France
Arrondissement de Niort

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    • Day 14

      Heimweg

      July 20, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      Wir wollten ganz früh morgens losfahren, alles hatten wir fertig geparkt und als wir um 7 Uhr an der Schranke standen, das übliche Problem die Schrank blockierte. Erst nach einigen herum telefonieren und rangieren kamen wir dann raus. Wunderschöne Eindrücke auf der Brücke zum FestlandRead more

    • Day 209

      13.04 Day 209 . . . Mixed Weather

      April 13, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

      And so another day begins . . . Not too much planned today as the weather looked a bit mixed.
      We weren’t up overly early and after breakfast pottered about with some chores and a couple of admin things.
      We then attempted to transfer some money which turned into a drama - when the bank is trying to protect you from fraud but ultimately stops you getting access to your money when you need it . . . Like today!
      Anyhow - it was resolved after some very lengthy phone calls, Tre staying decidedly more calm than me!!
      That all sorted finally we decided we needed to go to Sauze to get a couple of bits - so we hopped into Rox and set off, remembering we really did now need fuel.
      When we set off the sun was glorious and we stopped to take a couple of photos as we drove the back roads. 20 minutes later as we arrived at SuperU, with my intention of fuelling up immediately before the the weather changed, it changed and started to pour down.
      At exactly the same point I got a call from a local bee keeper who I had made contact with, just asking what I was looking to do and giving me some advice on bits and pieces. He was really helpful and I’m sure I will be speaking with him again . . . When I have some bee’s.
      By the end of the call the rain had eased and we did our shop. Once back out we fuelled up before the rain started again.
      We decided to take a drive past the Chenay house - can’t keep away now as the days are ticking towards our possible ownership.
      Not much had changed and no-one seemed to be about.
      As we drove home I took a couple more photos of the rapeseed and turbines - they look brilliant out here, but the photos never do them justice.
      Once home Teresa set about making a new chorizo salad we’d seen - the only downside was I had to hunt through my spices box to find the fennel seeds that I’d safely packed away.
      The salad took no time and was bloody lovely.
      The rest of the evening drifted away, the light outside now keeping the evenings alive a little longer - spring has defo sprung and summer is on its way.
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    • Day 141

      04.02 Day 141 . . . The Lemon Tree

      February 4, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      Having dragged ourselves out of bed and got ready, we sorted our ourselves ready for a trip to SuperU to get supplies for Lauren and Pete’s visit as of Sunday.
      We took the back roads to Sauze and found no sight of the Chasse - first time ever on this road on a Saturday.
      As we entered into Sauze, Tre mentioned that a cafe we had never been to was open. Not sure why we had never been in before, maybe as it always seemed to be shut. The thought of an English bacon sandwich overtook us and I quickly turned Rox around to go and park up. Bacon is something you can’t find out here easily.
      The Lemon Tree - Salon De Thé is on one of the main roads running through Sauze and is run by an English couple who have been running it for 18yrs. Having served us up fantastic bacon in baguette each, mine with an egg as well . . . We got into conversation with them about life in general in and around Sauze. We spent over an hour in the cafe eating, drinking and chatting . . . and meeting Lucky the black resident cat. Tre also bought a jar of honey sold in the cafe made by a local guy. Weirdly Tre and I had only been talking about my bee keeping ambitions on the drive over.
      We said our goodbyes and drove to SuperU having a catch up call with my mum on route. Mum and Dad are due out here beginning of March - so things still need sorting for them.
      We drifted around SuperU taking in anything we hadn’t seen previously, we had a list but we never seem to use it I til we’ve done a complete circuit of the shop. We grabbed all the bits we needed for Loz and Pete’s arrival and were only interrupted once, when we bumped into the owners of the Lemon Tree, who had closed up sometime after we had left and were now shopping themselves. . . we have new buddies in Sauze!! I don’t think they could believe we were still in there having left them when we did. We did also pick up another four bottles of the ‘Les Ormes De Cambras - Cabernet Sauvignon Pays D’Oc 2021’ we had a few nights ago, still at just over a euro as on offer 🤭
      We drove back through the back lanes and there they were - the chasse were on a normal chasse road, all up high in the viewing stations 😂
      We took some new roads towards home and then decided to check out a route to Gournay we have never taken. I don’t know how, but Tre noticed some deer in a field that the chasse would have been proud of - so tucked down in the green of the farmers field, that only their heads and ears were visible. We found Gournay and then checked out a house we very nearly bought. Apparently it is now bought, but it still looked decidedly empty and unloved.
      Homeward bound, checking out the deer who were still in residence in the farmers field. We unpacked Rox, I did a bit of Penguins update waiting on the Rugby to start, while Tre did the rubbish and bottle recycling run.
      The Rugby was very entertaining but not the result England wanted.
      Tre had made a fab lardon, onion and chilli omelette for dinner, with a little salad. We found a salad dressing the other day which I love - so had lashings of that all over.
      We sat and watched some rubbish TV and a couple of episodes of the The Killing Series 3 on iPlayer before calling it a night.
      Loz and Pete arrive tomorrow 😎
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    • Day 5

