Monday 19th – Bitterly cold today and it snowed at lunch time! South West France? With the first fix electrical work nearly complete we were able finish the plasterboards around the downstairs toilet. One of the things we'd specified to M. Regourd when we originally asked him to quote for the work was that the electricity supply to the barn and house must be able to be split in the future. Looks like that part of our conversation has been overlooked & after an involved discussion with Stephané & his father it looks like we're going to have to get in touch with M. Coletti and ask for his assistance in contacting EDF. Back to Najac for lunch and pick the Merc up as we need to collect more plasterboard. We return to Lagarrigue to collect the trailer but can't get the car started once it's attached. An SOS phone call to Paul brings him to the house and after a quick diagnosis he thinks the starter motor is stuck. We give it a few knocks with a hammer but there's no sign of life. As he doesn't seem too keen on towing the car with his Morris Minor van he runs me along to the local garage who, with some help from Sydney who had just called in, says he will call out later this afternoon. Paul & Sydney head off and Barbara and I carry on with work at the house. Just after 5:00 the mechanic turns up and after scrambling under the car in the snow agrees with Paul's starter motor diagnosis. He removes it and says he would hope to have it back working by Thursday. With the Merc off the road we're going to have to make alternative arrangements to get the plasterboards so it'll be a call to the local builders merchants in the morning. Paul has offered to give us a hand fitting them on Wednesday & we don't want to waste any offer of help.
Tuesday 20th – Over to Lagarrigue early this morning to measure up for the hifi speaker cables, good to see the priorities and to spray the timbers with anti-termite spray prior to fitting the plasterboards hopefully tomorrow. The plan today was to head in to VDR with P & C for some food shopping and collect some bits & pieces for the house. Located a glazier & window manufacturer who will be useful if we're unable to reclaim the original doors & windows. On the way back to Lagarrigue, and with snow in the air, we call in to M. Luduc, a local stone mason, and drop in a letter that P & C have for him. Apart from getting the Morris Van down to Najac on this visit, Paul & Caroll are hoping to finalise the building of their new house & M. Leduc is the contractor they are hoping to use. They'd met up with him last Sunday and he had promised to work on the revised devis on Tuesday and they wanted a couple of points clarifying before he re-calculated his quote. We dropped P & C off in Najac and headed to the builders merchant to arrange delivery of the plasterboards. They've plenty in stock but there's just one small problem, their lorry is due it's MOT tomorrow and they don't plan on making any deliveries until Thursday. As is now the norm it's time for Barbara to turn the charm on & convince them that we're desperate for the boards. As we're a neighbour of his he agrees to drop them off at 9:00 in the morning on his way to the contrőle technique centre. What a star. Back to Najac to discuss the days events over a nice G & T and a few nibbles. Just as we're chilling out there's a knock at the door & M. Leduc's there file under his arm looking ready for business. There now follows a period of panic as we know communication is going to be difficile as neither Paul or M. Leduc speak each others language. Quick thinking Caroll rings Thierry, the local farmer who speaks English, and he's happy to come round and help translate. Phew! The meeting lasts about an hour with an agreement to meet again at the same time tomorrow to finalise the devis. We eventually sit down for our evening meal just after 9:00, very French.
Wednesday 21st – Off to house to meet the delivery of plasterboard. He's there bang on 9:00 but Babs is disappointed as he unloads the boards outside and we're left to carry them inside. Fit the speaker cables & tidy up again. Paul has a problem with the plumbing back at Najac and has been working on that all morning so when he arrives at about 1:00 we're ready to get straight on with fitting the ceiling. Things go well and by 5:00 we're finished and call in at the garage to see if there's been any progress with the starter motor. With the help of the local taxi/ambulance driver we're told it should be back for Friday. Once again we take the opportunity to look over the Land Rover Lightweight but the garage owner makes it obvious it's not for sale. Ah well I hadn't been making much headway with Barbara anyway. Back to P & C's to prepare for tonight's meeting with M. Leduc. Things are a bit more organised today & Thierry has agreed to help translate again and is at the house, French/English dictionary in hand at 7:00. The meeting goes well and P & C promise to let M. Leduc know they're decision during the next couple of days. Another late meal and long discussion on the big decision P & C have to make.
Thursday 22nd – When I'd driven back from Toulouse after skiing I'd come back on the non toll N20 and noticed lots of builders merchants, plant & other building related suppliers and had mentioned to this to Paul on our way down in the van. He was keen to do a little research so today we're heading for Toulouse. There's a couple of larger towns on the way and we find a very cheap DIY superstore and several other potential useful suppliers. Having made good time we hit Toulouse just as everyone is off for lunch and we're left with no alternative other than to visit the world wide phenomenon known as IKEA. With a product range & prices virtually identical to the UK, once inside we could have been back in Warrington or Gateshead as I'm sure there were more English people in the store than French. We had lunch and were back outside just in time to see a A380 Airbus pass overhead. The massive plane is manufactured at the nearby Blagnac airport and has been at the centre of numerous demonstrations recently as Airbus have threatened to make nearly 10,000 local workers redundant & judging by the size of the plane they could have all been on board. We have a number of interesting conversations with plant suppliers on our return journey & decide that we need to start importing mini JCB diggers from the UK. €12,000 + TVA for a 6 years old 1.5 tonne model. Where's the nearest hire shop? It's been a good day out & we head back home to prepare an email for P & C to M. Leduc to give him the good news... he's got the job.
Friday 23rd – And Paul's spending the morning with us to help correct the error I've made fitting the floorboards at the top of the stairs. He works with us until about 11:00 when he gets a phone call from Caroll to say the septic tank man has arrived but can't locate it. I feel a bit of digging coming on! Barbara & I finish off the floorboards and are about to leave the house when Pierre Segonds, the artisan who's going to do the crepe arrives. I'd sent him an email last night saying the first fix electrical work was now complete and could he come back and finish off the walls. He's obviously a bit busier than the last time we spoke and can't fit us in for another 15 days. Bit disappointing but I suppose we were being a bit optimistic thinking he'd be able to start this coming Monday. We return to P & C's to find Paul down a hole following the line of the septic tank overflow pipe in an attempt to locate the tank. He & I spend about an hour digging away but have to call it a day about 6:30 as we're off to I & V's for supper. We'll continue our efforts first thing in the morning.
Saturday 24th – It's raining and the holes we'd left last night are now full of water. No digging today so Barbara & I head over to the house and finish off the ceiling. By 12:00 we're done and head back to Najac for a quick shower & lunch prior to heading in to VDR. P & C need to visit the bank, open until 4:30 on Saturdays and Barbara & I are going to attempt to get a mobile phone. In the Orange shop they're not very helpful and we make our way to the SFR shop stopping for a coffee on the way. There then follows a most involved conversation with lots of drawings and the eventual summoning of the manager who speaks excellent English. He's very helpful and suggests that to start with a 'pay as you go' phone is probably our best option. It'll work out at approx. €15.00 per month and we'll have the option to upgrade to a contract phone if we find the PAYG option expensive. We also call at Catena, the store we're going to buy our stove from. As they also supply cookers, fridges etc. we take the opportunity to see if we can do a deal on the supply of the white goods we'll need. Although he doesn't agree outright to a discount he 'hints' that when we're ready to place an order he'll do his best to get the order. During the discussion we mention that we're waiting for a chimney sweep to get in touch and remove the hornets nest. The shop owner offers to contact the company he uses and make an appointment on our behalf and takes our new mobile phone number with a promise to call us early next week. After a nice relaxing evening meal we sit down to watch a locally produced film about Najac. Words fail me and I really don't know what to say about it. With images of chickens meeting their demise and cows being prepared for the butchers it made for much more educational viewing than Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. Had I seen this prior to moving out here I think we'd now be in Spain. Copies of the DVD are available at €15.00 inc' P & P and definitely carry a PG rating!
