Monday 19th – Bitterly cold today and it snowed at lunch time! South West France? With the first fix electrical work nearly complete we were able finish the plasterboards around the downstairs toilet. One of the things we'd specified to M. Regourd when we originally asked him to quote for the work was that the electricity supply to the barn and house must be able to be split in the future. Looks like that part of our conversation has been overlooked & after an involved discussion with Stephané & his father it looks like we're going to have to get in touch with M. Coletti and ask for his assistance in contacting EDF. Back to Najac for lunch and pick the Merc up as we need to collect more plasterboard. We return to Lagarrigue to collect the trailer but can't get the car started once it's attached. An SOS phone call to Paul brings him to the house and after a quick diagnosis he thinks the starter motor is stuck. We give it a few knocks with a hammer but there's no sign of life. As he doesn't seem too keen on towing the car with his Morris Minor van he runs me along to the local garage who, with some help from Sydney who had just called in, says he will call out later this afternoon. Paul & Sydney head off and Barbara and I carry on with work at the house. Just after 5:00 the mechanic turns up and after scrambling under the car in the snow agrees with Paul's starter motor diagnosis. He removes it and says he would hope to have it back working by Thursday. With the Merc off the road we're going to have to make alternative arrangements to get the plasterboards so it'll be a call to the local builders merchants in the morning. Paul has offered to give us a hand fitting them on Wednesday & we don't want to waste any offer of help.
Tuesday 20th – Over to Lagarrigue early this morning to measure up for the hifi speaker cables, good to see the priorities and to spray the timbers with anti-termite spray prior to fitting the plasterboards hopefully tomorrow. The plan today was to head in to VDR with P & C for some food shopping and collect some bits & pieces for the house. Located a glazier & window manufacturer who will be useful if we're unable to reclaim the original doors & windows. On the way back to Lagarrigue, and with snow in the air, we call in to M. Luduc, a local stone mason, and drop in a letter that P & C have for him. Apart from getting the Morris Van down to Najac on this visit, Paul & Caroll are hoping to finalise the building of their new house & M. Leduc is the contractor they are hoping to use. They'd met up with him last Sunday and he had promised to work on the revised devis on Tuesday and they wanted a couple of points clarifying before he re-calculated his quote. We dropped P & C off in Najac and headed to the builders merchant to arrange delivery of the plasterboards. They've plenty in stock but there's just one small problem, their lorry is due it's MOT tomorrow and they don't plan on making any deliveries until Thursday. As is now the norm it's time for Barbara to turn the charm on & convince them that we're desperate for the boards. As we're a neighbour of his he agrees to drop them off at 9:00 in the morning on his way to the contrőle technique centre. What a star. Back to Najac to discuss the days events over a nice G & T and a few nibbles. Just as we're chilling out there's a knock at the door & M. Leduc's there file under his arm looking ready for business. There now follows a period of panic as we know communication is going to be difficile as neither Paul or M. Leduc speak each others language. Quick thinking Caroll rings Thierry, the local farmer who speaks English, and he's happy to come round and help translate. Phew! The meeting lasts about an hour with an agreement to meet again at the same time tomorrow to finalise the devis. We eventually sit down for our evening meal just after 9:00, very French.
Wednesday 21st – Off to house to meet the delivery of plasterboard. He's there bang on 9:00 but Babs is disappointed as he unloads the boards outside and we're left to carry them inside. Fit the speaker cables & tidy up again. Paul has a problem with the plumbing back at Najac and has been working on that all morning so when he arrives at about 1:00 we're ready to get straight on with fitting the ceiling. Things go well and by 5:00 we're finished and call in at the garage to see if there's been any progress with the starter motor. With the help of the local taxi/ambulance driver we're told it should be back for Friday. Once again we take the opportunity to look over the Land Rover Lightweight but the garage owner makes it obvious it's not for sale. Ah well I hadn't been making much headway with Barbara anyway. Back to P & C's to prepare for tonight's meeting with M. Leduc. Things are a bit more organised today & Thierry has agreed to help translate again and is at the house, French/English dictionary in hand at 7:00. The meeting goes well and P & C promise to let M. Leduc know they're decision during the next couple of days. Another late meal and long discussion on the big decision P & C have to make.
Thursday 22nd – When I'd driven back from Toulouse after skiing I'd come back on the non toll N20 and noticed lots of builders merchants, plant & other building related suppliers and had mentioned to this to Paul on our way down in the van. He was keen to do a little research so today we're heading for Toulouse. There's a couple of larger towns on the way and we find a very cheap DIY superstore and several other potential useful suppliers. Having made good time we hit Toulouse just as everyone is off for lunch and we're left with no alternative other than to visit the world wide phenomenon known as IKEA. With a product range & prices virtually identical to the UK, once inside we could have been back in Warrington or Gateshead as I'm sure there were more English people in the store than French. We had lunch and were back outside just in time to see a A380 Airbus pass overhead. The massive plane is manufactured at the nearby Blagnac airport and has been at the centre of numerous demonstrations recently as Airbus have threatened to make nearly 10,000 local workers redundant & judging by the size of the plane they could have all been on board. We have a number of interesting conversations with plant suppliers on our return journey & decide that we need to start importing mini JCB diggers from the UK. €12,000 + TVA for a 6 years old 1.5 tonne model. Where's the nearest hire shop? It's been a good day out & we head back home to prepare an email for P & C to M. Leduc to give him the good news... he's got the job.
Friday 23rd – And Paul's spending the morning with us to help correct the error I've made fitting the floorboards at the top of the stairs. He works with us until about 11:00 when he gets a phone call from Caroll to say the septic tank man has arrived but can't locate it. I feel a bit of digging coming on! Barbara & I finish off the floorboards and are about to leave the house when Pierre Segonds, the artisan who's going to do the crepe arrives. I'd sent him an email last night saying the first fix electrical work was now complete and could he come back and finish off the walls. He's obviously a bit busier than the last time we spoke and can't fit us in for another 15 days. Bit disappointing but I suppose we were being a bit optimistic thinking he'd be able to start this coming Monday. We return to P & C's to find Paul down a hole following the line of the septic tank overflow pipe in an attempt to locate the tank. He & I spend about an hour digging away but have to call it a day about 6:30 as we're off to I & V's for supper. We'll continue our efforts first thing in the morning.
Saturday 24th – It's raining and the holes we'd left last night are now full of water. No digging today so Barbara & I head over to the house and finish off the ceiling. By 12:00 we're done and head back to Najac for a quick shower & lunch prior to heading in to VDR. P & C need to visit the bank, open until 4:30 on Saturdays and Barbara & I are going to attempt to get a mobile phone. In the Orange shop they're not very helpful and we make our way to the SFR shop stopping for a coffee on the way. There then follows a most involved conversation with lots of drawings and the eventual summoning of the manager who speaks excellent English. He's very helpful and suggests that to start with a 'pay as you go' phone is probably our best option. It'll work out at approx. €15.00 per month and we'll have the option to upgrade to a contract phone if we find the PAYG option expensive. We also call at Catena, the store we're going to buy our stove from. As they also supply cookers, fridges etc. we take the opportunity to see if we can do a deal on the supply of the white goods we'll need. Although he doesn't agree outright to a discount he 'hints' that when we're ready to place an order he'll do his best to get the order. During the discussion we mention that we're waiting for a chimney sweep to get in touch and remove the hornets nest. The shop owner offers to contact the company he uses and make an appointment on our behalf and takes our new mobile phone number with a promise to call us early next week. After a nice relaxing evening meal we sit down to watch a locally produced film about Najac. Words fail me and I really don't know what to say about it. With images of chickens meeting their demise and cows being prepared for the butchers it made for much more educational viewing than Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. Had I seen this prior to moving out here I think we'd now be in Spain. Copies of the DVD are available at €15.00 inc' P & P and definitely carry a PG rating!
Sunday 25th - A day of rest with one less hour in bed. Headed over to the market at St. Antonin-Noble-Val and picked up some more of that very expensive 3 year old cheese, (spending a whole weeks housekeeping in the process and Barbara and Caroll had only left us for 10 minutes while they went to look in an upholsterers shop). No sign of the chap who bought us the coffee. Back in Najac Paul & I set too, to locate the septic tank and after only 30 minutes digging find the lid which was covered over with an old tyre. I beat a hasty retreat while Paul opens the lid. P & C call over to Thierry's to organise the septic tank man for Monday.
Sunday, 25 March 2007
Sunday, 18 March 2007
w/c 12 March 2007
Monday 12th – By the time you read this a week will have passed since my visit to the bar to watch the England France match and there were a couple of things I'd forgotten to tell you about. The wonderful buffet of fromage, jambon & pain, provided by the regulars and the selection of beers. There's Kronenburg (there always is), Stella, draught Guinness & Bombardier bitter. What a choice? I've been in bars serving Guinness before but this is the first time I've seen a draught bitter on offer. Might be worth a visit when there's someone else driving or, perhaps next Sunday, when the gendarmes aren't at work! Back to Monday & it's another bright sunny day. In the expectation of M. Regourd turning up tomorrow morning it's one final rub down of the plaster, make sure everything is out of the house and nothings going to get in his way. The post lady turns up about 12:00 with the normal Monday delivery of special offer leaflets. Typical, Aldi have 'British' spades on offer at €9.99. There's also an envelope from Matthew containing a SD card with recordings of The Chris Evans Show on. Sad I know but it's good to keep in touch with what's playing on Radio 2. After lunch it's a bit of weeding & strimming at Lagarrigue & then back at Najac to do a bit there.
Tuesday 13th – Bit optimistic I know but at the house early this morning in the expectation of M. Regourd being there ready to start. By 9:30 there's no sign of him so I guess it'll be tomorrow now. I'd missed a small piece of ceiling that needed sorting for plasterboards so on with that. When I'd left Najac this morning there was a frost on the car & it was 1ºC but by the time I reached Lagarrigue it was 10ºC and now it was 19ºC. Lovely in the sun eating your sandwiches. Not wanting to do anything in the house 'just in case' I start on a bit of hacking out but I'm not sure whether Barbara will be pleased, I get this feeling she wants to be able say 'I did all the hacking out'. Up the ladder you get a great view and you can see the road down to house. I notice a white van approaching, there are as many in France as there are in the UK, could it be M. Regourd? It is! We try to communicate but then he explains that his son Stephané, who speaks a little English, is also on his way & will be there in 10 minutes. When he arrives we go round the house & mark out precisely where the sockets, switches, lights etc. are to go. We've made a couple of alterations since giving him the original plan and he has no problem with the changes. We had also decided that we weren't going to go ahead with the central heating, run from the stove, & I ask if it's possible to install radiant heaters. It's OK but they will have to run separate feeds to each radiator we require. In France they don't use the ring main way of wiring that's used in the UK. Each room has it's own separate distribution point for lights & power and this is then routed back directly to the tableau de protection. With the electrics in the house sorted we then have to decide the best way to route the water, electric & telephone cables from the barn, where they come on to our land, to the house. As always, in these circumstances, the most direct route is not always the best. After a quick consultation with the gaffer back in the UK we decide that the trench will have to be dug round the side of the barn & then across to the house. Just as we're finished discussing the work our next door neighbour pulls up on his tractor. We make our normal attempt to communicate but this time I think I understood a little bit more than normal. I 'think' he was on his way to tend to his crop of mais for the foie gras he produces. I won't describe how he illustrated what happens to the maize in the production of the foie gras, but it was very graphic. In the conversation I picked up the word café and asked Stephané to translate. Turns out Barbara and I are invited for coffee when she returns from holiday. That'll be an interesting conversation. I leave them to it and return to Najac to start the big tidy up prior to Barbara coming home. On the way I get a text from her telling me that the architect has just rang to say he has the plans for the barn ready and as I'm passing his door I call in and pick them up. On first sight they look good and I hadn't got the heart to say that we were now considering converting it in to 2 gites. We'll take time to consider his proposals and then go back and discuss it with him.
Wednesday 14th – By the time I got to the house this morning the trench for the services had been dug and work was well under way. I had to go on to VDR so left them to it, sure they'll not miss me. Couldn't resist that spade at Aldi and I needed a few bits & pieces for my very short trip back to the UK tomorrow, more of that later. I had to check the Ryanair website last night to see what the latest regulations are regarding carry on luggage. Apparently all toiletries have to be in a clear plastic bag measuring 20 x 20 cms and must not exceed 100cls. All the clear bags I can see in the shops seem to be pretty expensive, but then I spot a bargain. A set of hair clips & brushes for €2.00 and, they're in a clear plastic bag. The contents will make a lovely welcome home present for Barbara! Just time for a quick haircut, the brush will be no good for my flowing locks, and back to Lagarrigue. It's 12:02 as I get back to the house and I'm just in time to say bon appétit, two hour lunch remember. I have quick look round to see how things are going & take 20 minutes to have my pack of sandwiches. It's then on with a bit more hacking out. The Regourds are back for 2:00 and have a couple of queries regarding the work, hope I've given them the right answers. I work on for a couple of hours then tell Stephané that I'm off & will not be back now until Monday. He says that by then his part of the job will be finished and he will return when I have fitted the remaining plasterboards. Back to Najac to start cleaning up and disposing of all those used paper plates I'd invested in!
Thursday 15th – Quick tidy up and then off to Rodez to catch the Ryanair flight back to Stansted. I've mentioned before how small the airport is at Rodez so I was able to leave the car within a stones throw of the terminal and for free. Barbara would be picking the car up when she & Caroll flew back to France on Saturday. The plane was on time and I, along with a French school party many of who I would guess had never flown before, arrived in Stansted at approx. 4:30 PM. It took nearly as long to get through passport control as it had taken to get from France which was probably as well because Paul was running slightly behind schedule. Paul was on his way to the airport in his 1970 Morris Minor van that he'd spent many hours restoring and the reason for my trip back to the UK. I was to act as co-driver in the big adventure of driving the 1,000 miles down to Najac. So it was straight in to the driving seat and on to the M11 driving on the wrong side of the road. We made good time and arrived at the Channel Tunnel in time to catch an earlier train and would have, if Paul hadn't needed a last taste of English cooking & insisted on getting burger & chips, but we made the next train, still ahead of schedule. Once in France we headed for our first overnight stop at Bethune, approx 100 kms south of Calais.
Friday 16th – After a good nights sleep we were breakfasted and back on the road for 8:00 and would hopefully hit Paris before the lunchtime rush. After a couple of coffee & fuel stops we arrive on the outskirts of Paris just as the mist lifts and the sun breaks through. Traffic is fairly light, by Paris standards, and we continue making good time until a motorbike rider pulls up next to us and points at the front of the car. We soon realise he's pointing at the front nearside tyre and telling us it's flat. It then seems as if every other driver on the road has spotted the problem and is slowing down to point it out. There's no hard shoulder on the Paris inner ring road and you are definitely not going to stop, even in the 'slow' lane, & attempt to change a wheel, so Paul has to wait until the next exit to pull off the 4 lane highway. The junction turns out to be another busy intersection and we have to cross two further busy junctions before we can spot anywhere to pull in. The tyre is completely flat so it's out with the warning triangle and jack on a busy road with buses, vans, cars & motorbikes flying past. After a few near misses the wheel's replaced and we're looking for the easiest way to get back on the motorway. Paul decides on a quick u-turn and we're on the road again. The sun continues to shine and we're back on the open road south of Paris in no time and looking for somewhere to stop for a quick baguette. Paul's obviously pleased with how the car's running and is confident we'll make it to Limouges, our planned overnight stop, by the end of today, so foot down and on we go. By 5:00 we'd reached Limouges, approx. 3.5 hours from Najac, and the decision was made to keep going. Off the motorway at Cahors and we're only 100 kms from Najac, no point stopping now, and at just after 8:30 we're sat outside the pizza restaurant in Najac. It had been a trouble free trip & Paul, quite understandably, was delighted with how the van had performed. All those hours work had been well worth it.
Saturday 17th – Babs is back today & I'm really looking forward to seeing her. After a bit of a lie in it's off to the house to see how work has progressed. The first fix electrical work looks complete and there's obviously a bit more of the plumbing yet to be done. I take the opportunity to pick Paul's brain & he points out a few things that we could have done differently and a couple of others that really need to be changed. One is the top of the stairs which neither Barbara & I were particularly happy with. We'll take Paul up on his advise and make the necessary changes early next week. With the work that's already complete there's going to be plenty for us to get on with. We call at the local garage to see if they can repair the vans tyre. Turns out the inner tube is faulty & is split in 3 separate places and is beyond repair but they'll be able to get a replacement on Monday. This is the same garage that we'd called in with the Merc the day after I'd caught the exhaust. We attempt to see if there was any alternative to the expensive repair he'd suggested last time but unfortunately the answer was still no and he couldn't do a 'temporary' repair. I pass the garage nearly every day on the way to the house and had noticed an old Land Rover in the corner. 'C'est vendre?' I ask. Turns out that he's been looking after it for a customer for the last 3 years and hasn't seen him in that period. Might be worth keeping in touch with him as I've always fancied a Lightweight Land Rover. Quick dash to the shop for something for the evening meal. At about 4:30 we get a text from Barbara & Caroll to say they've arrived in Rodez & we're off to meet them at the house. Thankfully they're both impressed with the work that both I the Regourd family have done. Good to see Barbara back and I'm sure she's looking forward to starting work again.