      Kicking about Buffevent

      October 23, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

      Quiet day, late breakfast, crochetting, lovely lunch, D on tech duty so I took myself for a walk. Total silence save the birds and distant farm machinery with the smell of burning tyres: home from home!Read more

    • Day 198

      02.04 Day 198 . . . Happy Burvday Loz

      April 2, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

      There was a promise of lots of tools being sold at one of the local charity places this morning - ‘Hope’ At Sauze Vaussais.
      Having rested quite well yesterday 😂 we were up relatively early and out the door ready for our jaunt out.
      We got to Hope at about 9.30am and then saw the sign about being open at 10am. So we decided to check out another road to the Chenay house - thinking about lorry access. The road didn’t end up where we expected it to and so we made a small deviation to drive past the house anyway. On route we saw a number of Buzzards in the ploughed fields and then a very small bird which appeared to have a mask around its eyes. A black line that made it look like a bank robber. No idea what it was, so some research needed later. Nothing had changed at the house - no sign of a mass clear out at this point.
      We returned to Hope and went to explore. There were next to no tools, just the normal charity shop bits and pieces - plates, cups, glasses and jigsaws. Hope also has a little shop that sells English food stuffs - we’d never visited before so took a look. As luck would have it we’d just run out of English tea bags and the shop had a large bag. I decided we needed some . . . 10 bloody euros for a bag of tea bags!! Won’t be doing that again!!
      Before we left we grabbed a bacon roll each from a stall outside - bacon is still something we miss here, only when we smell it 🥓🥓
      From Hope we drove to the small spar in Sauze to grab some bits for dinner and then back to the Chenay house so I could check the route we actually would have to use, to see if it was suitable for a lorry . . . All seems ok!
      From the house we drove to Caunay where we knew there was a vide grenier
      happening. It appears this weekend is the start of all the local village vide grenier and brocantes starting.
      We parked at Caunay and had a walk around the stalls, lots of bits that would be handy when we have the house, but not at the moment as we don’t want anything else to store or move.
      From Caunay we decided to visit Lezay and their vide grenier also on this morning. As we left we commented on how nice Caunay was, we’d not visited before. One particular garden caught our eye as we drove past its boundary wall covered in Grape Hyacinth and Succulents.
      By the time we got to Lezay the weather had turned and was overcast and rain loomed. There wasn’t really very much at the vide and so we didn’t stay long.
      Back in Rox we took yet another untried route back to home, using back roads now full of fields of rapeseed. It’s grown quite substantially in the week we have been away.
      The afternoon drifted away, more penguins to catch up on and dinner cooked. A ‘Happy Birthday’ phone call to Lauren, who was out enjoying herself and then a quick call to my mum.
      Social media provided me with a little envy in regards to a little red tractor we could have bought if we had been in our house, but some thankful news that Graham Potter had been sacked - at last. The small bird we had seen earlier, our bank robber, was in-fact a Wheatear. First time ever seeing one of these and not a name I’d heard of before.
      Fab cauliflower cheese and steaks were on the menu for dinner, some evening TV and another day was done.
      Now we are actually in April - the house seems less of a dream and possibly more reality.
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    • Day 137

