Monday 23rd – Another beautiful day and when we call at the shop & cafe in La Fouillade it's very hard not to stop and enjoy a café in the morning sun but with lots to do it's on to the house and work. We're just in the middle of fitting the second French door when the Regourd family turn up. I'm sure they have a good laugh, in French, at the English couple lifting the door on and off it's hinges at least a dozen times before their happy with the fit. One thing I've learnt over the last few months is to only take the minimum off when sawing, sanding, planning or cutting anything. You can always take a little more off, you can't put it back on. By 12:00 they're off and Stephané tells us his father & brother will return later in the week to finish off fitting the gas for the cooker & water supply for the fridge. We've worked out that your average French tradesman must have several jobs on the go at once & by turning up at least twice a week at each he manages to keep most of his customers happy. Barbara spends the afternoon undercoating the doors & windows and painting several bits of wood various colours to see which one she likes best. Glad I don't have to make the decision on which hue of green or blue we'll end up with as most of them look the same to me. I just fancy a shade without a stupid name. What colours are 'string' & 'wheelbarrow'? Back to Najac to pack our bags for a weeks change of residency. Paul's mum & brother are here for a week from tomorrow & Gilly has been good enough to put us up. It's a bit like going on your holidays. I also manage to speak to France Telecom, they have an English speaking help desk, and organise a phone line for Lagarrigue. They give me our new telephone number and make an appointment for the engineer to call on Thursday between 1:00 & 3:00. This seems great service from the company that all of France holds in contempt. No denationalisation here just yet but who knows what will happen when the new President is in place. Come to think of it there seemed little in the way of election fever here yesterday and with the local man, José Bové, polling less than 1.4% of the vote perhaps there'll be perhaps even less interest for the second round on May 6th. Bové is a local hero who spent three weeks in jail after he led activists in the destruction of a branch of McDonalds. For Bove, the golden arches represent the industrialisation of food production & the worst of "malbouffe - bad food". He's obviously got something right.
PS; I didn't manage to find a red rose to wear today so had to make do with my England rugby union tee shirt.
Tuesday 24th – Off to the house on my billy this morning while Barbara gets the house at Najac ready for the arrival of P & C, Paul's mum & his brother Martin. I spent the morning burning paint off & then sanding down the other French door. Once again it's a beautiful morning with the sun beaming down and I'm glad that I'm able to work on the door undercover. Back to Najac for lunch and collect Barbara and then off to drop our cases off at G & S's as they've been kind enough to put us for the week while P & C's family are in town. We then spend the afternoon at Lagarrigue burning off, sanding & painting & work on until 6:30 when we head back for the first bath we've had this year! It's most relaxing and then we're off to P & C's for supper and to meet his mum & brother.
Wednesday 25th – I had hoped today was the day the Merc would be back up & running quietly but it wasn't to be. The garage owner had been in touch with Mercedes and they had told him that it wasn't possible to weld an exhaust system that contained a catalytic converter. Despite getting down on both knees and begging he wasn't going to change his mind I headed off home very disappointed. Off to VDR to delay delivery of the stove and buy an extractor hood for the oven, another pain of glass (Babs again), more paint, we've finally made a decision on the colour and a telephone. Despite all the boxes having descriptions of their contents in English none contained English instructions. We buy a set of wireless ones & hope we can download instructions from t'internet. Back to the house and more caulking & painting. P & C's for supper.
Thursday 26th – Called over to P & C's new house to see if M. Lagarrigue's about. He's not but we see M. Luduc and he says he'll contact M. Lagarrigue and ask him to phone with us. Finished the caulking, for now, Barbara's slapping the paint on and it's another sunny day. The France Telecom engineer turns up at 2:30 and when I do my usual explanation that I don't speak very much French he says it's OK as he speaks English and worked in Ireland for 5 years. A Frenchman speaking English with an Irish accent! He's really helpful & I can't understand where FT get such a bad reputation. It takes him 90 minutes to get the phone installed and it's only when he has to contact the automated exchange that we get a couple of 'merdes'. He explains that the 'robot' isn't working and that he'll have to activate the line tomorrow morning. With the phone now in place it really feels as if things are coming together. Back to Najac & Barbara & Gilly head up to her new house to work on her new doors. I'm sat with my feet up having a beer. It's a great life.
Friday 27th – The FT engineer is as good as his word and the telephone is up & eorking by the time we arrive at the house. Good morning painting & caulking and filling holes with expanding polystyrene foam. What fun that was. It's the first time I've used it and what sticky stuff it is but it certainly does the job & filled some BIG holes. I think Barbara was bit concerned when she saw the foam expanding out of the gaps & I'm sure she was imagining some creature off Doctor Who. By mid afternoon we'd finished the jobs allocated for the day & decided to dash in to VDR to order double glazed units for the front door & pick up some more paint. I've mentioned before how expensive paint is here and I'm sure with the amount of paint we've bought shares in Dulux Valentine must be through the roof. Think a side line of importing paint from the UK could be a nice little earner. Spend a nice evening chatting with Gilly who, when she's back in the UK, lives in Brighton. She has some good stories about the people she's met in the town which, I think it's fair to say, is the gay capital of the UK. Gilly is good enough to let me have a root through her CD collection to see if there's anything I'd like. Bottom of the pile are The Village People Greatest Hits & The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. She's obviously had some of her Brighton neighbours out to visit her in France.
Saturday 28th – Painting & caulking, there's a surprise, this morning. P & C call in just as Iggy's dad is moving his beasts. There's a great deal of fuss as he doesn't want his cattle to wander on to our land. He stretches some bailing string across the entrance and we await the stampede. Ten minutes later he wanders along with 3 cows and Iggy. At 12:30 we call it a day at Lagarrigue and head back to Najac and pick up a baguette & a trois fromage quiche for lunch. Off to Gilly's new house this afternoon to paint some new windows she's had fitted. On the way back we call to see if Thierry will help us arrange a rendezvous with M. Lagarrigue. We sit in his kitchen and enjoy a cup of PG Tips while he makes a telephone call on our behalf. A meeting is arranged for 7:00 tomorrow night & Thierry says he will be there to help with translations. He's also interested in having our hanger when we decide to pull it down and I think he wants to take the opportunity to check out the building. Once again a good evening at Gilly's with P & C, Paul's Mum & brother calling round for a delicious meal.
Sunday 29th – Up to the house this morning to finish the caulking ready to start painting tomorrow. We also spent some time marking out the drive layout in preparation for M. Lagarrigue's visit this evening. The suns out and it's bot too hot so after a few words with the boss it's out with the bike & on with the bike clips. From Lagarrigue to Najac it's mainly downhill so it was an easy cycle back to Gilly's for lunch. This afternoon we plan to do a little more work for Gilly at her new house in Mazerolles which is at the top of a very long hill. It takes me 20 minutes to cycle up with only one stop for a breather. Not bad for someone who's not been on a bike for nearly 3 months. After a little more painting it's back in the saddle and a very speedy decent, at one point pursued by a mad French dog, to Najac. Think I'll have to make a spin on the bike a weekly event. We meet P & C at Lagarrigue at 6:00 and go through our thoughts for the drive. A few suggestions from Paul & we come up with a final layout just as M. Lagarrigue & Thierry arrive. It's a good meeting and although the work can't be done until the first week in June a devis is promised by Wednesday. Fingers crossed the price is within budget as I don't fancy doing all that digging, even with Paul's able assisitance.
