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French Frolics
  • Andy and Teresa Mays
  • Teresa Mays
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сент. 2022 – сент. 2025

French Frolics

Jumping off the hampster wheel, taking a breath and hopefully enjoying our lives to the full. Champagne, wine and plenty of cheese. Читать далее
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  • French Frolics
    The Saint-Jacques Church
    The PyreneesTre At The Beanz Café,

    29.12 Day 104 . . . Pau

    29 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    Not exactly up and at it - but we weren’t too late riding and having breakfast, which consisted of a pastry Tre had picked up yesterday evening. We don’t know what
    It is called or what it actually is, but it was bloody tasty!!
    We’d researched an open air parking area in the town centre and after plumbing it into the sat nav, we found ourselves parked up in it about ten minutes later.
    Tre had wanted to see the large church we had spotted when driving through yesterday, so we headed straight for it - Église Saint-Jacques.
    The Saint-Jacques church occupies the site of an old chapel, of the same name, built in 1651 by the order of the Cordeliers. Pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela were thus welcomed within the latter.
    In the 19th century, the city was organized around two parishes. The primitive churches of Saint-Martin and Saint-Jacques are nevertheless too small to accommodate a growing number of faithful. The city of Pau therefore chose to build a new church in the immediate vicinity of the Boulevard du Midi, now the Boulevard des Pyrénées, and palaces welcoming wealthy tourists from all over Europe.
    From then on considered as the project of tourists, a popular subscription was launched in 1860 to build the real church of the Palois in place of the aging chapel of Saint-Jacques. Building on the success of the subscription, work on the church could be launched in July 1861 under the direction of the architect Émile Loupot. The work was finally completed in 1868, three years before the inauguration of the Saint-Martin church.
    There are in excess of 50 stained glass windows within the church most having now been renovated or replaced.
    On leaving Tre decided to kick over the only drink belonging to a homeless guys sitting on the church steps. A brief exchange in French (Tre not me) and all was sorted 😂
    From the church we walked the streets, checking out the many shop windows and buildings.
    Lunch was now order of the day as we have a habit of missing this important time of the day. Realising it was not long before 1pm we feared we had lost our chance once again. So it began - numerous restaurants already full to the brim with people already halfway through their meals.
    We finally found our way down to the Bd des Pyrénées, where not only did we find stunning views of the mountains but also a little place called Beanz Café, which although sounds like a UK big breakfast stop was in fact a really good little restaurant find. We did have to wait about 10 minutes before being given a table, but once it we found it was worth the wait. The place had a lovely feel to it, lots of chatter amongst guests and waiters/waitresses flitting around constantly. Tre had gravlax whilst I had satay chicken with rice.
    As always despite the speed of the staff the food took a while to arrive which was fine, there was no rush. We spent best part of two hits in the restaurant, in the main watching the world go by and admiring the views of the mountains.
    We finally departed the restaurant and walked along the boulevard looking at the views of the mountains and surrounding scenery to the west of us. There didn’t appear to be too much snow up in those mountains, but there did appear to be some dark clouds looming - possibly rain, possibly snow, possibly windy!!
    As we walked west on the boulevard we found ourselves upon yet another very grand church with a memorial standing separate to it between the boulevard and the church - Monument Aux Morts De Pau.
    The monument was created from 1924 to 1927 by the architect Henry Challe and the sculptor Georges Vérez. It represents victorious France symbolized by Athena helmeted and armed. This statue is placed on an imposing pedestal, preceded by a step. A bas-relief representing a widow and her son is located at the back of the building. On each side, cubic piles bear the names of the battles in which the 18th regiment based in Pau took part. To the rear are white tablets with the names of the fallen. It is always so sad to see two or three names the same . . . brothers, or father’s and son’s.
    From the monument we entered the church from a very non descriptive side door. On entering we were treated to a stunning find. If in Pau The Église Saint Martin in Rue Henri IV is well worth a visit. I am not educated enough to describe the interior, other than to say the golden dome seated on a four columned centre piece was beautiful - as were the stained glass windows and paintings. It is a must see!!
    The first Saint-Martin church was built between 1468 and 1472 on a site opposite the Château de Pau
    The order to enlarge the small original chapel was thus taken by Gaston IV of Foix-Béarn. It was the seat of the only parish of Pau until 1803. Under the influence of the Albret family, the church became a Protestant temple between 1563 and 1620.
    Too cramped for the population of Pau, the Saint-Martin church was replaced in 1871 by a new sanctuary placed a little further east.
    It was therefore decided to destroy the old church in 1885. The church tower was partly destroyed in 1794, then rebuilt in wood in 1805 before being completely rebuilt during the construction of the new Saint-Martin church.
    This bell tower still exists in this form, it is now considered the tower of the Parliament of Navarre.
    The new sanctuary - The choice of location has been the subject of fifteen years of debate. The principle of construction was decided in 1851, but the final location was not chosen until 1860 in place of the former Hôtel de Gontaut-Biron.
    The first stone was laid in 1863 and work finally began in 1864.
    The church was inaugurated on December 21, 1871 following work guided by the architect Émile Boeswillwald. Work is still necessary to completely complete the church in the last years of the 19th century.
    It is home to the Paroisse du Christ Sauveur Pau.
    After some time we departed the church and walked the streets of Pau and the many shops. Most again are indépendants and so have gifts not seen anywhere else, which is a treat.
    Finally we decided it was time to head back to the hotel. As we walked north towards the car park a sudden wind hit us to the extent we could hardly walk forwards. Street signage and bill boards together with other non secured items flew about the streets. After about three to four minutes it was gone - as if it had never been. Obviously this had descended from the mountains and I thought back to the dark clouds from earlier.
    We made a brief stop at the Intermarché - Tre dashed in while I circumnavigated the car park numerous times looking for a parking space.
    Once Tre has escaped the shop we drove the short journey home to the hotel - with the newly acquired bars of chocolate 😎
    The evening passed with us destroying the chocolate and a few bits we had left from the night before, settled in front of Netflix, both knackered.
    That was our little visit to Pau - tomorrow we leave on route to Craig and Kate’s.
    Another little drive through the countryside to come.    Читать далее

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    28.12 Day 103 . . . Mountains Of Pau

    28 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Up showered and dressed we finally left the hotel at Bordeaux late morning. Bags thrown into Roxvanne and sat nav set for south avoiding the toll roads. Mr Annals has taught me so much about penny pinching whilst travelling 😂
    Tre had decided she wanted to drive today, as hadn’t for a while - and so we set off. Away from the hotel we left the airport roads and immediately got onto the A63 generally south west. After about 20 minutes we stopped to get fuel for the journey south. We also decided to have a late breakfast / early lunch to save stopping again. We both had a baguette with Cantal cheese, salami and cornichons crammed within. Tre also bought a Canele which we had seen often - a lot in Bordeaux but had not tried before. A canelé is a small French pastry, flavored with rum and vanilla with a soft and tender custard center and a dark, thick caramelized crust. It takes the shape of a small, striated cylinder up to five centimeters in height with a depression at the top. A specialty of the Bordeaux region of France apparently. The texture was similar to a Yorkshire pudding. Tre was not a fan but surprisingly it grew on me, so I finished Tre’s as well 😎
    Back onto the A63 we headed for Pau. Still generally south west we passed Saugnac-et-Muret and then onto Castets. At Castets we then headed south east to Dax and on through to Orthez. Continuing on south east we finally arrived in Pau, which immediately seemed a lot bigger than either of us had expected.
    We navigated through the town and then out the other side and north to our accommodation for a couple of nights. The All Suites Apart Hotel (4 Rue des Tiredous, 64000 Pau) is more apartment’s than a hotel it’s fair to say, but it wasn’t really a furnished apartment either. A little strange but a lovely little hold up for a couple of nights, newly furnished and spotlessly clean. The reception staff were really helpful and answered a few questions we had about the town.
    We had about half an hour researching some bits and pieces on the phone, where to go and what to see in Pau before heading out to grab some food for the evening. We had decided to eat in tonight and then eat out in Pau town centre tomorrow.
    We drove five minutes down the road to a Leclerc which was within a shopping mall and was massive. What I hadn’t anticipated was the jewellery counter situated just outside of Leclerc, allowing Tre to get her own back on me for my time at the vinyl records stops yesterday. To be fair she didn’t take an age and still has time accrued to use somewhere else for pay back.
    We spent forever Leclerc trying to find what we wanted and then had hassle with the self service rolls on the way out. Quite possibly won’t be going back.
    Back at the apartment we chilled, ate our food and watched some French TV - a guy who invites guests on his programme to eat hot chilli sauces from around the world. I didn’t understand overly much about what was said, but it was easy to follow as you can imagine. Lots of brow sweating and drinking of milk after each sauce.
    Then it was sleeps - I’ve not been sleeping brilliantly last feed weeks, probably just a lot on my mind, so Tre suggested a mindfulness app before bed (whilst in bed) to see if that helps. Will update tomorrow.
    Pau Day tomorrow.    Читать далее

