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JO KING's avatar

The piece on Gaza, was it AI? Whatever- it was thought provoking in a very good way….

Septic tanks, we have Veolia in Burgundy coming to inspect ours next week. Terrifying as it was installed 30 odd years ago and the house is only used for about 6 weeks a year max. Plans (haha!) are wanted….

And the peri menopause piece, it’s become yet another marketing opportunity. I don’t dispute some people have a grim time and I think I got off lightly other than getting grumpy(er) and having windows open while snow lay on the ground….!

I have been through all the red bits yet, saving it for my ferry crossing tonight!

Can you still smell smoke from the fires? Those poor wonderful deer, I hope they escaped…

AlisonH's avatar

Be sure to listen to Giles’ interview with Ralph Fiennes!

Christene Barberich's avatar

India, your eye is like no other (AND I'm still going through Lucinda's treats from this week, too). Also that belt you shared has given me so many ideas for collecting colorful vintage ric-rac when I'm thrifting and turning them into into something completely CRAZY...thank you for all of it! xx

Ann Gordon's avatar

Honestly, this all makes for wonderful reading on boring commutes - thank you! Especially liked the septic tank talk😂

Tina's avatar

Feel like there's a theme with quite a lot of the links. How to make sure that legitimate issues are recognised and dealt with appropriately but without creating additional issues. Nuance is so often the answer, but (especially on the Internet) over-correction is so often what we actually get!

Jolene Handy's avatar

I need an entire pot of tea this morning to accompany this post, India, wow!

Tessa Broad's avatar

Ooh I'm going Turkish with my breakfasts - just what I need on these hotter than hot days. Too much to mention and I haven't even started on the in brief section. I will say a bit about fire though, many years ago, my proper countryman husband decided to set fire to an area of land overwhelmed by brambles, bracken and gorse... the outcome I did not expect was an amazing revitalisation of the ground. Very quickly it recovered, and soon the ground was revealing primroses that hadn't seen the light of day for years, cornflowers, poppies. Now I realise what's going on now on your local heathland is way more devastating and recovery will take much longer but nature is so bloody amazing that I'm sure she will find her way to provide some ground rejuvenation to come. We live in hope.

Thank you for the Pierre Bonnard, Still Life with Lemons. Beautiful.

I'm taking away with me with this classic bit of India wisdom

'But why choose to even go near this stuff, to become crap-adjacent oneself? What is the point? It’s like eating shit fast food - delicious idea in the moment, greasy and squalid-feeling afterwards. It’s not compulsory and it eventually makes you ill. We could all simply… not do it.'

Exactly. Thank you as ever.

Emma Carey's avatar

Thank you, I loved the piece on art especially. I have to say though, the holiday nutrition guide and specifically the supermarket shopping list within was a bit of a wake up call as mine normally consists of: massive slab of Milka; huge bag of local crisps; babybel / sliced swiss cheese; peanuts and other savoury snacks; bottle of gin / tonic; 3 euro prosecco; 24 cans of diet coke. I am 51.

Charlotte Frew's avatar

Such good advice to avoid the journalistic equivalent of shit food. One always feels subconsciously awful after it and disgruntled with the world and our place in it.

India Knight's avatar

Yes exactly, I always feel slightly sickened afterwards.

hazel sym's avatar

Aw thanks, that was great. I love the Rosebud. John Major on his parents was quite interesting. I used to love Jean Plaidy. I thought it was a Scottish name. Love hollyhocks. Mine awful slow this year. The buds just starting to open. Also nasturtium s. Love their colour. Wish someone, ( maybe they do), i dunno. Make a lippy collection of nasturtium colours. (well maybe not the yellow ones). Enjoy your new septic tank. You made me laugh. Poor son s girlfriend tho. My son fell down a drain, (shallow), when he was wee, the lid on pavement was nt secure. Wee soul got a big fright. Luckily hubby was there. Anyway have a lovely weekend.

India Knight's avatar

Thanks Hazel, you too. I adore nasturtiums but ours for some reason are very weedy this year - normally they're rampant.

Louise's avatar

Hurrah for the new septic tank! And I really need to find out of hollyhocks will grow well in Italy, because I don't think I've ever seen them.

I am currently spending Saturday waiting for various deliveries: teabags, the most boring bras I have ever seen in my life (cotton, no underwire, not a scrap of pretty lace), mosquito-bite buzzers, water-carbonater gas bottles, fragrance-free body lotion. WHERE IS THE GLAMOUR?? I ask myself piteously.

India Knight's avatar

Hm, that list does not get the heart racing. BUT the bite-buzzers are really good I think.

Anna Eleri Hart's avatar

“it’s magnificent” 😂😂

BluegirlJoJo's avatar

❤️

Lisa Eveleigh's avatar

Hello, hello, India. Hope it's okay to add that the annual (and always stellar) Dunwich Flower Festival this weekend has been cancelled in the circs - I do some work for the Revd Tim Rogers, who is the Rector of Dunwich (and 7 other neighbouring parishes). We've alerted as many people as we can, but I suspect you have a wider reach! There will instead be a special service at Darsham church on Sunday at 10am for anyone who'd like to come. Lisa E xx

India Knight's avatar

Of course, and thank you - might come along myself. Do you want me to put it on the village WhatsApp?

Lisa Eveleigh's avatar

Yes please to WhatsApp. Only come to Darsham if it suits you. I think the plan was to move all the flower arrangements from Dunwich over there... but things may change. Lisa xx

Judith Bodmer's avatar

We have a colony of storks in Guildford. 11 birds they think, mostly from the Knepp project but a couple of unprinted ones. It’s been lovely to see them and all the photos. Nest has been built but apparently it’s a bit late so hopefully next year🤞🤞. Thanks for the art pics coming back.

India Knight's avatar

How fantastic! I love a stork.

Judith Bodmer's avatar

And unprinted should be unringed😂. Not sure 3D printers can make a stork yet

India Knight's avatar

And Knepp.