Sunday 29 April 2007
Sunday 22 April 2007
w/c 16 April 2007
Monday 16th – Off to meet the chimney sweep this morning and he' there bang on 9:00. Turns out the hornet nests, there were 2 of them, are both old ones and there's no one in residence. They fill 4 bin bags and by 9:30 he's on his way €100.00 richer and for the peace of mind it's money well spent. Pierre's also at the house applying the final coat of lime-wash to the walls and I manage to caulk the ceiling without getting in his way. All doors & windows in France have hook-on hinges which make their removal a piece of cake and we'd removed the windows last week. There's a few years of paint on them & the wood looks in good order so looks like we won't have to replace them & Barbara sets about re-putting & rubbing them down. We'd picked up some new glass for a broken pane and it fitted perfectly. Let's hope the one we'll have to buy to replace the one Barbara broke fits as well! While we're working away a car pulls up at the house next door and a couple get out and head over to us. 'Bonjour' and asks us, in French, if we have the keys for the next door house as he's here to measure up for a new kitchen. We explain that we don't speak very good French. 'Oh sorry, I thought you were French with your boiler suits on'. Turns out he's English from Brighton and moved out to France with his wife and 3 daughters 18 months ago and is busy restoring a barn. We have a long chat about the French social security system and how you have to pay up front. Only after you've been in business for 2 years can you claim any over payments back. The payment is also calculated on the basis that you will do some work 'on the black' (foreigners). The 'black' economy is a major problem in France and it would seem that it's this type of legislation that encourages people to do work for cash. We're invited round to see the work they've done to their barn and as they have tried to be as eco friendly as possible in the restoration I'm sure it will prove to be an interesting and informative visit. Finally caught up with M. Regourd and finalised our choice of bathroom fittings for which he asked for a cheque. As we hadn't got the cheque book with us we'll have to call back later in the week. We're treated to a real humdinger of a lightening storm tonight with the sky being lit up as if it were daylight.
Tuesday 17th – Early start to pick the Merc and trailer up from Lagarrigue and then collect some stone to patch up P & C's drive. After all the rain we'd had last night it was going to be real fun getting the trailer out and after 30 minutes we'd got the car well and truly stuck in the mud. You can imagine the noise the car had been making as we'd tried to pull the trailer out and it wasn't long before Iggy's dad turned up to see what all the noise was. 'Iggy's dad' is our French farmer next door neighbour and as his dog is called Iggy he's been christened 'Iggy's dad'. Sad I know. 'Ah tracteur' and off he goes to get his old Ford tractor. The rope we have snaps and Iggy's dad suggests we use a chaine. A chien? Iggy will never be able to pull the car out! Ten minutes later, when we've used a 'chain' to pull the car out, and after several merci beaucoup's we're on the road and heading for the builders merchants. Two loads later the drive is looking good and Babs and I head off to do some work. P & C call in on their way to VDR and we have along discussion on what we should do with drive area and the landscaping around the house. Paul calculates that it'll take approx. 60 tonnes of stone and as well as hiring the mini digger we'll also need a dumper and a roller. With the digger costing €800.00 it may be worth getting M. Lagarrigue, the contractor who had done the ground work at P & C's new house, in to give us a quote. We'll be seeing him on Thursday so we'll ask him then. I spend the afternoon with my new belt sander working on the kitchen floor & Barbara rubs down the front door and applies the undercoat.
Wednesday 18th - Moved some stone for P & C first thing, call in to get some fish for tea from the mobile fish stall in Najac and then off to do a bit of strimming, continue sanding the floor, fixing the kitchen ceiling & slapping the paint on. We get a visit from Iggy's mum and dad who normally don't understand a word we say but when Barbara asks if they'd like to look at the work we've done it's an immediate oui. We think they're impressed with what we've done and after a lot of hand signals and at one point during the conversation Barbara thinking we were being asked round for lunch they depart and wish us bon appétit. It's a really beautiful day and we sit outside and eat our sandwiches in the blazing sun. Barbara's getting the brew ready when she shouts for me to have a look at this massive green lizard she's just seen. It's gone by the time I get there and I'm sure she's exaggerating when she demonstrates how long it was. P & C call in on their way to the airport and drop off an old chest we'd found in 'the ruin', Barbara thinks it will make a great bedding box. On the way home we drop the cheque in for M. Regourd and he tells us he'll be at the house first thing tomorrow to get the toilet plumbed in.
Thursday 19th – The Regourd family are all hard at it when we get to the house with Stephané putting the socket and switch covers on and his father & brother working on the plumbing. Barbara continues with the painting and I do a bit more more strimming until I spot Barbara's green lizard. She wasn't exaggerating about it's size as it must be at least 30 cms long and bright green in colour. I shout Barbara over and whilst we looking at it Stephané walks over to see what's grabbed our attention. He tells us it's a Lézard Vert and is dangerous because if it were to bite you it will hold on tight!
(A quick check on the internet tonight also says that they aren't afraid of humans and will give a nasty nip if approached. Think I'll be using a lot of long handled gardening equipment in future). By lunchtime the Regourds are finished and at last we have a working toilet. Barbara just can't wait to christen it but insists I hang the door first. Although the doors come fitted with hinges they don't come with handles and in her haste to use the toilet she pulls the door to and locks herself in. Hope there's no Lézard Verts in there with her! Really hot afternoon spent sanding the floor and painting.
Friday 20th – A beautiful morning again and M. Lagarrigue should be up at P & C's digging out the foundations so we'll pop up and ask him to prepare a devis for our work. By 9:00 there's no sign of him so we head over to the house to see if the Regourds have returned. No luck there either. We need to check our fast reducing bank balance and as the cash machine wasn't working this morning we'll have to call in to the La Fouillade branch of Credit Agricole, our French bank, before 12:00 when it closes. There's a new garage opened in La Fouillade and thinking he may be desperate for business I decide we'll call in with the Merc and see if he can do a temporary fix, or do I mean a bodge job? After Barbara's excellent explanation of what we want, in French, he says he can do it but not until next Wednesday. Great news & fingers crossed it works. Back at the house Barbara's burning off the many layers of paint from the French doors while I do a little more strimming. I read last night on the t'internet that Lézard Verts (and snakes) thrive in long grass so I think this will be a regular task. Only problem I have is that the strimmer is a b****r to start when hot and I have to leave it to cool down and do the work in stages. With the sun high in the sky it's time to head indoors and finish sanding the utility room floor. It's definitely the place to be as by lunch time the temperature is just a midges off 30ºC. We'd received an email from Pierre Segonds last night to say he would call in at lunch time today to see if we were happy with his work and to drop off his facture. He arrives at bang on 1:30, no surprise there, and we tell him we're delighted with his work and write him out a cheque. 'Bon journée', I'm sure it will be when he cashes the cheque, and off he goes. Spend the afternoon much the same as this morning but with Barbara varnishing the floor & me sanding the doors. Have an early finish at 5:15 to see if M. Lagarrigue has turned up. Still no sign of him so back for an early beer as the weekend starts here!
Saturday 21st – VDR first thing to drop the strimmer off and get some supplies in for next weeks work schedule. We need paint, silicon, door handles, putty, glass & lots of other interesting items! We also need to organise a fridge & can't believe our luck when at one of the magasins we see exactly the fridge we want with €300.00 off. Quick as a flash it's ordered and delivery organised for the 15th May. I'll have to make sure I'm elsewhere that day 'cause getting it up the steps is going to be difficile. Bit of food shopping then back to fit a weather strip and new lock on the main door. All goes well until we fit the handle and the key won't go through the hole! Back to the drawing board or, more precisely, the shop. It's another beautiful day and we're off out tonight to The Salamander, a local restaurant, with Gilly & Sidney and have a booked a table overlooking the château in Najac. It should be a perfect end to a productive week.