Sunday 18th – Easy day today with a trip to the market at St. Antonin-Noble-Val to pick up some bits of food. Tried some three year old cheese which looked & tasted remarkably like a cheddar. It's unusual to see a hard cheese in France and we couldn't resist buying a small piece which was just as well as it was €7.40! Had a cup of coffee in the market square and sat and chatted with an elderly gentleman who we 'think' treated us to our drinks. Barbara had offered to pick up a couple of croissants for him & his wife when the waitress said they'd ran out & suggested we buy some from the stall across the square. He spoke English (and Italian, Spanish, German & Greek) but I think his generosity was lost somewhere in translation. We parted with him saying that he hoped we would meet again. We'll have to make sure we get the coffees next time!
Tuesday 13th – Bit optimistic I know but at the house early this morning in the expectation of M. Regourd being there ready to start. By 9:30 there's no sign of him so I guess it'll be tomorrow now. I'd missed a small piece of ceiling that needed sorting for plasterboards so on with that. When I'd left Najac this morning there was a frost on the car & it was 1ºC but by the time I reached Lagarrigue it was 10ºC and now it was 19ºC. Lovely in the sun eating your sandwiches. Not wanting to do anything in the house 'just in case' I start on a bit of hacking out but I'm not sure whether Barbara will be pleased, I get this feeling she wants to be able say 'I did all the hacking out'. Up the ladder you get a great view and you can see the road down to house. I notice a white van approaching, there are as many in France as there are in the UK, could it be M. Regourd? It is! We try to communicate but then he explains that his son Stephané, who speaks a little English, is also on his way & will be there in 10 minutes. When he arrives we go round the house & mark out precisely where the sockets, switches, lights etc. are to go. We've made a couple of alterations since giving him the original plan and he has no problem with the changes. We had also decided that we weren't going to go ahead with the central heating, run from the stove, & I ask if it's possible to install radiant heaters. It's OK but they will have to run separate feeds to each radiator we require. In France they don't use the ring main way of wiring that's used in the UK. Each room has it's own separate distribution point for lights & power and this is then routed back directly to the tableau de protection. With the electrics in the house sorted we then have to decide the best way to route the water, electric & telephone cables from the barn, where they come on to our land, to the house. As always, in these circumstances, the most direct route is not always the best. After a quick consultation with the gaffer back in the UK we decide that the trench will have to be dug round the side of the barn & then across to the house. Just as we're finished discussing the work our next door neighbour pulls up on his tractor. We make our normal attempt to communicate but this time I think I understood a little bit more than normal. I 'think' he was on his way to tend to his crop of mais for the foie gras he produces. I won't describe how he illustrated what happens to the maize in the production of the foie gras, but it was very graphic. In the conversation I picked up the word café and asked Stephané to translate. Turns out Barbara and I are invited for coffee when she returns from holiday. That'll be an interesting conversation. I leave them to it and return to Najac to start the big tidy up prior to Barbara coming home. On the way I get a text from her telling me that the architect has just rang to say he has the plans for the barn ready and as I'm passing his door I call in and pick them up. On first sight they look good and I hadn't got the heart to say that we were now considering converting it in to 2 gites. We'll take time to consider his proposals and then go back and discuss it with him.
Wednesday 14th – By the time I got to the house this morning the trench for the services had been dug and work was well under way. I had to go on to VDR so left them to it, sure they'll not miss me. Couldn't resist that spade at Aldi and I needed a few bits & pieces for my very short trip back to the UK tomorrow, more of that later. I had to check the Ryanair website last night to see what the latest regulations are regarding carry on luggage. Apparently all toiletries have to be in a clear plastic bag measuring 20 x 20 cms and must not exceed 100cls. All the clear bags I can see in the shops seem to be pretty expensive, but then I spot a bargain. A set of hair clips & brushes for €2.00 and, they're in a clear plastic bag. The contents will make a lovely welcome home present for Barbara! Just time for a quick haircut, the brush will be no good for my flowing locks, and back to Lagarrigue. It's 12:02 as I get back to the house and I'm just in time to say bon appétit, two hour lunch remember. I have quick look round to see how things are going & take 20 minutes to have my pack of sandwiches. It's then on with a bit more hacking out. The Regourds are back for 2:00 and have a couple of queries regarding the work, hope I've given them the right answers. I work on for a couple of hours then tell Stephané that I'm off & will not be back now until Monday. He says that by then his part of the job will be finished and he will return when I have fitted the remaining plasterboards. Back to Najac to start cleaning up and disposing of all those used paper plates I'd invested in!
Thursday 15th – Quick tidy up and then off to Rodez to catch the Ryanair flight back to Stansted. I've mentioned before how small the airport is at Rodez so I was able to leave the car within a stones throw of the terminal and for free. Barbara would be picking the car up when she & Caroll flew back to France on Saturday. The plane was on time and I, along with a French school party many of who I would guess had never flown before, arrived in Stansted at approx. 4:30 PM. It took nearly as long to get through passport control as it had taken to get from France which was probably as well because Paul was running slightly behind schedule. Paul was on his way to the airport in his 1970 Morris Minor van that he'd spent many hours restoring and the reason for my trip back to the UK. I was to act as co-driver in the big adventure of driving the 1,000 miles down to Najac. So it was straight in to the driving seat and on to the M11 driving on the wrong side of the road. We made good time and arrived at the Channel Tunnel in time to catch an earlier train and would have, if Paul hadn't needed a last taste of English cooking & insisted on getting burger & chips, but we made the next train, still ahead of schedule. Once in France we headed for our first overnight stop at Bethune, approx 100 kms south of Calais.
Friday 16th – After a good nights sleep we were breakfasted and back on the road for 8:00 and would hopefully hit Paris before the lunchtime rush. After a couple of coffee & fuel stops we arrive on the outskirts of Paris just as the mist lifts and the sun breaks through. Traffic is fairly light, by Paris standards, and we continue making good time until a motorbike rider pulls up next to us and points at the front of the car. We soon realise he's pointing at the front nearside tyre and telling us it's flat. It then seems as if every other driver on the road has spotted the problem and is slowing down to point it out. There's no hard shoulder on the Paris inner ring road and you are definitely not going to stop, even in the 'slow' lane, & attempt to change a wheel, so Paul has to wait until the next exit to pull off the 4 lane highway. The junction turns out to be another busy intersection and we have to cross two further busy junctions before we can spot anywhere to pull in. The tyre is completely flat so it's out with the warning triangle and jack on a busy road with buses, vans, cars & motorbikes flying past. After a few near misses the wheel's replaced and we're looking for the easiest way to get back on the motorway. Paul decides on a quick u-turn and we're on the road again. The sun continues to shine and we're back on the open road south of Paris in no time and looking for somewhere to stop for a quick baguette. Paul's obviously pleased with how the car's running and is confident we'll make it to Limouges, our planned overnight stop, by the end of today, so foot down and on we go. By 5:00 we'd reached Limouges, approx. 3.5 hours from Najac, and the decision was made to keep going. Off the motorway at Cahors and we're only 100 kms from Najac, no point stopping now, and at just after 8:30 we're sat outside the pizza restaurant in Najac. It had been a trouble free trip & Paul, quite understandably, was delighted with how the van had performed. All those hours work had been well worth it.
Saturday 17th – Babs is back today & I'm really looking forward to seeing her. After a bit of a lie in it's off to the house to see how work has progressed. The first fix electrical work looks complete and there's obviously a bit more of the plumbing yet to be done. I take the opportunity to pick Paul's brain & he points out a few things that we could have done differently and a couple of others that really need to be changed. One is the top of the stairs which neither Barbara & I were particularly happy with. We'll take Paul up on his advise and make the necessary changes early next week. With the work that's already complete there's going to be plenty for us to get on with. We call at the local garage to see if they can repair the vans tyre. Turns out the inner tube is faulty & is split in 3 separate places and is beyond repair but they'll be able to get a replacement on Monday. This is the same garage that we'd called in with the Merc the day after I'd caught the exhaust. We attempt to see if there was any alternative to the expensive repair he'd suggested last time but unfortunately the answer was still no and he couldn't do a 'temporary' repair. I pass the garage nearly every day on the way to the house and had noticed an old Land Rover in the corner. 'C'est vendre?' I ask. Turns out that he's been looking after it for a customer for the last 3 years and hasn't seen him in that period. Might be worth keeping in touch with him as I've always fancied a Lightweight Land Rover. Quick dash to the shop for something for the evening meal. At about 4:30 we get a text from Barbara & Caroll to say they've arrived in Rodez & we're off to meet them at the house. Thankfully they're both impressed with the work that both I the Regourd family have done. Good to see Barbara back and I'm sure she's looking forward to starting work again.
Sunday 18th – Easy day today with a trip to the market at St. Antonin-Noble-Val to pick up some bits of food. Tried some three year old cheese which looked & tasted remarkably like a cheddar. It's unusual to see a hard cheese in France and we couldn't resist buying a small piece which was just as well as it was €7.40! Had a cup of coffee in the market square and sat and chatted with an elderly gentleman who we 'think' treated us to our drinks. Barbara had offered to pick up a couple of croissants for him & his wife when the waitress said they'd ran out & suggested we buy some from the stall across the square. He spoke English (and Italian, Spanish, German & Greek) but I think his generosity was lost somewhere in translation. We parted with him saying that he hoped we would meet again. We'll have to make sure we get the coffees next time!
Sunday, 11 March 2007
w/c 5 March 2007
Monday 5th - Sandwiches made and it's back to work I go, all on my own! Seeing the work done last week by M. Segonds again I'm still wowed by what a dramatic effect it's had on the house. It's going to be such a shame to cover up all that stone and we will have to a consider having the end wall 'buttered'. This is a French type of pointing that leaves a smooth surface with the face of the stone showing. I'm sure Barbara will have some thoughts when she sees the wall first hand. First job today was going to be to dig a trench in one of the cellars & fit the field drain I'd bought. It's obviously rained hard while I've been away and there was a puddle in the cellar so think I'll let it dry out a little first. Next on my list (the one Barbara left me) was to rub down the plaster work & apply a further coat, so on with that. Next, the holes we'd made in the side of the house when fitting the joists had to be filled. This is going to take a couple of attempts to build the concrete up so did what I could & left it to set. We plan to fit plasterboards between the joists in the living room and I'd planned to put batons in place to secure the boards to. What I hadn't taken in to consideration was the gap between the joists varying between 600 & 850 mm. In a conversation with Paul whilst away on holiday he'd pointed out that when fitting plasterboards to ceilings you needed to make sure they don't sag & would need support at less that the 600mm centres recommended for walls (getting a bit technical there). As I haven't got the right wood for this it will have to wait until I next take a trip to VDR. Although the ground floor was fairly dust free the top floor was in need of sweeping out. iPod on I'm happily brushing away when I hear someone shouting hello, not bonjour, from downstairs. Visitors? But I don't anyone! Turns out it's one of our neighbours who has spotted the British car & popped in to introduce herself. She & her husband have lived in France for several years and are currently developing the property round the corner which they then intend to let out as gites. The location of her property is fantastic and has a view down the Averyon gorge that is second to none. They've made the most of this by installing an 'infinity' swimming pool that virtually overhangs the gorge which I'm sure will be a real 'wow' feature for potential guests. We have a good chat & she tells me that there's another house in our hamlet owned by an English couple. Not much chance of integrating with the locals & picking the language up. I also get an invite to pop round & have a look at what they've done. I'll definitely be following that invitation up, especially when the pool's finished.
Tuesday 6th - Off to VDR to get a few essentials this morning. Need some food and, most importantly, a spade so I can get on with that trench, can't wait! I know a spade is a spade but French spades all have long handles and no 'T' on the end. Don't know why perhaps it's us Brits who have it wrong. Anyway I pick one up & head to the supermarché for something for one. No frozen TV dinners here so the next best thing is a tin of 'Saucisses de Toulouse aux Lentilles Cusineés', the nearest thing to baked beans with sausages I could find, some chicken fillets, mince for chilli & spag bol, and a bit of veg. As 'Ready Steady Cook' hasn't made it big over here it'll be on to Jamie's website tonight to see what I can make from that lot. We had a phone call before going away last week to tell us that a part for P & C's stove had arrived and needed collecting from the magasin. I call in & while I'm waiting for them to locate the part have a wander round. It's a very nice home-wares shop and there's lots of expensive looking pans, crockery, wine racks and other cooking related items. They also sell electrical products & whilst very similar in price to the UK have a €0.50 'eco tax' sticker on them. Just then the shop owner returns full of apologies as he can't locate the part. Not to worry I'll call back later in the week & I ask him what the 'eco tax' is. It's been introduced by the French government and is levied on all new electrical appliances as a contribution to the cost of disposal of the item it's replacing. The shop has to take the old product in and is responsible for it's correct disposal. Kettles, coffee machines, irons etc. are levied at €0.50 and fridges & freezers, the most damaging to the environment, attract a tax of €13.00. He went on to say that the eco tax should be shown & charged separately to the sale price in an attempt to make people aware of the costs involved in disposal of old electrical goods. Good idea? Back to the house and an afternoon digging. It was hard work and it's a while since I've felt as tired. And that b****y spade didn't help. I'm certainly no expert when it comes to spades but I'm sure English ones are easier to use, the blades at the wrong angle!
Wednesday 7th – Very early start this morning. Woke up with a start at about 7:15, did I leave the electric on at the house yesterday? If I did then the 500 watt floodlight I was using in the cellar would still be on & by now be very hot! Very quick breakfast, sandwiches thrown together & off to see if it was going to be more that a new roof we'd need. What will I say to Babs? 'Hello darling while you were away I had a little mishap & you know those new floorboards we spent days fitting? Well we've now plenty of charcoal for the barbie but no house'. You can see the house from the top of the road so I could see that the roof was still there when I turned the corner and, I should never have doubted myself, the electric was off. Phew! Straight on with the drain in the cellar, don't know why I'm rushing it's going to be a long day, it's still only 7:50. When the septic tank was installed there had been some gravel left and not being one to spend money wastefully (well not on this occasion) I managed to scrape enough together to use in the trench. Rain is in the air and I could really do with making a start on the supports for the plasterboards in the living area. Quick text to Paul for some advise, long live SMS, and off to the local builders merchant. 'Je voudrai cinquante metres de trois x quatre s'il vous plait' - 'Pardon Monsieur, trois x quatre?' On reflection I suppose there wasn't much chance of him having any 3” x 4” timber. We locate the nearest French size & load it on the roof of the car. These old Mercedes really can take some punishment, if only it didn't sound like a jet fighter. I just manage to get the timber under cover when the heavens open and it's raining again. I suppose it was Southern California where it never rains & not Southern France. A good afternoon getting on with the supports & I clock off early & head to I & V's for a cuppa thinking there's not much exciting to put in the blog tonight. I'm greeted with 'the chimney sweeps on his way to Lagarrigue you'd better get back there'. We'd asked Ian to speak to the chimney sweep & arrange for him to visit & he'd just rang to say he was on his way so a quick about turn. Fortunately I was in a jet fighter so was back in time to catch him at the house. He has a look up the chimney and there's a sharp intake of breath, 'il y a boucher Monsieur' (I'm sure that's not the correct way to write what he said, but I am trying). Turns out the obstruction is a hornets nest & he's not going to try & move it, thank goodness. He's good enough to ring Ian & explain what the problem is & says he'll pass on the number of an expert in removing a nicher. Head back to I & V's for that cuppa.
Thursday 8th – Full day fitting the plasterboard supports with the company of 'RFM' a French radio station whose tag line is 'The Best FM of the Eighties and Today'. Who they kidding? Sade, Boney M (80's?), Culture Club, Dido, Michael Bolton, George Michael and, the exception that proves the rule, Phil Collins. It must be 'George Michael' week on RFM because every second record was one of his, including Last Christmas. I shouldn't complain, if it was wall to wall French pop music the radio would have been out the window. It's amazing how many English language songs are played on the radio stations here, even the jingles & station idents are in English. I've read that the French government legislate that up to 40% of music played on the radio must be French music. Having listened to some of their pop music I can understand why you have to be forced by the government to listen to it. A good example of where the French are with popular music is the time I was stopped at traffic lights and a teenager, tapping away on the steering wheel, in a customised Clio pulled up next to me. Windows down speakers at full blast, but not for him 50 Cents or The Blackeyed Peas. There at full volume was that classic 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley. What great musical taste the French have.
