I finally got the chance to pop into St Hilaire this morning to see how the Witch Wackle wares were doing. I’d been promising Nicola and Severine (them who have a bio shop and are kind enough to give me a corner of) for weeks but somehow something always managed to crop up. To be honest I’d never been into the newly-built commercial hub of the village our family once called home so it was a nice surprise to find their fruit and veg emporium slap bang in the middle of the main square. Okay, perhaps commercial hub is a bit of an exaggeration; St Hilaire isn’t exactly an over-crowded populous but thanks to its famous Abbeye, it does get a fair bit of the tourist trade in the summer which is a plus for local vendors. And me. I still can’t really get my head around the fact that stuff I make actually sells and today I got my first commission – someone liked one of my bowls so much they’ve asked me to create a similar design on another. And I will, when I have the time – I’ve spent most of the last week cataloguing and photographing individual pieces so that I can finish the website. Creating is one thing but all that admin – ugh.

It’s not that I’ve had a particularly full diary and therefore been unable to spare the time for a visit – I’m just easily distracted. That being said, I did have to go to the prefecture for a ridiculously early Monday morning appointment – the renewal of my Carte de Sejour, otherwise known as a residence permit. Luckily, the interview went well, I hope, even if I did manage to upturn my entire file of papers all over the clerk’s desk, giggle loudly at my passport photos and almost break the photocopy machine (me and technology). I swear I saw the poor bloke heading for the espresso machine on my way out and it was only 9 am. But apart from that, another house visit and another crack of dawn date with the nurse for a blood test (thankfully Nathalie comes to the house as no-one in their right mind would be able to focus at such an hour let alone drive a car), it’s all been rather quiet chez moi. Almost. Mid-week did have my stress levels and my temper getting the better of me – dealing with accountants and lawyers over the telephone in any language tends to befuddle the brain especially when trying to follow instructions on negotiating your way through a maze of yes/no press button to go to next step websites. Suffice to say, I plan on ensuring the Witch Wackle one will not require a degree in software engineering. Thank the Gods for Denis who religiously sets me a large glass out on the coffee bar every evening and knows nothing about computers.

Yet, despite the aggravation of all that administrative angst and the daily cross-fit that comes with keeping this place looking perfect for potentials, something in the universe of Soph is shifting. I’m not going to say what as I’m of the superstitious sort but fingers are crossed. I wish I could say rain alas that would be a wish too far although we did have a few hours of precipitation perfection last Sunday night and the forecast, well let’s not get depressed. Let’s just put it this way and keep nice with the Gods (I’ve been very polite of late); it’s about time…

“Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.” (Germany Kent)