Paradise is for the birds

Up at 7am to noisy birdsong from the swallows that are nesting (or trying to) above the windows under the cornice where I can't get to them with a hose. If they weren't so messy I wouldn't care a bit but they do poop and it rains down on the street and sidewalk below making a mess of everything. Flashing CD's seem to be the preferred non-violent method of discouraging them, I have done that in California under our deck but not here...yet. Off we went at 8:30 to the brocante in ORVAL, the outskirts of St. Amand Montrond, a devil to find as we saw only two signs that refered to it and had arrows to tell you which direction. It was largely a chance of dumb luck that we found it at all. Lots of sellers but with little to sell that was of interest to us EXCEPT the plante madam, she had lovely small plants at the typical prices (2 Euros for a seeding) that we've come to expect. I spent 32 Bucks (Euros) buying this's and thats, she was grateful and I admired her careful touch with her charges as she packaged them carefully in small plastic sacks. That was our only purchase at that brocante though we spent a hour and a half there gawking. Then on to Mountlouis for a producer sale...plants, vegies and various cheesemakers and wine producers joined the fray. I bought more plants for my miniature formal garden, most of which I didn't even know the name of. Two Hortensias...for 12 dollars each that were HUGE and would have been 40 bucks back in California. Various sages, some mints, italian parsley and others were bought along with the hortensias. We ran into a few friends hanging out at the Menatou Salon winery booth sipping delicious red, I'm used to and respect the whites from that region but have never had the red, it was light, fruity and delicious, made to drink right away as we were doing. It was a 2005 vintage and worth a buy when I next see it in a grocery store. Home we came to plant the new plants and admire our labors. Kelly is putting on the 2nd and third coats of paint on the bathroom wainscotting that I have installed therein. It's beginning to look like a completed bathroom and WILL once I cover the walls with the fiberglass cloth, she paints it and then I paint and apply the crown mounding. What a job this bathroom has been. May be done by weeks end with luck and diligence.