Nuts!

A very idle day to be sure, although I took a walk to the supermarket with my wife that both stretched the legs and secured us a few essentials.

While in the shop I received a lengthy text from my brother in France reporting on his findings at the window store. There are numerous options, although the two at the pricier end are the most compelling. At the moment we have no idea what view the local authority (in this case the town hall or mairie of the commune in which our house is situated) takes of aesthetic considerations, but the building is 250 years old and so deserves some respect. Whatever we do will require a prior application to be submitted in triplicate, although the approval process seems quite speedy. A flurry of texts has followed as we try and clarify dimensions and colours.

From what my brother tells me, all is mists and mellow fruitfulness in Brittany, with warm temperatures and the trees hanging low with walnuts, hazelnuts and sweet chestnuts. He and my sister-in-law have also been gathering up pinecones, which not only decorate the hearth but also make fragrant firelighters. By the time they found the window showroom today it was the hallowed time of lunch and the place was inevitably closed for a couple of hours. There was nothing for it but to find a peaceful spot for a picnic. They ended up by a quiet estuary at the end of a winding road, their only companion being a Frenchman dozing in his car oblivious to the acorns and chestnuts pinging off the roof.

The incomparably cheeky Squirrel Nutkin, consistently my favourite amongst the Beatrix Potter characters.