At Last!!!!! The Roof

He's arrived!!!! It's been just short of 12 months since we gave M. Huguenot, the roofer, the go ahead & at 8:00 on Monday 24th September 2007 he finally arrived. It wasn't without some pressure that he turned up. We'd been telephoning and leaving messages & on the last three Saturdays we'd called in to his house to see if we could catch him. Last Saturday we struck lucky & caught M. Huguenot working on his van, there was no way he was going to avoid us this time. In our very best French we played the sympathy card and told him with winter approaching we really needed a new roof & that showering with snow falling was going to be no fun. It must have worked as he said he would be with us on Monday. And he was!!! The first job was to remove all the lauzes & slates. The slates would be disposed of but the lauzes have to be sorted in to different sizes by hand & one more chap sat on the floor all week using a piece of wood with nails in to size them. Next all the old timber had to be taken down & new sarkin boards fitted. There's no scaffolding used, just a Manitou, and watching the men clambering over the roof with a chain saw in one hand whilst holding on to a rope with the other puts a different spin on health & safety. They hadn't even bothered with hard hats & high viz jackets! We're having 4 chien assis or lucarnes fitted and on Friday two were in place and the roof was beginning to take shape. The only problem we'd had all week was the lack of satellite signal as some planks had been placed above the dish. With England playing on Friday night I asked if over the weekend the planks could be removed so we could watch the match. 'Of course but why bother, England are not playing very well at the moment' he replies (in French)!!!! You can imagine the mess and all the dust there's been this week but we both agree it's worth the hassle & although it would be stretching things to say it's been worth the wait we're glad M. Huguenot has finally started work.

Once again it's been a busy week on the social side with our neighbours still here, P & C here until Wednesday and S & J visiting us from the UK. They arrived on Sunday lunchtime having successfully navigated their way to our door. This was despite my directions which told them to leave the N20 at the junction signposted 'Cahors Nord'. Turns out there's no such sign and they ended up going miles out of the way, Still it was a very scenic route (sorry)! We had a good week with them visiting the market in VDR & Cordes. I've mentioned Cordes before and that it's well worth a visit. Even out of season most of the shops, galleries & restaurants remain open which is very unusual in this part of France. S & J stayed at the hotel in the middle of Najac, L'Oustal del Barry, & although the weather was mixed (on Thursday it was down to 5ºC) they were able to get this fantastic picture of the château from their bedroom. We've been here 9 months and not seen such a picturesque view. It was great to see S & J and we were sorry to bid them farewell on Saturday morning.

We've been getting things in place ready for building the bedrooms & on Tuesday we headed off to VDR to source insulation and timber for when the roof is finished. We trailed round the normal list of builders merchants to get the best price and ended back at the company we used for the Perlibeton. They're new to the area and are obviously trying hard to establish themselves and offered the best price, after some arm twisting, and free delivery. Having spent 30 years having customers screw you down on price & delivery it makes a pleasant change to have the boot on the other foot. Delivery was arranged for Friday PM & this time all the items we ordered arrived so we're now ready to start work on the bedrooms. I also had to obtain a couple of parts for the Lightweight so I could fit a normal tow bar to it. After trawling the net I found the items at a dealers in the UK & was pleasantly surprised at the cost of delivery, just £5.00 to get an item weighing over 10 kgs here. It arrived in two days, what great service.

Next week we're off back to the UK. Barbara is heading up to her mums for a couple of days & I'm following on Wednesday & meeting her in London when we'll spend a few days with Rebecca & Matthew. We're both really looking forward to the trip & I just hope M. Huguenot doesn't take advantage of our absence.

