A quick dash to the shops

....in our village turns into a sociable hour of apéritif and a biscuit with a friend's mother who made a delicious dessert for our meal on new year's eve and whose dish I was returning, a chat in the street with another friend about gardens and the weather, saying hello to countless others, and finally reaching the butcher's van to buy lamb for our supper tonight.

Oh, and somewhere along the way I managed to take this photo of an empty niche above the door of what is now a garage.