Friday 9th – Good news! It was only George Michael day & not week so it's back to hits of the eighties. Stevie Wonder's 'Isn't She Lovely' I'm sure wasn't a 80's hit but there it was. It's been a very quiet week without Babs & it's only thanks to Caroll's DVD's that I haven't taken to the bottle, or two. You can tell how bad its is when you notice a car going down a one-way street the wrong way on 'Lewis' & you rewind it just to double check. Roll-on next Saturday. Received a devis today for the stove & central heating from the company we had out 3 weeks ago. Very expensive so thinking caps back on for a more economical alternative. The fact that it's taken over 3 weeks to get a quote to us also doesn't make you want to rush to give them the business. Called over to see M. Regourd at lunch, always the best time to catch a French 'artisan' at home, to confirm he was still planning to start our electrical work next week. ' Oui, mardi ou mercredi'. Great news but it means that my trip back to the UK tomorrow is off. Shame, but at least I'll be able to get on with some more work &, having spoken to Barbara about life in the big city, I'm not sure this country lad could have coped with it. Finished the plasterboard supports so all is in place for next week, may have half a day off tomorrow and sort the bike out & have a spin out on Sunday.
Saturday 10th – Bit of a lie in as I only plan to tidy up at the house & sort my bike out this morning. Nice & bright but a little chilly, great weather for getting the old MTB out. Let's hope it's like this tomorrow. By 11:00 the house is spic & span & it's on with fitting new brake pads to my bike. Bit of a problem as the callipers have seized up & I can't get them far enough back to fit the new pads. I'll have to let some lubricant soak in and have a go tomorrow. Better not delay my ride. Off to VDR this PM for some food & a leisurely wander round. Had look in a couple of mobile phone shops, there's as many here as there are in the UK, but shied away form signing up to a contract, they seem quite expensive here. Called in to the bank and printed a statement out that shows the last 6 weeks transactions in detail, should make interesting reading. Also picked up a bargain DVD in Hyper U, 'Le President Et Miss Wade' think we know it as 'The American President', might be a way to learn some French if I watch it with sub-titles.
Sunday 11th – Another beautiful day with the sun out, no wind and the temperature not getting above 12ºC, great biking weather. The oil worked so I was able to get out and do a quick 12.5 miles before lunch. Did think I would have a go on one of the sign posted VTT (MTB) routes but as I'd forgotten to pick the map up I wasn't keen on hurtling down some track to find the return was back the way I had just come. I'll save that till next week. Called in at I & V's just as they were heading off to the football. Vilia had just taken some home-made sausage rolls out of the oven & asked would I like a couple for my lunch. Didn't need asking twice, they were lovely & made me long for Greggs and their world famous pasties! Whilst I'd been out on the bike I'd passed a bar in St-André-de-Najac with a poster outside advertising the England v France match, could be interesting. I got there just after the match had started & England were already loosing. The bar was a mix of French & English and there was a really good atmosphere and friendly banter between the two nations. Every time the French scored they turned on a singing frog which they had dressed in a French rugby shirt. Standing near the bar sipping my 'demi' beer I was be-friended by a Frenchman who could speak a little English and was the manager of the local rugby team. It was an interesting conversation with the lad behind the bar helping to translate when he had a minute. I was trying to make my small beer last but M. Foix, my new friend, insisted on buying me another. I managed to tell him I was driving & would like a Coke. 'Coke! La gendarme ne pas travail le dimanche' (that's supposed to translate as – 'Coke! The gendarmes don't work on Sundays') and gets me another demi beer. With the England win it should have been a good afternoon but the edge is taken off it when another of my new French friends tells me, in excellent English, that the local dialect is one of the hardest to understand and that there are lot's of French people who have difficulty understanding the locals. He also tells me there are no good French teachers locally & wishes me the best of luck in learning the language. This is backed up by the English owner of the bar who tells me he can speak good French but when it comes to understanding it he really struggles. He's been in France since 1991. Great! When we first visited the area about 7 years ago there was a property for sale in St-André-de-Najac that both Barbara & I would have loved to own. It was about €100,000, way beyond our budget, but in a great location. It was derelict and offered great potential (practising some estate agent speak there) and we often talked about 'what if'. We've passed it several times over the last few years and there is currently a lot of work going on there. I found out today that the local maire has bought it and is re-developing the site on behalf of the local village. So turns out we'd never have got it, in France the maire is given the option to buy any property once an acceptable bid has been made to the vendor.
Tuesday 6th - Off to VDR to get a few essentials this morning. Need some food and, most importantly, a spade so I can get on with that trench, can't wait! I know a spade is a spade but French spades all have long handles and no 'T' on the end. Don't know why perhaps it's us Brits who have it wrong. Anyway I pick one up & head to the supermarché for something for one. No frozen TV dinners here so the next best thing is a tin of 'Saucisses de Toulouse aux Lentilles Cusineés', the nearest thing to baked beans with sausages I could find, some chicken fillets, mince for chilli & spag bol, and a bit of veg. As 'Ready Steady Cook' hasn't made it big over here it'll be on to Jamie's website tonight to see what I can make from that lot. We had a phone call before going away last week to tell us that a part for P & C's stove had arrived and needed collecting from the magasin. I call in & while I'm waiting for them to locate the part have a wander round. It's a very nice home-wares shop and there's lots of expensive looking pans, crockery, wine racks and other cooking related items. They also sell electrical products & whilst very similar in price to the UK have a €0.50 'eco tax' sticker on them. Just then the shop owner returns full of apologies as he can't locate the part. Not to worry I'll call back later in the week & I ask him what the 'eco tax' is. It's been introduced by the French government and is levied on all new electrical appliances as a contribution to the cost of disposal of the item it's replacing. The shop has to take the old product in and is responsible for it's correct disposal. Kettles, coffee machines, irons etc. are levied at €0.50 and fridges & freezers, the most damaging to the environment, attract a tax of €13.00. He went on to say that the eco tax should be shown & charged separately to the sale price in an attempt to make people aware of the costs involved in disposal of old electrical goods. Good idea? Back to the house and an afternoon digging. It was hard work and it's a while since I've felt as tired. And that b****y spade didn't help. I'm certainly no expert when it comes to spades but I'm sure English ones are easier to use, the blades at the wrong angle!
Wednesday 7th – Very early start this morning. Woke up with a start at about 7:15, did I leave the electric on at the house yesterday? If I did then the 500 watt floodlight I was using in the cellar would still be on & by now be very hot! Very quick breakfast, sandwiches thrown together & off to see if it was going to be more that a new roof we'd need. What will I say to Babs? 'Hello darling while you were away I had a little mishap & you know those new floorboards we spent days fitting? Well we've now plenty of charcoal for the barbie but no house'. You can see the house from the top of the road so I could see that the roof was still there when I turned the corner and, I should never have doubted myself, the electric was off. Phew! Straight on with the drain in the cellar, don't know why I'm rushing it's going to be a long day, it's still only 7:50. When the septic tank was installed there had been some gravel left and not being one to spend money wastefully (well not on this occasion) I managed to scrape enough together to use in the trench. Rain is in the air and I could really do with making a start on the supports for the plasterboards in the living area. Quick text to Paul for some advise, long live SMS, and off to the local builders merchant. 'Je voudrai cinquante metres de trois x quatre s'il vous plait' - 'Pardon Monsieur, trois x quatre?' On reflection I suppose there wasn't much chance of him having any 3” x 4” timber. We locate the nearest French size & load it on the roof of the car. These old Mercedes really can take some punishment, if only it didn't sound like a jet fighter. I just manage to get the timber under cover when the heavens open and it's raining again. I suppose it was Southern California where it never rains & not Southern France. A good afternoon getting on with the supports & I clock off early & head to I & V's for a cuppa thinking there's not much exciting to put in the blog tonight. I'm greeted with 'the chimney sweeps on his way to Lagarrigue you'd better get back there'. We'd asked Ian to speak to the chimney sweep & arrange for him to visit & he'd just rang to say he was on his way so a quick about turn. Fortunately I was in a jet fighter so was back in time to catch him at the house. He has a look up the chimney and there's a sharp intake of breath, 'il y a boucher Monsieur' (I'm sure that's not the correct way to write what he said, but I am trying). Turns out the obstruction is a hornets nest & he's not going to try & move it, thank goodness. He's good enough to ring Ian & explain what the problem is & says he'll pass on the number of an expert in removing a nicher. Head back to I & V's for that cuppa.
Thursday 8th – Full day fitting the plasterboard supports with the company of 'RFM' a French radio station whose tag line is 'The Best FM of the Eighties and Today'. Who they kidding? Sade, Boney M (80's?), Culture Club, Dido, Michael Bolton, George Michael and, the exception that proves the rule, Phil Collins. It must be 'George Michael' week on RFM because every second record was one of his, including Last Christmas. I shouldn't complain, if it was wall to wall French pop music the radio would have been out the window. It's amazing how many English language songs are played on the radio stations here, even the jingles & station idents are in English. I've read that the French government legislate that up to 40% of music played on the radio must be French music. Having listened to some of their pop music I can understand why you have to be forced by the government to listen to it. A good example of where the French are with popular music is the time I was stopped at traffic lights and a teenager, tapping away on the steering wheel, in a customised Clio pulled up next to me. Windows down speakers at full blast, but not for him 50 Cents or The Blackeyed Peas. There at full volume was that classic 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley. What great musical taste the French have.
Friday 9th – Good news! It was only George Michael day & not week so it's back to hits of the eighties. Stevie Wonder's 'Isn't She Lovely' I'm sure wasn't a 80's hit but there it was. It's been a very quiet week without Babs & it's only thanks to Caroll's DVD's that I haven't taken to the bottle, or two. You can tell how bad its is when you notice a car going down a one-way street the wrong way on 'Lewis' & you rewind it just to double check. Roll-on next Saturday. Received a devis today for the stove & central heating from the company we had out 3 weeks ago. Very expensive so thinking caps back on for a more economical alternative. The fact that it's taken over 3 weeks to get a quote to us also doesn't make you want to rush to give them the business. Called over to see M. Regourd at lunch, always the best time to catch a French 'artisan' at home, to confirm he was still planning to start our electrical work next week. ' Oui, mardi ou mercredi'. Great news but it means that my trip back to the UK tomorrow is off. Shame, but at least I'll be able to get on with some more work &, having spoken to Barbara about life in the big city, I'm not sure this country lad could have coped with it. Finished the plasterboard supports so all is in place for next week, may have half a day off tomorrow and sort the bike out & have a spin out on Sunday.
Saturday 10th – Bit of a lie in as I only plan to tidy up at the house & sort my bike out this morning. Nice & bright but a little chilly, great weather for getting the old MTB out. Let's hope it's like this tomorrow. By 11:00 the house is spic & span & it's on with fitting new brake pads to my bike. Bit of a problem as the callipers have seized up & I can't get them far enough back to fit the new pads. I'll have to let some lubricant soak in and have a go tomorrow. Better not delay my ride. Off to VDR this PM for some food & a leisurely wander round. Had look in a couple of mobile phone shops, there's as many here as there are in the UK, but shied away form signing up to a contract, they seem quite expensive here. Called in to the bank and printed a statement out that shows the last 6 weeks transactions in detail, should make interesting reading. Also picked up a bargain DVD in Hyper U, 'Le President Et Miss Wade' think we know it as 'The American President', might be a way to learn some French if I watch it with sub-titles.
Sunday 11th – Another beautiful day with the sun out, no wind and the temperature not getting above 12ºC, great biking weather. The oil worked so I was able to get out and do a quick 12.5 miles before lunch. Did think I would have a go on one of the sign posted VTT (MTB) routes but as I'd forgotten to pick the map up I wasn't keen on hurtling down some track to find the return was back the way I had just come. I'll save that till next week. Called in at I & V's just as they were heading off to the football. Vilia had just taken some home-made sausage rolls out of the oven & asked would I like a couple for my lunch. Didn't need asking twice, they were lovely & made me long for Greggs and their world famous pasties! Whilst I'd been out on the bike I'd passed a bar in St-André-de-Najac with a poster outside advertising the England v France match, could be interesting. I got there just after the match had started & England were already loosing. The bar was a mix of French & English and there was a really good atmosphere and friendly banter between the two nations. Every time the French scored they turned on a singing frog which they had dressed in a French rugby shirt. Standing near the bar sipping my 'demi' beer I was be-friended by a Frenchman who could speak a little English and was the manager of the local rugby team. It was an interesting conversation with the lad behind the bar helping to translate when he had a minute. I was trying to make my small beer last but M. Foix, my new friend, insisted on buying me another. I managed to tell him I was driving & would like a Coke. 'Coke! La gendarme ne pas travail le dimanche' (that's supposed to translate as – 'Coke! The gendarmes don't work on Sundays') and gets me another demi beer. With the England win it should have been a good afternoon but the edge is taken off it when another of my new French friends tells me, in excellent English, that the local dialect is one of the hardest to understand and that there are lot's of French people who have difficulty understanding the locals. He also tells me there are no good French teachers locally & wishes me the best of luck in learning the language. This is backed up by the English owner of the bar who tells me he can speak good French but when it comes to understanding it he really struggles. He's been in France since 1991. Great! When we first visited the area about 7 years ago there was a property for sale in St-André-de-Najac that both Barbara & I would have loved to own. It was about €100,000, way beyond our budget, but in a great location. It was derelict and offered great potential (practising some estate agent speak there) and we often talked about 'what if'. We've passed it several times over the last few years and there is currently a lot of work going on there. I found out today that the local maire has bought it and is re-developing the site on behalf of the local village. So turns out we'd never have got it, in France the maire is given the option to buy any property once an acceptable bid has been made to the vendor.
Sunday, 4 March 2007
w/c 26 February 2007
Sunday 25th - Yes I know it's in the wrong week but that's what happens when you've had an alcohol soaked week skiing! It was off to Toulouse at 7:00 AM to meet the others at the airport. There in plenty of time, it's a pity My-Travel couldn't start the plane. Not much to do at Toulouse airport other than buy an English newspaper & watch the world go by. Still, better than sitting on a plane in Birmingham for 2 hours waiting for someone to find the starting handle. Eventually the other seven arrive and it's off to Andorra we go...again. We've been going skiing as a group now for 7 years and have always ended up somewhere in Andorra, this year it's Soldeu and, as we always like a bargain, the hotel is 'allocation on arrival'. Steve who booked the trip this year has been checking out the tripadvisor website and is not impressed when we're 'allocated' The Austria Hotel Don't know why he was worried;
“Basically, the hotel is tatty and not a great place to stay”
“The hotel is advertised as 3 star, this is stretching the imagination”
“Rooms at the front will be noisy because of the road and at the back they are cupboard sized and the rooms we had were also unbearably hot in spite of us asking for the thermostats to be adjusted”
Can't possible be that bad...can it? It's only a 3 hour coach journey so just enough time to catch up with what's been happening back in the UK and discuss what will happen to Steve if the hotel's not up to our usual high standards. When we arrive the hotel is on the road but that's not a problem, it'll be handy for the ski bus & not miles from anywhere! Paul & I are allocated a room on the front of the hotel that when we enter is like the inside of an oven, you could literally have fried an egg on the radiator. Not to worry, better than being cold. As is normal on these trips it's a quick un-pack and off to check the hotel's facilities. Restaurant, games room, disco (obviously not used since 'disco' was all the rage), internet access (for us anoraks) and, most importantly, a bar. That's where we settle for the traditional first nights entertainment of a 'couple' of drinks. Beers OK if a little expensive at €3.20 a pint (Andorra is a tax free principality where cigs & booze are normally very cheap) but not to worry, we'll have a walk later to one of the other local bars. We get the normal welcome chat from the holiday company rep who is honest enough to confirm that the hotel is 2.5 kilometres from the main part of Soldeu (where all the bars are) and the bus service is unreliable in the extreme. We have a quiet meal in the hotel, food is edible and much as you would expect from a budget hotel, and it's back to the bar for a couple (dozen) more drinks before bed. Snow is in the air so things are looking good for the week ahead.
Monday 26th and the tour company have organised an early bus down to the ski lifts & hire shops. Off at 8:30am but one of the team is suffering from 'jet lag' and decides to 'rest' before the strenuous activities of the rest of the week. Light snow is still falling & being whipped up by a strong wind and it's a real struggle to get our 'ski legs' back and by 1:00 PM we've decided to call it a day and set off to sample the hospitality in a local bar. Our missing team member has recovered enough to join us for lunch. We head back to the hotel for dinner & a 'couple' more drinks with one of our party deciding that tonight water would be his preferred beverage. Paul had asked the hotel to turn the heating down in our room which after having slept with window open last night was a stroke of genius. It's the first time I've slept on the hard shoulder of the M6! The stretch of road outside our room must have been used by the locals as a race track because the noise from the traffic was horrendous. Cars, vans, lorries & coaches were passing all night, none at less than 120MPH!
Tuesday 27th and we're all out there bright & early ready for a good day skiing. Pity the bus isn't, 35 minutes late and it's the same story every day this week. We have a good day on the slopes and by 4:00 are ready for the happy hour at the 'Iceberg' bar. This hour runs for 2 hours & by 6:00 with a BOGOF offer running the decision is made not to bother returning to the hotel just yet. In fact we don't return till much later, so much later in fact that we'll miss the meal & have to get a pizza in Soldeu. Very nice pizza, and with beer & spirits at half price, a good night was had by all.
Wednesday 28th ditto I suppose is the best way to describe today. Only change being the Irish couple who joined us for a pizza. If only they knew what they were letting themselves in for. One of the founding members of our ski club is always at his best after 2 hours of half price drinks and never fails to be good 'entertainment'. If his jokes were repeatable this blog would go on & on (even more than it does now).