Lightweight, Lightening & Hangers

It's all happened this week & we're now the proud owners of 3647 PF 12, a Land Rover Lightweight. After waiting for what seems an eternity I finally got to test drive the car on Tuesday. All went well & the owner agreed to throw in a spare set of tyres, assorted parts & several French Land Rover magazines which, if I could read French, would I'm sure be very useful. As you would expect it's not just a case of sending the vehicle registration document off to the French equivalent of Swansea here you have to visit the prefecture and produce the documents listed in last weeks blog. We did this on Thursday the horror stories we've heard & read about French bureaucracy we were in & out in 10 minutes fully registered & €145.00 worse off. There's no annual road fund fee in France as you pay a one of fee, calculated on the car's horsepower & age, at the time you register the vehicle. With the carte gris in place all we needed to sort out was the insurance but as it was 11:55 it would have to wait until Friday. Back at the house on checking the post we found the documents had arrived for the trailer & that we'd need to return to the prefecture tomorrow! Sorting the insurance out went well until we mentioned that we wanted to tow a trailer. If it has a gross weight in excess of 750kgs it needs to be declared on the insurance documents & an additional fee paid. Ah well it has to be done & at least there's no charge or limit on the number of drivers that can drive the car. The Lightweight is going to be a great workhorse and will mean that we'll be able to collect most of the materials we need to move the project on.

Thierry Roussel was as usual indispensable during the negotiations for the car & when we called to arrange the test drive we were welcomed with a smile & taken to see his newly erected hanger. It was the one he'd removed for us & had finally got round to putting it up. As far as these things can, it looked great & he was all ready to fill it with straw for the winter.

We've been trying to move things along with the barn & this week we spoke to the architect to ask his advise on splitting the electric & water supply between the two properties. He offered to write a couple of letters for us & forward them to the appropriate suppliers. We've been told that asking the state owned water & electric companies for anything that's a little different, & splitting the supplies is viewed as 'different', can take some time. We'll keep you informed on the progress. On the building, well demolishing front, I've been swinging the sledge hammer this week & have managed to knock down all the stalls on the ground floor of the barn. It was hard work & I think we'll be dropping in at the tool hire centre next week to see how much they'll charge for a drill & compressor. On Monday builder Thierry turned up to collect his scaffolding. As we were unloading his trailer the heavens opened and we were caught in the middle of yet another spectacular thunderstorm. Unloading metal scaffolding on to a metal trailer didn't seem like a good idea to me but when I suggested we take a break and wait for the storm to pass Thierry gave a typical Gallic shrug & told me to get on with the job. After, we were rewarded with 3 very large Ricard's and I was grateful that Barbara turned up to carry, sorry drive, me home.

Socially it's also been a busy week. Our neighbours arrived on Tuesday to spend two weeks working on their house and as Ikea haven't as yet delivered their kitchen we invited them in for something to eat. They've a lot of painting to do but with the sun continuing to shine it looks like they'll be able to make good progress. P & C are also here with C's mum & husband & G & S have friends visiting and we were invited round for supper on Thursday. On Friday it was Barbara's birthday & we had an easy day, apart from the visit to the prefecture, and visited the shops in VDR & had the obligatory coffee in one of the bars. The cafés & bars are all busy about 3:30 PM as the local students meet for an after college coffee or un citron pressé. They all seem so polite & always greet their friends with either a handshake or three kisses on the cheek depending the norm in L'Averyon. Some things must be the same the world over as this week we've been plagued by telesales calls trying to sell us double glazing & plumbing insurance but as soon as they realise we're English there interest disappears & they hang up. At least we don't have to be rude to get rid of them.

Vache, Occitin & Gaillac

The vache are back and after M. Guilbert & friend had finished setting up the electric fence to keep them in we were invited in for a coffee. We've always struggled to understand M. Guilbert & listening him talk to his friend we really thought we'll never master the language. Mme. Guilbert explained that her husband & his friend were talking patois so it's no wonder we couldn't understand a word they were saying. Many of the road-side signs announcing the name of a village are written in Occitin & amongst many older residents is in common use and makes life very difficult for those of us struggling to learn French. As if it wasn't hard enough trying to concentrate on the conversation we were offered a sample of the local home-made liquor to go with our coffees. We couldn't quite work out what it was & given that it was only 11:30 in the morning & I had to climb back up the scaffolding we declined the offer. As always we're made very welcome and thanked for letting them graze their cows on our land. We try to explain that they are doing us the favour and that we're very appreciative. I think we managed to get our message across & as we walk home we reflect once again on how friendly & generous people have been in the area to us in the last 8 months.