Sunday 25th - A day of rest with one less hour in bed. Headed over to the market at St. Antonin-Noble-Val and picked up some more of that very expensive 3 year old cheese, (spending a whole weeks housekeeping in the process and Barbara and Caroll had only left us for 10 minutes while they went to look in an upholsterers shop). No sign of the chap who bought us the coffee. Back in Najac Paul & I set too, to locate the septic tank and after only 30 minutes digging find the lid which was covered over with an old tyre. I beat a hasty retreat while Paul opens the lid. P & C call over to Thierry's to organise the septic tank man for Monday.
Sunday 25 March 2007
Sunday 18 March 2007
w/c 12 March 2007
Monday 12th – By the time you read this a week will have passed since my visit to the bar to watch the England France match and there were a couple of things I'd forgotten to tell you about. The wonderful buffet of fromage, jambon & pain, provided by the regulars and the selection of beers. There's Kronenburg (there always is), Stella, draught Guinness & Bombardier bitter. What a choice? I've been in bars serving Guinness before but this is the first time I've seen a draught bitter on offer. Might be worth a visit when there's someone else driving or, perhaps next Sunday, when the gendarmes aren't at work! Back to Monday & it's another bright sunny day. In the expectation of M. Regourd turning up tomorrow morning it's one final rub down of the plaster, make sure everything is out of the house and nothings going to get in his way. The post lady turns up about 12:00 with the normal Monday delivery of special offer leaflets. Typical, Aldi have 'British' spades on offer at €9.99. There's also an envelope from Matthew containing a SD card with recordings of The Chris Evans Show on. Sad I know but it's good to keep in touch with what's playing on Radio 2. After lunch it's a bit of weeding & strimming at Lagarrigue & then back at Najac to do a bit there.
Tuesday 13th – Bit optimistic I know but at the house early this morning in the expectation of M. Regourd being there ready to start. By 9:30 there's no sign of him so I guess it'll be tomorrow now. I'd missed a small piece of ceiling that needed sorting for plasterboards so on with that. When I'd left Najac this morning there was a frost on the car & it was 1ºC but by the time I reached Lagarrigue it was 10ºC and now it was 19ºC. Lovely in the sun eating your sandwiches. Not wanting to do anything in the house 'just in case' I start on a bit of hacking out but I'm not sure whether Barbara will be pleased, I get this feeling she wants to be able say 'I did all the hacking out'. Up the ladder you get a great view and you can see the road down to house. I notice a white van approaching, there are as many in France as there are in the UK, could it be M. Regourd? It is! We try to communicate but then he explains that his son Stephané, who speaks a little English, is also on his way & will be there in 10 minutes. When he arrives we go round the house & mark out precisely where the sockets, switches, lights etc. are to go. We've made a couple of alterations since giving him the original plan and he has no problem with the changes. We had also decided that we weren't going to go ahead with the central heating, run from the stove, & I ask if it's possible to install radiant heaters. It's OK but they will have to run separate feeds to each radiator we require. In France they don't use the ring main way of wiring that's used in the UK. Each room has it's own separate distribution point for lights & power and this is then routed back directly to the tableau de protection. With the electrics in the house sorted we then have to decide the best way to route the water, electric & telephone cables from the barn, where they come on to our land, to the house. As always, in these circumstances, the most direct route is not always the best. After a quick consultation with the gaffer back in the UK we decide that the trench will have to be dug round the side of the barn & then across to the house. Just as we're finished discussing the work our next door neighbour pulls up on his tractor. We make our normal attempt to communicate but this time I think I understood a little bit more than normal. I 'think' he was on his way to tend to his crop of mais for the foie gras he produces. I won't describe how he illustrated what happens to the maize in the production of the foie gras, but it was very graphic. In the conversation I picked up the word café and asked Stephané to translate. Turns out Barbara and I are invited for coffee when she returns from holiday. That'll be an interesting conversation. I leave them to it and return to Najac to start the big tidy up prior to Barbara coming home. On the way I get a text from her telling me that the architect has just rang to say he has the plans for the barn ready and as I'm passing his door I call in and pick them up. On first sight they look good and I hadn't got the heart to say that we were now considering converting it in to 2 gites. We'll take time to consider his proposals and then go back and discuss it with him.
Wednesday 14th – By the time I got to the house this morning the trench for the services had been dug and work was well under way. I had to go on to VDR so left them to it, sure they'll not miss me. Couldn't resist that spade at Aldi and I needed a few bits & pieces for my very short trip back to the UK tomorrow, more of that later. I had to check the Ryanair website last night to see what the latest regulations are regarding carry on luggage. Apparently all toiletries have to be in a clear plastic bag measuring 20 x 20 cms and must not exceed 100cls. All the clear bags I can see in the shops seem to be pretty expensive, but then I spot a bargain. A set of hair clips & brushes for €2.00 and, they're in a clear plastic bag. The contents will make a lovely welcome home present for Barbara! Just time for a quick haircut, the brush will be no good for my flowing locks, and back to Lagarrigue. It's 12:02 as I get back to the house and I'm just in time to say bon appétit, two hour lunch remember. I have quick look round to see how things are going & take 20 minutes to have my pack of sandwiches. It's then on with a bit more hacking out. The Regourds are back for 2:00 and have a couple of queries regarding the work, hope I've given them the right answers. I work on for a couple of hours then tell Stephané that I'm off & will not be back now until Monday. He says that by then his part of the job will be finished and he will return when I have fitted the remaining plasterboards. Back to Najac to start cleaning up and disposing of all those used paper plates I'd invested in!
Thursday 15th – Quick tidy up and then off to Rodez to catch the Ryanair flight back to Stansted. I've mentioned before how small the airport is at Rodez so I was able to leave the car within a stones throw of the terminal and for free. Barbara would be picking the car up when she & Caroll flew back to France on Saturday. The plane was on time and I, along with a French school party many of who I would guess had never flown before, arrived in Stansted at approx. 4:30 PM. It took nearly as long to get through passport control as it had taken to get from France which was probably as well because Paul was running slightly behind schedule. Paul was on his way to the airport in his 1970 Morris Minor van that he'd spent many hours restoring and the reason for my trip back to the UK. I was to act as co-driver in the big adventure of driving the 1,000 miles down to Najac. So it was straight in to the driving seat and on to the M11 driving on the wrong side of the road. We made good time and arrived at the Channel Tunnel in time to catch an earlier train and would have, if Paul hadn't needed a last taste of English cooking & insisted on getting burger & chips, but we made the next train, still ahead of schedule. Once in France we headed for our first overnight stop at Bethune, approx 100 kms south of Calais.
Friday 16th – After a good nights sleep we were breakfasted and back on the road for 8:00 and would hopefully hit Paris before the lunchtime rush. After a couple of coffee & fuel stops we arrive on the outskirts of Paris just as the mist lifts and the sun breaks through. Traffic is fairly light, by Paris standards, and we continue making good time until a motorbike rider pulls up next to us and points at the front of the car. We soon realise he's pointing at the front nearside tyre and telling us it's flat. It then seems as if every other driver on the road has spotted the problem and is slowing down to point it out. There's no hard shoulder on the Paris inner ring road and you are definitely not going to stop, even in the 'slow' lane, & attempt to change a wheel, so Paul has to wait until the next exit to pull off the 4 lane highway. The junction turns out to be another busy intersection and we have to cross two further busy junctions before we can spot anywhere to pull in. The tyre is completely flat so it's out with the warning triangle and jack on a busy road with buses, vans, cars & motorbikes flying past. After a few near misses the wheel's replaced and we're looking for the easiest way to get back on the motorway. Paul decides on a quick u-turn and we're on the road again. The sun continues to shine and we're back on the open road south of Paris in no time and looking for somewhere to stop for a quick baguette. Paul's obviously pleased with how the car's running and is confident we'll make it to Limouges, our planned overnight stop, by the end of today, so foot down and on we go. By 5:00 we'd reached Limouges, approx. 3.5 hours from Najac, and the decision was made to keep going. Off the motorway at Cahors and we're only 100 kms from Najac, no point stopping now, and at just after 8:30 we're sat outside the pizza restaurant in Najac. It had been a trouble free trip & Paul, quite understandably, was delighted with how the van had performed. All those hours work had been well worth it.
