Winter's coming

I am still walking around in shirts rather than sweaters, even though the days are getting shorter, the days gloomier and the temperatures lower.  I have three weeks to go until I move into the apartment,  just in time to turn the heating on and, according to reports, pay extortionate gas bills.  This is the first time I shall have had gas central heating and I am not over the moon about it.  Still, I would rather be here than in the UK where the problems are mounting - long delays in medical treatment, shortage of truck drivers and manpower.  'It's not the fault of Brexit,' I hear the 'leavers' cry, 'it's the pandemic.'  Obviously the pandemic hasn't helped but of course Brexit has largely contributed to the problems.

A friend on the Isle of Wight has posted a picture of the White Hart pub with a notice on a blackboard outside, saying 'beer shortage coming soon, panic buy here.'  Don't you just love the British sense of humour?  That is the one thing I miss in France.  That and the banter in the shops or in queues, on buses etc.  The French don't do it, although I have tried it out on the tennis players and they got it.  Talking of tennis, I managed to play for 2 hours without suffering at all, so back to normal.

Yesterday I was removing a spider from the bathroom sink with the intention of placing it on the shelf but I dropped it and it landed in the toilet.  I then spent 10 minutes trying to rescue it.  It kept crawling up under the rim and then slithering back into the water.  Finally I dangled toilet paper in front of its nose and he climbed on to it.  Pleased that my efforts had been successful I gently lowered it to the bathroom floor.  This morning it was back in the sink again.