January is almost over
January is a month to be got through (then of course there's February...). The weather isn’t always wonderful even in Menton. It is never below zero and rain is welcomed but it can be dull, wet and chilly in a very English way. But one thing you can be you can be sure of is that the rain will be followed by sunshine, something that is not so likely in England. The morning I wrote these words, I opened the shutters to the glorious sunrise in the photo!
There is promise in other ways too, it won't be too long before the mimosa is out.
And of course here in Menton as soon as Father Christmas has left and the Christmas decorations have been packed away, the preparations for the Lemon Festival begin...
This month I have been writing but I can’t say I’ve really got into my stride yet. I keep sidetracking myself.
You would think that with the darker evenings and weather that doesn't tempt you outside, I would be forging ahead with my next novel but as ever, just because I can, it doesn’t mean to say that I’m going to.
The start that I made to the novel in 2024 has been re-organised and reshuffled. My characters are jostling to have their say, I just can’t seem to get on with it. I have been trying to make myself write 1000 words a day. Sometimes I even manage it (even when I know that 997 of them will be scrapped).
That isn’t to say I’m not writing, obviously here I am writing the blog for you. I’ve joined a writing group here in Menton, a very friendly bunch and I managed to write a short piece for the first meeting without any difficulty at all. I've entered a couple of Flash Fiction competitions. I keep trying...
A minor health blip meant that I had to utilise the French health services (and test my language skills). I understood the recorded message that told me the line would be open at 8.30 and I duly called back. The receptionist sounded apologetic when she told me I could have an appointment at 9.30 otherwise it would have to be the afternoon.
By 9.25 I was sitting in the waiting room. I negotiated the consultation in French (with their roots in Latin many medical words are the same, it’s just a matter of pronunciation). I paid my 30€ and left with a prescription and test request. I walked to the laboratory in town for the test - this time my hearing was challenged more than my French, as the receptionists were behind glass and those not dealing with my request were having a loud conversation about the night before.) Test completed, I went to the pharmacist and collected the prescription—I paid 8€ for two items.
(The Carte Vitale which took me so long to acquire gives me access to the French health system and with it, 70% of the bill for the consultation is reimbursed directly into my bank account. In addition, with your Carte Vitale, a proportion of the cost of tests and prescriptions are paid through the state system, leaving a very manageable amount to pay. Following advice from friends advice I have taken out a Mutuelle insurance, through which I can reclaim any payments I have made —important should there ever be 30% of a hospital bill to pay)
Before 11am I was safely back home, all sorted.
So what have I been reading?
I loved The Friend by Sigrid Nunez—loss and grief through the eyes of a human and the heart of a dog.
I was led to the book when I went to see the film La Chambre à Côté. (The Room Next Door) based on another book by the same author :What Was She Going Through?
The film was beautiful visually (I wanted to rent that house in the woods) and deals with the very emotive and topical issue of euthanasia but with so much detail from the book missing, it's hard to feel any empathy for the women and difficult to understand why Ingrid agreed to accompany Martha in the first place.
Read the book, watch the film and you'll know what I'm talking about.
My own books are all available from Amazon or can be ordered through your favourite bookshop
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| The Barwell Trilogy |
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