Read in time

One of the things Brian wanted to do more of when we first moved to France was to read. I think we can both admit though that we haven’t read anywhere near as much as we thought we would do. That is because we simply don’t make the time, which seems crazy.

So we decided that this year, once a month, we will set a day aside for a ‘reading day’.

Our January reading day, I think, got missed, but we were committed to February’s one taking place. Brian had bought himself a new book, all about the history of our local area; the Côte des Bar. Unusually, it is a local book which has been translated into English.

I used the day to research plants for the garden. I’d like to gradually develop the garden, but I’m very concious the temperatures here are far more excessive than I was used to in the UK. That said, I know that if I get the right plants, for the right situations, they should thrive through the seasons. So having the time to research and plan what I’m doing is such a delight, rather than my previous approach of ‘that’s a lovely plant, I’ve got an empty space for that’, and finding it wasn’t really suited for where I put it. My garden gives me a lot of joy, so it definitely deserves more thought.