Yesterday, after breakfast on the bench at the front of the house, I spent the best part of five hours in the garden, weeding one of the vegetable patches in glorious sunshine (I resorted to my bikini half way through). As a completer/ finisher, I love weeding. It is so satisfying. It's amazing how into it I get. Something strange definitely comes over me. I catch myself having conversation with the weeds in which I say things like 'you may have won this battle but I will win the war' and 'ha ha - I have you now - I told you I'd get you'. It gets very personal. Mid-way through I found myself thinking how good I am at weeding and then instantly laughing at what a loser I am. But I love how in the moment and somehow connected it makes me feel. At one moment, a newly fledged robin landed inches from me, watched for a while and then flew off. After disturbing a nest of ants, I watched them scurrying back and forth with their eggs, regrouping and resettling. On one leaf sat a shield beetle, with its patch of iridescent gold on its back, while nearby, bees gathered huge balls of pollen.
Back in the U.K., it was my niece's (Lyra) naming day. Godparents, family and friends were gathering at my parent's house to celebrate. Not wanting to be left out, I gathered flowers and wrote her name in the grass.
In the evening, we attended the Botsorhel Cultural Society's AGM (wild Saturday night), a society dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Breton art and culture, through the organisation and promotion of local events, societies and meetings. I didn't understand a word of the meeting (which lasted two and a half hours) but my French warmed up a little at the social gathering afterwards, when I talked to people who lived in and around the village and found out a bit more, and I left feeling quite moved by the efforts being made to keep both the Breton culture and the village (once 1200 inhabitants now 450) alive. It made me think about similar issues in the UK and ways in which I could be involved in our local community at home - something I talk about wanting to do but haven't yet got round to. I often get put off by not knowing where to start, but seeing this group last night, I realise that's where you start - a gathering in a village hall to discuss one local issue; a barbeque that gets people together. I needn't make it so complicated. This morning I spent some time looking into local groups and movements in Romsey town. Time to sign up.