Saturday 17th – Babs is back today & I'm really looking forward to seeing her. After a bit of a lie in it's off to the house to see how work has progressed. The first fix electrical work looks complete and there's obviously a bit more of the plumbing yet to be done. I take the opportunity to pick Paul's brain & he points out a few things that we could have done differently and a couple of others that really need to be changed. One is the top of the stairs which neither Barbara & I were particularly happy with. We'll take Paul up on his advise and make the necessary changes early next week. With the work that's already complete there's going to be plenty for us to get on with. We call at the local garage to see if they can repair the vans tyre. Turns out the inner tube is faulty & is split in 3 separate places and is beyond repair but they'll be able to get a replacement on Monday. This is the same garage that we'd called in with the Merc the day after I'd caught the exhaust. We attempt to see if there was any alternative to the expensive repair he'd suggested last time but unfortunately the answer was still no and he couldn't do a 'temporary' repair. I pass the garage nearly every day on the way to the house and had noticed an old Land Rover in the corner. 'C'est vendre?' I ask. Turns out that he's been looking after it for a customer for the last 3 years and hasn't seen him in that period. Might be worth keeping in touch with him as I've always fancied a Lightweight Land Rover. Quick dash to the shop for something for the evening meal. At about 4:30 we get a text from Barbara & Caroll to say they've arrived in Rodez & we're off to meet them at the house. Thankfully they're both impressed with the work that both I the Regourd family have done. Good to see Barbara back and I'm sure she's looking forward to starting work again.
Sunday 18th – Easy day today with a trip to the market at St. Antonin-Noble-Val to pick up some bits of food. Tried some three year old cheese which looked & tasted remarkably like a cheddar. It's unusual to see a hard cheese in France and we couldn't resist buying a small piece which was just as well as it was €7.40! Had a cup of coffee in the market square and sat and chatted with an elderly gentleman who we 'think' treated us to our drinks. Barbara had offered to pick up a couple of croissants for him & his wife when the waitress said they'd ran out & suggested we buy some from the stall across the square. He spoke English (and Italian, Spanish, German & Greek) but I think his generosity was lost somewhere in translation. We parted with him saying that he hoped we would meet again. We'll have to make sure we get the coffees next time!
Tuesday 13th – Bit optimistic I know but at the house early this morning in the expectation of M. Regourd being there ready to start. By 9:30 there's no sign of him so I guess it'll be tomorrow now. I'd missed a small piece of ceiling that needed sorting for plasterboards so on with that. When I'd left Najac this morning there was a frost on the car & it was 1ºC but by the time I reached Lagarrigue it was 10ºC and now it was 19ºC. Lovely in the sun eating your sandwiches. Not wanting to do anything in the house 'just in case' I start on a bit of hacking out but I'm not sure whether Barbara will be pleased, I get this feeling she wants to be able say 'I did all the hacking out'. Up the ladder you get a great view and you can see the road down to house. I notice a white van approaching, there are as many in France as there are in the UK, could it be M. Regourd? It is! We try to communicate but then he explains that his son Stephané, who speaks a little English, is also on his way & will be there in 10 minutes. When he arrives we go round the house & mark out precisely where the sockets, switches, lights etc. are to go. We've made a couple of alterations since giving him the original plan and he has no problem with the changes. We had also decided that we weren't going to go ahead with the central heating, run from the stove, & I ask if it's possible to install radiant heaters. It's OK but they will have to run separate feeds to each radiator we require. In France they don't use the ring main way of wiring that's used in the UK. Each room has it's own separate distribution point for lights & power and this is then routed back directly to the tableau de protection. With the electrics in the house sorted we then have to decide the best way to route the water, electric & telephone cables from the barn, where they come on to our land, to the house. As always, in these circumstances, the most direct route is not always the best. After a quick consultation with the gaffer back in the UK we decide that the trench will have to be dug round the side of the barn & then across to the house. Just as we're finished discussing the work our next door neighbour pulls up on his tractor. We make our normal attempt to communicate but this time I think I understood a little bit more than normal. I 'think' he was on his way to tend to his crop of mais for the foie gras he produces. I won't describe how he illustrated what happens to the maize in the production of the foie gras, but it was very graphic. In the conversation I picked up the word café and asked Stephané to translate. Turns out Barbara and I are invited for coffee when she returns from holiday. That'll be an interesting conversation. I leave them to it and return to Najac to start the big tidy up prior to Barbara coming home. On the way I get a text from her telling me that the architect has just rang to say he has the plans for the barn ready and as I'm passing his door I call in and pick them up. On first sight they look good and I hadn't got the heart to say that we were now considering converting it in to 2 gites. We'll take time to consider his proposals and then go back and discuss it with him.
Wednesday 14th – By the time I got to the house this morning the trench for the services had been dug and work was well under way. I had to go on to VDR so left them to it, sure they'll not miss me. Couldn't resist that spade at Aldi and I needed a few bits & pieces for my very short trip back to the UK tomorrow, more of that later. I had to check the Ryanair website last night to see what the latest regulations are regarding carry on luggage. Apparently all toiletries have to be in a clear plastic bag measuring 20 x 20 cms and must not exceed 100cls. All the clear bags I can see in the shops seem to be pretty expensive, but then I spot a bargain. A set of hair clips & brushes for €2.00 and, they're in a clear plastic bag. The contents will make a lovely welcome home present for Barbara! Just time for a quick haircut, the brush will be no good for my flowing locks, and back to Lagarrigue. It's 12:02 as I get back to the house and I'm just in time to say bon appétit, two hour lunch remember. I have quick look round to see how things are going & take 20 minutes to have my pack of sandwiches. It's then on with a bit more hacking out. The Regourds are back for 2:00 and have a couple of queries regarding the work, hope I've given them the right answers. I work on for a couple of hours then tell Stephané that I'm off & will not be back now until Monday. He says that by then his part of the job will be finished and he will return when I have fitted the remaining plasterboards. Back to Najac to start cleaning up and disposing of all those used paper plates I'd invested in!
Thursday 15th – Quick tidy up and then off to Rodez to catch the Ryanair flight back to Stansted. I've mentioned before how small the airport is at Rodez so I was able to leave the car within a stones throw of the terminal and for free. Barbara would be picking the car up when she & Caroll flew back to France on Saturday. The plane was on time and I, along with a French school party many of who I would guess had never flown before, arrived in Stansted at approx. 4:30 PM. It took nearly as long to get through passport control as it had taken to get from France which was probably as well because Paul was running slightly behind schedule. Paul was on his way to the airport in his 1970 Morris Minor van that he'd spent many hours restoring and the reason for my trip back to the UK. I was to act as co-driver in the big adventure of driving the 1,000 miles down to Najac. So it was straight in to the driving seat and on to the M11 driving on the wrong side of the road. We made good time and arrived at the Channel Tunnel in time to catch an earlier train and would have, if Paul hadn't needed a last taste of English cooking & insisted on getting burger & chips, but we made the next train, still ahead of schedule. Once in France we headed for our first overnight stop at Bethune, approx 100 kms south of Calais.
