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The first blooms are soooo exciting, before blackspot, rain and burning sun take their toll 😁

I do realise that there are lots and lots of things about this so-called modern life that leave me in a flummox. One activity that I hear mentioned frequently and whose meaning completely evades me is "making memories". You even see it in adverts as in why not do this (go on a cruise, visit Turkey) and make memories. People have "bucket lists" and they want to "make memories" for their children. Don't you just go and do things, visit the Black Hole of Calcutta, Tutankamun's tomb, whatever, and you remember some of the things you have done and don't remember others? Surely, you don't do things to "make memories", you er...do them because you'd like to?

I must say I never understood the phrase "bird brain" because there is so much evidence to prove that birds are actually very smart creatures. If you could put up with the "noise" perhaps you could use some wind chimes. You could, of course, call the ensemble a Concerto for Aeolian Harps?

Well I've just spent the last hour watching a couple of nest builders skillfully avoid the swinging DVD's to get to their beam of choice. Perhaps I need to record some Cliff Richard concerts onto them. 🤣

Very pretty roses Noisette. Ours have begun blooming too.

Flushed with success over the kite photo, I'm just going to try my luck again, to see whether it still works........ Curiouser and curiouser.....they're only the right way up if I drag and drop.....🤔

I know, I have always said that type of thing. Yet, I have family members who have never encountered my bad luck.

Lori, I am definitely never flying again. You'd have to put me under a general anaesthetic and leave me in the hold. I'd MUCH rather be amongst the suitcases.

Well done, Noisette, for getting that very impressive photo! Mind you, if that bird had been swooping upside down, would you have had it soaring upwards?

Yes, being an Apple person, I have that on my devices too, and I find it very useful, even though I can touch type within reason, though it doesn't seem to understand French words, but then I'm working in English .. so if I changed it to French maybe it would be OK then. Certainly worth investigating ..

There you go, menthe 🙂 It swoops and sways a lot better when it's streamers aren't wrapped around the pole! Amazingly, the photo loaded the right way up 😁

I had such bad luck on flights that whenever I arrived to my destination, my family and friends would always ask - so what disastrous thing happened on this flight. It was a rare, rare moment when I had no reply. And I did leave off the flight from Germany to the USA where, upon arriving, winds decided to play havoc and we had an incredible touch and go (back up) attempt at landing. Many screams were heard. The poor German gal sitting next to me grabbed the barf bag and well, .. used it.. I make a point of eating little if anything on flights. She had enjoyed everything served to her.

I know Menthe. What can you do? You are a captive on a contraption in the air. It does do a number on any idea that your fellow man might have any redeemable qualities. Far too many of today's humans have no regard for anyone other than themselves. Sad state of affairs.

Oh Lori, I am horrified and traumatised by what you have said. The couple changing their babiy's nappy would definitely have been the last straw for me.

I think I've seen that one, amongst a few others. As tempting as retaliation might be, I'm not willing to risk the fist in the face I might get these days - or worse. Yes, I think Business Class seats will avoid most of these 'people.' On our last flight from the U.S.A. to Paris in January 2019 (just as the pandemic soup pot was beginning to boil), we flew first class. I'd never flown a long haul flight in first class. Lie down sleeper seats, exceptional service, outstanding food (can you imagine) and top notch wines. Worth every penny. And, the cabin was quiet the entire journey.

Sounds horrendous!!! I'm hopeful traveling Business Class will be slightly more civilised. Lori, there's a video on twitter ( X ) of a girl doing exactly what you describe, flicking her hair over the back of the seat onto the tray table of the person behind. Unfortunately the person behind her was as uncouth as she was and proceeded to chew pieces of gum which she then removed from her mouth and stuck into the hair.