Sunday 22nd – The view, weather & company made our night out at The Salamander a success but the meal, from a menu that has remained unchanged for the last 4 years was only average. The Magret de Canard in a sauce of local honey was tasty but someone needs to tell the chef to lay off the garlic in his green beans and perhaps not to cook them for quite so long . He should also attempt to give the impression that the mushroom tart is home made. Welcome to 'Hill's Dinners'. Off to the house this morning to pick the Merc & trailer up & then back to Gilly & Sydney's in Najac to collect a couple of sofas & transport them up to their new house 5 kms away. Their house in Najac is next door to the church and we'd asked them to make sure there wasn't a church service on. I could just imagine the scene as the Merc growled it's way up the hill & the priest battled to be heard. Not the thing to do in France, upset the local Catholic priest. The move went well and we were back at Najac for lunch all in one piece despite Gilly deciding it would be a good idea to give the left hand side of the road a try for a change! We had lunch sat on G & S's terrace overlooking the Averyon gorge with the sun blazing down. Do we really have to go and do some work this afternoon? We did and put the weather strip on the French doors. With the doors on & off several times and the temperature reaching 32ºC we were ready for another cold beer by the time we headed home at 6:30. Anyway must get on as we're moving out for the week & need to do a bit of packing.
Tuesday 17th – Early start to pick the Merc and trailer up from Lagarrigue and then collect some stone to patch up P & C's drive. After all the rain we'd had last night it was going to be real fun getting the trailer out and after 30 minutes we'd got the car well and truly stuck in the mud. You can imagine the noise the car had been making as we'd tried to pull the trailer out and it wasn't long before Iggy's dad turned up to see what all the noise was. 'Iggy's dad' is our French farmer next door neighbour and as his dog is called Iggy he's been christened 'Iggy's dad'. Sad I know. 'Ah tracteur' and off he goes to get his old Ford tractor. The rope we have snaps and Iggy's dad suggests we use a chaine. A chien? Iggy will never be able to pull the car out! Ten minutes later, when we've used a 'chain' to pull the car out, and after several merci beaucoup's we're on the road and heading for the builders merchants. Two loads later the drive is looking good and Babs and I head off to do some work. P & C call in on their way to VDR and we have along discussion on what we should do with drive area and the landscaping around the house. Paul calculates that it'll take approx. 60 tonnes of stone and as well as hiring the mini digger we'll also need a dumper and a roller. With the digger costing €800.00 it may be worth getting M. Lagarrigue, the contractor who had done the ground work at P & C's new house, in to give us a quote. We'll be seeing him on Thursday so we'll ask him then. I spend the afternoon with my new belt sander working on the kitchen floor & Barbara rubs down the front door and applies the undercoat.
Wednesday 18th - Moved some stone for P & C first thing, call in to get some fish for tea from the mobile fish stall in Najac and then off to do a bit of strimming, continue sanding the floor, fixing the kitchen ceiling & slapping the paint on. We get a visit from Iggy's mum and dad who normally don't understand a word we say but when Barbara asks if they'd like to look at the work we've done it's an immediate oui. We think they're impressed with what we've done and after a lot of hand signals and at one point during the conversation Barbara thinking we were being asked round for lunch they depart and wish us bon appétit. It's a really beautiful day and we sit outside and eat our sandwiches in the blazing sun. Barbara's getting the brew ready when she shouts for me to have a look at this massive green lizard she's just seen. It's gone by the time I get there and I'm sure she's exaggerating when she demonstrates how long it was. P & C call in on their way to the airport and drop off an old chest we'd found in 'the ruin', Barbara thinks it will make a great bedding box. On the way home we drop the cheque in for M. Regourd and he tells us he'll be at the house first thing tomorrow to get the toilet plumbed in.
Thursday 19th – The Regourd family are all hard at it when we get to the house with Stephané putting the socket and switch covers on and his father & brother working on the plumbing. Barbara continues with the painting and I do a bit more more strimming until I spot Barbara's green lizard. She wasn't exaggerating about it's size as it must be at least 30 cms long and bright green in colour. I shout Barbara over and whilst we looking at it Stephané walks over to see what's grabbed our attention. He tells us it's a Lézard Vert and is dangerous because if it were to bite you it will hold on tight!
(A quick check on the internet tonight also says that they aren't afraid of humans and will give a nasty nip if approached. Think I'll be using a lot of long handled gardening equipment in future). By lunchtime the Regourds are finished and at last we have a working toilet. Barbara just can't wait to christen it but insists I hang the door first. Although the doors come fitted with hinges they don't come with handles and in her haste to use the toilet she pulls the door to and locks herself in. Hope there's no Lézard Verts in there with her! Really hot afternoon spent sanding the floor and painting.Friday 20th – A beautiful morning again and M. Lagarrigue should be up at P & C's digging out the foundations so we'll pop up and ask him to prepare a devis for our work. By 9:00 there's no sign of him so we head over to the house to see if the Regourds have returned. No luck there either. We need to check our fast reducing bank balance and as the cash machine wasn't working this morning we'll have to call in to the La Fouillade branch of Credit Agricole, our French bank, before 12:00 when it closes. There's a new garage opened in La Fouillade and thinking he may be desperate for business I decide we'll call in with the Merc and see if he can do a temporary fix, or do I mean a bodge job? After Barbara's excellent explanation of what we want, in French, he says he can do it but not until next Wednesday. Great news & fingers crossed it works. Back at the house Barbara's burning off the many layers of paint from the French doors while I do a little more strimming. I read last night on the t'internet that Lézard Verts (and snakes) thrive in long grass so I think this will be a regular task. Only problem I have is that the strimmer is a b****r to start when hot and I have to leave it to cool down and do the work in stages. With the sun high in the sky it's time to head indoors and finish sanding the utility room floor. It's definitely the place to be as by lunch time the temperature is just a midges off 30ºC. We'd received an email from Pierre Segonds last night to say he would call in at lunch time today to see if we were happy with his work and to drop off his facture. He arrives at bang on 1:30, no surprise there, and we tell him we're delighted with his work and write him out a cheque. 'Bon journée', I'm sure it will be when he cashes the cheque, and off he goes. Spend the afternoon much the same as this morning but with Barbara varnishing the floor & me sanding the doors. Have an early finish at 5:15 to see if M. Lagarrigue has turned up. Still no sign of him so back for an early beer as the weekend starts here!
Saturday 21st – VDR first thing to drop the strimmer off and get some supplies in for next weeks work schedule. We need paint, silicon, door handles, putty, glass & lots of other interesting items! We also need to organise a fridge & can't believe our luck when at one of the magasins we see exactly the fridge we want with €300.00 off. Quick as a flash it's ordered and delivery organised for the 15th May. I'll have to make sure I'm elsewhere that day 'cause getting it up the steps is going to be difficile. Bit of food shopping then back to fit a weather strip and new lock on the main door. All goes well until we fit the handle and the key won't go through the hole! Back to the drawing board or, more precisely, the shop. It's another beautiful day and we're off out tonight to The Salamander, a local restaurant, with Gilly & Sidney and have a booked a table overlooking the château in Najac. It should be a perfect end to a productive week.
