June 2023

June 2023

Though we have not gone anywhere, life seems to have been as busy as ever. Laptop difficulties as per usual. Scott helped with this last. Lots of garden weeding & hoeing which also did my arm in, and I had to cut back to an extent. But we have been feasting on courgettes, and tomatoes are readying just now. Petit Claude has been working on theVolkswagen Golfe, but the necessary part is no longer available.

Richard had his scintography at the Hôpital Bonnet in Fréjus on the 9th and then saw his cardiologist a week later. His pace maker seems to be working fine, though an additional medicine has now been prescribed for him. We’ve had the chimney sweeper and a wood delivery. There have been pool meetings, and the construction of our piscine/basin is now underway. Susie said this morning that she expects it to be completed by the end of the month.

At Penny’s, we watched Elvis which I thought was very well done, and the final clip of Elvis himself was most moving. I have also been enjoying the music of the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho who had just died. Penny had a dinner for twelve including Bella, Macia & Phil and Jackie & Tony. Penny had been once to us for dinner, and after Barbara arrived, we all had dinner at Joanne’s – Penny, Bella, Barbara, Richard and me. Penny left for India the next day, but I have just received an email from her today. She has injured her leg and hip and is now on crutches and is returning prematurely.

The day before Barbara’s arrival and Richard’s cardiologist appointment we had coffees in town with Liliane. Lorna and a darling tiny Marius. I forgot the Soteria meeting on the 18th. I had prepared dinner (salmon pasta and blueberry pie) for six on the following Thursday but only when all was ready did I realise the invitations were for the next evening Friday. So Joanne joined us for a Thursday meal and re-joined us on Friday with Jan & Margit as well as

Becky. And we had drinks and dinner with both Barbara and Joanne just before our July nefastus at the Hotel Calalou. And yesterday, Steve & Annie came for the day.

I finished reading Israel Cohen’s 1943 History of Jews in Vilna and am now reading Patrick Curry’s Art and Enchantment as well as Cometan’s doctoral dissertation on “Religious Freedom and State Recognition of Belief.” For Midsummer’s Richard and I had our sunrise dip in the lake and then spent the day there renewing our shamanic credentials. Otherwise, we have both had colds and laryngitis – me first and then Richard.

We have had several Zooms with Rosie and phone conversations with Jimmy, Freeman and Pavel. Richard has blood tests to do this coming Wednesday, and the next day we are off to Aix-en-Provence for three days to see Berg’s Wozzeck, the Ballet Russe and the exhibition of Max Ernst. All in all, we are still enjoying the Midi paradise.