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  • French Frolics
    Grand Theatre BordeauxPlace De La BoursePort CailhauRue Sainte-CatherineSt. Andre Cathedral

    27.12 Day 102 . . . Fire Starter

    27 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    3.50am !! Yep, bloody 3.50am was when the fire alarm sounded at the hotel. Followed by about 30 seconds of wondering if this was a dream or even a false alarm, but then diving out of bed to throw on some clothes. At the same time trying to clear your head and think about what you needed to grab . . . door key, van key, wallet, whilst also thinking we are in the third floor, where was the staircase as we can’t use the lift. Doors banging along the corridor as other guests scuttled out of their rooms. After what seemed an age Tre was first into the corridor only to find a member of staff calming everyone down and explaining she had found the source - a guest smoking in their room!! FFS !!
    It was good to know the staff had reacted so quickly and identified the source and location of the activation. We shuffled back into the room still half asleep, but took a little pleasure from the fact we had been that slow in getting dressed that we had not made it outside into the foggy cold night like some other better reacting guests had. They were still standing in the car park.
    We had about 3/4hr until we had to get up and so decided to flop on our beds fully clothed for a final doze before our alarms!! I lay there thinking . . .
    Penalty for setting off the hotel alarm:
    1. Immediate pack up of belongings and kicked out of the hotel
    2. A sign hung around their neck to identify them as the selfish sod responsible
    3. All other guests issued with eggs to throw at the selfish twat as they left.
    4. Or a really big stick !!
    How can one person cause so many others this disturbance without penalty!!
    Up again when the alarm on the phone chirped, no need to dress, it wasn’t long until we were sitting in Roxvanne waiting for the windscreen to clear. Five minutes later we were parked at Bordeaux Airport, out and into Billie Terminal. Final goodbyes and Munch was gone again - the past week has flown by.
    Tre and I drove back to the hotel and hopped back into bed setting our alarm for 9am so we could get up again and spend some time in Bordeaux.
    Both of us felt rubbish when we awoke and got up at just gone 9am. We decided to grab coffee in Bordeaux so quickly got ourselves together and walked to the bus stop we had been told about the previous time we were here. Only at that point did I realise I had forgotten my phone so back to the hotel we trudged, watching the bus arrive at the stop as we did so. Phone collected we headed back to the stop. Five minutes later the No 1 bus arrived (They are about every ten minutes without fail) and we got on. A whole €3 was the charge for both of us for the approximately 25 minute journey into the city centre. I can never get over how cheap it is!
    Off at Gambetta - again our normal stop and off into the side streets of shops, cafe’s and bars. We also noted the stop for the return journey, something we had failed to do the last time.
    We decided to grab a snack and coffee whilst walking so not to waste our time here.
    Bordeaux is a lovely city - well we think so, with stunning architecture from times gone by. It has a very relaxed feel for what is a large and busy centre.
    We have on both occasions we have been here to wander, ended up in roughly the same relatively small area, but there is so much to see that we’ve not found the need to venture further as yet - we will. We found our way finally down to the river (Garonne) and Place de La Bourse.
    Place de la Bourse is one of the city's most recognisable sights. Built from 1730 to 1775 along the river Garonne, it was a multi-building development designed by architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel.
    In the original plan, a statue of King Louis XV of France was erected in the square. This statue was destroyed during the French Revolution. After the destruction of the statue, a Corinthian column-fountain was built on the square. Finally, in 1869 the sculpture Three Graces was installed in the same location.
    The weather was still murky and a little chilly and so we decided upon lunch. I’m not sure how many restaurants we looked at, some we tried to enter but were full, but we ended up at Place du Parlement and the L'Ombriere Café.
    Weirdly, Teresa had been talking to me when we had been getting ready to leave the hotel, about her Dad and a strange dream she had had, that she needed to call him as she was now in France. Teresa’s dad had passed in May this year which it is why it was a little strange.
    Anyhow as we sat waiting for our food in the restaurant I happened to look up and the ceiling was covered in hundreds of Christmas bauble decorations. I said to Tre - ‘I think your dad sent us here’, she looked up and saw all the baubles. Teresa’s dad always covered their ceiling at home with baubles at Christmas time . . . another little spooky thing that has happened to us since being here.
    We both had a lovely lunch, we had picked the same for mains, which was a honey glazed pork with sweet potato mash, very simple but was fab.
    I guess we spent best part of a couple of hours in the restaurant - service was by no means fast, but that was fine, we were happy to just chill.
    Once outside the sunshine had made an appearance and we decided to have another look at the river. The sun made such a difference to the remainder of the afternoon lighting little parts of tiny alleyways and creating all manner of reflections on the windows of the shops and buildings.
    Further shops were visited before we hit Café des Arts once again for hot chocolate. On our way back to the bus stop I had booked a slot with Tre for me to visit a vinyl shop I had seen the day before when we were with Munch.
    I had a good dig through everything outside and inside the shop, even getting Tre in on it to go check certain boxes for me. Well known bands in the vinyl shops I’ve managed to find here all have expensive price tags in the albums. Lesser bands who would be known in the UK but not in France so much have a drastically lower price pinned on them, unlike the UK. So with a couple of purchases made we headed back towards the bus stop passing the Cathedral on route. As luck would have it (for me) there was a small market near to the cathedral - it hadn’t ever been there previously when we had passed, with two guys selling . . . Vinyl. I did feel a little sorry for Tre as I squandered another 15 minutes of her life, while I looked in old cardboard boxes for hidden treasures.
    A further purchase made and we walked without any other distraction to the bus stop. Within about five minutes we were seated on the bus heading back to the hotel. The only minor irritation on the return was that the driver, who was obviously trying to make up time in his route decided to ignore the bell ring we made and we ended up past our stop at the bloody airport. We spoke to the driver who didn’t exactly apologise, but said we could travel the return route and he would stop at our stop. He had parked and switched off the bus at this point so Tre and I dashed into the airport terminal building to use the faculties then straight back out as the driver returned to the bus and let us back on. Five minutes later he was delivering us to our stop without the need for a bell ring 😂
    A two minute walk to the hotel and we seated with a beer and a wine in the foyer. It wasn’t long before slightly jaded from our earlier than expected start to the day we retired to our room, a little Netflix viewing together and then sleep.
    Tomorrow we start a mini Roxvanne road trip!    Читать далее

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  • French Frolics
    Le Café des Arts
    Cathédrale Saint Andre de Bordeaux