Sunday 22nd – The view, weather & company made our night out at The Salamander a success but the meal, from a menu that has remained unchanged for the last 4 years was only average. The Magret de Canard in a sauce of local honey was tasty but someone needs to tell the chef to lay off the garlic in his green beans and perhaps not to cook them for quite so long . He should also attempt to give the impression that the mushroom tart is home made. Welcome to 'Hill's Dinners'. Off to the house this morning to pick the Merc & trailer up & then back to Gilly & Sydney's in Najac to collect a couple of sofas & transport them up to their new house 5 kms away. Their house in Najac is next door to the church and we'd asked them to make sure there wasn't a church service on. I could just imagine the scene as the Merc growled it's way up the hill & the priest battled to be heard. Not the thing to do in France, upset the local Catholic priest. The move went well and we were back at Najac for lunch all in one piece despite Gilly deciding it would be a good idea to give the left hand side of the road a try for a change! We had lunch sat on G & S's terrace overlooking the Averyon gorge with the sun blazing down. Do we really have to go and do some work this afternoon? We did and put the weather strip on the French doors. With the doors on & off several times and the temperature reaching 32ºC we were ready for another cold beer by the time we headed home at 6:30. Anyway must get on as we're moving out for the week & need to do a bit of packing.
Sunday 15 April 2007
w/c 9 April 2007
Monday 9th – Misty morning when we left Najac but by the time we got to Lagarrigue the sun was out and the temperature was up by 6ºC. First job today was to cut and fit the oak beam for the chimney breast. First attempt didn't look all that good so it was a quick refit and we're happy with the second fitting. We're sat in the sun having a break for lunch when Matthew & Paul arrive to see what we're up to. After a quick review of work so far Paul leaves the three of us to it. I'm re-sanding the plasterboards and Barbara & Matthew set to and do a bit of hacking out. It's a glorious afternoon and by 4:00 it's time to call it a day and head for a cold refreshing beer, after all it is a bank holiday. We're off out tonight for a meal, probably wont bother with a tie and jacket but it'll make a pleasant change to get dressed up.
Tuesday 10th - Big day to day for P & C. Their new house which has become known as 'the ruin' is scheduled for demolition. Paul & I head for the site for 9:00 and wait the arrival of the builder, M. Leduc, and the demolition contractor, M. Lagarrigue. They arrive just after 10:00 and once the 16 tonne digger has been unloaded set to and dig an access road out & create a platform to place all the stone they will salvage from 'the ruin'. At about 11:30 I head over to our house just in time to catch Pierre before he disappears for lunch. He's half way through applying the first layer of plaster and even at this stage I can see that it was definitely the right decision to get him in & have the room creped. M. Regourd has also been & has been working on the plumbing and it looks like most of the waste pipes are now in place. After lunch back at Najac Paul & I set to to try and resolve what has been an ongoing problem with the drainage. As with most older houses in France the waste water from the shower and kitchen sink drain straight in to a soak away and we'd noticed recently that a puddle had been forming outside every time anyone had a shower. Paul had dug out the area and located the waste pipe and we were going to use his drain rods to remove any blockages. After prodding away with the rods for about an hour and not appearing to resolve the problem Paul decided to re-route the drain in to the septic tank. I disappeared up to Gilly's to do a little more painting and by the time I returned Paul had finished the drainage and Barbara & Matthew had returned from Toulouse. They'd gone in first thing this morning on the train and had spent the day looking for light fittings etc. & I'm sure Matthew had had a wonderful time! The train service from Najac is great and there are about 8 trains a day which take approx. 1 hour 30 min's to get to Toulouse & cost €22.50 return.
Wednesday 11th – Spent the day with Paul helping to sort stone out as the demolition of the ruin progressed. The contractor made it look so simple even using his digger to pick up old barrels and place them gently on the ground safely away from the demotion site. I can't wait to get the digger hired and start on the tidying up & landscaping at Lagarrigue. I'm sure it won't be anything like as easy as he made it look but it's going to be a lot easier than using a spade & pick. Barbara & Matthew went in to VDR in the morning for some food & a look round and spent the afternoon at Gilly's painting. Matthew must wonder what happened to his nice relaxing holiday, instead his mum & dad have had him working hard.
Thursday 12th – And as it's Matthew's birthday we let him off work this morning and left him packing as he's off home today for a well earned rest. Paul & I did a morning up at the ruin and Barbara did some more painting up at Gilly's. We're not slow painters by the way it's just that the house is quite a size. At lunch time we head to Rodez for lunch & to drop Matthew off & collect Caroll from the airport. By the time we return to Najac the heavens have opened and P & C head round to what is now a flat site of mud & stone. They return soaked through and I think a little shell shocked at the enormity of their 'project'.
Friday 13th – The chimney sweep was supposed to be calling this afternoon but he'd rang last night to say that with the amount of rain that had fallen it was to dangerous to remove the hornets nest & he would call on Monday at 9:00. We spent the morning at Lagarrigue and Barbara was up to Gilly's in the afternoon. When I returned to the house Pierre was there applying the first of three coats of lime wash, he mentioned that M. Regourd wanted to see us so a quick text to Babs and she came down and picked me up at 5:00 and we headed over to see if Msr. M was in. No sign of him so we head on to Lunac and a kitchen shop we'd passed a couple of times & seen the fridge we want on special offer. It was closed and upon closer investigation it turned out the poster advertising the offer was two years out of date and that the shop was probably closed down for good! Looks like we might have to go back to the shop where we were getting the stove & cooker from & eat humble pie. We used the fact that we'd seen the special offer to try and screw him down on price but he'd only moved a few Euros & we'd told him we would get the fridge somewhere else.
Saturday 14th – A morning painting at Gilly's, back to Najac for lunch & off to VDR in the afternoon. P & C spent the morning successfully trying to clean the chimney. We've been having problems with the stove and had decided that something needed to be done if we weren't all going to smell like smoked kippers. They sort the problem and the stove is roaring away. We needed to pick up some more caulk for Gilly & our own house and also took the opportunity to look at a couple of places for the fridge. Came across one very helpful chap who was prepared to do a deal and deliver. Think he's going to get the order. Had a nice coffee and cake and a wander round the two interior decorating shops in VDR. Called in at Lagarrigue on the way back and the lime wash is looking really great and things are coming together now.
Sunday 15th – And what seams to have become our weekly trip to the market at St. Antonin-Noble-Val. With the sun out and the temperature rising a few points the market was the busiest we've seen it with a number of new stalls. Lots of lovely smells and samples of wild boar sausage to sample, it really is a good morning out and we pick up some fresh salad for lunch. Gilly's this PM to finish off the painting, clean up & continue with the caulking. On our way back we call up at P & C's new site and review the work to date. Quite a bit yet to do!
Tuesday 10th - Big day to day for P & C. Their new house which has become known as 'the ruin' is scheduled for demolition. Paul & I head for the site for 9:00 and wait the arrival of the builder, M. Leduc, and the demolition contractor, M. Lagarrigue. They arrive just after 10:00 and once the 16 tonne digger has been unloaded set to and dig an access road out & create a platform to place all the stone they will salvage from 'the ruin'. At about 11:30 I head over to our house just in time to catch Pierre before he disappears for lunch. He's half way through applying the first layer of plaster and even at this stage I can see that it was definitely the right decision to get him in & have the room creped. M. Regourd has also been & has been working on the plumbing and it looks like most of the waste pipes are now in place. After lunch back at Najac Paul & I set to to try and resolve what has been an ongoing problem with the drainage. As with most older houses in France the waste water from the shower and kitchen sink drain straight in to a soak away and we'd noticed recently that a puddle had been forming outside every time anyone had a shower. Paul had dug out the area and located the waste pipe and we were going to use his drain rods to remove any blockages. After prodding away with the rods for about an hour and not appearing to resolve the problem Paul decided to re-route the drain in to the septic tank. I disappeared up to Gilly's to do a little more painting and by the time I returned Paul had finished the drainage and Barbara & Matthew had returned from Toulouse. They'd gone in first thing this morning on the train and had spent the day looking for light fittings etc. & I'm sure Matthew had had a wonderful time! The train service from Najac is great and there are about 8 trains a day which take approx. 1 hour 30 min's to get to Toulouse & cost €22.50 return.
