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Lucie's health problem over the past year has, naturally, changed our priorities and, in certain respects, our outlook on life - but thankfully, her current disease prognosis is good. She is cooking as well as ever - Click here for a Steak and Guinness pie recipe.
According to her specialist at Rennes (CHU) (the University hospital) her treatment for the Giant Cell Arteritis (Horton's disease) is working to plan. She swallows a daily handful of pills and has to bravely inject herself each Monday with some other stuff which does nothing for her mood - but she is well served by the local nurse for regular blood tests and it is from these results and from a series of x-rays and scans that the medics make their deductions. She has to endure a two year period of treatments and regular assessments. Our frequent hospital visits to Rennes, a city which we are growing to love, are often combined with shopping for stuff which we cannot obtain locally... so that's alright then. Here's another of her recipes: Sicilian Panelle - street food.
Apparently, the down-side of long term steroid treatment is the osteoporosis which it induces and Lucie is suffering continuous pain from this side-effect in her hips and spine. Steroids also compromise the body's ability to resist infections, consequently, she has to be careful physically, to avoid bone fractures and, where possible, infections from other sources.
This last point may seem a little counter-intuitive since kissing people in France, on both cheeks, whenever one greets or says goodbye - is 'de rigueur'......and we continue to kiss everyone with gay abandon - including all our neighbours with their lovely but 'snotty' children..... so far, no harm done - but we have also joined the local choir of over thirty choristers, practicing every Tuesday throughout the year. This means, roughly speaking, greeting AND saying goodbye to each choir member - that is, for Lucie alone, 120 kisses every practice! Extending this conjecture still further, for the whole choir, that's 3600 points of cross-contamination at each gathering, .... 'zut alors!' I hope we stay healthy enough to sing the Lords Prayer as brilliantly as this choir - click below:
' Otche Nash' the Lords Prayer - click here
Our choral activity at Bazouges-Hede (not to be confused with nearby Hede-Bazouges, where we were moored for 2 years) brings us opportunities to mix with a splendid and multi-cultural bunch of friends, based in this highly active community just three kilometres from our mooring in Tinteniac. We have found a base from which many other activities spring - some, but not all, being social.
The village population is small but young and family orientated and, through a fortunate civic decision to combine the two 'Hedes' into one Commune, they have been 'given' the Old Mairie building to create into a village club-house for social and artistic purposes. All facilities and activities, which includes a bar and meeting rooms, are organized and over-seen by a properly elected and highly energetic committee with an excellent constitution. A modern village hall is right next door and there is a small weekly organic food market and free parking. Lucie, with her fluent French, has become involved already with the organization and we are both paid-up members.
Nick, Laura, Archie and Skya on holiday in Cromer
Below, a few dishes from Lucie's kitchen. Click to enlarge!
Who's a lucky boy then?