Why Is An Honourable Man Deemed Strange ?

Of late I feel absolutely disgusted with the British public, media , and many British politicians .

Since coming to power Gordon Brown has certainly had some bad luck with almost 'plague like happenings '. Numerous agricultural catastrophes, floods , knife crime , revelations of Tony the Far from Divine and his ghastly partner Sister Cherri of the Grab All , Gab All , to name but a few . The market crash which has resulted in a weakened pound is linked to a policy of hold hands with the USA plus squander in Iraq .[ a place we should never have gone ] Who took us ? Why ....Tony the Far from Divine and his gungho pal George of The Litany of Lies .

So when I read that Brown is now expected to be replaced as he appears , behaves and looks strange I am livid . For me, here is a man who is absolutely normal. None of that insincere toothy grin with sickly smooth voice ..Hallelujah Say I.

Mr Brown would do well to hold two positions, PM and Chancellor . Also retaliate but what stops him here could be attributed to the fact that he is a genuine person ,worthy of his title The Right Honourable . How sad that such decency is no longer vogue ..................I'm no longer sure that Britain rules the waves . More a case of sinking under them .

An ABC Of Music .. Well Almost.

In spite of my restricted movement ,this last weekend found me taken to several fantastic musical events .
As one who resides in Berlin ,where culture is nonstop, I have to report that the same can be said of here. Yes here in the very middle of France where fields and animals appear to outnumber humans .Read the local papers and what do you discover but a plethora of events .
On Thursday in Toulx-Sainte-Crox there was a harpsichord concert held in the tiniest church ever . Encores were very much in demand and the soloist Etienne Leuridan obliged .Brilliant.
Friday there was an entire evening of music and fun in the delightful village of Saint Fargeol. Click on this link to witness some of the talent.[Album for 25th]
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/andromeda333
With good food and wine it proved fantastic and went on until 2am !
Then on the Saturday off again to an accordion concert in Boussac where an amazing young French man ,one Alexandre Peigne delighted a packed church with a programme of classical works . Here you see him with a fabulous Russian accordion . Afterwards there was a super little party held in a nearby hall .
TV who needs it ? Therapy for injured knees .. Excellent .

Tour de France leg 19 .2008

My leg may be out of action but look at these guys and theirs ! Sitting on the kerb gave me a beetles eye view...Neris-les-Bains never looked so good . More later .

Send In The Clowns !

I've always loved the words to this song but over the years some of them have acquired a deeper meaning .... Yours truly is forever making her' entrance again ', and with amazing flair . Put simply I am, an accident , waiting to happen .

After a seemingly 'free period' things were to change. On Friday there I was having a great time skinny dipping in the moonlight , Sunday, Russian dancing . Add to this lots of cycling and walking . Then Monday came and with it the most spectacular fall ,down stairs onto a stone tiled floor. Worthy of a stunt woman . So now I have a superb, swollen left knee which is all shades of blue , a suspect broken rib and a chipped right shoulder . Add to this the sensation I've just done several rounds with a prize fighter and you'll get the picture.

But it isn't only the Phoenix who rose from the ashes .. Miss Vixen can and will. After all, there are boots to wear, trekking plans to see through and so much more . I hit rock bottom with an almighty bang . After seeing stars I'm back on my way up .

Note ] Any tips on how best to deal with severe bruising will be welcome . Have tried sliced onion . Effective ,but smelling like a burger is simply not my style ......

Oradour -sur -Glane

This slide show is a record of a visit made yesterday . After watching it , ask yourself , why is this this sort of atrocity still happening all over our world.

What Really Is Offensive In Christianity ?

Simple answer as far as I'm concerned :-
The Archbishop of Canterbury .
It's time this , 'I want to look like John the Baptist ' figure be removed from office . His comments are next to being insane and extremely inflammatory .
Mr Williams , take note . NOBODY in Islam would live very long after similar critic of that faith .Also the crusades were a very long time ago . Life goes on . Or Mr Williams do you delight in attempting to be trendy , not to mention trying to manufacture a religious holocaust ?

Ms Vixen Sings A Song .

* A few of my favourite things in France .[ apologies to Julie Andrews]

Partridge a wandering , all over the roads ,

Lizards that dart in front of your toes ,

Horses and herons to name but two

Then don't forget those shy coypu .

