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    • French Frolics
      Day 78

      03.12 Day 78 . . . Pineau & Cognac

      December 3, 2022 in France ⋅ 🌧 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.      Read more

    • French Frolics
      Day 68

      23.11 Day 68 . . . House Hunt Pt 2

      November 23, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      Waking up feeling rough with ‘Man Flu’ was not how I wanted to feel on the day of the mega viewing session. What had been six viewings lined up had happily dropped to five before we set off, as one house was now under offer.
      We met Kate (who we had met back in April when we did some house hunting with the Hollywoods) at the church in Genouillé. Off we went to a property at Les Mauvoisins which on arrival was situated on a small lane next to what looked like a travellers camp.
      The house was ok but on entering, immediately due to the rain again today, we found water dropping from the ceiling in the lounge. The house was small but had access to an adjoining barn which had extension possibilities - but fairly quickly Tre and I had decided it was certainly not for us.
      We left Kate and drove to Civray to grab some food, stopping in a small boulangerie pâtisserie on the outskirts of the town. We had the best quiche I think I personally have ever had. Everything was baked on site and we will defo be going back. We stayed a little longer than expected as the rain hammered it down for a short period, Teresa and I laughing at customers running in looking like drowned rats, most of them cursing - in French, but I got the idea of what they were saying.
      We grabbed some fuel across the road and then set off to Chaunay to meet another Nathalie - the one who had shown us the Hank house a couple of weeks ago.
      The house at Chaunay was in a small hamlet just outside called Les Fants (initially given to us on an email spelt Les Farts, which made Teresa comment that we were never living there!). A very rural location and very quiet despite the N10 across some fields out of sight. The house oozed being looked after and loved, with a barn half way down the lovely lawned garden, which you could walk through to the second lawned section. The house was immaculate with lovely heavyweight oak furniture and heavy wooden doors. Teresa and I only had one real issue - it was too finished, to well maintained a finished house - nothing for Tre and I to actually do which was never our plan for coming here. It seemed the strangest reason to not want somewhere. So after a shortish viewing we departed in convoy with Nathalie to the second house she was showing us. We had also at this point decided to cut four viewings to three for the afternoon.
      We drove back basically from the north of Deux Sèvres to the southern most part to a house in Souvigné - again!
      This house in comparison the the last, needed a whole host of work and had multiple rooms, so the work was to be honest daunting. Not only that it came with a smaller accompanying house which actually was a wreck. At one point Nathalie looked towards me and I simply said ‘No’. It didn’t take long to close the house up and we were off again to the last one for the day.
      Travelling east we crossed over the N10 yet again to a distance east of it roughly the same that Souvigné was to the west of it. We stopped in a hamlet not far from Nanteuil-en-Vallée at a property that felt distinctly Mediterranean. The property currently has no kitchen but a room suitable for one. Two large ish bedrooms and one smaller. An attached barn and about an acre of land on a slope. I immediately sensed Teresa was in excited happy mode and to be fair I felt the same. The views from the top of the field were spectacular as the sun began to set. There was quite a lot of work to get on with but not so much that it made the project seem impossible. Weirdly I didn’t take as many photos as normal which probably meant I was concentrating on the property more this time. We said our goodbyes to Nathalie and then drove and stopped at the top of the land around the property, this is when we saw the views - jaw dropping.
      Both of us were quite quiet on the drive home, both thinking over all the houses we had seen today but primarily the last one.
      Home an hour ish later we had some of the chilli from the other evening with loads of bread - we were both starving. Then it was straight to bed as we are getting up early for the airport in the morning - Munch is back!      Read more

