Barties fascination with the hole outside our new house continues !

While there's nothing going on at the house at least there is progress on the furniture to fill it with. John is making us a dining table from cherry wood. He's starting with rough planks with the bark still on and I know he'll turn it into something beautiful.

I've been watching photo portrait tutorials and this is the result. There were a lot of worse ones !!

Mr B has been putting in some hard work in the garden at No.5. We now have half a flower border and loads of daffodil and iris bulbs planted. It was so warm this afternoon that there were men playing boule on the quille pitch with no shirts on, it's January 17th !!

More practice with the light box. Didn't eat the sweeties in the photo. Bartie went across to number 5 and pruned some of the fruit trees. His new recording device came today, brilliant sound quality. Walked my usual circuit straight after lunch for a change and met four other regular walkers. Did a bit of tidying up in the garden, the deaf and dumb lady walked past and I had a chat with her enunciating VERY clearly. Rowed for 30 minutes. Breakfast:- bran flakes and orange juice. Lunch:- soya burger with salad and an apple. Supper:- Hard boiled egg with 2 ryvitas.

Spent most of today trying to sort out yet another of Barclays cock-ups. Their incompetence is staggering. Wrote an email to their complaints department for Sylvia to send. They refuse to talk to me. Luckily Sylvia is now just as hacked off as we are.
Took the tree down, only one bauble broken. Is it just me or does it take longer to dismantle than to put up?
Walked my circuit and rowed 30 mins. Breakfast:- Branflakes with orange juice. Lunch:- salmon fillet with rice. Supper:- branflakes with yoghurt.

Got up very late after a terrible nights sleep, was still awake at 6... no idea why. Did lots more research on the Internet into wedding photography. Walked my circuit. Did some practice with the light box and my pearls
Breakfast in bed:-a slice and a half of buttered toast. Lunch:-salmon salad, yoghurt and mint dressing with 6 hard boiled quails eggs and 2 ryvitas, peach and passionfruit yoghurt. Supper:- slice of fresh pineapple with bran flakes

Lunch with Alan Taylor at La Frigiere. The chaps had beef from a joint spit roasted over an open fire. It's the last day of the season at the restaurant and they will be closed for the next 2 months. Alan is trying to organise a cricket match between the restaurant staff and an English team. He had found the rules of cricket, together with diagrams all explained in French. No breakfast. Lunch:- smoked salmon with salad, grilled trout, potatoes,mushrooms and green beans, half a small cabecou cheese, Ile flottante and two glasses of wine. Rowed for 30 mins and walked my circuit. The dog is First, the six month old puppy who belongs to the restaurant owners.

New Years Day

New Year, New Diet. Nothing changes eh. After last nights excesses it's time for a bit of serious weight loss. Walked my usual circuit. Brunch:- 2 scrambled egg with smoked salmon and salad with yoghurt dressing, slice of pineapple. Supper weetabix with orange juice. Weight this morning a disgusting 72 kilos. Plan is to get back down to 62 in 10 weeks, how hard can that be .......?

Been practising photography and trying to get to grips with my camera. Matt and Ali have asked me to photograph their wedding in July and the more I look into this the more I realise I don't know. Have spent much of Christmas trawling the internet for tips and tutorials. It's scary stuff, there's no second chance with weddings.