Thursday 1st March and it's warming up, not something you want in a ski resort. We'd had no more snow since Monday morning and with the temperature now reaching a balmy 8ºC by lunch time things were getting a little slushy. Good day skiing and for 3 of us it's back to the hotel for supper while the other 5 head for the hotspots of Soldeu. An early night will prepare us for what is normally the last full day on the slopes. I must be getting old. Peace is broken at the hotel about 10:30 PM when the others arrive back and that same founding member of our club decides that it would be a good idea to borrow the electric stun gun some other guests have bought (you wouldn't believe what you can buy in Andorra) and turn it on himself! At least the lads who owned the gun were playing cards, the loser being the one to get zapped.
Friday 2nd and the temperature is climbing and the snow melting. The struggle across to Pas, a neighbouring resort, is worth it and we return having had a full day on the slopes. By now there's plenty of rocks & grass protruding through the snow making things a little difficult. Once again 3 of us decide to remain at the hotel while the others are off to party the night away. Their return to the hotel at about 2:00 AM doesn't go unnoticed and there's a very early morning knock at our door. We'll get our own back.
Saturday 3rd and despite it being our last day two members of the party have had enough skiing (think they'd also had enough of something else) and decide to have a day off. With the weather getting ever warmer, 14ºC at lunch time, and the snow disappearing by the minute I put just half a days skiing in and return to meet our 2 errant skiers early afternoon. We have a quiet end of holiday pint, pick up the duty-free, 200 cigarettes for €20.00 & a litre bottle of Gordons gin for €7.00, return the hired equipment and head for a final meal at The Austria. It's only as we're getting off the bus that one of the group is reminded that he's left his new boots in the lockers that close at 5:00 and that it's now 6:45! The holiday rep says he'll see what he can sort out & is promised a glowing report on the customer satisfaction survey if he manages to rescue the boots. Time to pack up, have a final beer and await the pick-up at 5:05AM in the morning.
Sunday 4th and the bus is only a few minutes late and we settle in for the trip home. Back at Toulouse it's goodbye and see you next year. Feels a bit strange everyone jetting back to the UK and me heading to the car park & the drive home. I stop in St. Antonin-Noble-Val and pick up some bread for dinner. It's a beautiful day and the market's very busy. Back in Najac and the temperature's up to 21ºC by the time I get back about 12:00 so washing out on the line & I head for the house. Hopefully whilst I been away Pierre has taken all the old plaster off in preparation for the 'crepe'. He's done the work as promised & wow! Not only has he exposed all the stone he's 'found' what looks like a sink & a door that has been blocked off some time in the past. The beams he's cleaned up also look great and it's a pity Barbara's not here to see the results of his work. She'll have to look at the pictures I've posted on http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Airbourneuk/LagarrigueProgress To finish the holiday week off and with the sun beaming down it's time to dust the bike off & go for a ride around the block. And boy can I tell it's been nearly 3 months since I was last on the bike. I'm definitely going to have to do a little more training before I enter the Tour D' France.
“Basically, the hotel is tatty and not a great place to stay”
“The hotel is advertised as 3 star, this is stretching the imagination”
“Rooms at the front will be noisy because of the road and at the back they are cupboard sized and the rooms we had were also unbearably hot in spite of us asking for the thermostats to be adjusted”
Can't possible be that bad...can it? It's only a 3 hour coach journey so just enough time to catch up with what's been happening back in the UK and discuss what will happen to Steve if the hotel's not up to our usual high standards. When we arrive the hotel is on the road but that's not a problem, it'll be handy for the ski bus & not miles from anywhere! Paul & I are allocated a room on the front of the hotel that when we enter is like the inside of an oven, you could literally have fried an egg on the radiator. Not to worry, better than being cold. As is normal on these trips it's a quick un-pack and off to check the hotel's facilities. Restaurant, games room, disco (obviously not used since 'disco' was all the rage), internet access (for us anoraks) and, most importantly, a bar. That's where we settle for the traditional first nights entertainment of a 'couple' of drinks. Beers OK if a little expensive at €3.20 a pint (Andorra is a tax free principality where cigs & booze are normally very cheap) but not to worry, we'll have a walk later to one of the other local bars. We get the normal welcome chat from the holiday company rep who is honest enough to confirm that the hotel is 2.5 kilometres from the main part of Soldeu (where all the bars are) and the bus service is unreliable in the extreme. We have a quiet meal in the hotel, food is edible and much as you would expect from a budget hotel, and it's back to the bar for a couple (dozen) more drinks before bed. Snow is in the air so things are looking good for the week ahead.
Monday 26th and the tour company have organised an early bus down to the ski lifts & hire shops. Off at 8:30am but one of the team is suffering from 'jet lag' and decides to 'rest' before the strenuous activities of the rest of the week. Light snow is still falling & being whipped up by a strong wind and it's a real struggle to get our 'ski legs' back and by 1:00 PM we've decided to call it a day and set off to sample the hospitality in a local bar. Our missing team member has recovered enough to join us for lunch. We head back to the hotel for dinner & a 'couple' more drinks with one of our party deciding that tonight water would be his preferred beverage. Paul had asked the hotel to turn the heating down in our room which after having slept with window open last night was a stroke of genius. It's the first time I've slept on the hard shoulder of the M6! The stretch of road outside our room must have been used by the locals as a race track because the noise from the traffic was horrendous. Cars, vans, lorries & coaches were passing all night, none at less than 120MPH!
Tuesday 27th and we're all out there bright & early ready for a good day skiing. Pity the bus isn't, 35 minutes late and it's the same story every day this week. We have a good day on the slopes and by 4:00 are ready for the happy hour at the 'Iceberg' bar. This hour runs for 2 hours & by 6:00 with a BOGOF offer running the decision is made not to bother returning to the hotel just yet. In fact we don't return till much later, so much later in fact that we'll miss the meal & have to get a pizza in Soldeu. Very nice pizza, and with beer & spirits at half price, a good night was had by all.
Wednesday 28th ditto I suppose is the best way to describe today. Only change being the Irish couple who joined us for a pizza. If only they knew what they were letting themselves in for. One of the founding members of our ski club is always at his best after 2 hours of half price drinks and never fails to be good 'entertainment'. If his jokes were repeatable this blog would go on & on (even more than it does now).
Thursday 1st March and it's warming up, not something you want in a ski resort. We'd had no more snow since Monday morning and with the temperature now reaching a balmy 8ºC by lunch time things were getting a little slushy. Good day skiing and for 3 of us it's back to the hotel for supper while the other 5 head for the hotspots of Soldeu. An early night will prepare us for what is normally the last full day on the slopes. I must be getting old. Peace is broken at the hotel about 10:30 PM when the others arrive back and that same founding member of our club decides that it would be a good idea to borrow the electric stun gun some other guests have bought (you wouldn't believe what you can buy in Andorra) and turn it on himself! At least the lads who owned the gun were playing cards, the loser being the one to get zapped.
Friday 2nd and the temperature is climbing and the snow melting. The struggle across to Pas, a neighbouring resort, is worth it and we return having had a full day on the slopes. By now there's plenty of rocks & grass protruding through the snow making things a little difficult. Once again 3 of us decide to remain at the hotel while the others are off to party the night away. Their return to the hotel at about 2:00 AM doesn't go unnoticed and there's a very early morning knock at our door. We'll get our own back.
Saturday 3rd and despite it being our last day two members of the party have had enough skiing (think they'd also had enough of something else) and decide to have a day off. With the weather getting ever warmer, 14ºC at lunch time, and the snow disappearing by the minute I put just half a days skiing in and return to meet our 2 errant skiers early afternoon. We have a quiet end of holiday pint, pick up the duty-free, 200 cigarettes for €20.00 & a litre bottle of Gordons gin for €7.00, return the hired equipment and head for a final meal at The Austria. It's only as we're getting off the bus that one of the group is reminded that he's left his new boots in the lockers that close at 5:00 and that it's now 6:45! The holiday rep says he'll see what he can sort out & is promised a glowing report on the customer satisfaction survey if he manages to rescue the boots. Time to pack up, have a final beer and await the pick-up at 5:05AM in the morning.
Sunday 4th and the bus is only a few minutes late and we settle in for the trip home. Back at Toulouse it's goodbye and see you next year. Feels a bit strange everyone jetting back to the UK and me heading to the car park & the drive home. I stop in St. Antonin-Noble-Val and pick up some bread for dinner. It's a beautiful day and the market's very busy. Back in Najac and the temperature's up to 21ºC by the time I get back about 12:00 so washing out on the line & I head for the house. Hopefully whilst I been away Pierre has taken all the old plaster off in preparation for the 'crepe'. He's done the work as promised & wow! Not only has he exposed all the stone he's 'found' what looks like a sink & a door that has been blocked off some time in the past. The beams he's cleaned up also look great and it's a pity Barbara's not here to see the results of his work. She'll have to look at the pictures I've posted on http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Airbourneuk/LagarrigueProgress To finish the holiday week off and with the sun beaming down it's time to dust the bike off & go for a ride around the block. And boy can I tell it's been nearly 3 months since I was last on the bike. I'm definitely going to have to do a little more training before I enter the Tour D' France.
Saturday, 24 February 2007
w/c 19 February 2007
Monday 19th Neither of us are big on cats but last night we had an unexpected visitor. When we were out here in October last year a small black & white kitten, the spitting image of Felix off the TV adverts, followed us home on our last evening out here. Feeling sorry for it P & C put some food out for him & he slept, curled up outside the small circular window all night. When it came time to leave in the morning he was still about & we all felt very guilty about leaving him. Caroll asked I & V to keep an eye out for him but he was never seen again, until last night that is. Sat in the same window watching us prepare the evening meal there was a healthy, well fed, grown up Felix. The suns out and we're up and about early (no change there) to brush off the wall Barbara had been pointing yesterday. I'm on with sanding the floorboards I put down yesterday and Barbara is doing the pointing around the window which she says is very cathartic, whatever that means. Hope it's not me she needs the psychotherapeutic help with! The local boulangerie doesn't open on a Monday so today our sandwiches are made from the leftovers of the pain bought on Saturday. The bread is crusty at the best of times so you can imagine what it's like 2 days after it's been baked and with only Bovril, cheese & Branston (available in our local supermarket) in the fridge, lunch was hardly the height of French cuisine. Our friends Sidney & Gilly popped in at about lunchtime (for obvious reasons we didn't ask them to stay for lunch) and we showed them what progress we'd made since mid January when they were last here. It was reassuring that they were able to see things had moved on, or perhaps they were just trying to boost our morale. Called in at the local shop in La Fouillade on the way home to pick up something for our sandwiches tomorrow. With no fresh pains available we have to take a very expensive Brioche Tranchée. At €3.10 for an 18 slice loaf the butties tomorrow better be something special. Where's that foie gras de canard?
Tuesday 20th and it's more like cake than bread! Perhaps that's what Brioche Tranchée is! No wonder Marie Antoinette said 'Let them eat cake'. Anyway the sandwiches were a little different & a whole lot better than yesterdays. It was a beautiful day so lunch was taken out on the veranda and a chance to reflect on our efforts so far. It's hard to believe that we've been here less than 2 months & although sometimes we don't seem to have made much progress things are moving in the right direction. We're both looking forward to the day when we see the furniture van from Ramsbottom coming down the lane with all our possessions in it. It'll then be on with the barn, that's if we ever decide what we're going to do with it. Today it was 2 gites and a way of generating some income and tomorrow who knows what we'll be planning to do with it. Work was much as yesterday with us continuing to rebuild the end wall and then point it. It's been a real learning curve and, although I know I shouldn't say it, we've (and it has been mainly Barbara) have done a good job at our first attempt at pointing the French way. Off for a pizza tonight with I & V to celebrate.
Wednesday 21st and by 10:30 we'd finished our only scheduled job for the day, wire brushing the pointing down. With time to spare, the first time since 2nd January, we called into the local estate agent for the promised cup of tea. Had a good chat but unfortunately there was no job offer forthcoming. He did say, however, that once I had a reasonable grasp of the French language I should be able to pick up some work. No problem there then! Off to VDR this afternoon for a leisurely wander round & popped into the local bike shop & picked a leaflet up on mountain bike routes. Also had a chat with the owner (spoke very good English) who said there were a couple of VTT (MTB) clubs locally and next time I was in he'd look up some contact details. It would be nice to think that sometime soon I'd have the time 'get out there & ride'. On the way back to Najac we called to see Thierry the local farmer we met at the Quarter party. He has the same car as me and had mentioned that he had a contact that sold parts, including exhausts, for Mercedes'. He hadn't the number to hand and said he would call round later with it. Ninety minutes later there's a knock at the door and there he is with the details. He suggests that it's perhaps a good idea if he rings on my behalf as the garage owner does not speak English. Turns out they only have a E420 part in but think it will fit the E320. Thierry says he has another contact who he will call in the morning and verify this is the case. He is such a helpful & charming chap. Lovely supper tonight at Sidney & Gilly's.
Thursday 22nd and a lie in. We're off to Rodez later today as Barbara has a plane to catch. While I'm off on the piste skiing she's off back to the UK for the next 3 weeks so this morning it's tidy up time. I get my instructions on keeping things neat & tidy and how to keep the wood burning stove alight. It's not that I'm worried about, it's all that washing & ironing I'll have to do when I get back from Andorra! We head for Rodez for lunch & take the opportunity to collect a staircase banister we'd ordered a few weeks ago. Rodez is only a small airport, not much bigger than a bus station, and parking is free. It's amazing how many British registered cars are parked up, it's the same every time we fly from there. I'm able to drop Barbara off right at the door, wipe a tear from my eye & head back to Najac... all on my own. Just kidding but I am going to miss her.
Friday 23rd and it's very quiet without Babs. Worked all morning trying to repair yet more floorboards on the top floor. Didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped but will get there. Last night I emailed Pierre Segonds, the 'artisan' who is doing some plastering for us, to confirm that he's still on for starting the work on Monday. He turned up at lunchtime to say he would be starting on Monday as planned & had a revised devis (we'd made some changes to the original spec') and requested a deposit (normal in France). 'A cheque will do' he said. This will be a challenge, writing a cheque out & getting the words to match the numbers! 'OK I'll put it in the post' I said and texted Rebecca for help. Called in at the local builders merchant after lunch for 10 metres of 80mm field drain and amazingly he understood what I was after. Hope it's my French that's improving and he's not a closet English speaker. Several texts off Barbara just checking I was hard at it & not bunking off early.
Saturday 24th off to VDR for one floorboard to finish off! Located the the local Toyota dealer & called in to see if they could repair the Yaris's windscreen. Think they said that they don't do windscreens & pointed me in the direction of Auto Windscreens. Also picked up some information on mobile phones. Getting the right deal in the UK is bad enough, doing it all in French is going to be a real challenge. Back to the house & finished the floorboards, moved the plasterboards so Pierre can get on removing the old plaster, cleared up & put the tools away for a week. Off on the piste first thing in the morning & meeting the others at Toulouse airport. That's why the blog's a day early & there's no posting for Sunday. I'll have to see if I can remember anything from the week ahead & report back.
Tuesday 20th and it's more like cake than bread! Perhaps that's what Brioche Tranchée is! No wonder Marie Antoinette said 'Let them eat cake'. Anyway the sandwiches were a little different & a whole lot better than yesterdays. It was a beautiful day so lunch was taken out on the veranda and a chance to reflect on our efforts so far. It's hard to believe that we've been here less than 2 months & although sometimes we don't seem to have made much progress things are moving in the right direction. We're both looking forward to the day when we see the furniture van from Ramsbottom coming down the lane with all our possessions in it. It'll then be on with the barn, that's if we ever decide what we're going to do with it. Today it was 2 gites and a way of generating some income and tomorrow who knows what we'll be planning to do with it. Work was much as yesterday with us continuing to rebuild the end wall and then point it. It's been a real learning curve and, although I know I shouldn't say it, we've (and it has been mainly Barbara) have done a good job at our first attempt at pointing the French way. Off for a pizza tonight with I & V to celebrate.
Wednesday 21st and by 10:30 we'd finished our only scheduled job for the day, wire brushing the pointing down. With time to spare, the first time since 2nd January, we called into the local estate agent for the promised cup of tea. Had a good chat but unfortunately there was no job offer forthcoming. He did say, however, that once I had a reasonable grasp of the French language I should be able to pick up some work. No problem there then! Off to VDR this afternoon for a leisurely wander round & popped into the local bike shop & picked a leaflet up on mountain bike routes. Also had a chat with the owner (spoke very good English) who said there were a couple of VTT (MTB) clubs locally and next time I was in he'd look up some contact details. It would be nice to think that sometime soon I'd have the time 'get out there & ride'. On the way back to Najac we called to see Thierry the local farmer we met at the Quarter party. He has the same car as me and had mentioned that he had a contact that sold parts, including exhausts, for Mercedes'. He hadn't the number to hand and said he would call round later with it. Ninety minutes later there's a knock at the door and there he is with the details. He suggests that it's perhaps a good idea if he rings on my behalf as the garage owner does not speak English. Turns out they only have a E420 part in but think it will fit the E320. Thierry says he has another contact who he will call in the morning and verify this is the case. He is such a helpful & charming chap. Lovely supper tonight at Sidney & Gilly's.
