Candes Saint-Martin, my favourite spot in La Touraine.

Sunday 9 March 2014

Spring brings out the best .... and the worst

We've been having some lovely spring weather since Thursday. I worked from home on Thursday morning but took the afternoon off. A friend came over and we had a quick, late lunch at our favourite Italian restaurant just down the road. My friend had an attractive seafood salad, while I enjoyed a generous salmon Carpaccio. Both were delicious. We indulged in a bottle of Italian white wine. Very nice too, yet not as nice as the sec Vouvray which we prefer.

As it had been well over 1 p.m. when we arrived, it was almost three when we left the restaurant. Too late to do the weekly shopping, as my friend had another appointment at four. We therefore drove over to a nearby village and its popular pub featuring a sunny terrace.

First day of spring in a rural Belgian village.

Imagine our disappointment when we arrived and saw that the pub was under ‘reconstruction’. However, when we noticed some locals and patrons walking towards the backdoor of the café, we curiously followed them. We didn’t know that the pub had a ‘function room’ where a temporary bar had been set up. The landlady, who’s a distance relative by (ex) marriage let us to a large sun-lite garden behind the function room. We ordered our drinks and enjoyed a splendid half an hour of early spring sunshine. It felt so good to be able to sit outdoors again, chatting and enjoying the familiar sounds of rural village life. Temperatures were +/- 16°C. Today they are up to 20°C or even more if you stay out of the wind.

And apparently we are not the only ones to be out and about again. Burglars are on the move too. They've become a recurrent plague in our village, but this time they are a bit too close for comfort.

There are scores of these in my mother's garden.

On Tuesday morning my mother noticed that the wire fence that separates her garden from her neighbours’ had been partially cut and folded back. We put on our Sherlock Holmes caps and did some investigating. We found out that the intruders had made their way from a side street, three gardens down the road, before ending up in my mothers’ garden, where the only way out was the back garden of the house that’s on the street that runs parallel with my mother’s.

My friend has fixed the damaged wire and we've come up with a simple yet very efficient alarm system that does not involve any electricity or complicated secret codes …

P.S. The photos were shot with my smartphone. Easy and practical. I'm not sure about the quality though.


11 comments:

The Broad said...

I must say I'm envious of your sunny springlike weather. How perfect it all sounds -- those first warm Spring days are the most blissful of all, I think! Well done, discovering the fence -- always good to be one step ahead of those who plan such deeds...

GaynorB said...

I agree! I'm intrigued by your early alarm system. Still best to be cautious.

Carolyn said...

Springlike weather and daffodils--I envy you.

Martine, did your old blog posts disappear? I had bookmarked one from 2009 on how you planned a trip. We're planning a trip now and I wanted to pick up some tips from you, but the old entry is gone.

Amanda said...

It is too bad about the burglaries but I feel your joy about spring.

VirginiaC said...

Glad you enjoyed the first day of spring Martine.
Burglars are on the rise everywhere, and we have had our fair share of them here too.
I'm curious to know what kind of alarm system you installed....smile.

Bob said...

i hate these people that don't respect your property. they think it's theirs or just don't care. they are everywhere now. maybe a pit bull in the back yard would solve the problem!!!

Bob said...

oops, forgot. the photos look great.

Craig said...

Hi Martine - I just double checked your blog to make sure that you hadn't still linked to my old deleted blog. Jean explains it all.
Glad to hear that you are well.

Linda said...

Lovely photos, especially the first one!

Louise said...

Martine, I agree your photos are lovely...we are in autumn here in Perth, with vibrant skies and sunny days...one of my favourite times of the year...

ladybird said...

Kathie, Now that I know that the house in the back was their target, I feel somewhat reassured.

Gaynor, I simple string and an old brass outdoor bell!

Carolyn, I've put a large part of my blog on 'draft' after last year's stalker incident. I'll see if can find the required post and send you an email.

Nadege,, Spring's till here. Hope the burglars have moved on though:)

Virginia, Sorry to hear about the burglars in your part of the world. Hope Brownie makes a good guard dog. As I mentioned above, the alarm system is a simple string and an old brass outdoor bell, which we've put inside.

Bob, A fierce dog sounds the best solution, but I'm not sure my mother could handle it :) They are very strong after all!

Craig, Thank you for popping in and for your concern. Jean had warned me about the link. Hope you and Clive are fine and that winter hasn't been too hard on you both without Boris' cheerful company. Take care!

Hi Linda, Welcome and thank you for posting a comment. I guess the photos are OK, but I'm not satisfied with the (smartphone) quality.

Louise, I prefer posting photos taking with my camera, but on this occasion I had forgotten to take it. Heavy handbag ... you know? NO room for any extra's. I guess you know the phenomenon? :))