Looking forward

... and back. I hardly dare make any plans for what we might do in 2022. Staying healthy would be a good start.

Still locked down, but the gendarmes still haven't called. We'll go and get tested tomorrow, and hopefully be free thereafter. Today's lunch with the moyens du bord was old favourite tarte à la moutarde, using the remains of yesterday's tired Comté, a can of tomatoes, and also using up some of the flour reserves. Afters: more figs, more carrot cake, more yogurt. This evening we've had S's excellent labneh (preserved in oil) with marinated grilled vegetables, and a glass of wine.

Inspired by PaulaJ, here are my favourite books of the year. Forty-three books read, 13,288 pages -- though that includes a couple of books I abandoned in disgust, so the real count is slightly less.  Astonishingly three out of my four favourites are non-fiction -- a first for me.
Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson And Her Family's Feuds by Lyndall Gordon: an absolutely fascinating read! I only knew the clichés about Emily, and this was a real eye-opener, full of Victorian melodrama. A happy accident, found among books given away by a friend moving house.
Kiss Myself Goodbye by Ferdinand Mount: another compelling and mind-boggling read about a very dysfunctional family.
Field Work by Bella Bathurst: this may seem an odd choice, but I picked it because it's such an unusual book about rural life, very different from most of the highly fashionable nature/rewilding/countryside genre. Bathurst is a good listener who talks to rural workers you don't normally hear from, respecting them and gaining their confidence. Also, it reminds me of S's book in its approach :)
Song of Solomon: my first Toni Morrison, thanks to my English book group. Culturally, I no doubt missed a lot, but what wonderful writing.