Thursday 22nd and a lie in. We're off to Rodez later today as Barbara has a plane to catch. While I'm off on the piste skiing she's off back to the UK for the next 3 weeks so this morning it's tidy up time. I get my instructions on keeping things neat & tidy and how to keep the wood burning stove alight. It's not that I'm worried about, it's all that washing & ironing I'll have to do when I get back from Andorra! We head for Rodez for lunch & take the opportunity to collect a staircase banister we'd ordered a few weeks ago. Rodez is only a small airport, not much bigger than a bus station, and parking is free. It's amazing how many British registered cars are parked up, it's the same every time we fly from there. I'm able to drop Barbara off right at the door, wipe a tear from my eye & head back to Najac... all on my own. Just kidding but I am going to miss her.
Friday 23rd and it's very quiet without Babs. Worked all morning trying to repair yet more floorboards on the top floor. Didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped but will get there. Last night I emailed Pierre Segonds, the 'artisan' who is doing some plastering for us, to confirm that he's still on for starting the work on Monday. He turned up at lunchtime to say he would be starting on Monday as planned & had a revised devis (we'd made some changes to the original spec') and requested a deposit (normal in France). 'A cheque will do' he said. This will be a challenge, writing a cheque out & getting the words to match the numbers! 'OK I'll put it in the post' I said and texted Rebecca for help. Called in at the local builders merchant after lunch for 10 metres of 80mm field drain and amazingly he understood what I was after. Hope it's my French that's improving and he's not a closet English speaker. Several texts off Barbara just checking I was hard at it & not bunking off early.
Saturday 24th off to VDR for one floorboard to finish off! Located the the local Toyota dealer & called in to see if they could repair the Yaris's windscreen. Think they said that they don't do windscreens & pointed me in the direction of Auto Windscreens. Also picked up some information on mobile phones. Getting the right deal in the UK is bad enough, doing it all in French is going to be a real challenge. Back to the house & finished the floorboards, moved the plasterboards so Pierre can get on removing the old plaster, cleared up & put the tools away for a week. Off on the piste first thing in the morning & meeting the others at Toulouse airport. That's why the blog's a day early & there's no posting for Sunday. I'll have to see if I can remember anything from the week ahead & report back.
Sunday, 18 February 2007
w/c 12 February 2007
Monday 12th and it's raining chats & chiens and it's not that fine rain that soaks you through it's great big buckets of it. We planned to finish the rest of the wall off whilst we waited for the La Poste lady who we hoped would be delivering some documents that needed our urgent attention & would require prompt return to the UK. As we sat down for lunch at 12:30 she arrived with an armful of special offer leaflets and the recorded delivery envelope from England. By this time we'd not only finished the wall but Barbara had also finished rebuilding a window sill. She really seems (spelt it right this time) to have found her forte & is turning out to be a really proficient stone mason. So, rain still falling, it's back to I & V's to ask if they'll witness our signatures on the documents. 'No problem' and they're back in the post by 2:30. We hadn't received the devis from M. Regourd for the electrical & plumbing work, and looking for any excuse not to return to the site and the 15 cms of mud that would greet us, we popped in to see if he had the devis ready. It was and we had a taxing 30 minutes discussing it with his wife who doesn't speak a word of English (why should she). At one point she rang the local architect, who speaks very good English, and asked him to translate. The devis comes as quite a pleasant surprise so we arrange for the work to commence in mid March, the earliest he can start. Mme. Regourd suggests we visit a specific magasin in VDR where they will offer us a good deal on the bathroom fixtures & fittings we need. Still looking for any excuse not to wade in mud it's off to VDR we go. By now it's 3:30 so no need to worry about the 2 hour lunch, however, what we had forgotten is that it's Monday. Most shops don't open on Mondays and, you've guessed it, the one we want was closed. Ah well there's another excuse to bunk off if the weather doesn't improve. Never being ones to waste an opportunity we visit a store that is open and pick up a pair of Wellington boots for me and a pair of rubber slip-ons for Barbara. Wonder who's going to be doing the outside work?
Tuesday 13th and what a change for the better in the weather. Sun's out and it reached a balmy 12ºC so it was lunch on the 'veranda'! Did a little more stonework this morning with the intention of trialling the correct mix & shade of mortar. We'd picked up some blanc ciment (white cement) & chaux (lime) on the way in to work this morning and Barbara was keen to get on. After a couple of experimental mixes we decide on a 4:1:1 mix (Mac; I know you'll find that mix very interesting and it's a little spooky that you guessed the correct mix in your email last week). Just as we're admiring our pointing skills Pierre Seconds , the 'artisan' we'd asked for a devis to crĕpe the walls turned up. 'Quick don't let him come here & see this' says Barbara & sends me down to meet him. He's come to discuss the couple of changes we want to make and after 10 minutes (remember he speaks very good English) we agree that he can start work w/c 26th February. The Mercs been making a bit more noise recently so that now it's dried up, it's back under the car to apply another layer of Mastic Époxy. What fun. We also need another load of sand so it's back to the local builders supply yard for a tonne of sable. Rather than risk getting the car and trailer stuck in the mud, which is still 10 cms thick, it's several trips back & forth with the barrow to unload it. More fun. On the way back to Najac we call at the carpenter that's been recommended to do the windows & doors. It's 17:40 and he's gone home. How dare he?
Wednesday 14th and whoops, I'd forgotten it was Valentines day. Think it's OK though, Barbara forgot as well. Called to see a local carpenter on the way to the house this morning and arranged for him to visit this PM to give us a price for new French (naturally) windows and a couple of ordinary ones. He's bang on time at 14:00; it's funny how all the artisans that we've asked to visit always want to come at 14:00. Must be something to do with the 2 hour lunch and not wanting to go near their tools until the effect of the wine has worn off. He tells us we have a choice of bois (wood); local chêne & chátaigne & imported exotique (oak, chestnut and not sure what the last one is, but Barbara thought as it was 'exotic' the price would be 'exotic' as well. Turns out that was the cheapest option). As he can manufacture either the oak or chestnut in less than a week we go for those. He's very amused at our attempt at French and virtually falls about laughing at the English word 'chestnut' and repeats several times with a distinct French Mancunian accent. His devis will follow early next week, that's if he's stopped laughing. The good thing about a devis is that the price quoted is the price you pay, unless of course you make any changes, and once you accept & sign it becomes a binding contract on both parties. Barbara is back hacking out & I patch up a hole in the floorboards in what, one day, will be the master bedroom.
Thursday 15th and it's off to VDR for some more floorboards, double check the bathroom fittings & pop into the bank to change our address. We need to patch the floor at the top of the stairs we've fitted and we visit several suppliers before we find the ones we need. He only has 1 pack in stock so we order another 2 packs which will be available for collection on Friday 23rd. We then call at the bathroom fitting supplier make a couple of changes to the spec' that saves us approx. €600 which, as he doesn't speak a word of English, is a major achievement. Offer to Hyper U for the inevitable food shop and an interesting conversation with a member of staff who bids us 'have a nice day'. Turns out she spent 3 years in California. She misses the weather but not the restrictive lifestyle the US offered. She's 19 and not being able to visit bars and cafés is something any 19 year old European would struggle with. Into the bank to change the address on account to Lagarrigue and, as seems to be the norm there's an English speaking clerk waiting to help us. We'd a couple of questions about the hole in the wall cash dispenser (it doesn't offer an English version when you insert your French bank card!). 'I will come out to the machine and go through the options with you' is the response. Don't ever remember anyone at the NatWest doing that. We've had a productive morning and head back to Lagarrigue to unload the wood and discuss, for what seems like the hundredth time, what we're going to do with the stairs. As I'm unloading the car I notice the floorboards have a groove down the centre. Sod it, we've got the wrong ones so it's back to VDR tomorrow to try and locate the nearest match. Not the best of days after all. After a very quiet & reflective lunch we head to Gilly's to do a bit more work there.
Friday 16th and as we leave for work it's -2ºC & a frost on the ground but by the time we reach Lagarrigue, 7 kms away and 200 mts higher, it's 6ºC. We make a good start with Barbara hacking out the inside gable end & I'm on with the floorboards at the top of the stairs. By lunch time the sun is blazing down and the temperature has reached a very pleasant 19ºC. What's the weather like there? By 3:00 I've used all the wood so it's back to VDR with the 'grooved' floorboards. We manage to locate some similar boards and load the car up with the new floorboards and a some 27x38 (they don't do 2 x 1 in France) timber for the batons we're going to use to secure the insulation in the roof.
Saturday 17th and not much to report really. Worked at the house all day until 18:00, Barbara pointing the gable end she'd hacked out yesterday & I continued to patch up the floorboards. Pleasant morning rained heavy in the afternoon.
Sunday 18th and work continued on the gable end pointing with Barbara doing a grand job despite me. The second batch of mortar had a 'little' too much water and I was sent away to try again and told to get the mix right! I'd finished patching the floorboards by lunchtime so it was my turn to have a go at pointing. With Barbara's expert eye & advise I was able to contribute to the effort. The wall Barbara did yesterday looks really good so I didn't want to let the side down. Just along the lane from our house is a property that was renovated late last year & is now up for sale. Sunday's in France are similar to those in the UK and there was a trail of people giving the property the once over. Let's hope one of them is interested enough to offer the asking price and that would make working Sundays worth it. 18:00 finish again & it's still raining. End of a good week and looking forward to this time next week when I'm off skiing!
Tuesday 13th and what a change for the better in the weather. Sun's out and it reached a balmy 12ºC so it was lunch on the 'veranda'! Did a little more stonework this morning with the intention of trialling the correct mix & shade of mortar. We'd picked up some blanc ciment (white cement) & chaux (lime) on the way in to work this morning and Barbara was keen to get on. After a couple of experimental mixes we decide on a 4:1:1 mix (Mac; I know you'll find that mix very interesting and it's a little spooky that you guessed the correct mix in your email last week). Just as we're admiring our pointing skills Pierre Seconds , the 'artisan' we'd asked for a devis to crĕpe the walls turned up. 'Quick don't let him come here & see this' says Barbara & sends me down to meet him. He's come to discuss the couple of changes we want to make and after 10 minutes (remember he speaks very good English) we agree that he can start work w/c 26th February. The Mercs been making a bit more noise recently so that now it's dried up, it's back under the car to apply another layer of Mastic Époxy. What fun. We also need another load of sand so it's back to the local builders supply yard for a tonne of sable. Rather than risk getting the car and trailer stuck in the mud, which is still 10 cms thick, it's several trips back & forth with the barrow to unload it. More fun. On the way back to Najac we call at the carpenter that's been recommended to do the windows & doors. It's 17:40 and he's gone home. How dare he?
Wednesday 14th and whoops, I'd forgotten it was Valentines day. Think it's OK though, Barbara forgot as well. Called to see a local carpenter on the way to the house this morning and arranged for him to visit this PM to give us a price for new French (naturally) windows and a couple of ordinary ones. He's bang on time at 14:00; it's funny how all the artisans that we've asked to visit always want to come at 14:00. Must be something to do with the 2 hour lunch and not wanting to go near their tools until the effect of the wine has worn off. He tells us we have a choice of bois (wood); local chêne & chátaigne & imported exotique (oak, chestnut and not sure what the last one is, but Barbara thought as it was 'exotic' the price would be 'exotic' as well. Turns out that was the cheapest option). As he can manufacture either the oak or chestnut in less than a week we go for those. He's very amused at our attempt at French and virtually falls about laughing at the English word 'chestnut' and repeats several times with a distinct French Mancunian accent. His devis will follow early next week, that's if he's stopped laughing. The good thing about a devis is that the price quoted is the price you pay, unless of course you make any changes, and once you accept & sign it becomes a binding contract on both parties. Barbara is back hacking out & I patch up a hole in the floorboards in what, one day, will be the master bedroom.
Thursday 15th and it's off to VDR for some more floorboards, double check the bathroom fittings & pop into the bank to change our address. We need to patch the floor at the top of the stairs we've fitted and we visit several suppliers before we find the ones we need. He only has 1 pack in stock so we order another 2 packs which will be available for collection on Friday 23rd. We then call at the bathroom fitting supplier make a couple of changes to the spec' that saves us approx. €600 which, as he doesn't speak a word of English, is a major achievement. Offer to Hyper U for the inevitable food shop and an interesting conversation with a member of staff who bids us 'have a nice day'. Turns out she spent 3 years in California. She misses the weather but not the restrictive lifestyle the US offered. She's 19 and not being able to visit bars and cafés is something any 19 year old European would struggle with. Into the bank to change the address on account to Lagarrigue and, as seems to be the norm there's an English speaking clerk waiting to help us. We'd a couple of questions about the hole in the wall cash dispenser (it doesn't offer an English version when you insert your French bank card!). 'I will come out to the machine and go through the options with you' is the response. Don't ever remember anyone at the NatWest doing that. We've had a productive morning and head back to Lagarrigue to unload the wood and discuss, for what seems like the hundredth time, what we're going to do with the stairs. As I'm unloading the car I notice the floorboards have a groove down the centre. Sod it, we've got the wrong ones so it's back to VDR tomorrow to try and locate the nearest match. Not the best of days after all. After a very quiet & reflective lunch we head to Gilly's to do a bit more work there.
Friday 16th and as we leave for work it's -2ºC & a frost on the ground but by the time we reach Lagarrigue, 7 kms away and 200 mts higher, it's 6ºC. We make a good start with Barbara hacking out the inside gable end & I'm on with the floorboards at the top of the stairs. By lunch time the sun is blazing down and the temperature has reached a very pleasant 19ºC. What's the weather like there? By 3:00 I've used all the wood so it's back to VDR with the 'grooved' floorboards. We manage to locate some similar boards and load the car up with the new floorboards and a some 27x38 (they don't do 2 x 1 in France) timber for the batons we're going to use to secure the insulation in the roof.
Saturday 17th and not much to report really. Worked at the house all day until 18:00, Barbara pointing the gable end she'd hacked out yesterday & I continued to patch up the floorboards. Pleasant morning rained heavy in the afternoon.
Sunday 18th and work continued on the gable end pointing with Barbara doing a grand job despite me. The second batch of mortar had a 'little' too much water and I was sent away to try again and told to get the mix right! I'd finished patching the floorboards by lunchtime so it was my turn to have a go at pointing. With Barbara's expert eye & advise I was able to contribute to the effort. The wall Barbara did yesterday looks really good so I didn't want to let the side down. Just along the lane from our house is a property that was renovated late last year & is now up for sale. Sunday's in France are similar to those in the UK and there was a trail of people giving the property the once over. Let's hope one of them is interested enough to offer the asking price and that would make working Sundays worth it. 18:00 finish again & it's still raining. End of a good week and looking forward to this time next week when I'm off skiing!
Sunday, 11 February 2007
w/c 5 February 2007
Monday 5th and at last we've finished the plasterboards! Despite drawing a plan of the proposed stud work we ended up having to make a 'few' changes. Thank goodness for the metalwork, it makes life so much easier for us amateurs to make 'minor' changes. Anyway Babs is delighted with the results & that's the main thing. Cleared out the other cave (cellar) this afternoon ready to spray with wood preserver tomorrow. Didn't find any vintage wine hidden away just years of cobwebs & dust. Funny how Barbara volunteered to varnish the floorboards above.
Tuesday 6th and a bit of admin to be done to day. We need to register with the French health department & I need to sort out travel insurance for my week on the piste. This could be pretty involved so we're in VDR for 9:00 and head straight for the Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie or CPAM. It's only 9:05 and there's already a queue of about 6 people, it's a well know fact that the French are a nation of hypochondriacs and that their health system is groaning under the strain. Having said that from all accounts the health service out here is superb, let's hope we never have to find out first hand. Anyway there we are looking at a sign that translates as 'please insert your Carte Vitale and take a ticket'. Only problem is that it's the Carte Vitale we've come for and, obviously, we don't have a card to insert! Merde! The Carte Vitale does not entitle you to free bottled water, it is credit-card-style card that contains all your health related information, e.g. blood group, allergies, etc. and must be presented whenever you see a doctor, dentist, (not a chiropodist, well not in my case) & collect a prescription.
Never one to panic Barbara decides there's no point waiting for someone to take pity on the couple who've been waiting 6 hours and haven't bothered to take a ticket, and she's off to find help. On the first floor we find the post lady and she goes off to find out who we need to see. She returns and takes us back to the ticket machine and presses a button. Hey presto outs pops a ticket with 007 on it. Damn my covers blown. It's only 5 minutes before our number comes up and we head for salle B. We present the forms sent to us by the DSS back in the UK and after a quick glance at them the fonctionnaire has grasped what we want & starts tapping away at her computer. 'Can I see your birth & marriage certificates, passport & bank details please?' All in French of course. Yet more merde as we hadn't thought to bring these documents with us. No matter she completes the forms and suggests we call back next time we're in VDR. It's worth pointing out here that despite what is commonly said about French bureaucracy we haven't found anyone less than 100% helpful. What they think of the stupid English is, of course, another matter.