Friday 16th – After a good nights sleep we were breakfasted and back on the road for 8:00 and would hopefully hit Paris before the lunchtime rush. After a couple of coffee & fuel stops we arrive on the outskirts of Paris just as the mist lifts and the sun breaks through. Traffic is fairly light, by Paris standards, and we continue making good time until a motorbike rider pulls up next to us and points at the front of the car. We soon realise he's pointing at the front nearside tyre and telling us it's flat. It then seems as if every other driver on the road has spotted the problem and is slowing down to point it out. There's no hard shoulder on the Paris inner ring road and you are definitely not going to stop, even in the 'slow' lane, & attempt to change a wheel, so Paul has to wait until the next exit to pull off the 4 lane highway. The junction turns out to be another busy intersection and we have to cross two further busy junctions before we can spot anywhere to pull in. The tyre is completely flat so it's out with the warning triangle and jack on a busy road with buses, vans, cars & motorbikes flying past. After a few near misses the wheel's replaced and we're looking for the easiest way to get back on the motorway. Paul decides on a quick u-turn and we're on the road again. The sun continues to shine and we're back on the open road south of Paris in no time and looking for somewhere to stop for a quick baguette. Paul's obviously pleased with how the car's running and is confident we'll make it to Limouges, our planned overnight stop, by the end of today, so foot down and on we go. By 5:00 we'd reached Limouges, approx. 3.5 hours from Najac, and the decision was made to keep going. Off the motorway at Cahors and we're only 100 kms from Najac, no point stopping now, and at just after 8:30 we're sat outside the pizza restaurant in Najac. It had been a trouble free trip & Paul, quite understandably, was delighted with how the van had performed. All those hours work had been well worth it.
Saturday 17th – Babs is back today & I'm really looking forward to seeing her. After a bit of a lie in it's off to the house to see how work has progressed. The first fix electrical work looks complete and there's obviously a bit more of the plumbing yet to be done. I take the opportunity to pick Paul's brain & he points out a few things that we could have done differently and a couple of others that really need to be changed. One is the top of the stairs which neither Barbara & I were particularly happy with. We'll take Paul up on his advise and make the necessary changes early next week. With the work that's already complete there's going to be plenty for us to get on with. We call at the local garage to see if they can repair the vans tyre. Turns out the inner tube is faulty & is split in 3 separate places and is beyond repair but they'll be able to get a replacement on Monday. This is the same garage that we'd called in with the Merc the day after I'd caught the exhaust. We attempt to see if there was any alternative to the expensive repair he'd suggested last time but unfortunately the answer was still no and he couldn't do a 'temporary' repair. I pass the garage nearly every day on the way to the house and had noticed an old Land Rover in the corner. 'C'est vendre?' I ask. Turns out that he's been looking after it for a customer for the last 3 years and hasn't seen him in that period. Might be worth keeping in touch with him as I've always fancied a Lightweight Land Rover. Quick dash to the shop for something for the evening meal. At about 4:30 we get a text from Barbara & Caroll to say they've arrived in Rodez & we're off to meet them at the house. Thankfully they're both impressed with the work that both I the Regourd family have done. Good to see Barbara back and I'm sure she's looking forward to starting work again.
Sunday 18th – Easy day today with a trip to the market at St. Antonin-Noble-Val to pick up some bits of food. Tried some three year old cheese which looked & tasted remarkably like a cheddar. It's unusual to see a hard cheese in France and we couldn't resist buying a small piece which was just as well as it was €7.40! Had a cup of coffee in the market square and sat and chatted with an elderly gentleman who we 'think' treated us to our drinks. Barbara had offered to pick up a couple of croissants for him & his wife when the waitress said they'd ran out & suggested we buy some from the stall across the square. He spoke English (and Italian, Spanish, German & Greek) but I think his generosity was lost somewhere in translation. We parted with him saying that he hoped we would meet again. We'll have to make sure we get the coffees next time!
Sunday 11 March 2007
w/c 5 March 2007
Monday 5th - Sandwiches made and it's back to work I go, all on my own! Seeing the work done last week by M. Segonds again I'm still wowed by what a dramatic effect it's had on the house. It's going to be such a shame to cover up all that stone and we will have to a consider having the end wall 'buttered'. This is a French type of pointing that leaves a smooth surface with the face of the stone showing. I'm sure Barbara will have some thoughts when she sees the wall first hand. First job today was going to be to dig a trench in one of the cellars & fit the field drain I'd bought. It's obviously rained hard while I've been away and there was a puddle in the cellar so think I'll let it dry out a little first. Next on my list (the one Barbara left me) was to rub down the plaster work & apply a further coat, so on with that. Next, the holes we'd made in the side of the house when fitting the joists had to be filled. This is going to take a couple of attempts to build the concrete up so did what I could & left it to set. We plan to fit plasterboards between the joists in the living room and I'd planned to put batons in place to secure the boards to. What I hadn't taken in to consideration was the gap between the joists varying between 600 & 850 mm. In a conversation with Paul whilst away on holiday he'd pointed out that when fitting plasterboards to ceilings you needed to make sure they don't sag & would need support at less that the 600mm centres recommended for walls (getting a bit technical there). As I haven't got the right wood for this it will have to wait until I next take a trip to VDR. Although the ground floor was fairly dust free the top floor was in need of sweeping out. iPod on I'm happily brushing away when I hear someone shouting hello, not bonjour, from downstairs. Visitors? But I don't anyone! Turns out it's one of our neighbours who has spotted the British car & popped in to introduce herself. She & her husband have lived in France for several years and are currently developing the property round the corner which they then intend to let out as gites. The location of her property is fantastic and has a view down the Averyon gorge that is second to none. They've made the most of this by installing an 'infinity' swimming pool that virtually overhangs the gorge which I'm sure will be a real 'wow' feature for potential guests. We have a good chat & she tells me that there's another house in our hamlet owned by an English couple. Not much chance of integrating with the locals & picking the language up. I also get an invite to pop round & have a look at what they've done. I'll definitely be following that invitation up, especially when the pool's finished.
Tuesday 6th - Off to VDR to get a few essentials this morning. Need some food and, most importantly, a spade so I can get on with that trench, can't wait! I know a spade is a spade but French spades all have long handles and no 'T' on the end. Don't know why perhaps it's us Brits who have it wrong. Anyway I pick one up & head to the supermarché for something for one. No frozen TV dinners here so the next best thing is a tin of 'Saucisses de Toulouse aux Lentilles Cusineés', the nearest thing to baked beans with sausages I could find, some chicken fillets, mince for chilli & spag bol, and a bit of veg. As 'Ready Steady Cook' hasn't made it big over here it'll be on to Jamie's website tonight to see what I can make from that lot. We had a phone call before going away last week to tell us that a part for P & C's stove had arrived and needed collecting from the magasin. I call in & while I'm waiting for them to locate the part have a wander round. It's a very nice home-wares shop and there's lots of expensive looking pans, crockery, wine racks and other cooking related items. They also sell electrical products & whilst very similar in price to the UK have a €0.50 'eco tax' sticker on them. Just then the shop owner returns full of apologies as he can't locate the part. Not to worry I'll call back later in the week & I ask him what the 'eco tax' is. It's been introduced by the French government and is levied on all new electrical appliances as a contribution to the cost of disposal of the item it's replacing. The shop has to take the old product in and is responsible for it's correct disposal. Kettles, coffee machines, irons etc. are levied at €0.50 and fridges & freezers, the most damaging to the environment, attract a tax of €13.00. He went on to say that the eco tax should be shown & charged separately to the sale price in an attempt to make people aware of the costs involved in disposal of old electrical goods. Good idea? Back to the house and an afternoon digging. It was hard work and it's a while since I've felt as tired. And that b****y spade didn't help. I'm certainly no expert when it comes to spades but I'm sure English ones are easier to use, the blades at the wrong angle!