When we drove down here at the beginning of January all our prize possessions were either in the back of one of the cars or on the trailer we'd purchased before leaving the UK. Since we'd sold the Merc the trailer had been sitting collecting dust but as there's a slim chance that we might be seeing the Lightweight on the road in the near future I decided it was time to get it ready for the road. We'd called at the garage on Saturday & was told the Land Rover had been repaired & the owner had collected it on Friday. We knew Thierry was away on holiday until Sunday night & as he was our only line of communication with M. Pousson I was hopeful of a phone call on Monday morning to arrange the long awaited test drive. Let's hope he's not changed his mind & decided not to sell. Anyway back to the trailer. The rules are different here in France and trailers with a gross weight in excess of 750kgs have to have a carte gris & their own registration number. Thanks to the internet and the numerous forums out there in cyberspace I was able to find out the information required to import and register a trailer in France. It involved getting a CT, the equivalent of an MOT, a certificate of conformity, proof that we're resident in France & a visit to the prefecture to register it. We didn't have the certificate of conformity so after a quick phone call to the trailer manufacturer back in the UK I was given the telephone number of their French office & told to speak to Corrine who would sort out the registration for us. So after speaking to her & forwarding a cheque for €100 we await the arrival of the relevant documentation.

We've finally finished the barn floor! It's been really frustrating having to chase the supplier for the completion of our order. We needed only 3 bags of Perlibeton to complete the job so on Monday headed off to VDR to place yet another order but had to wait until Wednesday before we could collect it. It wasn't a completely wasted day as the 'Foire Expo' was on. This was very similar to an English county show with exhibitions & trade stands covering everything from tractors to fridges. It was quite interesting & we were able to pick up information on escaliers & geothermal heating, something we are considering using to heat the barn with. As usual at these types of events there were several car dealers there & it was with great personal restraint that I managed not to buy the Range Rover Sport that was on display at the bargain price of €68,900.00. I'm sure it wouldn't have been as practical as the Lightweight! Thursday it was straight on with mixing the final batches & laying the last few metres of leger béton & we had a real sense of achievement having finished laying our first concrete floor. Now it was time to move all the tools & bits & pieces from the ground floor of the barn to the newly laid floor & commence work on another new floor. I'd mentioned last week about the openings in the barn & how by reducing the number of openings we were keeping the costs within our budget. On Friday it looked like we could have made even more savings. Thierry, the builder who had done the pointing for us, was working on his property next door & had called across for a coffee in the morning & we'd discussed the work we'd planned to do on the barn. He returned in the afternoon having talked to a friend & said that with my help he would now be able to do the openings. I'd asked him previously if he would be interested in doing the work for us but he'd said it was too big a job for him. It's typical of how helpful he is that he'd gone out & found a colleague who could help us do the job together. Unfortunately I had to tell him that we'd already signed a devis & given the go ahead to another builder. Frustrating as Thierry could have started the first week in October & would, I'm sure, have been cheaper.

On Saturday we headed over to Gaillac having been told there's a Brico Depot there. It's similar to B & Q and always worth a look round as they have some good offers on tools & building materials. It doesn't seem that long ago that we'd have been spending Saturday afternoon wandering round Selfridge's or Kendals in Manchester. How things have changed. Gaillac is the centre of local wine production and I was surprised just how many vineyards we passed on our way there. Wine growers still use traditional grape varieties such as Ondenc, Len de l'el and Mauzac in white, Fer, Duras and Braucol in red. They also use typical grapes from Bordeaux such as Cabernet, Merlot and Sauvignon, and from the south such as Syrah and Muscadelle. Red wines are rustic, white wines dry and aromatic, sparkling wines are fruity & rosé wines are light and easy to drink (M & S wine advisor training coming out there)so we'll definitely be heading back that way and calling in to one of the many vineyards selling wine direct to the public.