Wednesday 11th – Spent the day with Paul helping to sort stone out as the demolition of the ruin progressed. The contractor made it look so simple even using his digger to pick up old barrels and place them gently on the ground safely away from the demotion site. I can't wait to get the digger hired and start on the tidying up & landscaping at Lagarrigue. I'm sure it won't be anything like as easy as he made it look but it's going to be a lot easier than using a spade & pick. Barbara & Matthew went in to VDR in the morning for some food & a look round and spent the afternoon at Gilly's painting. Matthew must wonder what happened to his nice relaxing holiday, instead his mum & dad have had him working hard.
Thursday 12th – And as it's Matthew's birthday we let him off work this morning and left him packing as he's off home today for a well earned rest. Paul & I did a morning up at the ruin and Barbara did some more painting up at Gilly's. We're not slow painters by the way it's just that the house is quite a size. At lunch time we head to Rodez for lunch & to drop Matthew off & collect Caroll from the airport. By the time we return to Najac the heavens have opened and P & C head round to what is now a flat site of mud & stone. They return soaked through and I think a little shell shocked at the enormity of their 'project'.
Friday 13th – The chimney sweep was supposed to be calling this afternoon but he'd rang last night to say that with the amount of rain that had fallen it was to dangerous to remove the hornets nest & he would call on Monday at 9:00. We spent the morning at Lagarrigue and Barbara was up to Gilly's in the afternoon. When I returned to the house Pierre was there applying the first of three coats of lime wash, he mentioned that M. Regourd wanted to see us so a quick text to Babs and she came down and picked me up at 5:00 and we headed over to see if Msr. M was in. No sign of him so we head on to Lunac and a kitchen shop we'd passed a couple of times & seen the fridge we want on special offer. It was closed and upon closer investigation it turned out the poster advertising the offer was two years out of date and that the shop was probably closed down for good! Looks like we might have to go back to the shop where we were getting the stove & cooker from & eat humble pie. We used the fact that we'd seen the special offer to try and screw him down on price but he'd only moved a few Euros & we'd told him we would get the fridge somewhere else.
Saturday 14th – A morning painting at Gilly's, back to Najac for lunch & off to VDR in the afternoon. P & C spent the morning successfully trying to clean the chimney. We've been having problems with the stove and had decided that something needed to be done if we weren't all going to smell like smoked kippers. They sort the problem and the stove is roaring away. We needed to pick up some more caulk for Gilly & our own house and also took the opportunity to look at a couple of places for the fridge. Came across one very helpful chap who was prepared to do a deal and deliver. Think he's going to get the order. Had a nice coffee and cake and a wander round the two interior decorating shops in VDR. Called in at Lagarrigue on the way back and the lime wash is looking really great and things are coming together now.
Sunday 15th – And what seams to have become our weekly trip to the market at St. Antonin-Noble-Val. With the sun out and the temperature rising a few points the market was the busiest we've seen it with a number of new stalls. Lots of lovely smells and samples of wild boar sausage to sample, it really is a good morning out and we pick up some fresh salad for lunch. Gilly's this PM to finish off the painting, clean up & continue with the caulking. On our way back we call up at P & C's new site and review the work to date. Quite a bit yet to do!
Sunday 8 April 2007
w/c 2 April 2007
Monday 2nd – In to VDR first thing to collect paint and all the associated bits & pieces for decorating. Only problem was that a couple of the shops we needed to visit are closed for stocktaking so it'll mean we have to come back again later in the week. Back to the house for lunch which is eaten in the car because it's that cold and on with rubbing down the plastering I did last week & building a frame to support the toilet cistern in the downstairs cloakroom. We have to be back at P & C's for 3:00 to meet the septic tank man so it's a very early finish today. If he turns up on time we plan to visit a quarry in a village called Virac and see if we can organise stone for the hearth. While we're waiting I check our emails and there's one from Pierre Segonds asking if it's OK to start the crepe tomorrow. That's great news but it means that our early finish has been knocked on the head & we'll be back to work once the septic tank is sorted. We also get a visit from P & C's next door neighbour who is Portuguese but has lived if France for the last 40 years. The last time we'd met her we couldn't understand a word she was saying and thought she was a French rambler expecting to stay the night with us. Thankfully things have become a little clearer to us and we managed to learn a little about her children and an appointment she had with a physiotherapist in Albi. Just as we're thinking we've had a wasted afternoon the driver turns up at 5:30. There's a little bit of face pulling when he sees that he will have to back his lorry down to the house but there's an even bigger Gallic shrug when he takes the lid off the septic tank. He didn't say anything but I'm sure he was thinking merde! He gets his lorry as near as he can and starts to connect the pipes, but he's not wearing any gloves. Perhaps the lorry's just been cleaned out & he'll put them on later. He starts the pump, still no sign of any gloves, and Barbara & I go in the house & close the door. Ten minutes later he's finished and packing up ready to leave. He knocks on the door and has an invoice which we offer to pay by cheque. That's OK but the problem will be writing the amount out in words and we ask the driver to help and complete that section of the cheque. He takes Barbara's pen completes the cheque, signs the receipt, hands the pen back & bids us bonne journée. It's customary in France to shake hands with everyone you meet but on this occasion I kept my hands firmly in my pockets and made no attempt to do so. By the time I'd got back in the house Barbara had got the disinfectant out and was wiping the pen down! It's back to the house to tidy up & prepare for Pierre. Supper tonight will be a little later than normal.
Tuesday 3rd - Head up to house and Pierre is there just getting started. Arrived just in time to avoid lifting a very heavy looking cement mixer up a flight of steps onto the balcony. After discussing a few bits and pieces with him we head to Gilly's to continue the painting. Just as we're thinking of heading off for lunch there's a knock at the door and there's a couple of men, one wearing a sweatshirt with the picture of a dog with a dead bird hanging out of it's mouth, wanting to deliver some windows & doors. Walking to the van Barbara & I offer to help unload and put them in the barn but when we see the size of the doors we realise there's no way we're going to be able to move them very far. A couple of phone calls later and it's agreed that they will be placed near the front gate & the carpenter will send some men over later to put them in place. It turns out that one of the men is a neighbour of Gilly's & we've seen him working on a house across the lane. In conversation with him he tells us that this is his holiday home and he lives in Aix-en-Provence but finds it too hot during the summer. The whole of the conversation is held in French so I suppose we must be improving slightly. Over the last few days there has been a noticeable increase in the number of British registered cars on the road, so much so that I have to ask, 'is there anyone left in the UK?' Even in the supermarket yesterday, have a look at the picture HERE, we were joined in the cue by 2 British families. At this rate we won't need to bother learning French, they'll only be the British here! Late this afternoon we head over to the quarry we'd planned to visit yesterday. The owner, who is English and has been out here for 18 years, is very helpful and after identifying the area we live in by the sample of stone we'd taken with us gives us a brief lesson in geology. He certainly seems to know his stuff and says he will put together a devis and phone us later with the price.
