One thing that I will never ever understand ...

... is how Pionsat's 2nd XI, with a full complement of players, a decent goalkeeper and several players back in the side who have been missing for ages, can totally outplay an opposition so convincingly and STILL lose 4-3. It simply beggars belief and those who were watching it will still be pinching themselves tomorrow about this.

Mind you, what also had many spectators scratching their heads was why one of the left-backs and who had played sweeper so successfully for the 2nd XI the last time he played, was playing as an attacking midfielder. And why a guy who had played in central defence for the 1st XI so successfully (to such an extent that he won my "man of the match" awards the other week) was playing in midfield, and why one of the usual centre-forwards was playing at centre-half. And why this formation was persisted with after the guy who was playing centre-forward this week (and who was quite effective too) was carried off injured after 30 minutes.

It was all totally mystifying.

So this morning I was up early and into Montlucon. I picked up the new wheel for Caliburn and I also bought some stuff in Brico Depot, including some cheap kitchen worktops that I'll use in my laundry room.

But pride of place, and the reason why I went to Montlucon today, was for ordering the window for the downstairs here. And Terry was perfectly right, as he usually is. A made-to-measure window for the bedroom cost me €650 back in the early part of the year. The window in the living room is larger but rather than go for a made-to-measure window, there's a standard-size window that's 1cm narrower and 2cms shorter than the opening. If I don't mind filling in around the window opening, then that window will cost me all of €342. Do bears dispose of their bodily waste matter in the woods? 

And it will be ready on 25th November as well. That means that it will be installed before the severe winter sets in. So what I'll do on the next rainy day or two is to plan the fitting of the front door. It probably won't be glazed, but I'll screw a board and some insulated plasterboard over it and that should stop the draughts. And with the new fire, I might even be warm here this winter at this rate.