Winter Came and Went

I haven't written in 3 weeks. Last time, it was Claire's birthday! And now, March is around the corner. We had winter. It lasted about 2 weeks. We had sub-zero (centigrade) temperatures, very dry snow at the beginning that just stayed there, and it was hard to keep warm in the house. The news reports were all full of stories about the price of heating fuel, electricity, and natural gas. There was some worry that there would be blackouts because of electricity consumption, but we managed to get by. All this for two weeks, every night on the news. Somehow, everyone forgot that we've had the most mild winter, so, except for the possibility of not having electricity, the average gas, electrical, or fuel consumption should be, well, average. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if our annual bill, in June, showing less consumption. I'm not saying the bill will be less, because it won't. Prices have gone up considerably. Now, we're back to very mild temperatures; I was working in the garden the other day in a t-shirt.

It's been a lazy three weeks -- no exhibits or other outings. Hmm. We did go to the movies once, to see "The Iron Lady", which we both enjoyed. The kids are coming over for lunch today. Unfortunately, the ground floor looks as though we're moving out, because Paul has insisted on emptying the living room in anticipation of the renovation. Thing is we don't have the go-ahead from the insurance, which we need before the painters can come and we don't really know when they can start, either. The kitchen won't be started until mid-April and I would have preferred the rest be done just before instead of having it done now. 

No vacation plans this year. A weekend here and there, I hope. We're going to see the English family. I'd like to get down to Six-Fours for a few days. When Emma finalizes the paperwork on her property (but first they have to find it) I'd like to visit. (So far, they have found something, but we haven't heard if it fits her and Gabriel's criteria, so it may, or may not, be the "one"!) I'm sure we'll go down to the Tours area again this year. I'd like to go to Madrid, Barcelona, Bruges, Brussels, ....

Blog statistics

I've been kind of curious to know who's been reading the blog. I have 4 avowed followers, but I know from emails that I get, that there are more readers -- mostly family, my intended audience. Some are reading it as emails sent to them directly rather than logging on, and that doesn't enter the statistics. So, in that respect, I'm satisfied.
The curiosity stems from the number of hits I'm getting from Russia, Ukraine, and India. Why are they interested? And why are they particularly interested in the birth announcement of Aurelia, which is the post that gets the most hits, even now? I took a look at that post again, and there is nothing much for anyone but family to be excited about. No photo, for example.
People are still reading the post about our visit to the old Meunier chocolate factory in Noisiel. That's normal because it was full of information that tourists might be interested in. The same is true as an explanation for the visits to posts describing museum exhibits.
If you are reading this and you are a regular reader, go ahead and become a follower. That way I'll know who you are.