Wednesday 4th – Quick check to see what progress was made at the house yesterday & on to VDR, again, for some more paint for Gilly's. We also needed to get a new door lock for & thought we were organised by not only measuring the old one but taking a photograph of it (marvellous what you can do with a mobile phone these days) but despite there being dozens of locks not one is suitable for a door that opens to the droite. They'll be in stock on Friday. As we're struggling with the lock there's another English couple looking as perplexed as we normally do. We offered to help but when they explain that they're looking for exterior ceramic tile adhesive we had to explain that we hadn't got to that stage in our renovation project as yet. We get a phone call from Ian at lunch time saying the garage have been in touch & they've removed the engine immobiliser which has affected the central locking and am I bothered about it. As it'll cost €240.00 to install a new system I ask him to tell the garage not to worry about it and keep my fingers crossed that someone will nick the thing and we can claim on the insurance. Come to think of it the insurance will probably be void now the car doesn't have an immobiliser who is going to nick the car anyway! Spent the rest of the day painting & called for a cuppa at I & V's on the way home. We'd asked Ian to give the roofer a call to see if he had a date for commencing work on the house. He'd tried calling yesterday but there was no answer so he was going to try again tonight. By now it was 6:30 so there was a chance the roofer would have finished work & be at home. We head out to his house to see if he's in and are just in time to catch his daughters returning from walking the dogs. 'Papa is still at work and will return at 8:00 this evening'. A wasted trip.
Thursday 5th – Full day at Gilly's painting with just a break at lunch time to see if work had progressed at Lagarrigue. It hadn't, but the concrete was still damp in places so I guess they were giving it plenty of time to go off. The painting is coming on well and I only wish I had shares in a French paint manufacturer because judging by the way the walls soak up the stuff I'd be a very rich man. Paint is very expensive, 10 litres of Dulux brilliant white matt emulsion costs €53.00. Got round to watching one of the 'classic' DVD's Rebecca & Matthew sent us, Steptoe & Son from 1970. Were there still rag & bone men around with horse pulled carts in the early 70's? It was the one where their horse Hercules dies. I know what would have happened to him if he'd been in France. 'What's for dinner tonight Dad?' 'Hercules!'
Friday 6th – VDR again this morning for more paint and the shop assistant jokes that we must be painting the Eiffel Tower. We called in at the house on the way and were pleased to see work was well under way & a compressor had been delivered and the first layer of crepe was about to be applied. We want to put some oak round the chimney breast which is currently tiled and had called in to measure up. Pierre tells us there's a wood yard in nearby Monteils so we'll call in there on the way back. While in VDR we get a call from Mr. Scott the stone man to say he's got a suitable piece of stone & can cut & prepare it for the end of the month. Next stop is to order the poêle & cuisinère & while we're attempting to 'do a deal' the mobile rings & it's Vilia saying the Mercs ready and it needs to be collected from the auto electricians in VDR before 12:00 when, of course, they close for lunch. As it's now 11:45 I race off to collect the car & leave Barbara haggling with the shop owner. The car still sounds like a jet fighter but at least it starts & I head back to see how many hundreds of Euros Barbara has saved us. She's got him down a bit and he can deliver in early May so well done Babs. Food shopping and a bit of lunch now while we wait for the wood yard to re-open. We find it easily enough and ask where the bureau is. 'This is my office' he says and looks around and points at the yard that any health & safety officer would have nightmares over. We show our picture of what we're after and explain that we would like chêne. He heads off and we follow him to a pile of various lengths of oak beams. He selects one and asks me to help carry it back to the workshop where he feeds it through a machine to cut it to the dimensions we require, 3.5 metres x 12cms x 6cms. Not having any idea of what it's going to cost Barbara dashes back to the car for the cheque book but by the time she returns I've paid the €11.75 in cash. Back to Lagarrigue with the wood & then on to I & V's with a box of chocs and a thank you for their help in sorting the car out. All we need to do now is call in to the garage and pay the bill! We'll do that tomorrow. Oh, and it's Good Friday. Considering France is a Catholic country there is no recognition of what to day is. It's not a public holiday and it's business as usual. The bank holidays come in May. Can't wait.
Saturday 7th – Morning spent painting up at Gilly's and after lunch off to Rodez to collect Matthew & Paul from the airport. It's a beautiful day and sitting waiting for them at the airport it gives me time to reflect on what's been happening over the last few months. It's been a bit of a roller coaster and sometimes I wonder what we've done. Today it feels like it was a good idea. Head back to Najac and pick Barbara up and head for the local bar and a couple of beers sitting in the sun and then on to Lagarrigue to show Matthew what his inheritance has bought. Think he's impressed and says he's looking forward to visiting when there's a bedroom to sleep in.
Sunday 8th – Take Matthew to show him the market in St. Antonin-Noble-Val and unfortunately the cheese lady isn't about and we leave empty handed. This afternoon Ian has invited us all to the football teams annual lunch. We're made to feel very welcome and have a very informal meal of sausage, croquet potatoes & green beans along with as much red wine as we can drink. We then head to the car park for a game of boules. It's a very French afternoon with the sun shining and the wine flowing freely. If only our language skills were better.
Tuesday 3rd - Head up to house and Pierre is there just getting started. Arrived just in time to avoid lifting a very heavy looking cement mixer up a flight of steps onto the balcony. After discussing a few bits and pieces with him we head to Gilly's to continue the painting. Just as we're thinking of heading off for lunch there's a knock at the door and there's a couple of men, one wearing a sweatshirt with the picture of a dog with a dead bird hanging out of it's mouth, wanting to deliver some windows & doors. Walking to the van Barbara & I offer to help unload and put them in the barn but when we see the size of the doors we realise there's no way we're going to be able to move them very far. A couple of phone calls later and it's agreed that they will be placed near the front gate & the carpenter will send some men over later to put them in place. It turns out that one of the men is a neighbour of Gilly's & we've seen him working on a house across the lane. In conversation with him he tells us that this is his holiday home and he lives in Aix-en-Provence but finds it too hot during the summer. The whole of the conversation is held in French so I suppose we must be improving slightly. Over the last few days there has been a noticeable increase in the number of British registered cars on the road, so much so that I have to ask, 'is there anyone left in the UK?' Even in the supermarket yesterday, have a look at the picture HERE, we were joined in the cue by 2 British families. At this rate we won't need to bother learning French, they'll only be the British here! Late this afternoon we head over to the quarry we'd planned to visit yesterday. The owner, who is English and has been out here for 18 years, is very helpful and after identifying the area we live in by the sample of stone we'd taken with us gives us a brief lesson in geology. He certainly seems to know his stuff and says he will put together a devis and phone us later with the price.
Wednesday 4th – Quick check to see what progress was made at the house yesterday & on to VDR, again, for some more paint for Gilly's. We also needed to get a new door lock for & thought we were organised by not only measuring the old one but taking a photograph of it (marvellous what you can do with a mobile phone these days) but despite there being dozens of locks not one is suitable for a door that opens to the droite. They'll be in stock on Friday. As we're struggling with the lock there's another English couple looking as perplexed as we normally do. We offered to help but when they explain that they're looking for exterior ceramic tile adhesive we had to explain that we hadn't got to that stage in our renovation project as yet. We get a phone call from Ian at lunch time saying the garage have been in touch & they've removed the engine immobiliser which has affected the central locking and am I bothered about it. As it'll cost €240.00 to install a new system I ask him to tell the garage not to worry about it and keep my fingers crossed that someone will nick the thing and we can claim on the insurance. Come to think of it the insurance will probably be void now the car doesn't have an immobiliser who is going to nick the car anyway! Spent the rest of the day painting & called for a cuppa at I & V's on the way home. We'd asked Ian to give the roofer a call to see if he had a date for commencing work on the house. He'd tried calling yesterday but there was no answer so he was going to try again tonight. By now it was 6:30 so there was a chance the roofer would have finished work & be at home. We head out to his house to see if he's in and are just in time to catch his daughters returning from walking the dogs. 'Papa is still at work and will return at 8:00 this evening'. A wasted trip.