    26.12 Day 101 . . . Destination Bordeaux

    26 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    So - up with the larks . . . no, not really, we just had to be out by about 1pm so we could get to see a bit of Bordeaux with Munch before she flies home tomorrow.
    Bags packed and loaded into Roxvanne, final checks indoors as we won’t be home for a few days and we are off.
    The journey towards Bordeaux was uneventful until we crossed the Dordogne and then hit a mother of all traffic jams. We then crawled along with the hundreds of others on what normally is the fastest section of road towards Bordeaux.
    I got Tre to find an alternate route as soon as we could, as we didn’t need to get to the airport today so had time on our side. We hopped off the motorway and headed initially east to Saint Loubès then south to Yvrac, then on and through Tresses and fort her south towards and through Cénac. We then travelled west and then across Pont Saint-Jean into the city of Bordeaux.
    We set the sat nav for a cafe we used weeks ago as I managed to find on street parking for Rox near to the cafe. The multi storey car parks are all too low for her.
    As luck had it, as we hit the road with the on street parking someone left a bay and we were able to take the now vacant one and only bay.
    Parking paid on the phone with one of the numerous apps I now have for parking, and we set off to Le Café des Arts which we had been to before. We all needed a loo stop and we knew the cafe had facilities!!
    It was lovely sitting in the cafe with hot chocolate just people watching. Bordeaux is so busy but in a weird way absolutely not like London or any other UK city. There seems to be a different pace about the business, slightly less frantic.
    After chocolate we told Munch she would love the cathedral in the centre and as it was a five minute walk it was a perfect idea . . . . For two grown ups who now like architecture and such like . . . Not for a 17yr old. Munch first words when entering the cathedral were - ‘I’m hungry’ . . . So we didn’t stay long!
    The cathedral ‘Cathédrale Saint Andre de Bordeaux’ is definitely worth a visit if in Bordeaux - if only to wonder at how they built something like this when they did, I can’t get my head around how!
    Our last visited restaurant which was close to the cathedral was rammed full, the next restaurant we tried was only serving drinks as it was about 5pm. So when in Bordeaux with all the best French cuisine within your grasp, where do you take a now getting grumpier, hungry teenager . . . Burger King!!
    Burger King wasn’t that bad - just don’t order fries with onion rings . . . That’s not what you get. If you are interested, I won’t spoil it, just give it a go!! 🤢
    The rain had been on and off all afternoon and as the now slightly chirpier teenager had only a coat with no sleeves we opted to return to Roxvanne. Our parking wasn’t far off ending anyway. The only stop was a small shop to stock up on teenager chocolate requirements.
    We then drove the southern side of the city and towards the airport and to our hotel from the south, something we’d not done before.
    We pulled into our regular cheap and cheerful (we are only here to sleep) hotel and quickly found our way to the room. As before Tre and I with a double and Munch in a bunk bed that is above the double. We were still due to get up early to get Munch to the airport and so after a little social surfing we decided to have an early night.
    Tre and I also have all day in Bordeaux tomorrow - so we need a Power Nap!    Читать далее

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    25.12 Day 100 . . . . Christmas Day

    25 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Day 100 . . . Day bloody 100 and it’s Christmas Day!!
    If I’d tried to work this out, that from our arrival day in France to Christmas Day was 100 days, I’d of had a headache.
    The day unfolded with a blood red sky out of our bedroom window. It was lovely. It didn’t matter how many photos I could have taken, a camera wouldn’t have done this colour any justice.
    There was definitely no rushing around today, although we had all woken up relatively early (despite a late night last night). Munch had a bit of a lay in while Tre and I had brekkie just chatting.
    The morning drifted along, Tre prepping food for later on whilst I stuffed some sausages with the home made cranberry sauce and some brie, then wrapping them in bacon. We ll the closest thing to bacon we can find here - it is definitely more ham like, than bacon.
    Lots of phone calls and video calls made and messages sent - we settled in for the day.
    The stuffed sausages were lovely and then a little later Tre cooked a fab Chrimbo dinner, we had decided to have duck as we’ve not seen a Turkey since we’ve been here 😂
    Like most Christmas days - it slipped by without very much else to tell, films and TV, drink and food and lots of lazing around.
    It didn’t seem long before the day was done and it was time for bed.
    Tomorrow we travel to Bordeaux, we have decided to take Munch to see the city and stay the night as she has an early flight on the 27th, we decided we didn’t want another 2am start to get to the airport.    Читать далее

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    24.12 Day 99 . . . . The Owner!

    24 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We woke at a half sensible time, but after chatting about rubbish and of course the house, we finally got up but it was fairly late in the morning.
    After breakfast as it was raining again, I reverted to film-fest and watched Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. Not now working has allowed me to catch up on some old classics I’ve not seen for years due to working shifts.
    Tre was really keen to get out and get some fresh air in our lungs today and so at around midday or slightly after we jumped into Roxvanne, the sun now having made an appearance and decided to have one final look at the house - this time getting out of Roxvanne.
    We pulled up outside, locked up - said hello to one of the local cats and then went for a wander down the lane just to have another look but also to show Munch.
    As we walked back towards Rox we saw a woman and child standing near to the van. As we approached we greeted one another at which point she said are you Mr and Mrs Mays - I am the owner of the house. The house we are looking at has three siblings as owners, now looking to sell the house. They also own another house a couple away from the one for sale and they had arrived there for Christmas. It is fair to say she was delightful and her 12 yr old son was very confident and so very polite, trying out his English and handshakes on us.
    We spent about 15 minutes chatting before we said our goodbye’s and left.
    We then drove to Melleran to check on the church if it was open - it wasn’t, so we continued through to Chef Boutonne. At Chef we dropped into a local bar for a drink and weirdly met with some people we have seen at other places over the past weeks. I discovered a new beer - one I had tried on our Cognac tasting day but hadn’t seen the name of - Grimbergen. In the bar they had a festive version, which had cinnamon hints running through it . . . and it is strong!
    On leaving the bar we went to grab some bread, Munch obviously hit us for a posh cake and some more chocolate and Tre found me some Grimbergen to take home.
    We were treated to yet another stunning sunset on the way home - these winter evenings with the low sun are stunning.
    Home - we settled into Christmas telly and made ourselves some fancy vol au vents for nibbles. Tre opened some fizz for her and Munch and I tested out the newly found Grim!
    Currently with no Sky or Netflix we opted for more TV films - anything we could find, so Home Alone followed by Ice Age were Munch’s choices before Tre interrupted the film-feat with Celebrity Channel 4 Bake Off, with the night finished off with Die Hard 4 . . . I was the last man standing at this point, or should I say flat out on the sofa.
    Tomorrow is Christmas Day and weirdly exactly 100 days since we started this journey in France. I couldn’t have worked that out if I’d tried . . . Spooky!    Читать далее

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    23.12 Day 98 . . . Home All Day

    23 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    We woke to the sound of pouring rain and that was going to be the theme of the day. The weather forecast had stated rain but not to the extent that I started thinking about Noah and his animals. Munch it was clear, had no intentions of getting out of her bed any time soon, if not all day!
    Anyhow Tre was up and sorting bits - no idea what but she was like a little whirlwind. I however had been sent more info about Roxvannes importation, so I duly completed the required forms and popped them in an envelope for Minch to take back to the UK and post.
    About three or so years ago we had received an email from a company who were chasing former customers of Audi, to assist/join them in a joint law suit re the diesel emissions scandal that involved VW but also Audi.
    I filled out an enquiry email on behalf of Tre as it was her car. Since then we have every two or three months received emails asking us to provide proof of purchase of the Audi, to sign up to join the law suit and various other bits - with lots of warnings like ‘if you don’t sign now you may lose out’. We had decided to give it a swerve as we had enough on our plates, plus didn’t really understand the intricacies of what was required and/or what happened if not successful. These emails have continued without reply from us. Anyhow about four days ago we got a congratulations email - you have been awarded damages in the court case. Always sceptical about these things we both laughed and just thought ‘If it happens it happens’. Well, today it happened as an amount dropped into our bank account.
    HAPPY EARLY CHRISTMAS !!
    Cheered by our windfall, despite lack of effort - we treated ourselves to a film-fest, first The King and I followed by Castaway all of which whilst sitting in front of the fire with a glass of something. I also during pauses cracked on with catching up on a few Penguin posts, getting them to a point that I could post them when I have decent wifi.
    The evening meal was a little unexpected as Teresa decided to make life easy and use a couple of things frozen from the the freezer.
    When we all sat to eat I distinctly remember looking at my meal and thinking that looks a little odd. I saw Munch take a mouthful and noted her face expression. I took my first mouthful and realised why. From this point onwards it will be a requirement for Tre or I to label anything in the freezer as a bean chilli and chicken curry mix is not going to win any awards anywhere. To top it all as I thought we were having chilli I had added chilli oil pre my first mouthful - which I think exaggerated the taste!!
    Anyhow - we finished eating (🤢) and the evening passed without any further issues.
    Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!
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    22.12 Day 97 . . . First Signatures

