Matters medical

Now there's nothing I like more than pondering over medical mysteries. Today's mystery goes like this. I have, of late, been waking a few times in the night to go to the toilet. (Do we really need to know this? - Ed.) I put this down mostly to the wine that I have with dinner. It's liquid and has a diuretic effect. This I understand. So how come, following my pact with the good doctor yesterday, I have nothing to drink at all during the late afternoon or evening but I still have the same nocturnal journeys? This needs some serious consideration n'est ce pas? I may have stumbled upon some new and unexplained problem, new to science. What do you think?
(I think you're an incontinent prat - Ed.)

***

It rained this morning, so two of the day's planned forays were cancelled, but there are still two to go, so read on.

It must be a sign of age, or something, that makes Jan decide to enter 3 pots of jam into our village competition, the Premier Concours de Carthagenes et de Confiture. I'd always seen her in a WI (Women's Institute) kind of way, and now she's proved my point. After much deliberation, nothing if not thorough our Jan, she enters an apricot, brugnon (nectarine) and lemon curd (my favourite) but we rejected the fig jam, which she made last year. There is also a competition for cartagene, which would be fun to judge. I would love to be on the judging panel, giving it a kind of international flavour. The new sober me would, of course, have to refuse but they'll have another competition next year, so here's hoping. As a matter of public duty, the new sober me must also point out the dangers of excessive drinking.
L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé. A consommer avec modération.
(I should have said, incontinent sanctimonious, prat - Ed.)

***

We popped down to the village hall at 18.00 for the results of the Belote tournament, and the cartagene and jam competitions. We're not too sure about the card game Belote, the village drunk won the cartagene competition (he's had more practice than anyone else) and Christine, the mayor's wife, won the jam making competition with a cherry jam. Jan came fourth with her lemon curd which was the only jam that was completely finished when the public were allowed to try them all. These village get togethers are great fun and we enjoy participating. Jan even gets kissed by the village drunk now (they're sort of kindred spirits) and at each successive event, we feel more part of the community.

***

Dinner at Le Fourmeau tonight and very good it was too. Everyone really enjoyed their meal. The food just gets better and better and always with reasonably priced wines. At ten minutes from the house, it's our restaurant of choice. And yes, not a drop passed my lips. Strange, but true.