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, the album from which the above-names track is taken, on the way to Liz’s this morning). <\/p>\nThe boots that I bought in a Hudson’s Bay trading post in Canada 15 months ago died a death over Christmas (the sole split) and the canvas shoes that I use for wandering around here aren’t really suitable for much. <\/p>\n
And a chance glance across a busy road from the Auchan on the outskirts of Clermont-Ferrand revealed a sale on at a shoe shop<\/p>\n
So I’ve now acquired a pair of black leather boots, not exactly what I wanted but they look fairly solid and 50% off the retail price of \u20ac59 made it look like something respectable, and they will keep my feet warm and dry for the foreseeable future. <\/p>\n
But that wasn’t all. <\/p>\n
They had some boots that are a kind-of cross between wellingtons and apr\u00e8s-ski<\/i> boots, with thick soles and fur lining and looking pretty solid, and all for \u20ac22 as well. <\/p>\n
Having frozen my feet off at the football over the weekend and being up to my neck in mud around here as well, I decided that a pair of those wouldn’t go amiss either – for going to to footy and for working outside in the bad weather.<\/p>\n
Two pairs of footwear – you really WILL be calling me “Imelda” now.<\/p>\n
So what was I doing in Clermont-Ferrand this afternoon? <\/p>\n
Well, we’d been to Gerzat this morning to record the radio programmes for Radio Arverne – spending a lot of the time talking rubbish as I predicted. <\/p>\n
But I’m running low on soya milk and not having been to Montlu\u00e7on and the Auchan there for a while, we decided to multi-task and visit the Auchan on the outskirts of Clermont-Ferrand, which is only a cockstride away from the road that takes us home. <\/p>\n
And the rest is history.<\/p>\n
Back at Liz and Terry’s, I had a really nice surprise. <\/p>\n
You may remember that when we were doing the house roof back in 2009, we had Terry’s little cement mixer running here. It’s only small but it runs on just 375 watts and it ticked over all day comfortably on my electrical set-up here. <\/p>\n
But it’s really too small for Terry now that he’s in business and so he’s acquired a big professional mixer that needed repair, and he’s now repaired it. The upshot of this is that “would I like a more-or-less permanent loan of the small mixer?” <\/p>\n
Well, do bears have picnics in the woods? <\/p>\n
A little mixer like that quietly ticking away all day while I do some important building work won’t half make my life easier and I have plenty of work for it in the summer, that’s for sure. <\/p>\n
Aren’t I grateful?<\/p>\n
This evening, I had the wood stove running hot, and garlic bread, pizza and rice pudding for tea were all cooked in the oven.<\/p>\n
All in all it’s been quite a good day today. Hasn’t it just?<\/p>\n
