-dug in in the ruins of some bombed buildings, and the defenders were to hurl rocks at them to stone them to death. But their husbands or partners had to be handcuffed to them as they walked down the road, themselves running the risks of being stoned to death. One woman had no partner so I was chained to her. And the couples parted one by one, until it was our turn to leave the bus. And it was at that point that I awoke, sweating.

It took me ages to go back to sleep, but when I did, I was well away until the alarm went off. never felt a thing.

After breakfast I had a little relax (like I have to do these days) and then I went to tear to bits the load in Caliburn. I needed the printer (that I found) but couldn’t find the paper. In the end, the landlady let me have a few sheets. Then I could print off the letters that I had typed the other day.

For lunch I went down to Donville les Bains and the dunes where I was yesterday. I had a nice relaxing couple of hours lying on the sand in the sun while I ate my butties. It was beautiful there, and quiet too.

The tide was out as well, and consequently all of the oyster beds and whatever they are were clearly visible. A few tractors and trailers were out there harvesting, and presumably passing the produce around.

After all, you mustn’t be selfish with your shellfish.

Returning from my trip out into the wilderness at Hocquigny, I went to Brehal-Plage where we had been on Saturday and reclined amongst the rocks for a while to read my book.

And it was here that I had a sudden thought – I had an urgent letter to post and I had forgotten. Although the Post Office was now closed, luckily, the Super-U at Brehal sold those pre-stamped envelopes so I bought a pack of 10 and I could post my letter.

Mind you, I almost didn’t make it there. Some stupid old woman in a Mercedes pulled out of a side road right in front of me, forcing me to slam on my brakes, and then came to a stop 50 yards further down while she made up her mind which way to go. And so she had a double blast on the horn for good measure.

Tea was a kidney bean and mushroom tomato whatsit, with enough left over for another three nights. I’ll have an early night tonight and hopefully sleep right through without any nightmares to awaken me.