“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.”

Thomas Jefferson (1802)

….miserable fucker

To help us with the transition from the dog days of summer into the cold dark purgatory (exaggerating for effect) of a Limousin autumn the mellow, if somewhat depressing, stylings of Emily Jane White (for anyone interested she is playing at the Woodstock Boogie Bar in Limoges on the 19th October, a venue which is both a fire hazard and unbearably hot – am I selling it to you?)

Apologies for the lack of blog last Saturday but there was an unscheduled trip to the UK to sort out new tenants for our house in London as my brother in law (a plasterer, dry waller and electrician – how useful……) has now returned to France with us (for a short sojourn) and has been coerced into going up a rickety five metre tower balanced on a box (I’ll beat all that health and safety nonsense out of him) to try and fix the apogee of bodge that was my attempt to plasterboard the ceiling five years ago in the freezing winter of 200something just after we arrived. Lordy, that was a long sentence.

We were supposed to be going on Le Shuttle (horrendous expression) but had to change plans when it caught alight – this did mean an extra night in Boulogne and a rather nice dinner so all was well with the world. If anyone needs a cheap hotel in Boulougne then I can recommend this place, very central, clean, bog rooms and about €56 a night….really, what more could one want.

Still we had a couple of very nice nights staying with our friends who have a big house in Kingston, plus it seems we happened on the only two days of sunshine that have graced English shores this summer. Much time was spent pootling around shops but as there were more people shopping in Kingston on a Sunday morning then there are people living in the Limousin, I did succumb to the fear and had to hightail it back to our mates’ house.

We are opting, with the aforementioned plastering of the landing, to tint the plaster which hopefully will mean we won’t have to paint the stuff. After much deliberation in the shop I went for a subtle dark grey colour which I thought would dry lighter and give us the post industrial, Manhattan art gallery look I was after. The brother in law applied a large patch and as it dried we realised we had skilfully contrived to exactly match the colour of the untreated plasterboard on the adjacent wall – marvellous.

With all the talk of the Chinese taking over the Limousin’s golfing establishment, you’ll be pleased to know there is a new Chinese run coffee shop in the next village*

*In no way true

We’re off out in about 5 mins and I’ve just realised that I haven’t done this blog yet, so it’ll be a short one.

What to tell? Both at Gouhaut today, along with Mark and Laurent. Progress is swift. I really must try and get some photos on here but I’ve completely forgotten how to do it. Maybe Kevin can be persuaded with an alcoholic bribe. It normally works.

It’s good to get back in the thick of things – says the woman on the end of a very small paint brush – and away from the paperwork. It’s so much more satisfactory to go to bed at the end of the day having done something vaguely physical and creative.

I woke up with a pain in my chest this morning and have for the past few days. Obviously I suspected a heart condition and did a bit of trawling of the internet before going off to paint my way fit. I’m going to follow the advice of someone in a chat room who isn’t actually a doctor but training to be one, which is good enough, especially as all it involves is taking an aspirin a day for a week rather than sitting in the salle d’attente at the doctor’s in Chalus for a couple of hours of an evening.

Just got back; I’d better publish this – for all that it is - rather than nothing. Lovely evening / fantastic food, which included fish pie . I was a bit dubious about eating the prawns in it ( after the anaphalactic shock scenario earlier in the summer ) but I didn’t die or come even near it so a happy end to the evening.  Must go to bed now ready for another evening of social whirl tonight.