This time last week it looked like we had a potential buyer for the Lightweight, but it turns out a week is a long time in France when it comes to selling vehicles. I'd placed an advert on Leboncoin, a French website similar to eBay and had received a couple of emails requesting more information. After a couple of phone calls a rendezvous was arranged with a man from Lyon, a six hour drive away, who planned to stay over the night in the area. Travelling that distance and paying for overnight accommodation I thought he has to be a serious buyer and was optimistic that we would soon be less one Land Rover. He arrived at 3:30 on Tuesday and spent the next four hours test driving, checking the documentation, visiting the garage where it was serviced, checking prices for paint & shock absorbers etc. etc. Still if he was going to buy it was worth spending the time with him and keeping my patience, which when he asked if he could return the following morning, was becoming severely stretched. After another two hours conversation and negotiation via Google Translate he bid us farewell and said he would email on Friday with his decision. No surprise, he decided against purchasing the car, thought the paint wasn't as good as he'd hoped. The car is 31 years old, what did he expect?
May is a normally a great month if you're a worker in France, it's full fêtes, bank holidays but unlike in the UK where the holiday is taken on the nearest Monday, in France the day stays the same and has happened this year if it's Sunday the bank holiday is lost. Still don't feel to sorry for us, there are five public holidays in May and two were during the week. There is one other big difference between UK and French bank holidays, everything here closes for the day, including all the DIY stores. It makes you plan your projects for fête days carefully as there's no popping out for that screw you forgot to get. We've spent the time working on the garden and erecting a pergola and fence which after toiling away in the blazing sun and even though I say it myself it looks really good. As I was attaching the last panel the local farmer came past and with a typical gallic shrug pointed out that the fence was a little near the road. The fact that he'd passed twice a day on his quad and had seen what I was doing was to say a little frustrating. Fingers crossed that the marie doesn't pay us a visit.
Not sure how this character ended up in a medieval festival held in Najac on Monday but I'm pretty sure it isn't Mel Gibson.
