Peter told me he'd been readingthat supermarket bread contains relatively lowlevels of salt compared tospecialist 'artisanal' baked bread.

He's fond of bread andeatsa few slicesa day, but has to watch his blood pressure.

'Don't worry about it', I replied.'You would probably haveto eat quite a lot of salty bread before itraised your blood pressure'.

Usually, I don't eatbread but Iate thebreakfastbread in Cannes and the croutons and tapenade supper-time.

Katekept remarking onthe armfuls of bread batons French women bought.

A book she'd read claimed French women don't get fat because they eat only small portions of delicious food. 'But they're alwaysbuying bread', she said,incredulously.

'We haven't actually seen them eating it, though', I pointed out. 'Perhaps it's for theirfamilies.'

By the week's end, Kate had come to a conclusion. 'It's not that they eat small amounts. They just don't eat'. She had a book title in mind: 'Forget food.Have an expresso and a'smoke' instead', because that's allmany people around us were having.

'Anyone who doesn't eat can bethin', she declared. (I could see another good book titlethere).

One evening, Maudiewanteda bedtime storyso I told herabout the 'Lady of the Lake.' (I had just seen part ofa television programme about rebuilding the village hall in Myddfai.)

As life is short and my story long, I shall askyou toforgive me foreditingthis tale.

A shepherd boy fell in love with a beautiful woman who emerged from a lake called 'Llyn-y- Fan- Fach' ,which isin the Black Mountainsof Carmarthenshire.

Attempting to share hisbread with her, she spurned him, saying, 'Cras dy fara, Ni hawdd fy nala'- 'Your bread is hard, you will not catch me'.

That night, his mother heardwhat had happened.

She suggestedofferingsomedamp dough the next day, because the ladylived in the water and might prefer it.

Next day, the girl was offeredthe bread mixture, but mocked him. 'Llaith dy fara','Damp your bread, I will not have thee.'

Dejectedly, the boy related to his mother what had occurred. Her suggestion was thathetry a half-baked loaf the following day.

All the nextday the shepherd lingered by the lake but with no sign of his love. Evening fell andhe was about to go home when he threw the bread in the water and the lady appeared. This time, she accepted his gift and his marriage proposal butshe made some conditions.

If he struck her three times, even very gently, he would lose her.

They were married and, in time,a baby boy was born. One day, when the lady was slow getting ready for a christening, her husband put his hand on her back andurged her to hurry.

'Blow number one', she declared.

Thenthey had a second son. Attending a wedding shortly afterwards she cried loudly. Her husband tapped her arm, in an effort to comfort her and quieten her.She told him that was the second time he had struck her.

Shortly after havingathird son the husband and wife attendeda funeral, where the ladylaughed uncontrollably.

This resulted in her husbandslapping her cheek.lt was the third blow and she disappeared into the lake, never to return, leaving her husbandand their three sons distraught.

The lady'slegacy was to endow her sons with the gift of healing. Their fame spreadand theywere known as the 'Physicians of Myddfai'.