Cold

Yes I will be talking about the weather.

We had the most amazing sunshine today, a proper crisp winter day that just felt lke a proper crisp winter morning, only played over three times in a row. The light held its slanty sharpness, the grass stayed white until evening come. It was sunny but I could not feel it, just see it ; the warmth of it was swept away by this tiny wind before it had time to settle on my cheeks. Nevertheless it was comforting standing there on a frozen puddle, loooking at the light through the branches, through my eyelashes, through my eyelids, and thinking how I could use all this in terms of blogging.

And then I got home and settled down to write, full of cold thoughts and frosty ideas (and it had nothing to do with a t-shirt wearing tiger) when our neighbour came knocking; her heating did not seem to be working, was ours? After we do all share one boiler. We went down to the cellar and sure enough: no huff, puff or other heating-related noise was to be heard. Only thing that was working: the wireless connection to the outside thermometre, indicating -1ºC (now -4). Handy.

Extra blankets anyone?

♪♫Let it rain. Let it rain, let it rain…

A not very inspired title for a not very inspiring day. It’s raining.

It isn’t even the sort of rain which makes you shiver and thank whoever’s up there that you are inside by the fireplace with a cup of tea and a digestive biscuit. I will be having tea and biscuits, but it just won’t help: it’s too grey and too wet and too cold out there. The only thing left to do in the world is to curl up in a blanket somewhere warm, and sleep. Anyway, forget about rain: why can’t all autumn days be crisp and sunny and windy with prettily coloured leaves blowing all over place in a golden slanting light piercing through the branches? WHY? Ok, it has to rain, otherwise it would not be autumn. Fair enough, why can’t it rain exclusively at night? Or in showers, so at least we could enjoy a couple of rainbows every now and again.

But there we are. Outside it is now so foggy I cannot see the massive limetree at the end of the garden, the heating is on full blast and every single radiator in the house is festooned with various bits of clothing and lingerie in a desperate race to get  everything dry before we all go back to Uni for the week. Officially, there is a washing machine in our flat in Clermont-Ferrand, but I don’t dare use it for fear the walls might start shaking and the biblical floods come forth and drown us all. There is enough water outside already, no need for my soapy contribution. I went to the garden yesterday, just for the sake of going out into the wide wet world, and all the way there was like walking on a saturated sponge. I also had a moment of stepping back into childhood as I stood in a puddle with my wellies, listening to the sound of raindrops falling on my head and thinking : “My feet aren’t wet!”

So anyway, not a very good day for going out and finding chestnuts for the chestnuts and cider evening in a couple of weeks, which is what I had planned for today. As a result I suppose I’ll have to read more of this stupid book. Funny how things turn out. Now if any of you have read my previous two posts, you might be wondering: Does this girl’s entire course really revolve around reading this one bloody book? No it doesn’t. As a matter of fact, I get all sorts of homework, I have just been very good and organised this week, so the only homework I have left is reading this one bloody book. I’m sure it’s very good; I have been told it is a very thought provoking, controversial masterpiece of a book, criticising post-war Germany in a way which was also foretold modern evolution of society… But I just have great difficulty getting into it.  I read a dozen pages yesterday afternoon (which I will have to go through again later, armed with a dictionary this time). I used to gobble up a dozen books a day! How low the not-so-mighty-anyway have fallen! Never mind. Look on the positive side, today is a glum day so maybe it is really the perfect weather for reading a glum book about a man who wanders around wondering “what was it all for?” and ends up killing himself…

Looking forward to going back into town tomorrow. The weather will still be bad but at least there’s lessons and training to look forward to. In the meantime, time for lunch (stuffed tomatoes, yummy!)