Wednesday 7th – Very early start this morning. Woke up with a start at about 7:15, did I leave the electric on at the house yesterday? If I did then the 500 watt floodlight I was using in the cellar would still be on & by now be very hot! Very quick breakfast, sandwiches thrown together & off to see if it was going to be more that a new roof we'd need. What will I say to Babs? 'Hello darling while you were away I had a little mishap & you know those new floorboards we spent days fitting? Well we've now plenty of charcoal for the barbie but no house'. You can see the house from the top of the road so I could see that the roof was still there when I turned the corner and, I should never have doubted myself, the electric was off. Phew! Straight on with the drain in the cellar, don't know why I'm rushing it's going to be a long day, it's still only 7:50. When the septic tank was installed there had been some gravel left and not being one to spend money wastefully (well not on this occasion) I managed to scrape enough together to use in the trench. Rain is in the air and I could really do with making a start on the supports for the plasterboards in the living area. Quick text to Paul for some advise, long live SMS, and off to the local builders merchant. 'Je voudrai cinquante metres de trois x quatre s'il vous plait' - 'Pardon Monsieur, trois x quatre?' On reflection I suppose there wasn't much chance of him having any 3” x 4” timber. We locate the nearest French size & load it on the roof of the car. These old Mercedes really can take some punishment, if only it didn't sound like a jet fighter. I just manage to get the timber under cover when the heavens open and it's raining again. I suppose it was Southern California where it never rains & not Southern France. A good afternoon getting on with the supports & I clock off early & head to I & V's for a cuppa thinking there's not much exciting to put in the blog tonight. I'm greeted with 'the chimney sweeps on his way to Lagarrigue you'd better get back there'. We'd asked Ian to speak to the chimney sweep & arrange for him to visit & he'd just rang to say he was on his way so a quick about turn. Fortunately I was in a jet fighter so was back in time to catch him at the house. He has a look up the chimney and there's a sharp intake of breath, 'il y a boucher Monsieur' (I'm sure that's not the correct way to write what he said, but I am trying). Turns out the obstruction is a hornets nest & he's not going to try & move it, thank goodness. He's good enough to ring Ian & explain what the problem is & says he'll pass on the number of an expert in removing a nicher. Head back to I & V's for that cuppa.
Thursday 8th – Full day fitting the plasterboard supports with the company of 'RFM' a French radio station whose tag line is 'The Best FM of the Eighties and Today'. Who they kidding? Sade, Boney M (80's?), Culture Club, Dido, Michael Bolton, George Michael and, the exception that proves the rule, Phil Collins. It must be 'George Michael' week on RFM because every second record was one of his, including Last Christmas. I shouldn't complain, if it was wall to wall French pop music the radio would have been out the window. It's amazing how many English language songs are played on the radio stations here, even the jingles & station idents are in English. I've read that the French government legislate that up to 40% of music played on the radio must be French music. Having listened to some of their pop music I can understand why you have to be forced by the government to listen to it. A good example of where the French are with popular music is the time I was stopped at traffic lights and a teenager, tapping away on the steering wheel, in a customised Clio pulled up next to me. Windows down speakers at full blast, but not for him 50 Cents or The Blackeyed Peas. There at full volume was that classic 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley. What great musical taste the French have.
Friday 9th – Good news! It was only George Michael day & not week so it's back to hits of the eighties. Stevie Wonder's 'Isn't She Lovely' I'm sure wasn't a 80's hit but there it was. It's been a very quiet week without Babs & it's only thanks to Caroll's DVD's that I haven't taken to the bottle, or two. You can tell how bad its is when you notice a car going down a one-way street the wrong way on 'Lewis' & you rewind it just to double check. Roll-on next Saturday. Received a devis today for the stove & central heating from the company we had out 3 weeks ago. Very expensive so thinking caps back on for a more economical alternative. The fact that it's taken over 3 weeks to get a quote to us also doesn't make you want to rush to give them the business. Called over to see M. Regourd at lunch, always the best time to catch a French 'artisan' at home, to confirm he was still planning to start our electrical work next week. ' Oui, mardi ou mercredi'. Great news but it means that my trip back to the UK tomorrow is off. Shame, but at least I'll be able to get on with some more work &, having spoken to Barbara about life in the big city, I'm not sure this country lad could have coped with it. Finished the plasterboard supports so all is in place for next week, may have half a day off tomorrow and sort the bike out & have a spin out on Sunday.
Saturday 10th – Bit of a lie in as I only plan to tidy up at the house & sort my bike out this morning. Nice & bright but a little chilly, great weather for getting the old MTB out. Let's hope it's like this tomorrow. By 11:00 the house is spic & span & it's on with fitting new brake pads to my bike. Bit of a problem as the callipers have seized up & I can't get them far enough back to fit the new pads. I'll have to let some lubricant soak in and have a go tomorrow. Better not delay my ride. Off to VDR this PM for some food & a leisurely wander round. Had look in a couple of mobile phone shops, there's as many here as there are in the UK, but shied away form signing up to a contract, they seem quite expensive here. Called in to the bank and printed a statement out that shows the last 6 weeks transactions in detail, should make interesting reading. Also picked up a bargain DVD in Hyper U, 'Le President Et Miss Wade' think we know it as 'The American President', might be a way to learn some French if I watch it with sub-titles.
Sunday 11th – Another beautiful day with the sun out, no wind and the temperature not getting above 12ºC, great biking weather. The oil worked so I was able to get out and do a quick 12.5 miles before lunch. Did think I would have a go on one of the sign posted VTT (MTB) routes but as I'd forgotten to pick the map up I wasn't keen on hurtling down some track to find the return was back the way I had just come. I'll save that till next week. Called in at I & V's just as they were heading off to the football. Vilia had just taken some home-made sausage rolls out of the oven & asked would I like a couple for my lunch. Didn't need asking twice, they were lovely & made me long for Greggs and their world famous pasties! Whilst I'd been out on the bike I'd passed a bar in St-André-de-Najac with a poster outside advertising the England v France match, could be interesting. I got there just after the match had started & England were already loosing. The bar was a mix of French & English and there was a really good atmosphere and friendly banter between the two nations. Every time the French scored they turned on a singing frog which they had dressed in a French rugby shirt. Standing near the bar sipping my 'demi' beer I was be-friended by a Frenchman who could speak a little English and was the manager of the local rugby team. It was an interesting conversation with the lad behind the bar helping to translate when he had a minute. I was trying to make my small beer last but M. Foix, my new friend, insisted on buying me another. I managed to tell him I was driving & would like a Coke. 'Coke! La gendarme ne pas travail le dimanche' (that's supposed to translate as – 'Coke! The gendarmes don't work on Sundays') and gets me another demi beer. With the England win it should have been a good afternoon but the edge is taken off it when another of my new French friends tells me, in excellent English, that the local dialect is one of the hardest to understand and that there are lot's of French people who have difficulty understanding the locals. He also tells me there are no good French teachers locally & wishes me the best of luck in learning the language. This is backed up by the English owner of the bar who tells me he can speak good French but when it comes to understanding it he really struggles. He's been in France since 1991. Great! When we first visited the area about 7 years ago there was a property for sale in St-André-de-Najac that both Barbara & I would have loved to own. It was about €100,000, way beyond our budget, but in a great location. It was derelict and offered great potential (practising some estate agent speak there) and we often talked about 'what if'. We've passed it several times over the last few years and there is currently a lot of work going on there. I found out today that the local maire has bought it and is re-developing the site on behalf of the local village. So turns out we'd never have got it, in France the maire is given the option to buy any property once an acceptable bid has been made to the vendor.
