It's Back To The UK again.

It's been back to work with a vengeance this last two weeks and it's been a bit of a shock to the system after three months off. As I mentioned in my last posting I'd left Barbara back in the UK and headed back to Lagarrigue on Monday 23^rd March with a car & trailer full of items that are either considerably cheaper in the UK or, like Branston pickle and bath panels, difficult to source in France. The days of 'rip off Britain' certainly seem to be long gone. Prior to leaving for the UK at the end of last year we'd done some price comparison checks on the fridge, cooker & extractor fan and decided it would be cheaper to buy them in the UK, along with a trailer, and transport them back. As it turned out with the fall in value of the pound & the extremely competitive market there is in the UK for white goods we were able to buy all the items we needed for less than the fridge would have cost in France. So with all the items safely loaded on the trailer it was off to the ferry and a rendezvous with P & C on the opposite side of the English Channel. There was a moment of slight panic when security in Dover pulled me to one side and asked what I had in the trailer. It would appear there are quite a few items heading over the channel as my cargo was accepted without further comment.

We'd decided that with trailer & caravan in tow, P & C were taking their bait cabin with them, that Paris would best be avoided and so it was satnav's set for Rouen and an overnight stay. As we had the main part of our journey still ahead it was an early start, or it would have been if someone hadn't left the fridge on in the caravan. With no chance of bump starting a large 4x4 with caravan attached it fell to the satnav to locate the nearest garage. I headed off for a set of jump leads and returned in less than 10 minutes praising the wonders of satellite navigation. The convoy left the hotel 5 minutes later, coordinates set & synchronised, and headed south on the A28 toll road. All went well until the first toll plaza when the two identical satnav systems sent us off on different routes, beginning to think they're not all they are cracked up to be. The rest of the trip went well & we arrived in Najac about 18:00 and headed for the Pizzeria.

P & C are here to work on their house and all the training I had with Thierry doing our tiling came in handy as we spent the next couple of days cutting & laying floor tiles. They're now grouted and look great and well worth the effort C put in hand selecting each tile! Back at the barn and fired up with enthusiasm for tiling I finished off the last of our tiling in preparation for the return of the Regourds. They've promised to come on Friday 10^th (not a holiday here) and work on the upstairs plumbing & electrics so it's on with a little more plaster boarding in the WC & utility room. With P & C's help and more than a few thoughts of the classic Only Fools & Horses episode we also managed to fit our new chandelier and it's definitely given the room the wow factor. I'm confident that Bab's will be more than impressed when she sees it in place.

With the Regourds heading our way it was time for a visit to Ikea in Toulouse to pick up the kitchen but surprise surprise they only had one of the four units we required in stock. Disappointing but after a quick check on the internet I discovered that the items were in stock back in the UK and were £371.00 cheaper! And so it was that after only two weeks back in France I was on the road and off to experience the delights of Ikea in both Lakeside and Wembley. The plus side was that I was able to fit in an overnight stay with Matthew, have a well deserved curry in Blackheath and collect Barbara. Despite checking stock on the internet when I arrived at Lakeside, 15 minutes from Matthew's, I was told that stock on the computer didn't always match physical stock and they hadn't got one of the units and the only stock was across London at their Wembley store. Great! Three and half hours later I collected a very fed up Barbara from Dartford and headed to the tunnel only to be told our train had been cancelled and there was an hour delay. Ah well I don't suppose you can grab a bargain without any pain.

We had a great journey back to Lagarrigue and I think Barbara was happy with the work that had been done in her absence. Unfortunately the chandelier couldn't been illuminated for her arrival but it looked great and lighting it will be something to look forward to.