      31.01 Day 137 . . . Chenay Once More

      January 31, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

      I woke this morning and then fell straight back to sleep until nearly 10am - I slept all day yesterday, how is this happening?
      We both hopped up and got ourselves ready as we were visiting the house at Chenay again today - I even had a face scrape!!
      During this period of readiness I got a message to say the diagnostic gizmo for the car had been delivered - will need to sort that later on our return.
      We were at the house at Chenay at just gone 1.30pm awaiting the estate agent who was due at 2pm. We said our hello’s to the resident neighbours cats and had a look over the gate and then a walk down the lane. All seemed as we last saw it.
      The Estate agent arrived at 2pm and as previously had forgotten the code for the padlock on the gate . . .something about the 3 P’s springs to mind.
      Finally in we took a slow walk around the house together trying to check as many things as we could, things we had put on a list before driving here today. We wandered on numerous occasions from that list to look at bits and pieces we hadn’t included on the list. State of woodwork we knew needed attention, how old was the log burner stove, did the chimney on the bread oven even exist as a chimney, did the bathroom have any form of extraction . . . really not too exciting to most but to us little gems of knowledge.
      The beams upstairs didn’t seem so low this time which pleased me and the barn had been semi cleared . . . well a little anyway. We drew up a list with the estate agent of things we might be interested in if free and left, things we might consider buying and things we really wanted shipped out before we arrived . . . if all goes to plan.
      A spin into the hanger and a walk around the outside and garden to add to the list and we were done - probably about an hour. The estate agent made it clear in actions if not words that she needed to leave - we got the hint. After her departure we stayed a while to chat and say goodbye to the cats.
      We drove home via Maire Levescault to see if the cafe was open - it wasn’t, so we trundled for home.
      On route we had to pull over on ‘The road to nowhere’ to let a convoy through bringing even more turbine blades to somewhere - hopefully not too near here as we do seem to have quite a few already.
      At home we had cheese and crackers whilst emailing the bank re change of address details. Hannah also delivered the diagnostic gizmo, so I will call Warren tomorrow.
      I then had a sort out of some tool boxes, so that I could free a plastic box up for my seed sewing experiment - it took a bit longer than expected.
      Tre had put chicken into marinade yesterday, so that made an appearance for our evening meal and it was fab - chicken peppers, onion, garlic and chilli - what could be more perfect.
      We watched a bit of tatt TV before finding Saving Private Ryan on film 4 +1. The only problem was it being +1 and us being an hour ahead of UK TV meant it was gonna be a late finish. Having had so much sleep over the last couple of days I managed to see it through, but Tre gave up and retired to bed before they’d even found him, let alone try to get him home.
      SPOILER ALERT - PRIVATE RYAN MAKES IT HOME.
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    • Day 10–11

      27.05 Day 10 . . . Italy Bound

      May 27, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      Loup is like an accurate alarm clock waking us spot on 7am - again. Up and walked - today was pack up day as our Festival Mayhem had come to an end for another year.
      We are now bound for Italy!
      The pack up went swimmingly although worryingly Teresa’s cough/cold thing had got worse. Ashe has had this for about three days but this morning it has gone up a notch. Maybe last night chilly weather with The Stranglers just finished her off.
      We left the site about 9.30am and headed for our usual post festival MacDonalds just up the road. Tre was not overly bothered about eating but I managed to get her to eat a sausage and egg McMuffin (I had two) and a cold strawberry milk shake to soothe her throat. My eyes were bigger than my belly and so one McMuffin got put by for later.
      On the road in the sunshine we headed south to the coast and the Chunnel. We decided after their performance last night to give The Stranglers a play on route.
      Apart from some initial queuing and a bloke who couldn’t control his dog in the pet passport area, our check in at Le Shuttle went smoothly. A nice little bottle of Lemon Gin acquired for our Italy adventure we headed outside to await our train departure.
      Loup had a session in the pet playground and helped me finish the second McMuffin - his first ever! Tre was still rough and dozing when possible.
      The crossing concluded with a broken down vehicle on the train when arriving at Coquelles, but that was sorted fairly promptly and we departed for our overnight hotel - both of us in need of a proper room and decent shower.
      We drove for an hour and a bit to the our accommodation B&B Béthune Bruay-la-
      Buissière, stopping briefly at Lidl to grab some supplies. The hotel was one of the very low staffed but very office like modern places. Loads of parking, charming member of staff and a modern, very clean, tidy and comfortable room - if not the biggest in the world.
      We took Loup for a last long walk and play with his fairly new ball, which he took joy in puncturing. We then avoided a woman with a very large white mountain ‘attack’ dog which was trying with every sinew in his body to get off his double harness lead to run over and eat the three of us.
      Tre had now got even worse than this morning and so went straight to bed - coughing non stop. It wasn’t long before I hopped off to bed also and thankfully Loup crashed at the same time.
      Tomorrow we journey south on our way to Switzerland and then Italy to rendezvous with Simon and Jax again!! More Mayhem to come.