Tuesday 6th - Off to VDR to get a few essentials this morning. Need some food and, most importantly, a spade so I can get on with that trench, can't wait! I know a spade is a spade but French spades all have long handles and no 'T' on the end. Don't know why perhaps it's us Brits who have it wrong. Anyway I pick one up & head to the supermarché for something for one. No frozen TV dinners here so the next best thing is a tin of 'Saucisses de Toulouse aux Lentilles Cusineés', the nearest thing to baked beans with sausages I could find, some chicken fillets, mince for chilli & spag bol, and a bit of veg. As 'Ready Steady Cook' hasn't made it big over here it'll be on to Jamie's website tonight to see what I can make from that lot. We had a phone call before going away last week to tell us that a part for P & C's stove had arrived and needed collecting from the magasin. I call in & while I'm waiting for them to locate the part have a wander round. It's a very nice home-wares shop and there's lots of expensive looking pans, crockery, wine racks and other cooking related items. They also sell electrical products & whilst very similar in price to the UK have a €0.50 'eco tax' sticker on them. Just then the shop owner returns full of apologies as he can't locate the part. Not to worry I'll call back later in the week & I ask him what the 'eco tax' is. It's been introduced by the French government and is levied on all new electrical appliances as a contribution to the cost of disposal of the item it's replacing. The shop has to take the old product in and is responsible for it's correct disposal. Kettles, coffee machines, irons etc. are levied at €0.50 and fridges & freezers, the most damaging to the environment, attract a tax of €13.00. He went on to say that the eco tax should be shown & charged separately to the sale price in an attempt to make people aware of the costs involved in disposal of old electrical goods. Good idea? Back to the house and an afternoon digging. It was hard work and it's a while since I've felt as tired. And that b****y spade didn't help. I'm certainly no expert when it comes to spades but I'm sure English ones are easier to use, the blades at the wrong angle!
Wednesday 7th – Very early start this morning. Woke up with a start at about 7:15, did I leave the electric on at the house yesterday? If I did then the 500 watt floodlight I was using in the cellar would still be on & by now be very hot! Very quick breakfast, sandwiches thrown together & off to see if it was going to be more that a new roof we'd need. What will I say to Babs? 'Hello darling while you were away I had a little mishap & you know those new floorboards we spent days fitting? Well we've now plenty of charcoal for the barbie but no house'. You can see the house from the top of the road so I could see that the roof was still there when I turned the corner and, I should never have doubted myself, the electric was off. Phew! Straight on with the drain in the cellar, don't know why I'm rushing it's going to be a long day, it's still only 7:50. When the septic tank was installed there had been some gravel left and not being one to spend money wastefully (well not on this occasion) I managed to scrape enough together to use in the trench. Rain is in the air and I could really do with making a start on the supports for the plasterboards in the living area. Quick text to Paul for some advise, long live SMS, and off to the local builders merchant. 'Je voudrai cinquante metres de trois x quatre s'il vous plait' - 'Pardon Monsieur, trois x quatre?' On reflection I suppose there wasn't much chance of him having any 3” x 4” timber. We locate the nearest French size & load it on the roof of the car. These old Mercedes really can take some punishment, if only it didn't sound like a jet fighter. I just manage to get the timber under cover when the heavens open and it's raining again. I suppose it was Southern California where it never rains & not Southern France. A good afternoon getting on with the supports & I clock off early & head to I & V's for a cuppa thinking there's not much exciting to put in the blog tonight. I'm greeted with 'the chimney sweeps on his way to Lagarrigue you'd better get back there'. We'd asked Ian to speak to the chimney sweep & arrange for him to visit & he'd just rang to say he was on his way so a quick about turn. Fortunately I was in a jet fighter so was back in time to catch him at the house. He has a look up the chimney and there's a sharp intake of breath, 'il y a boucher Monsieur' (I'm sure that's not the correct way to write what he said, but I am trying). Turns out the obstruction is a hornets nest & he's not going to try & move it, thank goodness. He's good enough to ring Ian & explain what the problem is & says he'll pass on the number of an expert in removing a nicher. Head back to I & V's for that cuppa.
Thursday 8th – Full day fitting the plasterboard supports with the company of 'RFM' a French radio station whose tag line is 'The Best FM of the Eighties and Today'. Who they kidding? Sade, Boney M (80's?), Culture Club, Dido, Michael Bolton, George Michael and, the exception that proves the rule, Phil Collins. It must be 'George Michael' week on RFM because every second record was one of his, including Last Christmas. I shouldn't complain, if it was wall to wall French pop music the radio would have been out the window. It's amazing how many English language songs are played on the radio stations here, even the jingles & station idents are in English. I've read that the French government legislate that up to 40% of music played on the radio must be French music. Having listened to some of their pop music I can understand why you have to be forced by the government to listen to it. A good example of where the French are with popular music is the time I was stopped at traffic lights and a teenager, tapping away on the steering wheel, in a customised Clio pulled up next to me. Windows down speakers at full blast, but not for him 50 Cents or The Blackeyed Peas. There at full volume was that classic 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley. What great musical taste the French have.
Friday 9th – Good news! It was only George Michael day & not week so it's back to hits of the eighties. Stevie Wonder's 'Isn't She Lovely' I'm sure wasn't a 80's hit but there it was. It's been a very quiet week without Babs & it's only thanks to Caroll's DVD's that I haven't taken to the bottle, or two. You can tell how bad its is when you notice a car going down a one-way street the wrong way on 'Lewis' & you rewind it just to double check. Roll-on next Saturday. Received a devis today for the stove & central heating from the company we had out 3 weeks ago. Very expensive so thinking caps back on for a more economical alternative. The fact that it's taken over 3 weeks to get a quote to us also doesn't make you want to rush to give them the business. Called over to see M. Regourd at lunch, always the best time to catch a French 'artisan' at home, to confirm he was still planning to start our electrical work next week. ' Oui, mardi ou mercredi'. Great news but it means that my trip back to the UK tomorrow is off. Shame, but at least I'll be able to get on with some more work &, having spoken to Barbara about life in the big city, I'm not sure this country lad could have coped with it. Finished the plasterboard supports so all is in place for next week, may have half a day off tomorrow and sort the bike out & have a spin out on Sunday.
Saturday 10th – Bit of a lie in as I only plan to tidy up at the house & sort my bike out this morning. Nice & bright but a little chilly, great weather for getting the old MTB out. Let's hope it's like this tomorrow. By 11:00 the house is spic & span & it's on with fitting new brake pads to my bike. Bit of a problem as the callipers have seized up & I can't get them far enough back to fit the new pads. I'll have to let some lubricant soak in and have a go tomorrow. Better not delay my ride. Off to VDR this PM for some food & a leisurely wander round. Had look in a couple of mobile phone shops, there's as many here as there are in the UK, but shied away form signing up to a contract, they seem quite expensive here. Called in to the bank and printed a statement out that shows the last 6 weeks transactions in detail, should make interesting reading. Also picked up a bargain DVD in Hyper U, 'Le President Et Miss Wade' think we know it as 'The American President', might be a way to learn some French if I watch it with sub-titles.