    22 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Up late yet again - well it’s nearly Christmas and those are the rules.
    We had received further emails over night from the Notaire giving us the green light to sign the estate agents offer documents - which was a lovely start to the day.
    The rain is on and off pouring down so to go out was going to need a sudden dash. We needed to do our Christmas
    ‘Big Shop’ so at an opportune moment we made a dash for the car and then drove in torrential rain to our favourite supermarket in Melle. Despite having a list (apparently) we seemed to do each aisle about three times. Anyhow we seemed to finally get everything we had come for, plus plenty of extras. We then had a very wet walk to Roxvanne with the bags and loaded up.
    We then decided to go and have another look at the house at Chenay - despite the rain, just to confirm one last time (like we needed to) that we wanted to sign the documents.
    We took the back roads over to Chenay and it poured for the entire drive. On arrival the house looked very sad for itself, it being empty with no lights on, the outside render looking dark due to being wet and the garden with that very unloved winter look. So we decided not to take any photos, besides we didn’t want to get out of Roxvanne.
    After about 15 minutes chatting, we drove back to ours, realising that if we finally get the house at Chenay it will reduce the amount of times we have to drive the very boring D948 when returning from Bordeaux - another positive.
    Back at ours, after yet another mercy run with the shopping we settled in for the afternoon and evening.
    We’ve decided we need some Cranberry Sauce on Christmas Day but as we can’t find it here, we’d decided we should make some. So after a quick 20 minutes I’d managed to create something that looked and tasted somewhat like it - so that was popped in the fridge to thicken up before Christmas Day.
    We both then sat and read our eagerly anticipated documents from the Estate Agents. Both being happy with what we had read and being assured by the Notaire that all was fine we pressed the appropriate buttons and submitted. No more to do now until well into January, but the house is now no longer on the market for anyone else.
    As I was now in full Gordon Ramsey mode I blagged Tre into helping me make some spiced crispy chicken with the air fryer - still can’t believe Tre bought me this gadget last Christmas . . . this year has flown and has been a roller coaster.
    So the evening passed, both of us feeling more relaxed than we have for the past few days and both looking to a good nights sleep, without a headful of questions that we hadn’t been able to resolve until today.    Читать далее

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  • French Frolics
    The Donjon de Niort

    21.12 Day 96 . . . The Notaire Calls

    21 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Yet again we were a bit late getting up and getting going. We had decided to go and see the Christmas Market and lights at Niort today and so had overdone the relaxed morning schedule just a little.
    The morning drifted away and after a little lunch we piled into Roxvanne and started our drive to Niort.
    On arrival at Niort by way of a change we decided not to try our usual parking spot, but to try the parking area by the river. The sat nav took us straight there and there were only a couple of cars queuing. Within a couple of minutes we were parked up. None of us really fancied getting out as the heavens had opened, but we donned coats and hats and ventured out. Fortunately within a few minutes the rain had eased and we were able to walk the streets without getting drenched.
    As we walked down one of the main shopping streets we heard drumming from further along the street. I assumed it was some guy doing his Christmas routine with some pots and pans and a couple of dustbins - as per the UK.
    As we approached and saw the crowd, we were pleased to find quite a performance ongoing - two guys on drum kits, that were situated on a three wheel motor bike of some sort with a young girl adding a dance routine amongst the crowd. The dress code was a little stone aged - but you’ll see my point if you watch the video. They were really entertaining, especially when the drum kits started to rotate like a carnival wheel, with the guys still attached to them . . . hard to explain but you’ll see.
    Once the performance has ended we walked a few more streets, now entering clothes stores for Munch to have a browse. During this time I had a message to call the Notaires asap, which put the worries into myself and Tre. We popped outside the shop and called - good news . . . everything was fine, we were given some advice on the online forms we would receive and then wished a Happy Christmas by the Notaires . . . .relief.
    To celebrate this news, we decided to go to a café we have visited before ‘Le Bouillon’ at Place des Halles, which Tre and I now refer to as “Munch’s Crush Café’, on account of the young guy who works in there. Every time he serves us or comes anywhere near our table, Munch seems to go a funny shade of red, certainly not helped by my smiling and whispered comments about him being close by.
    After our usual lovely hot chocolates in the café, we ventured back out. The afternoon had turned into evening and it was now dark, with street lights and Christmas lights now illuminated. Unfortunately the rain had returned and it was truly miserable. We walked the short distance to the Christmas market and tried our best to enjoy it, but it really was a wash out with next to no-one there. The Donjon de Niort which I’ve mentioned before had been illuminated and had a story being told by numerous moving images across its walls. Even this did not attract any crowds.
    After a very wet half hour we scooted quickly back to Rox in the car park and loaded up.
    We then drove home in constant rain, stopping only at an Intermarché to grab some pizza’s.
    Once home we quickly stuck the pizza’s in the oven and just chilled for the evening. Pizza’s and wine, TV and then bed.
    Not the most successful of days - apart from of course, the call from the Notaire . . . well pleased.    Читать далее

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    20.12 Day 95 . . . Back So Soon?

    20 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    No lay in today - thankfully. We had to be up and out - and by 8am we were out of the door on route to Bordeaux to collect Munch. Stopping at Sauze to grab fuel and then hitting the infamous N10 south. The road was actually relatively quiet for once, I guess a few people had already started to hibernate for Christmas. We had left plenty of time to get to the airport, having been caught in traffic last time and only just making it - even then we had left an hour earlier than needed. This time we sailed through and we’re mega early.
    Munch was arriving into Billie terminal which is a temporary terminal and has an outside waiting area when meeting people from flights at arrivals. So as we were early when went to the other terminal and grabbed a coffee inside. Tre was like a cat in a hot tin roof and repeatedly told me she didn’t want to be late meeting Munch - but I couldn’t see that the three minute walk from where we were seated was going to be an issue once we knew she had landed. That being said we checked the flight tracker and the plane was only just over Paris - however, Tre was not sure the tracker was accurate so off we toddled to Billie. The flight monitor indicated the flight would land in 40 minutes. After a tense conversation about waiting in the bloody cold - I convinced Tre to return to an even closer cafe about 1 minute from Billie which although open fronted had heaters! Can I just point out it was bitter cold - Tre had about 8 layers of clothes on!!
    After 10 minutes in that cafe Tre decided we needed to be waiting at the barrier, so iff we went back to Billie to stand in the cold, and stand waiting and waiting and waiting. Tre then decided to trust the tracker and went to a point where she could see the plane landing - about ten steps from where we had been standing already.
    The plane finally flew over and within no less than another 30 minutes standing in the cold, Munch was back walking out of arrivals.
    Toilets, drinks purchased and car park paid for we were back on the road north.
    Without stopping we arrived back at Sauze and hopped into the boulangerie near to SuperU to grab some lunch, followed by a quick spin into SuperU to grab some bits for Munch . . . Chocolate!!
    Home shortly after, we all chilled. Munch checked the length of the sofa hadn’t changed and she could still lay flat on it whilst in her phone, drinks nibbles and TV were the order of the afternoon. A little research on snow chain outlets in Bordeaux was also undertaken as we are still not sure about Pau and the mountains.
    At about 7pm the world erupted when we received emails from both the estate agents and our solicitor re the house at Chenay. We spent probably 2-3 hours attempting to rescue our possible house purchase. Our solicitor was brilliant, the estate agent . . . 😡
    When we actually made it to bed we were both frustrated and annoyed, not even knowing what tomorrow might bring as a result of tonight’s shenanigans!
    Tomorrow is another day, breath and start again!    Читать далее

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    19.12 Day 94 . . . The Tree Goes Up