Thursday 5th – Full day at Gilly's painting with just a break at lunch time to see if work had progressed at Lagarrigue. It hadn't, but the concrete was still damp in places so I guess they were giving it plenty of time to go off. The painting is coming on well and I only wish I had shares in a French paint manufacturer because judging by the way the walls soak up the stuff I'd be a very rich man. Paint is very expensive, 10 litres of Dulux brilliant white matt emulsion costs €53.00. Got round to watching one of the 'classic' DVD's Rebecca & Matthew sent us, Steptoe & Son from 1970. Were there still rag & bone men around with horse pulled carts in the early 70's? It was the one where their horse Hercules dies. I know what would have happened to him if he'd been in France. 'What's for dinner tonight Dad?' 'Hercules!'
Friday 6th – VDR again this morning for more paint and the shop assistant jokes that we must be painting the Eiffel Tower. We called in at the house on the way and were pleased to see work was well under way & a compressor had been delivered and the first layer of crepe was about to be applied. We want to put some oak round the chimney breast which is currently tiled and had called in to measure up. Pierre tells us there's a wood yard in nearby Monteils so we'll call in there on the way back. While in VDR we get a call from Mr. Scott the stone man to say he's got a suitable piece of stone & can cut & prepare it for the end of the month. Next stop is to order the poêle & cuisinère & while we're attempting to 'do a deal' the mobile rings & it's Vilia saying the Mercs ready and it needs to be collected from the auto electricians in VDR before 12:00 when, of course, they close for lunch. As it's now 11:45 I race off to collect the car & leave Barbara haggling with the shop owner. The car still sounds like a jet fighter but at least it starts & I head back to see how many hundreds of Euros Barbara has saved us. She's got him down a bit and he can deliver in early May so well done Babs. Food shopping and a bit of lunch now while we wait for the wood yard to re-open. We find it easily enough and ask where the bureau is. 'This is my office' he says and looks around and points at the yard that any health & safety officer would have nightmares over. We show our picture of what we're after and explain that we would like chêne. He heads off and we follow him to a pile of various lengths of oak beams. He selects one and asks me to help carry it back to the workshop where he feeds it through a machine to cut it to the dimensions we require, 3.5 metres x 12cms x 6cms. Not having any idea of what it's going to cost Barbara dashes back to the car for the cheque book but by the time she returns I've paid the €11.75 in cash. Back to Lagarrigue with the wood & then on to I & V's with a box of chocs and a thank you for their help in sorting the car out. All we need to do now is call in to the garage and pay the bill! We'll do that tomorrow. Oh, and it's Good Friday. Considering France is a Catholic country there is no recognition of what to day is. It's not a public holiday and it's business as usual. The bank holidays come in May. Can't wait.
Saturday 7th – Morning spent painting up at Gilly's and after lunch off to Rodez to collect Matthew & Paul from the airport. It's a beautiful day and sitting waiting for them at the airport it gives me time to reflect on what's been happening over the last few months. It's been a bit of a roller coaster and sometimes I wonder what we've done. Today it feels like it was a good idea. Head back to Najac and pick Barbara up and head for the local bar and a couple of beers sitting in the sun and then on to Lagarrigue to show Matthew what his inheritance has bought. Think he's impressed and says he's looking forward to visiting when there's a bedroom to sleep in.
Sunday 8th – Take Matthew to show him the market in St. Antonin-Noble-Val and unfortunately the cheese lady isn't about and we leave empty handed. This afternoon Ian has invited us all to the football teams annual lunch. We're made to feel very welcome and have a very informal meal of sausage, croquet potatoes & green beans along with as much red wine as we can drink. We then head to the car park for a game of boules. It's a very French afternoon with the sun shining and the wine flowing freely. If only our language skills were better.
Sunday 1 April 2007
w/c 26 March 2007
Monday 26th – Still struggling with loosing that hour in bed yesterday and despite planning to be on site bright & early we didn't make it until 9:30. Full day of hacking out the upstairs internal gable in preparation for pointing it on Wednesday. The garage must have called to sort the Merc out over the weekend as it's back on 4 wheels. It's turning over now but the engine's not firing up! With the battery disconnected for nearly a week I wonder if the immobiliser has activated? We call back to Najac for lunch and there's a message for us from Ian. We'd asked him to organise a couple of stères (0.6m³) of wood for the stove and it was going to be delivered this afternoon at 4:00. Quick lunch and back to hacking out until 3:45 when I leave Barbara to it & go back to Najac to unload the wood. He's there on time & it only takes a 1 hour to unload & stack the wood by which time Barbara has finished the hacking out and is building up two recesses in the wall which were probably windows at one time. M. Leduc called to see P & C to finalise the timetable & costs of their project, once again accompanied, thankfully, by Thierry. All goes well and he hopes to start work the first or second week in April.
Tuesday 27th – Off to Rodez to take P & C to the airport but first they have to call at the local architects to break the bad news that they won't be using his builder. Not an easy conversation as he would earn a substantial fee for managing the project but he accepts their decision with good grace. Once in Rodez we pick up some tiles we'd ordered a couple of months ago when they were in the sale. Drop P & C off at the airport and head for home in time to call at the garage and see if we can get the car sorted. With excellent timing we arrive just as I & V do and Ian helps me tell the garage owner about the problem with the car. The three of us go over to the house and after lots of head scratching it looks like the petrol pump isn't pumping! The mechanic, via Ian, says it looks like the anti-theft system has activated and he'll check with a colleague what to do and will ring tomorrow. I also mange to find out that the newly arrived Land Rover Lightweight is owned by a retired gendarme and he's considering selling it. Barbara didn't seem all that interested and appeared to turn a deaf ear. Still a lot of work to do!
Wednesday 28th – Phone call from Ian early this morning to say the garage have rang him and would like me to drop the car remote locking controller in. They're going to try a new battery and failing that will have to get it to the auto electrician in VDR. I spend the morning plastering & Barbara is pointing the wall upstairs. After lunch I call over to the garage with the remote & am fortunate, again, to meet 2 local men who speak excellent English. The remote doesn't spring to life when the new battery is fitted & I leave the keys at the garage for them to collect the car sometime tomorrow. I also have a good look round the Lightweight and can't believe what great condition it's in. The current owner has obviously spent a lot of time and money on it and I have the feeling if he does decide to sell it could be well out of my budget. Back to the house and spend the afternoon plastering & pointing.
Thursday 29th – The Merc has gone by the time we get to the house and we get straight on with brushing down the wall we pointed yesterday. We use a wire brush first then finish off with a hard scrubbing brush & although I say it myself (& I can because it's Barbara who's done the majority of the pointing) the result is great. About 10:30 Stephané Regourd arrives to finish off the electrics & by the time he leaves at 11:55 on the dot, he's explained the workings of the tableau de protection and we have power & light. Things are starting to take shape. We make a quick dash to the local builders merchant for some chaux & placo pate and call in at our local shop in La Fouillade for lunch. It's the type of shop where you can't ask for the wrong thing, curry paste, Pyrex dishes, cabbages, they have them all. The lady who runs it must be 80 if she's a day and 'dashes' back and forth between the café next door and the shop. Hope I'm still 'dashing' around at her age. As with most French villages La Fouillade also has a bakery, butcher & bar & we're making a concious effort to use them all. Lunch over & I'm plastering & Barbara's pointing away, what a team we make. We clock off at 5:00 with no sign of the Merc.