Next it's off to the insurance broker we insured the house with in the hope that the English speaking owner is about. Merde again, he's out! We have a very interesting conversation with the lady behind the desk & eventually get across that I need travel insurance for a skiing trip to Andorra. 'Ah d'accord' and she starts tapping away at her computer and prints out a policy document, asks me to sign it & presents me with a claim contact card. 'If you have any problems whilst you're away contact this number' she says with more than just a slight smile on her face.
Buoyed up by our success with these two tasks I decide that it's time I got my haircut (and started to learn more French). This will be easy as my hairstyle consists of a deux on the sides and a quatre on the top. 'Monsieur that is very short'. Turns out the coiffeur thinks I mean millimetres! I don't get the foreign legion cut and leave with a respectable sept & neuf. A good mornings work complete we head back to the house and the lovely job of spraying the cellars with anti-termite solution.
As I sit writing this the phone rings & Barbara leaps to answer it in the hope that it's one of the kids and voice she can understand easily. Not to be, its Pierre Segond the mason we've asked to do a devis for the plaster work. Ah bonjour monsieur, then follows a franglais conversation second to none when Barbara is asked to give directions to Lagarrigue. 'Sur D922 apres Notaire take the next gauche turn et then the next droit. Look for the gris Toyota. Will he be there tomorrow at 15:30?
Wednesday 7th and the answer was no he wasn't there at 15:30. He was there at 13:30 which was the time he said on the phone! It was our inept translation that meant we were the ones who did not show up on time.
We'd rescheduled the no show stove man from last week for 10:00 this morning & Barbara had stayed back at Najac so she could pick Ian up to help translate. It was a very wet & very windy morning & I'd started work concreting up one of the many holes in the cellar when Barbara & Ian turned up closely followed by the stove man. It was a good meeting and he went away with a promise to have his devis to us within the next 10 days. By the time Barbara had returned from dropping Ian off the weather had deteriorated and it was blowing a force 10 gale. Think it's time to head for Gilly's and do some work in the warm & dry. We work there until 15:00 and then head over to Lagarrigue in plenty of time to meet Pierre. At about 16:00 and with the rain now bucketing down we suddenly realise that 'treizieme trente' is 13:30 and 13:30 is 1:30 & not 3:30! 'Why didn't he ring us when we weren't there?' Barbara asks as we head for home wet & frustrated that we've missed the rendezvous. 'Try 3131 (French Telecom's 1471 service) when we get in' I say. Turns out he did ring at about 13:40 so quick as a flash Babs presses '5' to return the call. 'Bonjour M. Segond we're sorry to have missed you'. He tells us that he's just arrived back at Lagarrigue & will wait for us to return (fortunately he speaks reasonable English). We're there in record time and full of apologies. He's very understanding and sets about measuring up for the 'crépe' and says he'll email his devis to us shortly. Let's hope he doesn't include something for his wasted time.
Thursday 8th and we drop the deposit into the architect and ask him to make a start on the plans for the barn. It's then back to VDR to drop the information off we'd been asked to supply by the lady at the CPAM office. We were seen within 30 seconds & told all was now in order and our Carte Vitales would be mailed to us within the next 20 days. Fantastique and time for a coffee. Thursday is market day in VDR and it comes a close second to 'The World Famous' one in Bury. Lots of fresh fruit, veg, cheese, fish & meat. There are also the local wine sellers where you can buy 5 litre plastic casks of vin rouge. Haven't taken the plunge yet and sampled one of these fine wines but will no doubt have a go sometime soon. I've no idea how much the wine costs but it's hard to imagine it will be a lot cheaper than in the supermarkets where you can pick a bottle of red Bordeaux up for €1.05. Admittedly it's not what a former wine advisor at one of the UK's premier retail outlets is accustomed too but it'll do. We splash out at the market & purchase some mushrooms & obligatory garlic & then wait patiently while an elderly lady customer expresses her disgust that the single tomato & bulb of celariac (think that's how it's spelt) she has selected have cost her 69 cents. On the way back to the car we pop in to the marchand de journaux to pick up a merci card for Saturday night. I spot 'French News' France's English language newspaper and pick up a copy. A French newspaper I'll be able to read, a bargain at just €2.40. We've had a good morning, remember you have to get everything done before 12:00 as everything closes then for a 2 hour lunch, but it's still raining. I think we'll be back up to Gilly's this afternoon & a bit more caulking. Tried to speak to someone at France Telecom this afternoon, they have an English speaking service, but they're as easy to get in touch with as BT. 'Thank you for calling...your call is important to us...' So why don't you answer the bloody phone?! - Grumpy old man syndrome?
Friday 9th and Barbara's keen to get on with sanding the old floorboards in what will, one day, be the kitchen. The plan was for me to get on with re-building the wall in the loft. Turned out to be a bigger job than I thought and we both end up working on it for most of the day. Paul had said to take the loose stones out, put them to one side & then re-build the outsides of the wall, backfilling as we go. Trouble was there were a lot of loose stones and I had this vision of us removing the wall all the way to ground level. Wish he was here now to for a little moral support. Eventually having removed approx. 1 metre of stonework we hit something firm. 'Quick get some concrete mixed and let's start re-building this wall' Barbara said. With Babs' knocking up batches of concrete & lining up the stone we made slow but steady progress & by 4:00 the wall was looking reasonably straight and, more importantly, solid. Time for afternoon tea and we're joined by a little visitor. A field mouse pops its head round the corner of our 'bait cabin' and gets as bigger shock as we do. Perhaps the next visit to VDR may involve a trip to the cats home. Still eager to work on we make a start on filling in the screw holes & joins in the plasterboards. A good day so think we may open one of those expensive bottles of wine, let's just hope the wall's still standing in the morning even if we're not.
Saturday 10th. It's so disappointing when you open the mail box full of anticipation and it's empty so today, after 2 days without any post, it's all excitement when the 'La Poste' lady bids us bonjour and hands us our weekly TV highlights DVD from Caroll. Thanks Caroll for taking the time, we look forward to our nightly hour of TV with eager anticipation. The wall's still in place so Barbara continues building the rest of it. She's obviously found an alternative to feet as she'd make a very good bricky. It was probably watching Oz at work in the 1st episode of Auf Wiedersehen Pet last night that's given her such a good eye for the bricks & mortar. Sanded down the plasterboards & applied a second coat of plaster. Early finish tonight as we're off to I & V's for tea.
Sunday 11th. Good night last night and a lovely bottle of M&S red wine. Seams strange that the bottle left France to go to sunny Bolton & ends up back there. Much brighter day so popped over to the market at St. Antonin-Noble-Val this morning. Can't believe how many English people there are wandering round the market. I now know where I can get my Heinz beans from for when Barbara's away. There's a stall selling just English food & books & it was a real struggle to resist buying some bacon & Branston pickle! Barbara spent the afternoon tidying up & I went and did a bit more caulking.
Tuesday 6th and a bit of admin to be done to day. We need to register with the French health department & I need to sort out travel insurance for my week on the piste. This could be pretty involved so we're in VDR for 9:00 and head straight for the Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie or CPAM. It's only 9:05 and there's already a queue of about 6 people, it's a well know fact that the French are a nation of hypochondriacs and that their health system is groaning under the strain. Having said that from all accounts the health service out here is superb, let's hope we never have to find out first hand. Anyway there we are looking at a sign that translates as 'please insert your Carte Vitale and take a ticket'. Only problem is that it's the Carte Vitale we've come for and, obviously, we don't have a card to insert! Merde! The Carte Vitale does not entitle you to free bottled water, it is credit-card-style card that contains all your health related information, e.g. blood group, allergies, etc. and must be presented whenever you see a doctor, dentist, (not a chiropodist, well not in my case) & collect a prescription.
Never one to panic Barbara decides there's no point waiting for someone to take pity on the couple who've been waiting 6 hours and haven't bothered to take a ticket, and she's off to find help. On the first floor we find the post lady and she goes off to find out who we need to see. She returns and takes us back to the ticket machine and presses a button. Hey presto outs pops a ticket with 007 on it. Damn my covers blown. It's only 5 minutes before our number comes up and we head for salle B. We present the forms sent to us by the DSS back in the UK and after a quick glance at them the fonctionnaire has grasped what we want & starts tapping away at her computer. 'Can I see your birth & marriage certificates, passport & bank details please?' All in French of course. Yet more merde as we hadn't thought to bring these documents with us. No matter she completes the forms and suggests we call back next time we're in VDR. It's worth pointing out here that despite what is commonly said about French bureaucracy we haven't found anyone less than 100% helpful. What they think of the stupid English is, of course, another matter.
Next it's off to the insurance broker we insured the house with in the hope that the English speaking owner is about. Merde again, he's out! We have a very interesting conversation with the lady behind the desk & eventually get across that I need travel insurance for a skiing trip to Andorra. 'Ah d'accord' and she starts tapping away at her computer and prints out a policy document, asks me to sign it & presents me with a claim contact card. 'If you have any problems whilst you're away contact this number' she says with more than just a slight smile on her face.
Buoyed up by our success with these two tasks I decide that it's time I got my haircut (and started to learn more French). This will be easy as my hairstyle consists of a deux on the sides and a quatre on the top. 'Monsieur that is very short'. Turns out the coiffeur thinks I mean millimetres! I don't get the foreign legion cut and leave with a respectable sept & neuf. A good mornings work complete we head back to the house and the lovely job of spraying the cellars with anti-termite solution.
As I sit writing this the phone rings & Barbara leaps to answer it in the hope that it's one of the kids and voice she can understand easily. Not to be, its Pierre Segond the mason we've asked to do a devis for the plaster work. Ah bonjour monsieur, then follows a franglais conversation second to none when Barbara is asked to give directions to Lagarrigue. 'Sur D922 apres Notaire take the next gauche turn et then the next droit. Look for the gris Toyota. Will he be there tomorrow at 15:30?
Wednesday 7th and the answer was no he wasn't there at 15:30. He was there at 13:30 which was the time he said on the phone! It was our inept translation that meant we were the ones who did not show up on time.
We'd rescheduled the no show stove man from last week for 10:00 this morning & Barbara had stayed back at Najac so she could pick Ian up to help translate. It was a very wet & very windy morning & I'd started work concreting up one of the many holes in the cellar when Barbara & Ian turned up closely followed by the stove man. It was a good meeting and he went away with a promise to have his devis to us within the next 10 days. By the time Barbara had returned from dropping Ian off the weather had deteriorated and it was blowing a force 10 gale. Think it's time to head for Gilly's and do some work in the warm & dry. We work there until 15:00 and then head over to Lagarrigue in plenty of time to meet Pierre. At about 16:00 and with the rain now bucketing down we suddenly realise that 'treizieme trente' is 13:30 and 13:30 is 1:30 & not 3:30! 'Why didn't he ring us when we weren't there?' Barbara asks as we head for home wet & frustrated that we've missed the rendezvous. 'Try 3131 (French Telecom's 1471 service) when we get in' I say. Turns out he did ring at about 13:40 so quick as a flash Babs presses '5' to return the call. 'Bonjour M. Segond we're sorry to have missed you'. He tells us that he's just arrived back at Lagarrigue & will wait for us to return (fortunately he speaks reasonable English). We're there in record time and full of apologies. He's very understanding and sets about measuring up for the 'crépe' and says he'll email his devis to us shortly. Let's hope he doesn't include something for his wasted time.
Thursday 8th and we drop the deposit into the architect and ask him to make a start on the plans for the barn. It's then back to VDR to drop the information off we'd been asked to supply by the lady at the CPAM office. We were seen within 30 seconds & told all was now in order and our Carte Vitales would be mailed to us within the next 20 days. Fantastique and time for a coffee. Thursday is market day in VDR and it comes a close second to 'The World Famous' one in Bury. Lots of fresh fruit, veg, cheese, fish & meat. There are also the local wine sellers where you can buy 5 litre plastic casks of vin rouge. Haven't taken the plunge yet and sampled one of these fine wines but will no doubt have a go sometime soon. I've no idea how much the wine costs but it's hard to imagine it will be a lot cheaper than in the supermarkets where you can pick a bottle of red Bordeaux up for €1.05. Admittedly it's not what a former wine advisor at one of the UK's premier retail outlets is accustomed too but it'll do. We splash out at the market & purchase some mushrooms & obligatory garlic & then wait patiently while an elderly lady customer expresses her disgust that the single tomato & bulb of celariac (think that's how it's spelt) she has selected have cost her 69 cents. On the way back to the car we pop in to the marchand de journaux to pick up a merci card for Saturday night. I spot 'French News' France's English language newspaper and pick up a copy. A French newspaper I'll be able to read, a bargain at just €2.40. We've had a good morning, remember you have to get everything done before 12:00 as everything closes then for a 2 hour lunch, but it's still raining. I think we'll be back up to Gilly's this afternoon & a bit more caulking. Tried to speak to someone at France Telecom this afternoon, they have an English speaking service, but they're as easy to get in touch with as BT. 'Thank you for calling...your call is important to us...' So why don't you answer the bloody phone?! - Grumpy old man syndrome?
Friday 9th and Barbara's keen to get on with sanding the old floorboards in what will, one day, be the kitchen. The plan was for me to get on with re-building the wall in the loft. Turned out to be a bigger job than I thought and we both end up working on it for most of the day. Paul had said to take the loose stones out, put them to one side & then re-build the outsides of the wall, backfilling as we go. Trouble was there were a lot of loose stones and I had this vision of us removing the wall all the way to ground level. Wish he was here now to for a little moral support. Eventually having removed approx. 1 metre of stonework we hit something firm. 'Quick get some concrete mixed and let's start re-building this wall' Barbara said. With Babs' knocking up batches of concrete & lining up the stone we made slow but steady progress & by 4:00 the wall was looking reasonably straight and, more importantly, solid. Time for afternoon tea and we're joined by a little visitor. A field mouse pops its head round the corner of our 'bait cabin' and gets as bigger shock as we do. Perhaps the next visit to VDR may involve a trip to the cats home. Still eager to work on we make a start on filling in the screw holes & joins in the plasterboards. A good day so think we may open one of those expensive bottles of wine, let's just hope the wall's still standing in the morning even if we're not.
Saturday 10th. It's so disappointing when you open the mail box full of anticipation and it's empty so today, after 2 days without any post, it's all excitement when the 'La Poste' lady bids us bonjour and hands us our weekly TV highlights DVD from Caroll. Thanks Caroll for taking the time, we look forward to our nightly hour of TV with eager anticipation. The wall's still in place so Barbara continues building the rest of it. She's obviously found an alternative to feet as she'd make a very good bricky. It was probably watching Oz at work in the 1st episode of Auf Wiedersehen Pet last night that's given her such a good eye for the bricks & mortar. Sanded down the plasterboards & applied a second coat of plaster. Early finish tonight as we're off to I & V's for tea.
Sunday 11th. Good night last night and a lovely bottle of M&S red wine. Seams strange that the bottle left France to go to sunny Bolton & ends up back there. Much brighter day so popped over to the market at St. Antonin-Noble-Val this morning. Can't believe how many English people there are wandering round the market. I now know where I can get my Heinz beans from for when Barbara's away. There's a stall selling just English food & books & it was a real struggle to resist buying some bacon & Branston pickle! Barbara spent the afternoon tidying up & I went and did a bit more caulking.
Sunday, 4 February 2007
w/c 29 January 2007
Monday 29th and it's my birthday but I'm not allowed a day off! A pleasant surprise in the email in-box last Saturday, a birthday greeting from one of my old customers in Darlington. Thanks for the thought Judith and if you ever get Peter to leave the country we'd be really pleased to see you both. Turns out I did get half a day off, it's still sub zero so not conducive to work in an old unheated farmhouse. Got a nice selection of cards, a lovely t-shirt off my favourite mother-in-law and a kettle off P & C! Thanks to everyone. Spent the afternoon pricing bathrooms, always something you look forward to doing on your birthday. So it's a night in and a candle lit dinner for two, let's hope it's not confit de canard... again. Would love it to be baked beans on toast, getting fed up with all this haute cuisine. It occurs to me that some of you may not have located Lagarrigue on the map. It's in the department of L'Averyon & Rodez is the nearest city of any size and is served by Ryanair (have a look on their website for a rough idea of where we are). We're west of Rodez and approx. 18 kms south of Villefranche de Rouergue just off the D922, near the small town of La Fouillade.
Tuesday 30th – Cold morning again so up to Gilly's to do a bit more caulking in the warmth. By the time our house is ready to decorate I'll be a master caulker. It's a beautifully sunny day & by lunch time, don't forget we get 2 hours for lunch in France, it's warm enough to do a bit on our own house. The plan today is to start erecting the stud partitioning. In France they use a metal framework instead of wood and as I was always good at Meccano I'm sure it will be a breeze. It didn't go to bad with only one piece of metal cut to the wrong length & Barbara & I still on speaking terms. Pity we only got one length done (just kidding Paul). A couple of weeks ago we'd received a brochure through the post telling us that the mobile hardware store would be visiting the district today. One of the numerous items he had on offer was 'Mastic Époxy' the ideal product for repairing tools, pipes, car exhausts and it was only €9.90! As I'd not yet managed to save enough money to repair the car's catalytic converter this could be the answer to my prayers. I'll let you know once it's warmed up enough for me to crawl under the car and have a go at at some DIY. It was so much easier to take it to Kwik Fit & get the company to pay the bill.
