What happened in June?

I’m so behind with my blog writing – and reading – that we’re now halfway through July. Never mind, life does have a habit of getting in the way!

And, to clarify, I’m talking about what happened in my small corner of the universe, not the world!

As always, when in France, we had some delicious food! I love fruit salad, and the one pictured below was a standout. The almond tuile and passion fruit sorbet added to the deliciousness! This was eaten at a local restaurant that has white linen tablecloths, a big tick from me!

The boeuf en croûte or beef wellington was the plat du jour on an 18 euro menu, and equally tasty. This was served in another local restaurant that doesn’t have tablecloths, but paper mats and is none the worse for that!

We were introduced to a local wine that we hadn’t tried before, and which we’ll add to our wine list. Meanwhile, my hunt continues for the ‘perfect’ almond croissant.

Zeph turned rogue and destroyed Moo Cow for no particular reason. However, he was given a new squeaky toy and a frisbee!

In addition to spending time in France, I made two flying visits to Bournemouth. During these visits, I walked along the cliff top, travelled on an open top bus and had fish and chips ‘Chez Fred’.

I also attended my college reunion, the fifth one. I have been to them all, apart from the last gathering. I was determined to participate in this one! When I attended the first reunion, my eldest son was a toddler (now thirty-three years old), and my youngest son hadn’t been born!

This time I stayed overnight in a hotel with a friend I’ve known since the first year. We both studied French and shared a flat in Tours during our second year, where we had our French placement. We lost touch for many years, but reconnected at an earlier reunion and now meet up regularly.

It was fantastic to catch up with friends, but inevitably, there were absentees. Some couldn’t make the dates, some were unwell, and some were no longer with us. As time moves on, I become more aware of our mortality and the importance of connecting with long-term friends.

I’m an avid reader, but I always seem to get through more books when we’re in France. There have been two standout books for me in June.

The List of Suspicious Things is a debut novel by Jennie Godfrey, set in Yorkshire in 1979. Margaret Thatcher is the Prime Minister, and the Yorkshire Ripper is dominating the headlines. Two young girls decide to try to identify the YR by making a list of suspicious things relating to the people in their area. I loved this book, which was moving but with elements of humour. Here’s a brief commentary from the author.

The Bee Sting. I’m not sure that I would have selected this book normally, but it was reviewed on a podcast I admire. It’s written by a Dublin-born author, Paul Murray and was shortlisted for the 2023 Booker prize. It’s a tragi-comedy, set around the dysfunctional lives of an Irish family – the Barnes. There’s so much I could say about this book, but it was the ending that completely phased me. No spoilers here!

I hope you enjoyed my June mishmash, and thank you for reading.