    19 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    We need to kick this habit of getting up late!
    The first few times we have given ourselves a break and talked ourselves into the fact that it was because we had both been flat out busy recently, that we needed these lay in late mornings. Now I think we are starting to just enjoy it and getting lazy 😂
    So yep we were late up having laid in bed listening to music, chatting and checking social media rubbish - well some was research based . . . Learning about cold roofs and warm roofs, I’ll leave that one there!!
    Tre made breakfast, we decided to have a healthy omelette but then changed that concept by throwing in some remainder lardons we had in the fridge . . . and a pinch of chilli . . . Got to say it was lovely.
    I then cracked on with some bank admin stuff that had raised its head. I also did some research on the requirement of snow chains in certain areas, as we may be driving to Pau after dropping Munch to fly home next week. Looks like we may get away without having to buy some. Tre finally got her wish to wash and re-proof our walking coats. We’ve been meaning to do this for weeks but didn’t have the liquids we normally use - having finally got some on the last trip to the UK they were off and running in the washer.
    That done Tre stuck some Christmas tunes on Spotify and I knew it was time to put the decorations up. As I mentioned before I’m not a massive Christmas and decorations fan, so I was a little reluctant to start. That said it turned into a lovely couple of hours - apart from stringing the new baubles! New tree looked a treat if not a little lonesome in the room with no other real decor scattered about. Lights on the tree and second set strung on the room beams and we were sorted. We were both quite pleased with our very minor attempt to ‘Christmas Up’ our little hideaway.
    We spent the remainder of the day doing little jobs, I caught up in some of the penguins posts and Mr Annals finally sent through some photos he’d taken at the roundhouse last Saturday - better late than never 😂.
    Tre was busy doing I don’t know what - but she didn’t stop. Oh yes . . . She made a massive bowl of very cheesy cauliflower cheese for dinner, which went down a treat with some very French sausages. It didn’t look that great in the plate, but tasted fab.
    The evening was a very chilled affair, TV on for a while before retiring to bed and watching another episode of the very weird 1899 . . . I just know this is gonna have one of those endings that leaves you asking ‘what’s the hell have I just watched’ . . . I hope it proves me wrong.    Читать далее

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    18.12 Day 93 . . . The Pompidou Knocks

    18 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    We woke late yet again, its so dark in the mornings here neither of us seem to be able to wake at a decent time. That being said I keep waking at about 3am and then going back to sleep . . . no idea why, perhaps just got quite a bit on my mind or still winding down.
    We had both been awake for about 20 minutes, just enough time for Tre to have dashed to make us tea and return to bed, before there was a loud knocking at the front door, it sounded quite urgent. I was not in any state of attire to run to the door so Tre hopped out quickly, in her pink heart designed onesie, hair all over the place and no make up. I heard her reach the door and sound quite flustered, talking to a guy. I quickly realised as I had seen comments on Facebook that the local fire brigade the Pompidou’s had been doing the rounds collecting money for their calendar. It’s sort of a here is your calendar please give money, rather than would you like a calendar. Payment probably secure prompt attendance should you have a fire. The mafia could take a leaf out of their books. That being said I think there is something to be said for giving small gifts to those that work for our joint welfare, doctors and nurses, police, fire, posties and refuse collectors - all of those sorts.
    I did giggle however when I asked Tre if they had sent a relatively good looking young fire-fighter to knock at the door, which she confirmed - and she had answered the door in the state she had . . . . . she was gutted 😂
    Any how, both of us now up Tre cracked on with lots of house related bits and bobs, while I pinged even more emails to the estate agent and Notaire - these emails seem to be never ending.
    We had also noticed on our return from the UK that when we got into Roxvanne there was a beeping noise which normally means one of her leisure batteries is low. As a result she needs to go on charge, so having chatted to Hannah I got Rox parked up near an external power socket and got her on charge. Hope that’s all it is!!
    Tre then decided to cook the pork chops for dinner, at which point we discovered we couldn’t cut each singular one into two due to the bone within. It didn’t take long to decide we would have one fat one each - easy decision!
    We both then sat and watched the World Cup Final which started off a little pants, but got decidedly better as it went on. Slightly gutted that France lost, bearing in mind our very new allegiance.
    Football finished and dinner consumed we decided to watch a Netflix thing called 1899 - not our usual sort of thing, a bit weird but oddly quite compelling to keep watching. I think Tre missed the last 15 minutes as she fell asleep, which just means as normal I have to sit through something a second time before we can move on to the next episode . . . it’s a regular occurrence.
    So another day finished . . . I guess Tre has fallen asleep dreaming about the Pompidou 😂    Читать далее

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    17.12 Day 92 . . . Ruined By Strictly

    17 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ 🌙 -3 °C

    We decided last night that we would have the day out today and explore Niort and the surrounding shops a little more today - we had been told about some larger stores on the outskirts of the town worth visiting.
    We drove to Niort in lovely bright sunshine, however it was very cold . . . at least the wind was! Roxvanne was frozen within an inch of her life when we got in her. We finally parked up near to the church near the centre of the town, having nearly not made due to a slight mis-understanding between the driver (me) and the left front passenger window observer (Tre). Tre had apparels at a blind junction for me said ‘OK’ meaning she would give me the all clear, I however understood the ‘OK’ as it was fine to pull out. A very near miss but all was fine - just a little tense in Roxvanne for the next ten minutes.
    A quick visit to our new favourite cafe in the centre for chocolate’s, mainly due to Tre’s delight at the chandeliers within and then over to the indoor market. We bought two huge pork chops, that we we thought we would sub divide when home making four and also some more giant garlics amongst other bits and pieces.We then undertook a little more exploring of the lanes and shops before returning to Roxvanne.
    Next stop a quite large Decathlon on the outskirts of town. Tre had not set foot in one before, so was highly delighted to see the various thermal tops and legging’s that she so loves, now that the weather has turned chilly. I thought it only fair to jump in on the clothes purchase’s so we headed to the check out with a slightly fuller basket than I ad anticipated.
    Next stop ‘Leroy Merlin’ a bit like B&Q but on acid. Fortunately due to us not having the house of our dreams yet we held back from the urge to buy bloody loads!!
    Across the road was a little diner ‘Fabrik’Locale - so we popped in to grab a sandwich. Slight issue was the only thing they didn’t do was sandwiches . . . lovely little meals Yes, but sandwiches No. Now committed to a table, we decided to eat and were really pleased we did. We both opted for the Bravette Steak which was stunning - really unexpected. This was topped off with an equally lovely apple crumble and ice cream. We will be back for another visit.
    From here we went to what had been described to us as a large ‘Christmas’ shop - La Foir’Fouille which is on the north west side of the town. Now I do like Christmas, but Im not the biggest fan and don’t go mad about it. On entering this shop I knew I was in trouble as Tre nearly started dancing with joy. There then commenced an hour or so of comparing different colour and size trees, working out lengths and power type of lights and sifting through hundreds of other Christmas decorations. My bah humbug did relent and we got a little carried away with what we bought . . . but Ive got to say it was worth it for the feel good factor.
    With half of the shop loaded into Roxvanne, we made our way home and for yet another evening were treated to stunning sunsets most of the way home.
    At home and settled for the evening all my good work and kindest of the day was rewarded with DEATH BY STRICTLY - The FINAL and thereby lost 3 hours of my life, that I will never get back.
    That was it - my day finished, a really lovely day, ruined by a gaggle of so called celebrities either prancing around in pantomime costumes, or delivering their inflated verdicts on others.
    Time for bed !    Читать далее

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  • French Frolics
    Contrôle Technique
    Not Sure We Fancy This Soup 😳