Wednesday 31st & we're both keen to get on with wall building so it's sandwiches made and off to work we go. We make good progress and by 11:00 it's time for a cuppa & a chance to try out our new kettle. Only one problem, the waters frozen, so we'll have to forgo the tea. Barbara's not that bothered as it's a long day without a toilet handy! Next to our house is a small cottage which has been up for sale for some time. The old owners started to move their possessions out at 10:00 this morning just as the new owners arrived with the estate agent to check out what they were about to purchase. It's not unusual in France for the house to be stripped of all fixtures & fittings. Not only will they remove the light fittings but the lamp holder & ceiling rose will go as well. Anyway off they all go to the Notaire to finalise the purchase & after a couple of hours they're back to finish emptying the house. We can't help being nosy, and always wanting to cement international relations, we pop out to introduce ourselves to our new neighbours. They're your typical French country house owners, English from Hertfordshire and intend to use the house as a holiday home. Could be some work there for a local couple ready to do anything for a Euro. A short while later there's a knock at the door, 'Do you have an angle grinder we can borrow? The old owners can't get a bed frame out of the house'. A bit more original than wanting to borrow a cup of sugar. We'd arranged for another stove company to visit this afternoon and give us a devis (quotation). Ian was there to help translate & after waiting 30 minutes beyond the appointment time & no sign of them we gave them a call, well Ian did. 'Oh sorry he's been delayed and will be at least another hour. We rearrange the rendezvous for next week but it doesn't exactly fill you with confidence does it?
Thursday 1st February – A productive day to day. Got all the metal stud wall partitioning up, including the doors. The doors come pre assembled and already hung in a frame with hinges & locks in place. It makes them so much easier to install, even for an amateur like me. Weather was a bit warmer today so thought it was time to have a go at the car's exhaust. Getting the car high enough to crawl under was a bit of a problem but with the ramps off the trailer on blocks of wood we managed to get sufficient space for me to work. Barbara mixed the 'Mastic Époxy' and I moulded it round the joint on the catalytic converter & left it to set. Twenty minutes later and I start the car. Fantastic it no longer sounds like an Airbus A320 taking off, let's hope it stays that way for a least a few trips to VDR. Had another chat with our new neighbours today, Barbara giving them lots of advise on where to install the shower. It's amazing what knowledge you can pick up in such a short time as a property developer. Also met their estate agent, another Englishman who has an agency in nearby Najac. Invited us to drop in for tea & biscuits any time we were passing. Wonder if he's looking for an experienced ex sales manager with wit, charm & a winning smile who could show prospective purchasers round properties in the area? Always fancied myself as an estate agent!
Friday 2nd and off to VDR for some more plasterboards. Originally we'd thought it would be easier to work with 600mm wide boards but now that the framework is in place it's obvious that the 1,200mm ones will give us a better finish. You live & learn and I'm sure we'll be able to use the 600mm ones somewhere. Called in to view more wood burning stoves & with a little persuasion from Barbara they agree to call out this afternoon & prepare a devis. I also got another birthday present today, a lovely lunch in a restaurant we've been to before in VDR. I chose the 'menu rapide', country patè, steak with frites & a dessert. Very nice apart from the rare steak that was ever so slightly tough. Ah well it'll be back to the old canard next time. The French love their bargains as much as the English & 'La Poste' deliver special offer leaflets by the tonne. As it's about the only French document I can understand they always get read cover to cover. There were a few bargains this week so we call in to E.Leclerc & Hyper U for a €7.75 orbital sander (I'll be able to give Auntie Sandra hers back) & large boxes of screws for €2.25 (it's amazing what the lack of a regular income will drive you to). There's also a kettle for €5.01, £3.34!!! Don't tell P & C. Back to the house to unload the plasterboards & wait for the stove man to turn up. He does, 30 minutes early, a bit more promising than the last company we arranged a rendezvous with. PS; The car ran like a ran like Mercedes should do, even a 14 year old one with 194,000 miles on the clock. PPS; better go now & study stove brochures with Babs.
Saturday 3rd and we've been here a month. A few plasterboards and insulation in place and it's looking good. Exchanged telephone numbers with the new neighbours & a request to keep an eye on their place. They were on their way to visit a friend of a friend who had just bought a Châteaux. He's an American with a home in The Nappa Valley & an apartment in Paris. Not bad eh? Got a nice surprise today when I opened the post box, the boxed set of DVD's of Auf Wiedersehn Pet and a DVD of various UK TV programmes. Thank you Rebecca & Matthew for Auf W' & Caroll for the TV compilation. The first time Barbara opened the letterbox, which is locked with a key, she had to take a second look t see how the posty had got the parcel in the box! How do they get the parcels through the standard letter box opening? Off out tonight to the 'Quarter Party'. A regular gathering of locals who live within the local area (quarter). We all have to take either a starter or pudding, the main course and wine being supplied by the hosts. May be a very quiet night for us if no ones speaks any English. I'll report back tomorrow.
Sunday 4th and what a great night it was. We were made to feel very welcome with everyone exchanging kisses & handshakes in the traditional French way. With approximately 30 people there and enough food & drink for twice that number you can imagine how the night went. A Ricard on arrival, lots & lots & lots of red wine with the main course, Champagne between the cheese & sweet courses and to finish it all off a home-made prune liquor With a lot of help from Ian & Vilia we were able to answer the many questions the locals had for an English couple who couldn't speak French and had just moved to their village. Why? How old are you (they were pleased we were so young – nice people)? Do we intend to find work?
At about 8:45, we'd been there drinking Ricard & having nibbles since 7:30, we took our seats for the first course, French onion soup with a topping of bread & cheese. Very filling but delicious. The main course was pork loin stuffed with garlic & parsley butter and served with Aligot. Aligot is a local potato dish and we were asked if we would like to see it being prepared. Using a heated bowl the size of a large kitchen sink you boil milk & garlic and add home made butter, all the time stirring in a clockwise direction. You then add dried potato pieces, a bit like Smash, and a local hard cheese. I know it sounds nothing special but it's fantastic. At about 10:30 the pork is ready and we sit down with yet more red wine & enjoy the beautifully cooked main course. We're fortunate enough to sit next to a local farmer who speaks English, he says badly & I say I wish my French was that bad! He has a biological (organic) farm with approximately 22 cattle and tells us that there is no great demand for organic food in France and he has to sell his meat to local butchers who don't differentiate between his & non-organic meat. We also start a long discussion on the length of logs and the environmental issues surrounding the use of oak & chestnut for fires & stoves.
By now we've moved on to the cheese course and the conversation has turned to the longevity of the local 'Maire', a very important & powerful man in France. He's the longest serving Maire in France having held the post for over 40 years & rumour has it he's also the oldest. We got the impression that some guests thought it was time for a change with one saying that as there were now so many English people in the village perhaps Ian should stand for election.
The cheese course consisted of fromage frais which you sprinkle brown sugar on & Roquefort. The Champagne then flowed. There were no cries of 'The Queen Duke Of Lancaster' or, more surprisingly, viva The Revolution. Bit disappointing really. By now I think it must have been approaching 11:30 and the puddings arrived. What a selection, 2 types of fresh fruit salad, sherry trifle from Vilia, walnut cake, tart citron & brioche made with a minimum of 30 eggs! When the coffee arrived it was real struggle to get it down especially as it was accompanied by chocolates & the 50% proof home-made prune liquor which you drank by soaking a sugar cube in it & eating. Well I think that's what you were supposed to do, by that time I was on automatic pilot!. In the spirit of furthering French/English relations we both sampled the potent liquid but I don't think either of us will be looking for a another shot soon.
We staggered home at about 1:15 having enjoyed real warm French hospitality and a superb night out. For those interested our contribution to the starters was a delicious smoked mackerel pate which we were pleased to see went down very well.
This afternoon, after accepting an invitation last night, we dropped in to catch the second half of Najac FC's home game. They lost 2 - 0.
Tuesday 30th – Cold morning again so up to Gilly's to do a bit more caulking in the warmth. By the time our house is ready to decorate I'll be a master caulker. It's a beautifully sunny day & by lunch time, don't forget we get 2 hours for lunch in France, it's warm enough to do a bit on our own house. The plan today is to start erecting the stud partitioning. In France they use a metal framework instead of wood and as I was always good at Meccano I'm sure it will be a breeze. It didn't go to bad with only one piece of metal cut to the wrong length & Barbara & I still on speaking terms. Pity we only got one length done (just kidding Paul). A couple of weeks ago we'd received a brochure through the post telling us that the mobile hardware store would be visiting the district today. One of the numerous items he had on offer was 'Mastic Époxy' the ideal product for repairing tools, pipes, car exhausts and it was only €9.90! As I'd not yet managed to save enough money to repair the car's catalytic converter this could be the answer to my prayers. I'll let you know once it's warmed up enough for me to crawl under the car and have a go at at some DIY. It was so much easier to take it to Kwik Fit & get the company to pay the bill.
Wednesday 31st & we're both keen to get on with wall building so it's sandwiches made and off to work we go. We make good progress and by 11:00 it's time for a cuppa & a chance to try out our new kettle. Only one problem, the waters frozen, so we'll have to forgo the tea. Barbara's not that bothered as it's a long day without a toilet handy! Next to our house is a small cottage which has been up for sale for some time. The old owners started to move their possessions out at 10:00 this morning just as the new owners arrived with the estate agent to check out what they were about to purchase. It's not unusual in France for the house to be stripped of all fixtures & fittings. Not only will they remove the light fittings but the lamp holder & ceiling rose will go as well. Anyway off they all go to the Notaire to finalise the purchase & after a couple of hours they're back to finish emptying the house. We can't help being nosy, and always wanting to cement international relations, we pop out to introduce ourselves to our new neighbours. They're your typical French country house owners, English from Hertfordshire and intend to use the house as a holiday home. Could be some work there for a local couple ready to do anything for a Euro. A short while later there's a knock at the door, 'Do you have an angle grinder we can borrow? The old owners can't get a bed frame out of the house'. A bit more original than wanting to borrow a cup of sugar. We'd arranged for another stove company to visit this afternoon and give us a devis (quotation). Ian was there to help translate & after waiting 30 minutes beyond the appointment time & no sign of them we gave them a call, well Ian did. 'Oh sorry he's been delayed and will be at least another hour. We rearrange the rendezvous for next week but it doesn't exactly fill you with confidence does it?
Thursday 1st February – A productive day to day. Got all the metal stud wall partitioning up, including the doors. The doors come pre assembled and already hung in a frame with hinges & locks in place. It makes them so much easier to install, even for an amateur like me. Weather was a bit warmer today so thought it was time to have a go at the car's exhaust. Getting the car high enough to crawl under was a bit of a problem but with the ramps off the trailer on blocks of wood we managed to get sufficient space for me to work. Barbara mixed the 'Mastic Époxy' and I moulded it round the joint on the catalytic converter & left it to set. Twenty minutes later and I start the car. Fantastic it no longer sounds like an Airbus A320 taking off, let's hope it stays that way for a least a few trips to VDR. Had another chat with our new neighbours today, Barbara giving them lots of advise on where to install the shower. It's amazing what knowledge you can pick up in such a short time as a property developer. Also met their estate agent, another Englishman who has an agency in nearby Najac. Invited us to drop in for tea & biscuits any time we were passing. Wonder if he's looking for an experienced ex sales manager with wit, charm & a winning smile who could show prospective purchasers round properties in the area? Always fancied myself as an estate agent!
Friday 2nd and off to VDR for some more plasterboards. Originally we'd thought it would be easier to work with 600mm wide boards but now that the framework is in place it's obvious that the 1,200mm ones will give us a better finish. You live & learn and I'm sure we'll be able to use the 600mm ones somewhere. Called in to view more wood burning stoves & with a little persuasion from Barbara they agree to call out this afternoon & prepare a devis. I also got another birthday present today, a lovely lunch in a restaurant we've been to before in VDR. I chose the 'menu rapide', country patè, steak with frites & a dessert. Very nice apart from the rare steak that was ever so slightly tough. Ah well it'll be back to the old canard next time. The French love their bargains as much as the English & 'La Poste' deliver special offer leaflets by the tonne. As it's about the only French document I can understand they always get read cover to cover. There were a few bargains this week so we call in to E.Leclerc & Hyper U for a €7.75 orbital sander (I'll be able to give Auntie Sandra hers back) & large boxes of screws for €2.25 (it's amazing what the lack of a regular income will drive you to). There's also a kettle for €5.01, £3.34!!! Don't tell P & C. Back to the house to unload the plasterboards & wait for the stove man to turn up. He does, 30 minutes early, a bit more promising than the last company we arranged a rendezvous with. PS; The car ran like a ran like Mercedes should do, even a 14 year old one with 194,000 miles on the clock. PPS; better go now & study stove brochures with Babs.
Saturday 3rd and we've been here a month. A few plasterboards and insulation in place and it's looking good. Exchanged telephone numbers with the new neighbours & a request to keep an eye on their place. They were on their way to visit a friend of a friend who had just bought a Châteaux. He's an American with a home in The Nappa Valley & an apartment in Paris. Not bad eh? Got a nice surprise today when I opened the post box, the boxed set of DVD's of Auf Wiedersehn Pet and a DVD of various UK TV programmes. Thank you Rebecca & Matthew for Auf W' & Caroll for the TV compilation. The first time Barbara opened the letterbox, which is locked with a key, she had to take a second look t see how the posty had got the parcel in the box! How do they get the parcels through the standard letter box opening? Off out tonight to the 'Quarter Party'. A regular gathering of locals who live within the local area (quarter). We all have to take either a starter or pudding, the main course and wine being supplied by the hosts. May be a very quiet night for us if no ones speaks any English. I'll report back tomorrow.
Sunday 4th and what a great night it was. We were made to feel very welcome with everyone exchanging kisses & handshakes in the traditional French way. With approximately 30 people there and enough food & drink for twice that number you can imagine how the night went. A Ricard on arrival, lots & lots & lots of red wine with the main course, Champagne between the cheese & sweet courses and to finish it all off a home-made prune liquor With a lot of help from Ian & Vilia we were able to answer the many questions the locals had for an English couple who couldn't speak French and had just moved to their village. Why? How old are you (they were pleased we were so young – nice people)? Do we intend to find work?
At about 8:45, we'd been there drinking Ricard & having nibbles since 7:30, we took our seats for the first course, French onion soup with a topping of bread & cheese. Very filling but delicious. The main course was pork loin stuffed with garlic & parsley butter and served with Aligot. Aligot is a local potato dish and we were asked if we would like to see it being prepared. Using a heated bowl the size of a large kitchen sink you boil milk & garlic and add home made butter, all the time stirring in a clockwise direction. You then add dried potato pieces, a bit like Smash, and a local hard cheese. I know it sounds nothing special but it's fantastic. At about 10:30 the pork is ready and we sit down with yet more red wine & enjoy the beautifully cooked main course. We're fortunate enough to sit next to a local farmer who speaks English, he says badly & I say I wish my French was that bad! He has a biological (organic) farm with approximately 22 cattle and tells us that there is no great demand for organic food in France and he has to sell his meat to local butchers who don't differentiate between his & non-organic meat. We also start a long discussion on the length of logs and the environmental issues surrounding the use of oak & chestnut for fires & stoves.
By now we've moved on to the cheese course and the conversation has turned to the longevity of the local 'Maire', a very important & powerful man in France. He's the longest serving Maire in France having held the post for over 40 years & rumour has it he's also the oldest. We got the impression that some guests thought it was time for a change with one saying that as there were now so many English people in the village perhaps Ian should stand for election.
The cheese course consisted of fromage frais which you sprinkle brown sugar on & Roquefort. The Champagne then flowed. There were no cries of 'The Queen Duke Of Lancaster' or, more surprisingly, viva The Revolution. Bit disappointing really. By now I think it must have been approaching 11:30 and the puddings arrived. What a selection, 2 types of fresh fruit salad, sherry trifle from Vilia, walnut cake, tart citron & brioche made with a minimum of 30 eggs! When the coffee arrived it was real struggle to get it down especially as it was accompanied by chocolates & the 50% proof home-made prune liquor which you drank by soaking a sugar cube in it & eating. Well I think that's what you were supposed to do, by that time I was on automatic pilot!. In the spirit of furthering French/English relations we both sampled the potent liquid but I don't think either of us will be looking for a another shot soon.
We staggered home at about 1:15 having enjoyed real warm French hospitality and a superb night out. For those interested our contribution to the starters was a delicious smoked mackerel pate which we were pleased to see went down very well.
This afternoon, after accepting an invitation last night, we dropped in to catch the second half of Najac FC's home game. They lost 2 - 0.