      The Stranglers - Hanging Around
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    • Day 166

      01.03 Day 166 . . . Dinner at Noyer

      March 1, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 2 °C

      Tre and I both woke at about 4am - both of us obviously thinking the same thing and chatting about it - why had we not been sent signed copies of the compromise. Both of us then struggled to get back to sleep but eventually drifted off.
      Waking again at about 8am the same subject was the main focus of our conversation. Tre received an email from the Insurance company with a revised Certificat D'assurance Automobile and our very first Certificat Provisoire d'Immatriculation, otherwise known as a Carte Grise - official vehicle registration document in France- well an email copy of it anyway. Roxvanne is now officially Roxvanné with her new index number of
      GM-285-LP.
      We got up and had breakfast, then sat and composed an email to our French Notaire asking for clarification.
      To shift it from our heads and as the weather was glorious we decided to walk the nearby lanes. So off we pottered wrapped up to avoid the chill but enjoying the sunshine on our faces, while checking out all the little flowers and plants that have suddenly appeared in this more spring like weather.
      We were probably out for over an hour doing our usual circuit, this time in reverse, annoying the large Alsatian in one particular house . . . We always do!
      Back at home we decided as we were wrapped up to take the recycling to the bins and the bottles to the bottle bank. We always feel like drunken bums walking down the road with an ever chinking bag of bottles - probably to near the truth.
      Back at home we chilled for a couple of hours before getting ready and then walking to the Relais car park, where we had arranged to be picked up by Lou and Vince at 6.30pm.
      Just before 6.30pm we were sat in the car with Lou and Vince and were being whizzed off to Auberge du Noyer for dinner. Auberge du Noyer is just south of Montjean and we arrived about 15 minutes later.
      We had not been to Noyer before although we had heard it mentioned regularly by others and as we had heard, the food was fab with so much choice. We spent the evening catching up on each other past month or so and generally chewing the fat about life. The hours flew past and it seemed not long before Lou and Vince were dropping us back outside our place at well gone 10pm. We have been really lucky to have found certain people here that have given us so much help, advice, support and friendship - couldn’t ask for more.
      Indoors I settled down and found West Ham v Manchester Utd was still on TV and was heading to extra time with about 10 minutes to go - so I was happily anticipating another 1/2 hour if football. At that point West Ham caved in and Utd win 3-1 in the last minutes of normal time - so I went to join Tre who had already gone to bed.
      Tomorrow we try to get Roxvanné her new plates!! We may possibly even hear about the Compromise - would be nice!!
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    • Day 202