Aurillac & Steres

Two big deliveries this week. Another 33 bags of the dreaded Perlibeton and 9 steres of wood. Yes a delivery of winter fuel just as the weather has started to pick up. We've had some beautiful bright mornings with a mist hanging in L'Averyon Gorge which by lunchtime has disappeared & it's been a very comfortable 27ºC. Wood for heating is measured and sold in steres and equates to approximately one cubic metre and costs €50.00. We'd ordered it from Thierry in Najac and when he turned up on Thursday we were a bit concerned as to where we were going to put what appeared to be most of Kielder forest. After stacking the 9 steres, or 1 corde, I certainly hope they'll be sufficient to see us through the long hard winter here in south west France. I'm sure Barbara does as well, grabbing one little mouse in the middle of a few twigs and hearing it squeak was more than enough of a close encounter to the local wildlife for her.

When Thierry was here delivering the wood we took the opportunity to show him the papers we'd found in the barn. He struggled to read the old form of French but managed to decipher that one of the documents was an agreement between two people to lease some land & buildings for the sum of 2 francs & 2 vache. The notaire who witnessed the agreement was paid a fee of 2 centimes. Could do with finding him! I also spoke to Thierry about the Lightweight and he said that he'd called at the garage last week & been told the same story as I was that the wrong part had been delivered. He also suggested that it might be worth looking for an alternative vehicle and mentioned a Land Rover specialist in Aurillac so Saturday we took the day off and headed north in to the Department of Cantal. It's about 120 kms away & took us just over two hours to get there and when we arrived on the outskirts of the town it was quite a bit larger than I thought it would be. We had the name of the garage but no address so panic was now setting in, how were we going to find the garage? I suppose I should have thought about that earlier but we all do these things don't we? As luck would have it I spot an old Land Rover Defender parked up outside a café and thinking the owner may be inside and know where the garage is, we pull over and head inside. Despite there only being a couple of customers know one admits to owning the vehicle and we're about to leave when the waitress comes out with someone's order. In my best French and as usual with a lot of help from Barbara I ask if she knows where the company written on our piece of paper is. 'You are English? I speak English if that helps' she says. She doesn't know the company but heads off to get the pages jaunes. By amazing coincidence the garage is only round the corner and having given us directions we compliment her on her excellent English. 'Thank you, I lived in Salford for 6 years' she replies. Isn't it a small world?

Five minutes later we're looking at very expensive Land Rovers thinking that perhaps the old Lightweight isn't such a bad bargain we just need to get it repaired and ready for the road. Not wanting the day to be a complete waste of time we head off to the centre ville and have a look at the shops & round the market (there's always one). Unlike many British towns there is still a wide range of independent shops in French towns. In Aurillac there seemed to be lots of shops selling umbrellas and it was only when I looked on Wikipedia that I found out why; it's the umbrella capital of France which should also tell you something about the weather round here. One thing for sure there are no M & S's but there are numerous restaurants all serving lunch. We choose one where the plat du jour was pavé du boeuf (think that's spelt correctly), sautéed potatoes & stuffed tomatoes. It was delicious and with a glass of rosé wine, a sweet & coffee to finish off with you really can't complain when the bill comes to €24.00.

I mentioned the Perlibeton at the beginning of this weeks blog and along with more hacking out and scaffold building the laying of the concrete floor has continued. It's been really frustrating having to wait for deliveries and we'd certainly have had the floor finished ages ago if materials had arrived when they were promised. By Friday afternoon we've run out again, this time it's my estimating, and we speed off to VDR to see if we can collect some more Perlibeton. We can only manage to find a further 3 bags before we run out of time and by Sunday lunchtime these have been laid and I'm stuck for bobbins again. Monday it'll be a phone call to a couple of builders merchants to see if they have stock. After much deliberation & debate we gave the go ahead this week to the builder who had quoted us for putting windows in the barn. By omitting another opening we've managed to get the cost within our budget and with a large patio window hopefully we'll have enough light in the living area.