    • French Frolics
      2
      Day 13

      29.09 - Day 13 . . . Niort & The Douane

      September 29, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

      We wanted to get to the Douane early this morning, we hadn’t made an appointment and so we’re working on the theory if we got there fairly early we may be lucky and find someone working.
      We collected our ever enlarging folder of paperwork, ensuring we had everything we could think of regarding our entry into France, stamped Douane paperwork from Calais and Roxvanne papers.
      It was a lovely bright sunny and warm morning and so the drive to Niort was fab. Just before Niort the sat nav took us off to the east around the outskirts of the town and finally to the Douane office. Parked up we went to the very smart office to find the door locked. Whilst checking the signs on the door a man appeared, opened the door and ushered us inside. We explained our reason for visiting and we’re very soon sitting in an office with him - he being the douane officer we needed to see fortunately. To say he was helpful was an understatement, and everything was explained perfectly to us (although it will cost us financially - but then he is a customs/tax man) - and he spoke enough English that it made life a lot more simple. On seeing the stamped certificates sheet we had obtained from Calais, he showed us a cupboard full of files he was dealing with and exclaimed we were the first ‘Ever’ to have brought him a stamped certified document. So I have to take my hat off to Teresa, who I had moaned at for making me drive around Calais on day 1 to find the Calais Douane! I will never live it down.
      All sorted with the very nice man at the Douane and aware of what we now needed to do - and pay . . . We drove into Niort.
      We headed generally into the town centre and finally parked up in a little side street Rue Barbeziere. From here walked to the first coffee shop we could find where we sat to quickly discuss the visit to the Douane.
      We then walked through the town, which was lovely - with main shopping types streets mixed together with narrow sides streets and thoroughfares. We then stumbled into Place des Halles and straight into market day! The market here is set up in a raised area which also holds a large indoor market area. The food on offer here was as normal fresh and appetising, and within the inside market were small restaurant areas which were busy.
      Overlooking the side of the market area is Niort Castle.
      The Donjon de Niort or Château de Niort (the former is most often used today) is a medieval castle in Niort. It consists of two square towers, linked by a 15th-century building and dominates the Sèvre Niortaise valley.
      The two donjons are the only remaining part of the castle. The castle was started by Henry II Plantagenet and completed by Richard the Lionheart. It was defended by a rectangular curtain wall and was damaged during the Wars of Religion. In the 18th century, the castle served as a prison.
      Whilst admiring the castle we heard what appeared to be a group singing and so we walked down towards the river. As we approached the singing stopped, but more music started . . . We hadn’t stumbled across an impromptu concert - just a full on demonstration 😂. It was the most well orderly protest I think I’ve ever seen.
      After the demo had passed we walked down to the river which passes through the town on its north west corner. The Sèvre Niortaise is a 158.4 km long river in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Pays de la Loire regions, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Its source is in the Deux-Sèvres department, near Sepvret, north of Melle.
      From here we walked back through the backstreets ack to Place des Halles looking for a lunch spot. Fortunately before lunch I found a vinyl record shop with hundreds of albums for me to flick through. Tre realised that to let me purchase something quickly would get me out of the shop a lot faster. Album securely bagged and under my arm we left to find a place for lunch, not before I promised the guy in the shop that I would be back for a longer visit soon.
      After a light lunch we headed back to Roxvanne and then began the drive home. Tre had another spell driving some of the way until stopping at SuperU in Melle for fuel.
      Home not long after we sat out in the sunshine again until about 7pm.
      Dinner was one or my favourites - Merguez sausages, which Tre had jazzed up with some oven roasted onions and a little from a special jar of crispy chilli I’d hidden from the UK to here - but been found out.
      We almost made to 11pm before bed - not sure what happened there!      Read more

    • French Frolics
      Day 117

      11.01 Day 117 . . . Lunch At Voyageurs

      January 11, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

      A slow, slow morning getting ourselves up and ready - primarily Did’s obviously. Its weird - when people are here Tre and I wanna get up and get going with them, when actually they just want to chill. When there is no-one here Tre and I struggle to get up.
      Anyhow we had a lunch booked at Hôtel Des Voyageurs in Chef Boutonne for 1230pm - so there was no rush.
      We arrived in Chef at midday and had a quick spin round the shops before heading for lunch. Tre very obviously kicked me out of the only shop in Chef B that sells birthday cards . . . I wonder why?
      In Voyageurs we were greeted by the ever pleasant staff and seated in the rear restaurant, which was already busy with other general visitors, workmen in overalls and office staff, obviously from nearby.
      We opted for the plat du jour - the formula three course - all three of us light of any breakfast.
      First course was the cold meats, cheeses and salad bar, as much as you wanted. For main course Did’s and I had pork steaks in mustard with chips and salad, while Tre had a homemade minced meat burger . . . not exactly what she was expecting and I think she would have opted for the pork if she had known. I did offer a swap but she turned me down. Tre and Did’s then had creme caramel for pudding whist I had ‘the island that floats’ a very light meringue that sits in a bowl of cold creme anglaise. The meringue melts in your mouth almost immediately.
      Tre had offered up to drive, so I encouraged Did’s up for the strong Leffe Blonde at 6 point something percent . . . I was slightly amused when he said he wanted a second. That said he did drink it - although confessed he did then feel quite pickled.
      After coffee and chocolates we paid and left - completely full.
      As Tre was driving she got to decide where we were going and then sprung upon me the idea of going to look at cars at a nearby garage. So off we set. Literally 50 yrds around the corner we came across a broken down car in the middle of the road - and by that I mean it’s wheel although still attached, was hanging off at a 45 degree angle. Tre kicked Did’s and I out of Rox to go help push the car off the road. The owners transpired to be English as well and to the best of my attempts I could not shift the wheel into any form of position that we could push the car. By now half the street seemed to have appeared and were all helping, one French guy took over the owners phone to speak to his Insurance company on his behalf. After about 20 mins it was obvious nothing was going to happen until a tow truck appeared - which was now on route, so we left them in the same state pretty much that we had found them. They were grateful for our efforts.
      We then drove to Bouin to look at some cars - but there was nothing too exciting and so we didn’t stay long.
      We then took the back roads via a few villages towards home, passing through to Montjean where we stopped to buy Did’s a Pine cake. Much to his relief the patisserie had none in stock. We did get into conversation with an old guy who lived in Montjean. He was admiring a new statue that had been placed in the centre of the village. Apparently an elderly gentleman had recently lost his wife and commissioned a statue of her to be placed in the centre of the village. To be fair if the statue was anything like her at the time of her death - she had aged particularly well . . . which was why the old guy was admiring the statue so keenly.
      We then drove home via Sauze Vassais and through Melleran.
      We skipped dinner for the evening as we were all so stuffed from lunch at Voyageurs, simply chilling and chatting. We weren’t too late going to bed as Did’s is off home in the morning and we have a very early start.
      So not looking forward to that alarm !!      Read more