    16.12 Day 91 . . . Contrôle Techniques

    16 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ☀️ 3 °C

    Almost the final part of getting Roxvanne her very own set of French number plates was to get her in to have a Contrôle Techniques examination (MOT).
    So to Chef Boutonne we tripped on this very cold morning to the testing centre. I was torn as to whether to mention the headlights not being set to the French side of the road driving or to play dumb . . . Not difficult as I find it natural to play dumb . . . so play dumb it was.
    The young guy in the test station was very charming (Tre thought so anyway) and polite and we muddled through the English/French thing and handed him all the info he needed. We then settled down in the office and sat listening to the various bangs and clangs of his inspection. Both of us were convinced we would get some sort of requirement issued.
    About 30 minutes later we saw Roxvanne reversed out of the garage and the young guy appeared . . . C’est Bon was all I heard and needed to hear. He then filled in some more paperwork and then trotted outside to fit Roxvanne with her own little sticker. He made the visit perfect we he informed us 2yrs until the next test . . . Result.
    From Chef we drove to the big SuperU at Melle to purchase more pellets for the burner. The price of these is rising the nearer to Christmas we get and also due to the cold weather that has hit. We sat and grabbed a coffee inside and pinched ourselves that the headlights hadn’t been picked up on the test. Pellets acquired plus flour, which took us forever to find and work out which we required, plus food, we decided to go visit the house at Chenay again - just for another look from the outside.
    Oddly it looked exactly the same as it had on the previous occasions 😂. I guess we stood and chatted for about 20 minutes and took some more photos and then decided to drive the back route home to check out the slightly larger adjacent village. Part of this was to confirm a bar in that village was actually open ‘as in’ a going concern and not closed down. Anyone would think we were drunks!!
    So finally we trundled home with the prospect of more admin to do. I can’t believe there is this much paperwork.
    Anyhow - the Contrôle Techniques document was forwarded to the insurers, the estate agent emailed and also the Notaire.
    That was another day done. More thoughts about the house, pleased Roxvanne is still on course for her new number plate and we are living the dream . . . Apart from the admin!    Читать далее

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    Deaux-Sevres, Our AreaMr Mairie

    15.12 Day 90 . . . Settling Back In

    15 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

    And we are officially back . . . and a fab nights sleep was had by both of us. After the last few days back in the UK and quite a bit of running around we opted for a very lazy lay in.
    Once up the remainder of the morning consisted of masses of admin and unpacking bags and dirty washing - very exciting.
    The main part of the admin was liaising with the estate agents and the Notaire re the house a Chenay. We dare to breath that this might actually be the house we go for, but both of us trying not to get too excited. We also did a little bit more research of the area . . . and identified the Mairie, so we know who to drop a bottle into when the time is right 😎
    On a positive note we finally received the much acclaimed 846A document from the Douane which means that Roxvanne is finally all paid up and officially imported as far as the French Taxman (Douane) is concerned.
    Following one of our driven trips back to the UK and passing through Calais and the dunes along the coast, Tre was keen to learn more about the history of the Second World War. We had as a result got the entire DVD version of the World At War in an attempt to better out education. It was also to pass some evenings when we had run out of things to talk about 😂😂 - Joke!!
    So we decided to break the DVD set out in the afternoon and took in the first episode. Well we had nothing planned, nowhere we had to be and no-one we had to see . . . for once!
    Afternoon drifted into evening and we retired to watch a Netflix download - we had downloaded in the UK as can’t download here. Reminder that I need to sort a VPN account.
    So not much of a day - just a slow acclimatation to being back.    Читать далее

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    08.12 - 14.12 Day 83 - 89 . . Not France

    8 декабря 2022 г., Англия ⋅ ☀️ 0 °C

    08.12 83. Up at stupid o’clock 1.45am and drive to Bordeaux to travel to UK - Teresa introduction to New Model Army in readiness for the concert on Saturday. Arrived in UK - nightmare collecting car. To East Grinstead - the surveyor still on site. Spent afternoon and evening at East Grinstead. Early night due to early start . . . Oh no not to be. Dids calls at 10pm as his car has broken down. Numerous calls later all sorted and he will arrive with us at about 2am once RAC recovered him.
    09.12 84. Up early to take Dids to work due to his car being sick. Feels like the old days - so much for a lay in. Go to see Warren at the garage to sort Dids car. Then to Haywards Heath having picked Munch up. Collected her Munch GCSE certificates and then for lunch in Cuckfield. Had lunch with Alan Titchmarsh - well he was in the same restaurant. Few jobs in HH including finally getting Tre an ankle support, then Munch left us and we went to Orange Square to meet with Russ Paula and Simon. Good few Guinness followed by picking Dids up from work and dropping at his now fixed car and then a kebab on the way home 🤭
    10.12. 85. Woke up in East Grinstead with admin stuff and House sorting to do. About 4pm collected Simon & Jax and to London on the train to see New Model Army at The Roundhouse, Camden - meet Marc and Jackie. Fab concert. Miss train home at Victoria so found a pasty shop and sat waiting - so ended up gone midnight train home. Back to East Grinstead at 2.15am after dropping Simon & Jax - always the best of nights with this pair of muppets. On arrival at home Did’s car hazard lights on. Switched them off and hope battery ok in the morning as don’t fancy dropping him at work again after another late night.
    11.12. 86. Yep the car battery is flat - so up to take Dids to work again, how could this happen, we’ve only been back two days. Sent a few emails when home and then sorted some bits with Tre. Over helpful me then locked us out of house, all phones money and jackets indoors and it was freezing. Fab neighbours help us with calls and lock smith called. Finally in after the locksmith turned out and then leave to travel to mum and dads. Got to Godstone before having to turn around as water not switched off. Set off again and as luck would have it rubbish traffic and weather finally arriving at Mum & Dads about 7pm
    12.12. Lazy day at Mum and Dads - did nothing but eat drink and chill, also Tre develops a cold!!
    13.12. Another lazy morning at Mum and Dads still eating and drinking tea by the bucket load. Tre still sneezing for England. Mid afternoon we drove back to East Grinstead. Watched Argentina beat Croatia in World Cup Semi Final and bed as have another early start to travel home.
    14.12 About 4.30am we set off to Gatwick to drop the hire car. Straight to the North Terminal and luggage checked in. Flight on time and we are off. Land early all going far too well. Then we hit a little problem collecting luggage as the belts aren’t working. Thankfully not too long and we are out on a bus to the long term car park and then straight into Roxvanne who started first time. The usual route home with a quick coffee stop at Dickie Ticker services (Long story but includes a weird text message from Phil Graysmark about 6 months ago). Nearer home our usual stop at SuperU at Sauze for foods and then straight home. Roxvanne unloaded and relax.
    Chilled the entire afternoon and evening.
    We Are Home !!    Читать далее

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    07.12 Day 82 . . . The Sun & The Moon

    7 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

    What was not meant to be one turned into another one of those horrible admin days - if I am not in the mood for them, I absolutely hate them!
    We spent the morning further emailing Estate Agents, Notaires, Douane’s, checking Roxvanne insurance document that had arrived, Banks, Credit Card companies, Web service providers, online subscription providers . . . the list went on and on and on yet again! We are having a mega life laundry.
    The morning dwindled away as did the early afternoon - most of it spent waiting on phone lines listening to crap music while waiting to speak to someone . . . now that would be a thing!!
    Any how we got to mid afternoon and realised we needed to go collect the drugs that we had ordered from the pharmacy for me . . . not that I needed them now, but best collect them and keep them safe.
    A very efficient man in the pharmacy in Sauze dispensed our order and we were then out and off to collect some provision, by way of a change!!
    Pasta grabbed we started to head home and then saw the sunset . . . well the moon and the sunset. It was sunning and our photos certainly didn’t do it justice. We took a very long winded country lane route home just to see as much of this sunset as we could. Nature is Fabulous!
    Home finally we had our pasta as it was quick and easy . . . . the reason being - tomorrow we are back to the UK and needed to be up at about 1.45am.
    An early night at about 9pm was interrupted by a message regarding our storage in the UK . . . yep at 9pm at night. That sorted we settled down again and nodded off - not brilliantly as we were both afraid of over-sleeping!!
    The UK tomorrow . . . gonna miss being here - massively.    Читать далее

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    06.12 Day 81 . . . Admin Admin Admin

    6 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    Feeling decidedly better today, we were both up and about . . . Not that early!
    Another day of planning and admin lay ahead. Not the entire list but . . . Flight check-in, care hire booking, long term parking booking, insurance company call, insurance company document retrieval and sending, Roxvanne French MOT booking, estate agent call, estate agent email, VAT online payment for business, accountant payment, account reconciliations, email of questions to Notaire in UK, Home Office laptop return booking, emails to GSA to confirm returns booking and a lot more.
    We were supposed to go collect the drugs we ordered yesterday but as I was feeling decidedly better we skipped it until tomorrow.
    I then did a bit more catch up on Find Penguin’s while Tre got some washing done . . . So not the most exciting of days!
    Watched some more football with Spain failing at penalties, together with some YouTube viewing and a lovely dinner prepared by the now off duty nurse.
    There are a few things out here that we will need to do that we’ve probably not done before, especially if we get any form of land with a house - so there are lots of tutorials to be watched 😳
    Hopefully tomorrow we have a clear day so will get out in the fresh air.    Читать далее

