Three and easy

Splendid weekend, more like April than mid-January. Dawn to dusk sunshine and temperatures in the mid-teens dragged us out on Saturday afternoon for a walk in the park, where giraffes gambolled in the belief that spring had arrived. The weekend also marked the official start of le congé maternité de la bienheureuse. Not quite the end of work though, because the infernal computer came home with her to allow peace of mind and a few bits and pieces to be finished off.

Saturday was also first day back for French football after the winter break. Feeding both English and French habits proved a logistical problem, with the Gooners in the early evening slot and les Gones playing at 9pm. La bienheureuse has ceded her seat at Gerland to a work colleague for the rest of the season but accompanied me to the pub in the hope of eating dinner while we watched part one of the evening's drama. Vain hope, with the pub full of first Saturday sales shoppers and the crucial match only on the upstairs screen where food is banned. An attempt to persuade the manager to put it on downstairs failed, so she went home and put her feet up while I watched the Irons easily hammered and then hotfooted it to Gerland. End result, two comfortable 3-0 wins, with the transformation of a former whipping boy from the local enemy into a top Gone hero complete.