Our home produce is coming on a treat and Barbara has great plans for this years harvest. Orders for chateauneuf du Hill are now being taken. It'll be a crisp light white with hints of lemons & peach & silky smooth after taste. Had a good night last Sunday with G & S at the local creperie. As I mentioned last week it's the end of the season and this was the last night the creperie was open this year so it was quite busy & the band were performing at their best. If I could work out how I upload a recording I did you could listen to the jazz duet but as I haven't figured out how I do it you'll have to get it from La iTunes.

The Rossignols & weather

No bank holiday for us this week so on Monday we headed off to the builders merchant to order some more stirling boards & to make sure the delivery of Perlibeton would definitely be with us on Thursday. We're told not to worry and that everything is in place for delivery on Thursday afternoon. It better had be as we're both really keen to move things on having seen how well the concrete we laid last Saturday has dried. So with no floor being laid until Thursday it's time to move the scaffolding round to the end of the barn & to start hacking it out. We've been really lucky having the long term loan of the scaffold & I think a large bottle of Ricard for Thierry is called for. It's afternoon when our delivery arrives and it's short by 13 bags of Perlibeton. Once again the driver is full of apologies and says we should have the balance the middle of next week. It's really frustrating as we wanted to get the floor finished so we could move on to the next job. By the time we've used up the materials it's obvious we have under estimated the quantities and we're going to have to order some more cement, sand & Perlibeton (for those of you who are interested you can read all about this wonder material HERE). Although I say it myself I'm really pleased (or should that be delighted) with the work we've done and how level we've got the floor. Investing in a laser level was money well spent as it's made keeping the levels so easy. Get one now if you're planning on laying any new concrete floors in the near future!

In preparation for laying the floor we'd had to clear the barn out. Among the bits of wood, old farm machinery, a pair of clogs and years of dust Barbara had found some old documents. Upon closer examination it turns out that they are 'very' old and one of them is dated 1792 the year the French declared war on Austria during the French Revolution. Others are from 1816, 1877, 1881 & 1901 and all mention Lagarrigue & the name Rossignol. We really need to get someone to have a look at them as they could tell us so much about the history of the house and hamlet. Any offers?

It's well known that the British love to talk about the weather so it's not surprising that there are so many of them out here, there's so much weather for them to talk about. On Tuesday we had a beautiful start to the day with not a cloud in the sky and a temperature of about 21ºc. By lunch time the temperature had gone up to over 30 and it was very humid and cloudy. During the night there's a thunderstorm & we wake in the morning to a chilly 13ºc. The thunderstorms out out here are frequent & often spectacular. Someone had told me that the Averyon region is one of the thunderstorm hot spots of Europe. I can't find anything to substantiate this but we certainly get our fair share. As a bit of an aside I've just been reading one of the many forums on the internet for Brits living in France. I'd just seen another serpent and, given my slight aversion to them, was checking out ways to move them on. One of the correspondents said that she had many phobias & these included snakes & thunderstorms & she also had an allergy to soft cheeses (yes cheese). It begs the question; why did she move to France?

The Rugby Union world cup is nearly upon us & several of the matches are to be played in Toulouse. Unfortunately England won't be playing there which is a shame as the local French equivalent of JJB Sports is selling England shirts & I would have been first in the cue for one had I been off to watch them play. Wonder how many they'll sell? After a few kilometres (I now use kms' as it sounds as if I've cycled further than when you quote miles) out on the bike this morning I met Barbara at the café in Najac & you can certainly tell the season's over & the French are back at work & the children back at school. Last week there were dozens of stalls & hundreds of people about but today it was easy to get a table at the Bar Le Plage & there were only about 20 stalls. It's amazing how short the season is here & it makes you wonder how the hotels & chambres d'hôtes make a living.

PS; Called in to the garage on Tuesday to see what progress had been made with the Lightweight. They were in the middle of working on it only to find out it was the wrong part. One step forward 23 steps back!