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    05.12 Day 80 . . . Sunsets

    5 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ 🌙 2 °C

    This morning was not a good morning as woke up feeling rough having felt rough all night. So much so that I spent the morning in bed with nurse Teresa looking after me yet again. Not sure what’s wrong with me . . . probably an age thing.
    I was conscious however that we had booked a second viewing of the house at Chenay at 4pm, so got my head down as much as possible to try and shake this unwell feeling.
    Teresa got on with loads as usual during the morning, apart from nursing me. At about midday she went for another walk along the lanes around our place. The sunshine was brilliant yesterday with blue skies, although a little fresh to say the least. We have noticed so many tree’s around here with numerous balls of mistletoe and Tre found more again on her walk.
    At 2pm I dragged my backside out of bed and we both headed off to the pharmacy at Sauze Vassais to get me some drugs as its impossible to get any form of medication in supermarkets here. Also as we have now found out, you sometimes have to order as not everything is carried in the shop, so we will need to return tomorrow.
    From the pharmacy we went to meet Kate again to view the house. We intentionally arrived early so we could have a walk around the hamlet and see a few things we’d not seen on the first visit.
    As the house is at the edge of the hamlet we found that after a short walk we had uninterrupted views across the fields way into the distance. We walked to the other end of the hamlet and found similar views - really lovely.
    Kate arrived shortly after us and so we had another look around the house. As always it will need work and has a couple of bits that we are not entirely sure what is going on - mainly in one room at the floor edge.
    The garden is also lovely and the adjacent field that is part of the property gives us lots of scope for future plans.
    We finally departed as the sun was lowering to the west and were then spoilt to some breath taking sunset views along the country lanes that we travelled.
    Tre quickly dived into SuperU while I waited in Roxvanne - feeling pants still !
    Then off home - some further sunset views greeted us as we arrived at the end of our lane.
    Once indoors we both curled up on the sofa and chatted about the house. Apart from a very quick bite to eat for Tre and a mug of soup for sicknote (me) - that was our day.
    At least Tre got to have a walk in the sunshine and we got to see the house again. Lots to think about.    Читать далее

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    04.12 Day 79 . . . Such A Lazy Day!

    4 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ 🌙 1 °C

    Well as lazy days go this was it. We had already decided a couple of days ago that Sunday was going to be our day to do absolutely nothing, as we have been doing things literally every day we have been here. Add into the mix friends and family visiting, house viewings and lots of driving . . . So today was that day!
    I don’t think we ventured out of bed til almost 11am after chatting and looking at social media rubbish . . . and obviously the morning check of the hurt ankle!
    We went downstairs and I started to type up some of the Find Penguin dates that I had missed - I had kept brief notes on what we had done, but I needed to write them up fully. I managed to get a couple of them done while tre was pottering around the house. By the time I done a couple of the dates and added photos It was almost time for the first World Cup game to start.
    Tre and I then spent the afternoon sat I front of the fire watching the football and just relaxing.
    Tre then hustled up our evening meal - some marinated chicken we had grabbed a couple of days ago, which we tucked into just before the start of the England game.
    An evening of football - again in front of the fire then followed. I am so lucky that Tre actually doesn’t mind football 🙏
    That was it for the day, complete and utter nothingness. . . apart from a couple of Penguin posts.
    We are considering the same for tomorrow 😂    Читать далее

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    Blackened Roofs Of The Storage Sheds40 Year Oak Aged !!

    03.12 Day 78 . . . Pineau & Cognac

    3 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ 🌧 4 °C

    Another one of those lazy mornings that we are getting so good at. We were asked yesterday if we could help Hannah with a wood delivery she was expecting - to which we had said yes. So when we got a message early in the morning to say the wood man had cancelled it was all we needed to pull the duvet back up and have tea in bed.
    We kicked around for the remainder of the morning, before walking down the lane to the Relais car park to meet with Lou and Vince who were picking us up. As soon as they arrived, we drove generally south through stunning scenery and vineyard loaded fields. The vines like many of the trees have a yellow hint to them now, and in the glorious sunshine they were truly beautiful to see.
    After just short of an hour I guess, we arrived at Neuvicq-Le-Château and pulled into the most nondescript building belonging to Ballet Jean.
    Lou and Vince had been here before - more than once and from the welcome they received it was more like family visiting than customers 😂
    The building - and many others surrounding owned by the family, is a Cognac and Pineau producer. The lovely lady looking after the place when we arrived, quickly started to show us around. However when booked customers then arrived she left Lou to do the tour with us . . . I think that shows Lou has been too many times 🤔Lou mentioned a fact that she had been told - that the buildings that store the barrels all have black roofs, a form of mould and that during the war, bombers avoided buildings with black roofs because they knew what was being made within. Fact or old wives tail makes no difference - the roofs are definitely black!!
    We had a fab time walking around the various parts to the building and wondering how a premises like this makes such well regarded products. To double up on my feeling that Lou had been here too many times, it was reinforced when the lady running the place asked Lou to show further French customers around, while she greeted new ones at the door.
    Finally the time had arrived for the tasting. Firstly the Pineau, which was lovely - much better than the shop bought Tre and I had previously tasted. Then the Cognac - the initial bottle we were informed was for cooking!! Never would you put this in anything other than a glass to drink. Then the next bottle on, that had been aged in oak barrels for 20 years . . . Got to say it was blooming lovely, with a very nice warm feeling in your throat. Finally the top bottle that had been aged again in oak for 40 years . . . bloody lovely, nothing else to say. The glasses of each we had been given (apart from poor Vince who was driving) were quite heavily poured, so Lou Tre and I were all quite rosy cheeked by the finish. Lou took Teresa’s side in the purchase game and so we walked out with three 20 year old cognacs and six Pineau . . . I think the tasting had warped my thinking!
    Pineau des Charentes is a “liqueur wine produced in a specific region” at European level and a “liqueur wine with a registered designation of origin” in France. It is obtained by mixing grape must and cognac.
    This liqueur wine is produced in a region that extends over a large part of the two Charentes, that is to say the whole department of Charente except the north and north-east, and all of Charente-Maritime: on the wine estates of Borderies, Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Fins Bois, Bois Ordinaires, and finally Bons Bois.
    Pineau is an AOC (controlled designation of origin). Its production area extends over 1,500 hectares in the same geographical area as cognac. The maximum yield of Pineau des Charentes per hectare of vines required for its production is 45 hectolitres. The two elements making up Pineau des Charentes (cognac and must) must come from the same estate, in compliance with local customs.
    75% of Pineau des Charentes production is consumed in France; Belgium is the leading importer, followed by Canada.
    After the tasting and the purchases were made, we wound our way home, with a brief stop at the Château just a couple of streets from the distillery.
    Back at Chef Boutonne we popped into the small SuperU for a couple of bits and then stumbled into one of the bars for a coffee . . . . and beer. Lou and Vince kindly then dropped us off back at our - A really brilliant day!!
    Merguez sausages and chips for dinner was what was required in an attempt to soak up a slightly boozy body - and then an early night.    Читать далее

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  • French Frolics
    Chenay House
    Le Tertre HouseSleeping Beauty x