    • French Frolics
      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.      Read more

    • French Frolics
      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 😎      Read more

    • French Frolics
      Day 134

      28.01 Day 134 . . . Oh Deer, Oh Deer!

      January 28, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

      So for another day we both woke quite late and after a period of discussing the improving weather and life in general, we finally dragged ourselves out of bed to get showered and dressed.
      After a late breakfast of porridge, I watched some very very old TV whilst Tre finished getting ready. The Big Match Revisited and World of Sport brought back some fond memories of growing up in Crawley, especially football pitches resembling a ploughed field rather than a lush green turf covered masterpiece.
      About 2pm we hopped into Roxvanne, the injection warning light still popping up immediately on ignition. We took the back roads over to Sauze to go food shopping.
      On route we saw the Chasse were out in force, passing one field that had a hi-viz wearing huntsman in each viewing stand - all looking into the adjacent wooded area. We always take note of which way they are facing due to reading articles about deaths caused by the chasse - to drivers passing by in vehicles. Stray bullets from high powered rifles don’t differentiate between humans and wild boar or deer.
      We passed safely by and drove possibly another minute before in an adjacent field we saw five or six deer walking calmly across a ploughed field. If only the chasse had known 😂
      Into Sauze and subsequently SuperU we stocked up on pellets for the burner in the Gite, together with food for the week. No unknown foods for us to investigate this week so we opted for new cheese - Tomme de Normandie.
      On driving home using the road to nowhere rather than the back lanes, we saw even more deer, these standing right next to the main road - they obviously had heard the chasse were elsewhere.
      At home the dreaded I loading of the pellets took place. I will be so pleased when we can get the pellets in the van anywhere near the front door of home - rather than a little stroll with them.
      At home we had some of the cheese - which was lovely. If you asked Tre she would say it was a little fruity . . . She told me about five or six times 😂
      Next up I decided to attempt to sharpen some of the knives we have in the kitchen. Last week in the UK I had acquired Teresa’s Dad’s very old bench stone - a double sided block with two grades of coarseness.
      Now I’m not saying it was an outstanding success, but the knives I tried were definitely sharper than when I began. Every days a school day so next time it will be better.
      During the afternoon we made a batter for some new recipe Yorkshire Puddings we had found - and put it in the fridge for an hour as instructed.
      About 6.30 we set the Yorkshires off and running and subsequently had them with some chorizo sausages and salad . . . with a new untried salad dressing . . . all good!!
      In between some FA Cup football, we watched Michael McIntyre, Ant & Dec and then Lethal Weapon 2 on the TV for the evening. We are so living the high life - exciting to the extreme. All joking apart it is lovely spending time with Tre in the evenings, despite it being winter like here, just chilling and chatting, with no work the next day to be worrying about.
      If the house comes off, we will be heading into the summer and a whole new life will be opening up for us.
      Can’t wait 😎      Read more

    • French Frolics
      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.      Read more

    • French Frolics
      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.      Read more

    • French Frolics
      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!!      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Arrondissement de Niort

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