      06.04 Day 202 . . Botanical Knowledge!

      April 6, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      Not an early get up again this morning, but once up and breakfasted we were straight back on it.
      A further email to the lorry hire company with driving licences and other info plus some questions, booking ferry crossings x3 which proved less easy than previously due to the length of the 7.5t lorry. Booking a hotel outside Dieppe for our return journey. Sorting some accounts stuff and emailing the bank.
      That all done we perched ourselves outside for another dose of sunshine - it was lovely.
      A few nibbles for lunch and we decided to go on one of our walks of the lanes nearby. Tre ran for a shower first, while I put some chicken with garlic ginger and green Thai curry paste for dinner and then we were off for the walk.
      Whilst doing these we’ve been noting the changes in plants and crops along the roadsides and the fields, trying to spot changes that actually help identify some of them.
      Today we noticed the following over our 2.5 mile ramble. Japanese Honeysuckle which is actually in our patio garden, Broad Bean, Rutabaga, Cherry Laurel, Cow Parsley, Smooth Bedstraw, Blackthorn and Shining Cranesbill . . . and add into the mix a Green-Veined White butterfly - a male, as he only had one spot and not two on each wing.
      Back at home an hour or so later we again chilled on the patio, joined again by the neighbour cat - ‘Le Petit Chat’.
      He/She/They/It hasn’t been around for a while - probably as we’ve not been outside on the patio too much.
      Once back inside we watched a little TV with a cold drink and then stuck the chicken on for dinner. We timed finishing dinner just right to sit and watch another Film4 called Skyscraper with Dwayne Johnson. A sort of mix of Towering Inferno/ Die Hard the Nakatomi Plaza one and Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol - the Burj Khalifa stunt on the outside of the windows. Tom cruise used specialised suction cups - Dwayne used inside out gaffa tape around his hands 😂
      After that we sat and watched the next film up which was Tom Cruise in Reacher . . . and that took us up to bed time.
      Another day and another lesson about the uses of gaffa tape.
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    • Day 211

      15.04 Day 211 . . . Car’s & Tondeuse

      April 15, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

      After our very late night last night, weirdly we both woke about 8am. We chatted for about ten minutes before both falling back to sleep. We were then very late waking up. Tea and an almond tuile in bed and then down for breakfast.
      The weather was lovely and sunny with Simpson clouds . . . the big white puffy ones against a rich blue shy . . . like at the start of a Simpsons episode.
      Once ready we hopped into Rox and headed to Civray to check out some cars. On route we took a detour past the Chenay house to see if clearing out was still under way. We think we drove past the woman and son we met before Christmas, then driving the opposite direction. At the house the field fence had been removed and at the house there was obvious car tyre marks in the driveway to the front door. These had never been there before - so looks like things are progressing. A few photos of the fields nearby as we left Chenay - including a sort of lady bird. I’ve tried to identify it a number of way but can be positive as the photo I doesn’t have enough detail.
      We then headed to the Citroen garage at Civray and checked out some C3 cars they had. We think they might be too small for my masculine bulky (overweight) frame. So we headed across the road to Peugeot and spoke to a very nice man about a 3008 that they had.
      Five minutes later Tre and I were out on a test drive on our own, no agent with us, no checking if our driving licences, no taking of our home address or phone numbers - just set loose for a drive. We both had a drive - primarily Tre, as I’d driven one before that we had hired. Back at the garage safe and sound we sat and went through some stuff with the very nice man (who keeps Donkeys - much to Tre’s delight) and got some prices. We left the garage with some thinking to do.
      We drove to Civray and dropped into Intermarché to grab a few bits for tonight and tomorrow.
      From there we drove down the road to another form of Brico to check out Tondeuse - ride on mowers again. They really didn’t have too much to look at and so walked across the road to another garden/land equipment place. Now I’ve always worked on the premise that if there is no price tag on an item and you have to ask the price, you probably can’t afford it so why bother asking. So we didn’t stay long!
      Having had most of the afternoon out and about we decided to head for home enjoying the late afternoon sunshine - and discussing our needs when it came to a car. There is only the two of us most of the time - so do we really need something large and fairly luxury, not really. So time to re think our brand choices.
      Home about 6pm Tre quickly smashed out the same chorizo salad we had a couple of nights ago. We enjoyed it so much the other night it was fab to have it again. Also uncorked a bottle of our favourite red.
      We then watched a few episodes of The Night Agent - leaving us the final two episodes for tomorrow.
      Match of the Day finished our evening and finished any hope I had of Chelsea getting some pride in themselves.
      We may go to Lenzay tomorrow - let’s see what time we surface in the morning.
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    Arrondissement de Niort

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