Sunday 11th – Another beautiful day with the sun out, no wind and the temperature not getting above 12ºC, great biking weather. The oil worked so I was able to get out and do a quick 12.5 miles before lunch. Did think I would have a go on one of the sign posted VTT (MTB) routes but as I'd forgotten to pick the map up I wasn't keen on hurtling down some track to find the return was back the way I had just come. I'll save that till next week. Called in at I & V's just as they were heading off to the football. Vilia had just taken some home-made sausage rolls out of the oven & asked would I like a couple for my lunch. Didn't need asking twice, they were lovely & made me long for Greggs and their world famous pasties! Whilst I'd been out on the bike I'd passed a bar in St-André-de-Najac with a poster outside advertising the England v France match, could be interesting. I got there just after the match had started & England were already loosing. The bar was a mix of French & English and there was a really good atmosphere and friendly banter between the two nations. Every time the French scored they turned on a singing frog which they had dressed in a French rugby shirt. Standing near the bar sipping my 'demi' beer I was be-friended by a Frenchman who could speak a little English and was the manager of the local rugby team. It was an interesting conversation with the lad behind the bar helping to translate when he had a minute. I was trying to make my small beer last but M. Foix, my new friend, insisted on buying me another. I managed to tell him I was driving & would like a Coke. 'Coke! La gendarme ne pas travail le dimanche' (that's supposed to translate as – 'Coke! The gendarmes don't work on Sundays') and gets me another demi beer. With the England win it should have been a good afternoon but the edge is taken off it when another of my new French friends tells me, in excellent English, that the local dialect is one of the hardest to understand and that there are lot's of French people who have difficulty understanding the locals. He also tells me there are no good French teachers locally & wishes me the best of luck in learning the language. This is backed up by the English owner of the bar who tells me he can speak good French but when it comes to understanding it he really struggles. He's been in France since 1991. Great! When we first visited the area about 7 years ago there was a property for sale in St-André-de-Najac that both Barbara & I would have loved to own. It was about €100,000, way beyond our budget, but in a great location. It was derelict and offered great potential (practising some estate agent speak there) and we often talked about 'what if'. We've passed it several times over the last few years and there is currently a lot of work going on there. I found out today that the local maire has bought it and is re-developing the site on behalf of the local village. So turns out we'd never have got it, in France the maire is given the option to buy any property once an acceptable bid has been made to the vendor.
Sunday 4 March 2007
w/c 26 February 2007
Sunday 25th - Yes I know it's in the wrong week but that's what happens when you've had an alcohol soaked week skiing! It was off to Toulouse at 7:00 AM to meet the others at the airport. There in plenty of time, it's a pity My-Travel couldn't start the plane. Not much to do at Toulouse airport other than buy an English newspaper & watch the world go by. Still, better than sitting on a plane in Birmingham for 2 hours waiting for someone to find the starting handle. Eventually the other seven arrive and it's off to Andorra we go...again. We've been going skiing as a group now for 7 years and have always ended up somewhere in Andorra, this year it's Soldeu and, as we always like a bargain, the hotel is 'allocation on arrival'. Steve who booked the trip this year has been checking out the tripadvisor website and is not impressed when we're 'allocated' The Austria Hotel Don't know why he was worried;
“Basically, the hotel is tatty and not a great place to stay”
“The hotel is advertised as 3 star, this is stretching the imagination”
“Rooms at the front will be noisy because of the road and at the back they are cupboard sized and the rooms we had were also unbearably hot in spite of us asking for the thermostats to be adjusted”
Can't possible be that bad...can it? It's only a 3 hour coach journey so just enough time to catch up with what's been happening back in the UK and discuss what will happen to Steve if the hotel's not up to our usual high standards. When we arrive the hotel is on the road but that's not a problem, it'll be handy for the ski bus & not miles from anywhere! Paul & I are allocated a room on the front of the hotel that when we enter is like the inside of an oven, you could literally have fried an egg on the radiator. Not to worry, better than being cold. As is normal on these trips it's a quick un-pack and off to check the hotel's facilities. Restaurant, games room, disco (obviously not used since 'disco' was all the rage), internet access (for us anoraks) and, most importantly, a bar. That's where we settle for the traditional first nights entertainment of a 'couple' of drinks. Beers OK if a little expensive at €3.20 a pint (Andorra is a tax free principality where cigs & booze are normally very cheap) but not to worry, we'll have a walk later to one of the other local bars. We get the normal welcome chat from the holiday company rep who is honest enough to confirm that the hotel is 2.5 kilometres from the main part of Soldeu (where all the bars are) and the bus service is unreliable in the extreme. We have a quiet meal in the hotel, food is edible and much as you would expect from a budget hotel, and it's back to the bar for a couple (dozen) more drinks before bed. Snow is in the air so things are looking good for the week ahead.
Monday 26th and the tour company have organised an early bus down to the ski lifts & hire shops. Off at 8:30am but one of the team is suffering from 'jet lag' and decides to 'rest' before the strenuous activities of the rest of the week. Light snow is still falling & being whipped up by a strong wind and it's a real struggle to get our 'ski legs' back and by 1:00 PM we've decided to call it a day and set off to sample the hospitality in a local bar. Our missing team member has recovered enough to join us for lunch. We head back to the hotel for dinner & a 'couple' more drinks with one of our party deciding that tonight water would be his preferred beverage. Paul had asked the hotel to turn the heating down in our room which after having slept with window open last night was a stroke of genius. It's the first time I've slept on the hard shoulder of the M6! The stretch of road outside our room must have been used by the locals as a race track because the noise from the traffic was horrendous. Cars, vans, lorries & coaches were passing all night, none at less than 120MPH!
Tuesday 27th and we're all out there bright & early ready for a good day skiing. Pity the bus isn't, 35 minutes late and it's the same story every day this week. We have a good day on the slopes and by 4:00 are ready for the happy hour at the 'Iceberg' bar. This hour runs for 2 hours & by 6:00 with a BOGOF offer running the decision is made not to bother returning to the hotel just yet. In fact we don't return till much later, so much later in fact that we'll miss the meal & have to get a pizza in Soldeu. Very nice pizza, and with beer & spirits at half price, a good night was had by all.
Wednesday 28th ditto I suppose is the best way to describe today. Only change being the Irish couple who joined us for a pizza. If only they knew what they were letting themselves in for. One of the founding members of our ski club is always at his best after 2 hours of half price drinks and never fails to be good 'entertainment'. If his jokes were repeatable this blog would go on & on (even more than it does now).
Thursday 1st March and it's warming up, not something you want in a ski resort. We'd had no more snow since Monday morning and with the temperature now reaching a balmy 8ºC by lunch time things were getting a little slushy. Good day skiing and for 3 of us it's back to the hotel for supper while the other 5 head for the hotspots of Soldeu. An early night will prepare us for what is normally the last full day on the slopes. I must be getting old. Peace is broken at the hotel about 10:30 PM when the others arrive back and that same founding member of our club decides that it would be a good idea to borrow the electric stun gun some other guests have bought (you wouldn't believe what you can buy in Andorra) and turn it on himself! At least the lads who owned the gun were playing cards, the loser being the one to get zapped.
Friday 2nd and the temperature is climbing and the snow melting. The struggle across to Pas, a neighbouring resort, is worth it and we return having had a full day on the slopes. By now there's plenty of rocks & grass protruding through the snow making things a little difficult. Once again 3 of us decide to remain at the hotel while the others are off to party the night away. Their return to the hotel at about 2:00 AM doesn't go unnoticed and there's a very early morning knock at our door. We'll get our own back.
Saturday 3rd and despite it being our last day two members of the party have had enough skiing (think they'd also had enough of something else) and decide to have a day off. With the weather getting ever warmer, 14ºC at lunch time, and the snow disappearing by the minute I put just half a days skiing in and return to meet our 2 errant skiers early afternoon. We have a quiet end of holiday pint, pick up the duty-free, 200 cigarettes for €20.00 & a litre bottle of Gordons gin for €7.00, return the hired equipment and head for a final meal at The Austria. It's only as we're getting off the bus that one of the group is reminded that he's left his new boots in the lockers that close at 5:00 and that it's now 6:45! The holiday rep says he'll see what he can sort out & is promised a glowing report on the customer satisfaction survey if he manages to rescue the boots. Time to pack up, have a final beer and await the pick-up at 5:05AM in the morning.