Friday 30th – Babs is up at 6:30 and off to brush down the pointing we did yesterday leaving me to tucked up in bed. Things are looking up and I could get use to it. She's back just after 9:00 for a quick shower and we're off to locate a free standing hand painted kitchen unit fitted with a Belfast sink available from stock and all for less that €1,000. It could be a long day. First stop is to a local artisan in nearby Lunac. His work is beautiful and would fit the the bill perfectly but he can't deliver until early October, which is perhaps just as well as I'm sure his prices would reflect the high quality of his workmanship. On to VDR and a magasin we've visited many times before. They don't have anything to show us but produce a catalogue showing exactly the item we're looking for. A quick check of the price list & we can't believe the price being quoted but never being ones to rush in to things we say we'll think it over and call back later. As it's now lunch time and everywhere is closed we decide to head for Figeac, approx. 35 kms away and somewhere we've haven't been to before. It's a typical small French town with lots of cafés, estate agents & artists studios but very few furniture shops. There's also a derelict cinema called 'La Rex' which is currently being converted in to trendy apartments. Must be happening everywhere. One store that looks interesting from the outside proves, once we've entered, to be a bit of a disappointment apart from a picture hanging on the wall. It's of a ship at sea with the title 'In All Weathers – J L Thompson Shipbuilders, Sunderland'. These Makams get everywhere. On the way back we call in at a Brocante (an antique come junk shop) but with no luck. We do have luck when we leave however when for the first time in a while I pull on to the wrong side of the road & fortunately there's nothing coming! Once Barbara has calmed down we decide that we should revisit the magasin in VDR and place the order for the piece of furniture. Never being ones to waste time we also call at the local hire shop & check out the prices for the hire of a mini-pelle (small JCB). Whilst the owner is showing us the machines outside, a lorry unloading a Portacabin with 1 man at each corner, bursts a hydraulic pipe and the cabin crashes to the ground just missing them. I've never seen so many French workman move so quickly. Back in VDR we head for the magasin and are welcomed by a very anxious assistant. 'Desole!' Turns out she's made an error on the price and the unit should be nearly 3 times the price she quoted. Ah well back to plan B & off to Ikea.
Saturday 31st – Think this will be the shortest blog entry so far. Spent the day decorating at Gilly's and it's bangers & mash for dinner. Suppose I could go in to detail about the spuds & sausage but I bet no one's really that interested.
Sunday 1st April 2007 – Ditto for Saturday really apart from it's duck for dinner tonight. Heard from P & C that their builder plans to start work a week on Monday & Paul's booked on the same flight as Matthew so it'll be a house full next weekend. Let's hope it's a bit more interesting & I have something to tell my millions of readers.
Tuesday 27th – Off to Rodez to take P & C to the airport but first they have to call at the local architects to break the bad news that they won't be using his builder. Not an easy conversation as he would earn a substantial fee for managing the project but he accepts their decision with good grace. Once in Rodez we pick up some tiles we'd ordered a couple of months ago when they were in the sale. Drop P & C off at the airport and head for home in time to call at the garage and see if we can get the car sorted. With excellent timing we arrive just as I & V do and Ian helps me tell the garage owner about the problem with the car. The three of us go over to the house and after lots of head scratching it looks like the petrol pump isn't pumping! The mechanic, via Ian, says it looks like the anti-theft system has activated and he'll check with a colleague what to do and will ring tomorrow. I also mange to find out that the newly arrived Land Rover Lightweight is owned by a retired gendarme and he's considering selling it. Barbara didn't seem all that interested and appeared to turn a deaf ear. Still a lot of work to do!
Wednesday 28th – Phone call from Ian early this morning to say the garage have rang him and would like me to drop the car remote locking controller in. They're going to try a new battery and failing that will have to get it to the auto electrician in VDR. I spend the morning plastering & Barbara is pointing the wall upstairs. After lunch I call over to the garage with the remote & am fortunate, again, to meet 2 local men who speak excellent English. The remote doesn't spring to life when the new battery is fitted & I leave the keys at the garage for them to collect the car sometime tomorrow. I also have a good look round the Lightweight and can't believe what great condition it's in. The current owner has obviously spent a lot of time and money on it and I have the feeling if he does decide to sell it could be well out of my budget. Back to the house and spend the afternoon plastering & pointing.
Thursday 29th – The Merc has gone by the time we get to the house and we get straight on with brushing down the wall we pointed yesterday. We use a wire brush first then finish off with a hard scrubbing brush & although I say it myself (& I can because it's Barbara who's done the majority of the pointing) the result is great. About 10:30 Stephané Regourd arrives to finish off the electrics & by the time he leaves at 11:55 on the dot, he's explained the workings of the tableau de protection and we have power & light. Things are starting to take shape. We make a quick dash to the local builders merchant for some chaux & placo pate and call in at our local shop in La Fouillade for lunch. It's the type of shop where you can't ask for the wrong thing, curry paste, Pyrex dishes, cabbages, they have them all. The lady who runs it must be 80 if she's a day and 'dashes' back and forth between the café next door and the shop. Hope I'm still 'dashing' around at her age. As with most French villages La Fouillade also has a bakery, butcher & bar & we're making a concious effort to use them all. Lunch over & I'm plastering & Barbara's pointing away, what a team we make. We clock off at 5:00 with no sign of the Merc.
Friday 30th – Babs is up at 6:30 and off to brush down the pointing we did yesterday leaving me to tucked up in bed. Things are looking up and I could get use to it. She's back just after 9:00 for a quick shower and we're off to locate a free standing hand painted kitchen unit fitted with a Belfast sink available from stock and all for less that €1,000. It could be a long day. First stop is to a local artisan in nearby Lunac. His work is beautiful and would fit the the bill perfectly but he can't deliver until early October, which is perhaps just as well as I'm sure his prices would reflect the high quality of his workmanship. On to VDR and a magasin we've visited many times before. They don't have anything to show us but produce a catalogue showing exactly the item we're looking for. A quick check of the price list & we can't believe the price being quoted but never being ones to rush in to things we say we'll think it over and call back later. As it's now lunch time and everywhere is closed we decide to head for Figeac, approx. 35 kms away and somewhere we've haven't been to before. It's a typical small French town with lots of cafés, estate agents & artists studios but very few furniture shops. There's also a derelict cinema called 'La Rex' which is currently being converted in to trendy apartments. Must be happening everywhere. One store that looks interesting from the outside proves, once we've entered, to be a bit of a disappointment apart from a picture hanging on the wall. It's of a ship at sea with the title 'In All Weathers – J L Thompson Shipbuilders, Sunderland'. These Makams get everywhere. On the way back we call in at a Brocante (an antique come junk shop) but with no luck. We do have luck when we leave however when for the first time in a while I pull on to the wrong side of the road & fortunately there's nothing coming! Once Barbara has calmed down we decide that we should revisit the magasin in VDR and place the order for the piece of furniture. Never being ones to waste time we also call at the local hire shop & check out the prices for the hire of a mini-pelle (small JCB). Whilst the owner is showing us the machines outside, a lorry unloading a Portacabin with 1 man at each corner, bursts a hydraulic pipe and the cabin crashes to the ground just missing them. I've never seen so many French workman move so quickly. Back in VDR we head for the magasin and are welcomed by a very anxious assistant. 'Desole!' Turns out she's made an error on the price and the unit should be nearly 3 times the price she quoted. Ah well back to plan B & off to Ikea.
Saturday 31st – Think this will be the shortest blog entry so far. Spent the day decorating at Gilly's and it's bangers & mash for dinner. Suppose I could go in to detail about the spuds & sausage but I bet no one's really that interested.
Sunday 1st April 2007 – Ditto for Saturday really apart from it's duck for dinner tonight. Heard from P & C that their builder plans to start work a week on Monday & Paul's booked on the same flight as Matthew so it'll be a house full next weekend. Let's hope it's a bit more interesting & I have something to tell my millions of readers.
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