Forty five minutes to ourselves.

Overnight a thunderstorm cleared the air bringing with it some sanity restoring freshness. To celebrate , a now fully recovered Wilf was up and out for a lengthy early morning walk past the lamp posts and water hydrants of the light industrial park. Not the most beautiful of strolls but one which both of us enjoy - he likes it for the upmarket urban sophistication of its smells and scents while I love its tick free safety and the complete Sunday morning absence of cars and cherries.

On the way home stopped at the market for some cheese. The lady behind the counter said that the Salers , fresh in that morning, was wonderful. Then an educational cross counter chat. It's made in 90 small farms at the crest of the snow bound mountains and the name can only be used by herds that graze in these high mountain pastures between May and September. Usually a cheese is at least 50% water but Salers ( I now know ) is the densest of cheeses being nearly 60%. It's stored for a year and then hey presto it's ready for sale. A quick sliver to taste and I was hooked - boy, it's strong but as the flavours explode on the tongue you can really taste the dandellions, anemones and other mountain flowers the cows graze on. Not a single preservative or chemical to hide the taste. The joys and endless discoveries of life in France.

Finally, to the artisinal bakers and the pricey but tantalising cake counter. Wilf agonised over whether we should buy an Opera or a strawberry tart for lunch but finally plonked himself down on the floor and sat staring determinedly at the Opera. Decision made. ( Someone asked last week about the cake with the name Caroline piped on it - the baker says that it's a type of chocolate cake not a returned birthday cake ).

Not sure about the colour for the shutters. The taupe didn't work so decided to try the paint that we used on the house in Italy - a refreshing pale grey-green. Here in France the light has a different composition and the end result looks a bit flat if not cold. Have done a couple of the ancient shutters at the back of the house in the new paint but will need to do some more before a final decision can be made. Wilf will be alongside directing things.