    02.12 Day 77 . . . Two Houses - Chenay

    2 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    Two houses to see today, so up and at it as we set off in Rox to go and meet Kate . . . once again! This time in the SuperU car park at Sauzé Vaussais. Tre not complaining about her ankle and refusing to allow me to find an ankle support to help it heal.
    On arrival Kate told us the first property was about 5-10 minutes away. We are beginning to know exactly what we are looking for now and by this I mean in meterage, how many for the house itself, how many for the land. The first one today was going to be about 7500sq/m and the second one after was 19000sq/m.
    On arrival in Chenay, the house immediately made Tre and I smile as it was very similar to the house we nearly bought earlier in the year, only this time it looked a little better in state of repair.
    The house had a garden that wrapped around three sides of the building. The fourth side was a field that is part of the property. It is also the last property in the hamlet and has fields as far as can be seen on two sides. All looked good.
    The house has a hangar and a barn attached and four other small outhouses. Inside three well sized bedrooms with a kitchen that as always the former occupiers have taken the units with them - normal here. A lounge/diner and another lounge . . . all for once in a decent state, although still with quite a bit of work to do. The garden was to die for and I knew Tre has taken an immediate shine to this property. The bonus was the three cats that made themselves known, escorting us around the property . . . we established they were from the house across the lane, who in fact are the owners of the house we were viewing.
    On finishing up here we drove to Le Tertre and down a relatively steep lane to the second property. Weirdly this house it was now apparent was backing onto the the house owned by Gilly and Paul who we had met up with a few days earlier.
    The house was fine and the rooms sprawled around making it difficult to actually detail what was what. A lot more work was required here although the setting was fab. We went outside to look at the land - all 19000 sq/m . . . to be honest we couldn’t see ourselves keeping on top of what was really a small park, it was massive and very hilly. For the right person with probably more spare cash than us to buy a tractor or two it would be perfect, but not for us.
    We parted with Kate at the property to gather with one of her colleagues who had joined us (this was his property to sell), and slowly made our way home.
    We arrived home about 2pm and decided to have a little rest up. Tre had obviously found the property viewings particularly tiring and had a little afternoon siesta in front of the fire.
    We went out again early evening to visit a couple we had been invited round for a meal with, before heading home again to our own creature comforts, a glass of Pineau and 10 mins of telly before bed.
    We did like the house at Chenay!!    Читать далее

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  • French Frolics

    01.12 Day 76 . . . The Ankle & Seamus

    1 декабря 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Today was going to be another busy day with things to do and people to see.
    Having woken up Teresa ventured downstairs first, to which I heard a yelp . . . we’ll more a scream actually. I shouted to see if she was ok and she said she had missed the last step and ‘sort of’ hurt her ankle. It took slightly longer than normal for my tea to be delivered upstairs but other than that all seemed normal. I did ask about the trip and the ankle but was assured all was ok.
    We ventured out over to Sauze Vaussais to again meet with Charlotta, who must be getting bored with us now. After a brief chat we set off and found our way to a hamlet just south of Limort. The property was very grand with a house which had been converted and the main larger house still to convert. The property had lovely views down to the rear of adjacent properties but also had quite a few commercial rural buildings nearby and one very adjacent. The converted property was well presented and offered the ability to move in with very little to do. The main house however needed some considerable work, but not so much as to rule it out. It also had a small cellar which had access from inside and outside. The highlight of the house was the attic - absolutely stunning, with an option to convert. It would need quite a bit of time spent on it to showcase the beams but would be well worth it in the long run. I managed on one more occasion to get Charlotta to say Chimney in her very sexy Swedish/French accent . . . . Shimnee!
    We left the property very upbeat about it - we had taken a shine to it, but just had a few niggling doubts about the adjacent properties and businesses.
    From here we headed south towards Jarnac, which is very close to Cognac. The journey down was as normal on the N10 but once off the main road we were spoilt by field after field of stunning vineyards, all of which had a yellow leaf which seemed to give a yellow haze to the area.
    Teresa’s mum had many years ago worked with a guy called Seamus. Seamus has been living in France for the past two years, unfortunately arriving alone to his isolated house just prior to Covid hitting. As a result he has not settled in France and was in fact on the verge (within days) of relocating back to the UK. Tre had desperately been trying to meet with him before he returned - and today was that day.
    Seamus had chosen the restaurant - and had chosen well . . . . although the Michelin awards on the wall by the front door did make me gulp slightly. Fair to say I wasn’t expecting that!!
    Seamus was already seated inside and after joining him we spent a good couple of hours talking fondly of Teresa’s mum and also his life in France and future plans. We all agreed that maybe his experience of France would have been better had he been sited elsewhere and without the onset and lock down that Covid brought.
    The bill was not as bad as I had expected, thankfully Teresa and Seamus had opted for the second of two menus for the day by complete chance - Tre mentioned later she hadn’t even seen the price difference between the two . . . .I had . . . about €150 per head more than our thankfully chosen menu.
    The food was stunning however and the entire atmosphere was very enjoyable. We would recommend anyone to make a visit to Le Verre y Table, Avenue Carnot, Jarnac. They also have a very substantial collection of Cognac if you were so inclined.
    On finishing our meal we said our goodbye’s to Seamus and wished him well for the move and onward return to the UK. We drove a short way up the road to the town centre, stopped and had little while walking near the river. We must make a return visit here when we have a little more time.
    We then headed back home in Roxvanne - again taking in the scenery created by the vineyards which seemed to be as far as the eye could see.
    On the way home Tre told me that when she had tripped down the stairs this morning, she had heard a ’snapping’ type sound from her ankle. She had then sat on the floor in tears for five minutes as the pain her made her feel sick and it hurt so much. All this time I had been flat out in bed upstairs! She didn’t make me feel too guilty . . . . honestly. Apparently the ankle didn’t feel too bad now . . . time will tell.
    Finally nearing home I mentioned to Tre that we had never really visited the ‘Relais’ during our time at the ours. We had popped in once for a soft drink at lunchtime and that was all - never in an evening. Roxvanne parked up, we walked down the lane to the Relais. As previously we were the only ones in the place. The owner and his wife were immediately on hand to get us our drinks and we sat to discuss our day. The lady owner at shortly after giving us our drinks started a conversation with us . . . Teresa!! She obviously realised we were English and our French (Teresa’s) was far from perfect, but she obviously then tempered her French and lack of any English to have what turned out to be about a 40 minute conversation with Teresa. She even tried to sell us the house across the road. Teresa was brilliant and her French seemed to be flooding back . . . I could sort of guess what was being said, but had nothing to add verbally. I made a sneaky recording to Tre speaking so I could prove to her at home how well she had done. We stayed for best part of a couple of hours before walking home, promising the landlady that we would return next week one evening for a meal.
    At home we just ate some bits and pieces before calling it a day and falling into our pit.
    Another fab day and a day that again confirmed I could not have done anything like this without Teresa by my side!    Читать далее

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  • French Frolics

    30.11. Day 75 . . . Coffee Meet

    30 ноября 2022 г., Франция ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    Some good time ago when we had first planned to come out to France, we thought Munch may come with us full time. With that in mind Teresa had made some connections on social media, seeking advice on French schools and activities etc. Amongst a few people that Teresa started to chat to, she had kept in touch with one called Gilly. Not until we landed here in this part of the world (France) did we realise that Gilly lives a whole 9 minutes away from where we are - completely spooky.
    So this morning we went to meet for the first time Gilly and her husband Paul. We arranged to meet and found then in a cafe Tre and I have used before in Melle.
    What Tre and I thought would be a quick coffee turned into a couple of hours of chat and laughs. We as couples had lots in common with our move and children etc, so it was a real good move to meet with them - and we will definitely being catching up with them again soon.
    We made a mad dash home to grab some lunch as we had a house viewing and we’re meeting the agent at the Relais near to us at 3pm.
    Following lunch we popped down the lane and found ourselves sat in Roxvanne at the Relais just before 3pm. After no sign of Alexandra at 3.15pm I started to try and message/call her, but I’ve had some issues dialling French mobiles from my phone whilst here. Luckily I didn’t get through, as Teresa whilst I was fumbling around, had re-checked her emails and suddenly exclaimed we had the wrong day - we were three days too early!! 🙄
    So off home we popped - both of us actually quite relieved to be staying in for the afternoon.
    At home we finally got an email from the Douane with his bank details - this meant we could finally get Roxvanne’s import fee paid - at last! Still her import continues.
    Football was on again and so the evening slipped by accompanied by another bowl of our lovely chilli.
    Tomorrow more viewings!    Читать далее

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