Oh I have many stories about the horrors of long haul flights and sitting beside arm rest hoggers or oversized bodies are some of the lessor horrors. I've unfortunately had to sit behind a smelly, long haired pre-teen (I'm guessing) who kept her seat back down the entire trip and flipped her stinky hair on my tray table. Then there was the other time that I was stuck beside a family and the, again, unkept pre-teen kept falling asleep on ME. Then, there was the flight where the traveling family allowed there (2 to 3 year old boy) to be passed from the row in front of me to the family members sat in my row (behind them) multiple times with him knocking his feet on me at each passing. Then same boy was allowed to roam up and down the aisles unaccompanied and then dropped his pants and pooped on the aisle floor. Then on yet another, I was sitting in an aisle seat, the male sitting opposite me in the aisle seat of the same row, removed his shoes and propped his feet in my direction as he laid down taking up the empty seat beside him. I've never smelled worse foot odor in my life. Others seemed to take note of it too, but nothing was done. Then, there was the family who decided it was a good idea to pack a family picnic of some of the stinkiest foods possible and unpack them early on in the flight, stinking up the entire cabin. Or perhaps the couple with the baby that decided that changing his extremely bad smelling diaper on the tray table was a perfectly acceptable thing to do. I've seen this same faux pas on French trains too. I'm sure I'm leaving a few things out. I avoid long haul flights as much as possible. This was a wise man. I agree completely.

Ha! ha! I'd like to see some of those! I used to have a cut out of a seagull but that was a souvenir for me rather than for the birds. You see, I lived along the heritage coast in South Wales.

Well, well, well, what a great deal we have in common. Firstly, Lori, thank you for that link. It is one of those places where I just long to get on that bridge and walk along those paths! We do have lots of these panoramic points in the Dordogne. As the French walkers always exclaim, it is so "vallonnée"......hills and views everywhere you look and a joy to go up and down all day long if you are walking! I am another one who loves driving on small country roads and don't care if I take a couple of days to go anywhere. We used to do this a lot, drove around and if a church tower was visible in the distance, we stopped at wherever it was, looked for a small hotel or chambre d'hôte and stayed the night. I also like to arrive somewhere the night before and spend time in a Novotel or some such and go onwards the following day. But, like Martin, I no longer fly and can't bear the thought of all the hanging around, the queues to pass security, the machines for getting your boarding pass, and la di da di da.....quelle horreur! Also I'd have nightmares about going on a long distance flight sitting next to a fat person who would overflow into my seat, monopolise my arm rest, and block my view of the aisle. Then I'd think about if we needed to evacuate the plane and this person got stuck and I couldn't get out and perished in the ensuing crash and I am not sure they'd know how to get my dental records from my dentist in order to identify my remains. I remember a delightful old chap telling me years ago that, when one got older, there was no more agreeable place than your own home. And now I myself am getting on, I wish he was still around so that I could say I have found out that he was right about that!

Had no idea Lehaut. I'll certainly give it a try. I've just looked at Whatsapp and they have the same option. Never noticed any of this before. My age showing..

That's a nifty tip, Lehaut, thanks. I'm going to try my French on it and see if that's understood. I envisage hours of fun!

If I may suggest another approach. Try finding the "microphone" on your keyboard. On my android phone keyboard it is above the comma. Press that when you are composing an email or SMS and speak slowly and clearly into the phone. The words will appear in the document. The same when using google search, tap the microphone on the right of the search bar and pose your question. Mine voice input spells much better than my finger inputs!

If booked in advance, the IBIS is normally reasonable and worth it to me. I've always found it clean, quiet with good beds and clean linen. Food choices are not great, but there is a decent supermarket and boulangerie just around the corner from the hotel (5 minute walk from your room).

That's exactly what I thought of doing, thank you. ☺️ I'm also flying out to Manchester a couple of months earlier as a practice run.

Oh I hate driving on autoroutes too. I'll also avoid them whenever possible. As to CDG, I have found that to ease the stress of airport manoeuvres, I arrive the evening before travel date and stay at either the IBIS or Novotel at Roissypole. And easy CDGVal shuttle to the terminal(s). I'm used to CDG, but arriving the day before (no matter what time my departure flight is), still eases some of the stress.