Sunday 4th and the bus is only a few minutes late and we settle in for the trip home. Back at Toulouse it's goodbye and see you next year. Feels a bit strange everyone jetting back to the UK and me heading to the car park & the drive home. I stop in St. Antonin-Noble-Val and pick up some bread for dinner. It's a beautiful day and the market's very busy. Back in Najac and the temperature's up to 21ºC by the time I get back about 12:00 so washing out on the line & I head for the house. Hopefully whilst I been away Pierre has taken all the old plaster off in preparation for the 'crepe'. He's done the work as promised & wow! Not only has he exposed all the stone he's 'found' what looks like a sink & a door that has been blocked off some time in the past. The beams he's cleaned up also look great and it's a pity Barbara's not here to see the results of his work. She'll have to look at the pictures I've posted on http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Airbourneuk/LagarrigueProgress To finish the holiday week off and with the sun beaming down it's time to dust the bike off & go for a ride around the block. And boy can I tell it's been nearly 3 months since I was last on the bike. I'm definitely going to have to do a little more training before I enter the Tour D' France.
“Basically, the hotel is tatty and not a great place to stay”
“The hotel is advertised as 3 star, this is stretching the imagination”
“Rooms at the front will be noisy because of the road and at the back they are cupboard sized and the rooms we had were also unbearably hot in spite of us asking for the thermostats to be adjusted”
Can't possible be that bad...can it? It's only a 3 hour coach journey so just enough time to catch up with what's been happening back in the UK and discuss what will happen to Steve if the hotel's not up to our usual high standards. When we arrive the hotel is on the road but that's not a problem, it'll be handy for the ski bus & not miles from anywhere! Paul & I are allocated a room on the front of the hotel that when we enter is like the inside of an oven, you could literally have fried an egg on the radiator. Not to worry, better than being cold. As is normal on these trips it's a quick un-pack and off to check the hotel's facilities. Restaurant, games room, disco (obviously not used since 'disco' was all the rage), internet access (for us anoraks) and, most importantly, a bar. That's where we settle for the traditional first nights entertainment of a 'couple' of drinks. Beers OK if a little expensive at €3.20 a pint (Andorra is a tax free principality where cigs & booze are normally very cheap) but not to worry, we'll have a walk later to one of the other local bars. We get the normal welcome chat from the holiday company rep who is honest enough to confirm that the hotel is 2.5 kilometres from the main part of Soldeu (where all the bars are) and the bus service is unreliable in the extreme. We have a quiet meal in the hotel, food is edible and much as you would expect from a budget hotel, and it's back to the bar for a couple (dozen) more drinks before bed. Snow is in the air so things are looking good for the week ahead.
Monday 26th and the tour company have organised an early bus down to the ski lifts & hire shops. Off at 8:30am but one of the team is suffering from 'jet lag' and decides to 'rest' before the strenuous activities of the rest of the week. Light snow is still falling & being whipped up by a strong wind and it's a real struggle to get our 'ski legs' back and by 1:00 PM we've decided to call it a day and set off to sample the hospitality in a local bar. Our missing team member has recovered enough to join us for lunch. We head back to the hotel for dinner & a 'couple' more drinks with one of our party deciding that tonight water would be his preferred beverage. Paul had asked the hotel to turn the heating down in our room which after having slept with window open last night was a stroke of genius. It's the first time I've slept on the hard shoulder of the M6! The stretch of road outside our room must have been used by the locals as a race track because the noise from the traffic was horrendous. Cars, vans, lorries & coaches were passing all night, none at less than 120MPH!
Tuesday 27th and we're all out there bright & early ready for a good day skiing. Pity the bus isn't, 35 minutes late and it's the same story every day this week. We have a good day on the slopes and by 4:00 are ready for the happy hour at the 'Iceberg' bar. This hour runs for 2 hours & by 6:00 with a BOGOF offer running the decision is made not to bother returning to the hotel just yet. In fact we don't return till much later, so much later in fact that we'll miss the meal & have to get a pizza in Soldeu. Very nice pizza, and with beer & spirits at half price, a good night was had by all.
Wednesday 28th ditto I suppose is the best way to describe today. Only change being the Irish couple who joined us for a pizza. If only they knew what they were letting themselves in for. One of the founding members of our ski club is always at his best after 2 hours of half price drinks and never fails to be good 'entertainment'. If his jokes were repeatable this blog would go on & on (even more than it does now).
Thursday 1st March and it's warming up, not something you want in a ski resort. We'd had no more snow since Monday morning and with the temperature now reaching a balmy 8ºC by lunch time things were getting a little slushy. Good day skiing and for 3 of us it's back to the hotel for supper while the other 5 head for the hotspots of Soldeu. An early night will prepare us for what is normally the last full day on the slopes. I must be getting old. Peace is broken at the hotel about 10:30 PM when the others arrive back and that same founding member of our club decides that it would be a good idea to borrow the electric stun gun some other guests have bought (you wouldn't believe what you can buy in Andorra) and turn it on himself! At least the lads who owned the gun were playing cards, the loser being the one to get zapped.
Friday 2nd and the temperature is climbing and the snow melting. The struggle across to Pas, a neighbouring resort, is worth it and we return having had a full day on the slopes. By now there's plenty of rocks & grass protruding through the snow making things a little difficult. Once again 3 of us decide to remain at the hotel while the others are off to party the night away. Their return to the hotel at about 2:00 AM doesn't go unnoticed and there's a very early morning knock at our door. We'll get our own back.
Saturday 3rd and despite it being our last day two members of the party have had enough skiing (think they'd also had enough of something else) and decide to have a day off. With the weather getting ever warmer, 14ºC at lunch time, and the snow disappearing by the minute I put just half a days skiing in and return to meet our 2 errant skiers early afternoon. We have a quiet end of holiday pint, pick up the duty-free, 200 cigarettes for €20.00 & a litre bottle of Gordons gin for €7.00, return the hired equipment and head for a final meal at The Austria. It's only as we're getting off the bus that one of the group is reminded that he's left his new boots in the lockers that close at 5:00 and that it's now 6:45! The holiday rep says he'll see what he can sort out & is promised a glowing report on the customer satisfaction survey if he manages to rescue the boots. Time to pack up, have a final beer and await the pick-up at 5:05AM in the morning.
Sunday 4th and the bus is only a few minutes late and we settle in for the trip home. Back at Toulouse it's goodbye and see you next year. Feels a bit strange everyone jetting back to the UK and me heading to the car park & the drive home. I stop in St. Antonin-Noble-Val and pick up some bread for dinner. It's a beautiful day and the market's very busy. Back in Najac and the temperature's up to 21ºC by the time I get back about 12:00 so washing out on the line & I head for the house. Hopefully whilst I been away Pierre has taken all the old plaster off in preparation for the 'crepe'. He's done the work as promised & wow! Not only has he exposed all the stone he's 'found' what looks like a sink & a door that has been blocked off some time in the past. The beams he's cleaned up also look great and it's a pity Barbara's not here to see the results of his work. She'll have to look at the pictures I've posted on http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Airbourneuk/LagarrigueProgress To finish the holiday week off and with the sun beaming down it's time to dust the bike off & go for a ride around the block. And boy can I tell it's been nearly 3 months since I was last on the bike. I'm definitely going to have to do a little more training before I enter the Tour D' France.
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