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Bats at sundown a flitting through trees

Frogs croaky chorus broadcast on the breeze

Hedgehogs that stumble across your path

Hares making yet another mad dash

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Lot's of donkeys ,lot's of cows ,many bright wild flowers

With so much to see in any one day..

There simply aren't enough hours .

Hardly a master work I know ... But truly this place is very much 'alive .' The cats in the collage are ferrel .Each day there are numerous birds of prey to be seen , but my tiny camera can't do justice to such . At sundown, bats flit amongst the trees then suddenly swoop around in circles. They, like the hedgehog , who trundle along in the dark are very difficult on capture on disc . I haven't given up though !

Mon anniversaire avec le Tour de France -

Another birthday has come and gone . It was a fun, action packed day . Also for those who say, 'ha one year older ' , I reply with the words of Lauren Bacall , "I am not a has-been. I am a will be " and the Miss V in me adds , old 'enough' is all that matters.

Much was seen , done and experienced and made even more magical by some amazing gifts from Nature. After an early swim , followed by coffee and cake I was taken to view the Tour de France . Excitement enough but , en route what should we spot but this amazing Heron. As a result of being held spell bound , formula one type driving ensured we got to a superb view point . The reward .... colourful spectacle . See the video , hear the video . All shop windows were decorated to celebrate this event . Astonishing . On the return journey one could only marvel at the contrast .... Tour de France = speed , nature = calm . In the evening a sumptuous meal at a local restaurant . Add to this Hermes 24 Faubourg , a Renault Clio *, plus ,[wait for it ] Bridget Jones's Diary and you have but some idea .

* In the collage you see a furry Ms V standing by a Clio . Errr my pressie is a not quite as large .Still it brings to mind two sayings :-

'small is beautiful ' and 'keep death of the road '

Boussac

Last Sunday a mystery drive was the order of the day. Miles of amazing countryside . Certainly no overcrowding problems here. Then Boussac . A typical French village/ town this place has so much . Most enjoyable was the chateau seen here. A fascinating place to visit and yes, there is a tour guide in English . George Sand used to stay here . The single bed is hers .Indeed as is the commode ! Then you can see the Bishops bed . ( Made me think of the Father Ted series) Many of the household items bore a fox as this had been a family crest . Whilst waiting to go round we enjoyed an exhibition of tapestries made in Aubusson and exquisitely hand painted gourdes . My favourite is to be seen twice in this collage .Of course it depicts a fox . However at €480 it was a tad expensive for this foxy lady.

Words of Wisdom .

'To win something, you have to lose something.

These words were sent to me by a very dear Tibetan 'friend' Tenzin. Her and I have never actually met ,yet through our correspondance we have established a real understanding . This 'wisdom' , arrived at the right moment and set me thinking over their truth. Events of my past now appear positive , setting the present in a clearer light .

So Perfect You'll Purr.

It is a truth ,' not quite' universally acknowleged ,that I am an icecreamholic.

Put quite simply I adore it and can't say no.

This summer I've been experimenting and making my own . To date , Japanese green tea ice , caramel , Guinness, lemon with ginger, melon sorbet .. but the best has been Roquefort ice cream !

Now now don't pull your face ... try, and be surprised . My little recipe is derived from a more complex professional version . It requires no ice cream maker , no eggs so no cooking a custard mix.

1)take 400ml of thick cream ( I found the Irish product superb )

2)beat until really stiff, but not butter texture.

3) To the cream add 2-3tablespoon's good honey into which 70gram of Roquefort cheese has been very finely crumbled and stirred.

4) stir well and place in 500 ml container . I used Tupperware and made sure there was no air left in .

5) place in your freezer and wow will you have a delicious desert.

note ) if your freezer makes it go really hard then simply move to fridge an hour before serving.

Halftime In The 2008 Game Of Life.

On Sunday the 29th June the rather political , very sporty Miss V stopped en route to France . Why ? Well the European Cup final was a must view . Sadly , Germany lost to Spain . Mind you the hotel room had orange, sheets, curtains , flowers ,the lot .Thus I did my bit for the orange campaign . If I'm honest, this room / hotel did little for me, comfort wise... how one suffers for the cause .

Next day and over the Rhein , into France with a break for chips ! Comfort food one could say .

I needed this . Fortunately the wonderful church by Corbusier at Ronchamp was visited [enjoy the slide show ] I could spend days there and recommend it as a' must' on your places to visit list .