Sunday, 28 January 2007
w/c 22 January 2007
Monday 22nd and a bit of a disaster after I posted the blog yesterday. Caught the car's exhaust and damaged the catalytic converter. Looks like it's going to be expensive. Final day of Paul's help for now so we were up & out early & call at the local garage for an estimate to repair the car; Ouch!! With a joist to patch and floorboards to plane and screw into place we make a good start but have to make a quick dash to VDR (nothing new there) for some more screws and to get the chainsaw sharpened again. It's worth it as the saw makes light(ish) work of cutting the joist. Arranged for the electrician to call and give us an estimate for the electric work, he'll call on Thursday. Called at Ian & Vilia's for a little help speaking to the roofer we have organised to replace the roof. Originally he'd said he could do the job in March/April. Hopefully with the good weather we've had recently he may be able to do it earlier. We'll wait and see. Tuesday 23rd and what a change in the weather. Last week we were sitting out for lunch with a high of 17º, today it's down to -6º C and snow is in the air. Only a couple of hours work today as we're taking Paul & Caroll to the airport. By the time we leave at 1:00pm the snow is getting heavier and we make slow progress to Rodez, let's hope the flight's not cancelled. Unfortunately the flight's on time and we have to let P & C go home and continue the project without their expert help. The last 3 weeks have been hectic and we've done a lot of hard work. Thanks for all the help and see you on the piste at the end of February, I'll be ready for a nice relaxing holiday. It's a slow trip back to Najac & with the snow continuing to fall we're looking forward to a nice warm house. Wednesday 24th and never got above -2º C. Is this the same place that was 40º C last July? Well wrapped up & with a flask of hot tea we head off to the house to measure up for the electrics. We've arranged with Sidney, another friend from England who speaks French, to help us out when the electrician calls tomorrow. So it's round to his house to go through things with him and then back to P & C's house to draw up the plans. Not physical work but it takes us two & half hours to plan where the sockets, lights, switches etc. are to go. Thursday 25th and still pretty darn cold. Got on with a few minor jobs this morning; removing the old wiring & nails from the roof joists on the first floor, filling the screws heads in on the floorboards & keeping warm! Good meeting with the electrician, he was really impressed with my drawings! Although he didn't comment on my French translation of electrical terms; a 2 way switch is a 'Interrupter va-et-vient' and a 'Prise De Courant' is a power outlet, not bad eh? With Sidney's help M Regourd said he would have a devis to us by the end of next week. I'm sure that'll make good reading with the help of my dictionary of French building terms. We'd also arranged for a wood burning stove supplier to visit this afternoon and give us an estimate. Barbara had just finished cleaning up when he arrived. He assessed what was required by removing a grill at the bottom of the chimney, it's contents of many years emptying on to the recently cleaned floor. Glad is wasn't me! Anyone know if Dick Van Dyke is still cleaning chimneys & will visit France? Friday 26th and now it's even colder, -7º C, and I don't think this was what Barbara had in mind when we discussed moving to the South of France. It's to cold to work so we check out the local building suppliers for plaster board and stud partitioning then it's back to house, after the obligatory 2 hour lunch, to measure up. We'll collect what we need tomorrow morning and hopefully make a start in the afternoon. Off to a Burns night tonight and a bit of networking. A Burns night in France? Saturday 27th and a bit of a surreal experience last night. Having a haggis cooked by an Irish woman paraded round an English tea room by a Scotsman, in kilt & all the trimmings, and with translations into French for the 6 local residents it all seemed a little un-real. Good night out but not much achieved in the way of networking. Minus 10.5º C at 10:00 this morning so it was a quick dash to VDR to collect the placo (plasterboards). Called in at the chainsaw sharpening man on the way back to see what he wanted for the second-hand strimmer I spotted earlier in the week. Try to ask the price in French only for him to answer in English but with an American accent. Turns out he's Iranian, was taught English by Americans & his brother lives in the USA. He went on to say that a lot of his customers are English & his daughter is studying to become an English teacher. Sure M. Chirac will be impressed! Called to see I & V for help in writing out our first French cheques and ended up helping him paint the landing. Don't feel to bad now asking for help with translations. Sunday 28th and not quite so cold so cleared the barn out, tidied up the house in preparation for building the stud partition wall and spent the afternoon at Gilly's doing some odd jobs.
Have posted a few photographs at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Airbourneuk/LagarrigueProgress Hope the link works this time.
Have posted a few photographs at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Airbourneuk/LagarrigueProgress Hope the link works this time.
Sunday, 21 January 2007
The first 2 weeks
Reading through my first attempt at the blog it came across that not much had happened in the first couple of weeks & that I could probably go in to a bit more detail. So ignore the first posting & here goes.
We started our great adventure from Slaley on Tuesday 2nd January 2007 @ 7:00 am when we set off south. Although wet & windy we made good time and arrived at Folkstone in time to catch an earlier train. Straight through customs with only a few questions about why we had the the kitchen sink in the trailer and we were on the train and leaving English soil. On the road again and on our way to Dunkirk – oops wrong way; what a start! On the right road & despite consistent rain we made good time and managed to get well south of Paris by 10:00. Thanks to Barbara's excellent navigation & Paul's proficiency at towing the trailer we spent our first night at the AS Hotel in Artenay. Another early morning (I'm sure there's going to be a few of these) with Barbara & Paul following on behind I head for Bordeaux at the next road junction. Wrong decision. I really am going to have to look at the road signs a little more carefully if we're ever to get to Lagarrigue. With regular stops for petrol, should have got a diesel, we arrive at Paul & Caroll's house in Najac looking forward to a pizza at the local restaurant. To bad it's closed on Wednesdays. We head for bed early looking forward to our first full day working on the house.
Thursday 4th, Paul's birthday - many happy returns. First job was to collect our cheque book & bank cards, items I'm sure will get plenty of use over the coming months, and then on to purchase joists & tools for the job ahead. After 3 trips back & forth to Villefranche de Rouergue (VDG) we have all the materials on site for the first job; replacing all the joists on the first floor. Friday 5th we empty the cellar, demolish the wall between the kitchen & dining room, pull the ceilings down and start on the joists only to find that we're going to need to replace the floorboards. So off to VDG, trailer in tow, for floorboards and more petrol. Saturday 6th loft cleaned out, Barbara starts hacking out, Paul removes the ceiling in what was the living room & then he & I start work removing the floorboards. Meal out tonight at the local pizza restaurant with Ian & Vilia as a thank you for sorting us a supply of firewood out, thank goodness it's open this time. Sunday 7th a day of rest! We finished removing the floorboards and then struggle to get one of the seven joists out we need to replace. Think it will be a trip to VDG for a chainsaw tomorrow.
Monday 8th and we manage to pick up a second hand chainsaw for 100 Euros; what a bargain. By the end of the day we've got all the joists down been back to VDR to get the chainsaw sharpened & had time for a coffee in McDonalds. Tuesday 9th and we've arranged for the architect to visit this afternoon and discuss what we can do with the barn. In the morning I start making the holes in the cellar to take the new joists and Barbara continues to hack out. Paul heads back to the house in Najac to install the washing machine. It'll be nice to have a change of shirt. Good meeting with M. Collete, the architect, all we need to do is pay him 750 Euros to get him started! Out for dinner tonight at Ian & Vilia's, a couple of originally from Blackburn who moved out here ten years ago. They're a great help when it comes to translation & local gossip. Wednesday 10th holes finished & 3 joists in place. Very heavy work & looking forward to a beer tonight. Thursday 11th & the joists are finished the septic tanks been delivered and Barbara is still hacking out; looks like it's going to be long job. Friday 12th and the joists are now concreted in to place and have to set before we can fit the floorboards so it's lunch out & off to VDR to price staircases. Saturday 13th and it's a day off while the concrete goes off. What shall we do? No lie in as we need to pick up a pair of ladders and roof bars for the car. We're now getting used to the fact that all the shops close for lunch between 12:00 & 14:00 and you have to accommodate this when planning your day. Sunday 14th and it's another day off for the concrete to set. Nice walk up to the village, spent some time tidying up outside Paul & Caroll's house and had a well deserved leisurely afternoon.
Monday 15th and it's time to start laying the floorboards. Have to make a quick dash to the local builders merchants for some very expensive wood glue, 40 Euros for 2.5 litres, but it's worth it 'cause the floor looks fantastic. Tuesday 16th – Plan today was to visit the EDF (electricity company) office in VDR and try to arrange for a temporary supply, then on to Rodez to locate a staircase and collect Caroll from the airport. Instead we call at the EDF office and manage via telephone and a very helpful chap to have the electricity supply re-connected that same morning! Try getting things done that quickly with N-Power. Come to think of it try speaking to someone face to face. So back to the house and while waiting for the electricity engineers we do a little more on the floor. By 12:00 noon they'd been and we were all powered up. Having ripped half of the wiring out and left some exposed wires we're going to have to be very careful. Guess which clumsy fool gets the first shock. In fact two. Me!!!!! The septic tank installation had also began that morning and the equivalent of the local building inspector called to OK the work. Paul went off to Rodez to collect Caroll and Barbara & I continued laying the floorboards. Wednesday 17th Paul & I finish the floorboards closely followed by Caroll & Barbara paint brushes in hand applying a coat of protective varnish. It looks great. The septic tank is sorted so it's off the VDR for some food shopping and what seams like the daily visit to Mr Bricolage, France's version of B&Q. Thursday 18th and back to Rodez. I do so wish I'd bought a diesel car but the trip was worth it as we manage to pick a staircase up for 399 Euros that's going to give us so much more room in the living area. A good lunch as well, so all in all a good day. Friday 19th it's an early start and the challenge of putting together a self assembly staircase looms. Went better than we thought and by 12:00 they're built & Caroll & Barbara have demolished a wall and cleared all the resulting rubble away. Pity that wall wasn't coming down (just kidding). There now follows a serious discussion regarding layout of the bedrooms before we cut the floorboards on the first floor. Sensibly Paul & Caroll leave the two of us to it to finalise how we want the bedrooms laid out. Decision made and we cut the floor and fit the staircase. Another productive day and with the stairs now in place we get the first impression of how large the living area is going to be; massive! Sydney & Gilly, Paul & Caroll's friends arrive from England and are coming round for dinner, could be a late night. Saturday 20th staircase finished, Caroll & Barbara remove the chimney in what will be the kitchen and we're then off to VDR for more tools, Mr Bricolage here we come, and wood to repair a joist in the living area. Struggle to get wood in the right dimension and get a puncture; not one of our better days. Sunday 21st day off and a visit to the market in St. Antonin-Noble-Val & pick up some really fresh veg and a roasted chicken for dinner. On the way there we spot a building reclamation yard in a village called Varen that has joists by the dozen! We'll know where to get one from next time. This afternoon we're calling up at Gilly's new house to see how work has progressed through the winter.
Well that's us up to date with a little more detail than in the last blog. I'm sure everyone's bored with it by now so I'll try & keep next weeks report short and sweet.
We started our great adventure from Slaley on Tuesday 2nd January 2007 @ 7:00 am when we set off south. Although wet & windy we made good time and arrived at Folkstone in time to catch an earlier train. Straight through customs with only a few questions about why we had the the kitchen sink in the trailer and we were on the train and leaving English soil. On the road again and on our way to Dunkirk – oops wrong way; what a start! On the right road & despite consistent rain we made good time and managed to get well south of Paris by 10:00. Thanks to Barbara's excellent navigation & Paul's proficiency at towing the trailer we spent our first night at the AS Hotel in Artenay. Another early morning (I'm sure there's going to be a few of these) with Barbara & Paul following on behind I head for Bordeaux at the next road junction. Wrong decision. I really am going to have to look at the road signs a little more carefully if we're ever to get to Lagarrigue. With regular stops for petrol, should have got a diesel, we arrive at Paul & Caroll's house in Najac looking forward to a pizza at the local restaurant. To bad it's closed on Wednesdays. We head for bed early looking forward to our first full day working on the house.
Thursday 4th, Paul's birthday - many happy returns. First job was to collect our cheque book & bank cards, items I'm sure will get plenty of use over the coming months, and then on to purchase joists & tools for the job ahead. After 3 trips back & forth to Villefranche de Rouergue (VDG) we have all the materials on site for the first job; replacing all the joists on the first floor. Friday 5th we empty the cellar, demolish the wall between the kitchen & dining room, pull the ceilings down and start on the joists only to find that we're going to need to replace the floorboards. So off to VDG, trailer in tow, for floorboards and more petrol. Saturday 6th loft cleaned out, Barbara starts hacking out, Paul removes the ceiling in what was the living room & then he & I start work removing the floorboards. Meal out tonight at the local pizza restaurant with Ian & Vilia as a thank you for sorting us a supply of firewood out, thank goodness it's open this time. Sunday 7th a day of rest! We finished removing the floorboards and then struggle to get one of the seven joists out we need to replace. Think it will be a trip to VDG for a chainsaw tomorrow.
Monday 8th and we manage to pick up a second hand chainsaw for 100 Euros; what a bargain. By the end of the day we've got all the joists down been back to VDR to get the chainsaw sharpened & had time for a coffee in McDonalds. Tuesday 9th and we've arranged for the architect to visit this afternoon and discuss what we can do with the barn. In the morning I start making the holes in the cellar to take the new joists and Barbara continues to hack out. Paul heads back to the house in Najac to install the washing machine. It'll be nice to have a change of shirt. Good meeting with M. Collete, the architect, all we need to do is pay him 750 Euros to get him started! Out for dinner tonight at Ian & Vilia's, a couple of originally from Blackburn who moved out here ten years ago. They're a great help when it comes to translation & local gossip. Wednesday 10th holes finished & 3 joists in place. Very heavy work & looking forward to a beer tonight. Thursday 11th & the joists are finished the septic tanks been delivered and Barbara is still hacking out; looks like it's going to be long job. Friday 12th and the joists are now concreted in to place and have to set before we can fit the floorboards so it's lunch out & off to VDR to price staircases. Saturday 13th and it's a day off while the concrete goes off. What shall we do? No lie in as we need to pick up a pair of ladders and roof bars for the car. We're now getting used to the fact that all the shops close for lunch between 12:00 & 14:00 and you have to accommodate this when planning your day. Sunday 14th and it's another day off for the concrete to set. Nice walk up to the village, spent some time tidying up outside Paul & Caroll's house and had a well deserved leisurely afternoon.
Monday 15th and it's time to start laying the floorboards. Have to make a quick dash to the local builders merchants for some very expensive wood glue, 40 Euros for 2.5 litres, but it's worth it 'cause the floor looks fantastic. Tuesday 16th – Plan today was to visit the EDF (electricity company) office in VDR and try to arrange for a temporary supply, then on to Rodez to locate a staircase and collect Caroll from the airport. Instead we call at the EDF office and manage via telephone and a very helpful chap to have the electricity supply re-connected that same morning! Try getting things done that quickly with N-Power. Come to think of it try speaking to someone face to face. So back to the house and while waiting for the electricity engineers we do a little more on the floor. By 12:00 noon they'd been and we were all powered up. Having ripped half of the wiring out and left some exposed wires we're going to have to be very careful. Guess which clumsy fool gets the first shock. In fact two. Me!!!!! The septic tank installation had also began that morning and the equivalent of the local building inspector called to OK the work. Paul went off to Rodez to collect Caroll and Barbara & I continued laying the floorboards. Wednesday 17th Paul & I finish the floorboards closely followed by Caroll & Barbara paint brushes in hand applying a coat of protective varnish. It looks great. The septic tank is sorted so it's off the VDR for some food shopping and what seams like the daily visit to Mr Bricolage, France's version of B&Q. Thursday 18th and back to Rodez. I do so wish I'd bought a diesel car but the trip was worth it as we manage to pick a staircase up for 399 Euros that's going to give us so much more room in the living area. A good lunch as well, so all in all a good day. Friday 19th it's an early start and the challenge of putting together a self assembly staircase looms. Went better than we thought and by 12:00 they're built & Caroll & Barbara have demolished a wall and cleared all the resulting rubble away. Pity that wall wasn't coming down (just kidding). There now follows a serious discussion regarding layout of the bedrooms before we cut the floorboards on the first floor. Sensibly Paul & Caroll leave the two of us to it to finalise how we want the bedrooms laid out. Decision made and we cut the floor and fit the staircase. Another productive day and with the stairs now in place we get the first impression of how large the living area is going to be; massive! Sydney & Gilly, Paul & Caroll's friends arrive from England and are coming round for dinner, could be a late night. Saturday 20th staircase finished, Caroll & Barbara remove the chimney in what will be the kitchen and we're then off to VDR for more tools, Mr Bricolage here we come, and wood to repair a joist in the living area. Struggle to get wood in the right dimension and get a puncture; not one of our better days. Sunday 21st day off and a visit to the market in St. Antonin-Noble-Val & pick up some really fresh veg and a roasted chicken for dinner. On the way there we spot a building reclamation yard in a village called Varen that has joists by the dozen! We'll know where to get one from next time. This afternoon we're calling up at Gilly's new house to see how work has progressed through the winter.
Well that's us up to date with a little more detail than in the last blog. I'm sure everyone's bored with it by now so I'll try & keep next weeks report short and sweet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
