Start of Winter 2015

My next work stretch in the UK was undecided as of course my regular lady had passed away, and it felt quite unsettling for me. I was given two new clients to settle in with, but it felt very strange, and I kept comparing my new routines with my old. Those of you that know me, will know that I like things to be ordered and regular, and am not a great one for changes. However, it is necessary, and I had to get used to it. It did mean that in between bookings, I got to stay with the family again, so there is always a bright side. I even managed to get the Christmas shopping sorted, and all cards written and posted - a little early mind you, but all done and dusted.

We try to take time out of our busy schedules, by going to the beach, or discovering new places. Arthur enjoys this too of course....and while it is so mild, we must take advantage.

Other times, as I have said before, we need to get things done as a team - those jobs that Craig can't get done on his own. One example, is the back kitchen wall - we had always planned on putting a window in this wall, so that you could see outside when washing up, and of course to give more light into the room, BUT now, as we are not going to be here much longer, it is a job that has been cancelled. It would take Craig about 10 days to do this job on his own, for little or no profit. Now however, we can plaster board the wall, and finish it off, paneling the bottom half, paint it etc. After several years of having a window template drawn on the wall, we now have the finished product - although slightly amended. Craig needed me to help with the sheets of plaster board - they are big and cumbersome, awkward and clumsy. That probably describes me as well !!! Anyway, we got the plaster boarding done, which left Craig able to move on to another job.

Anyway, on my return this time, I was again able to see great changes - not only was the kitchen wall finished, but we now had a staircase from the middle to the top floor. Up until this point, we had a ladder !!! Now, however, Craig has built a staircase !!! He is unable to finish it with a handrail at this point, as we need to get plasterboard to the top floor, and a hand rail and banisters will be in the way.
I am very pleased with it. It looks great.

We made the sad decision to part company with the rabbits - we gave them away in fact, to a man who breeds them, and who has many other animals which he allows to free range over his land. We both feel that this is the kindest option for them. We didn't have time to breed them, and it means that Craig has one less job to do, when he is on his own - no feeding, watering and cleaning etc. Now we only have the chickens, which give us eggs (too many mind you, when Craig is on his own !), and of course Arthur.

Arthur was ill while I was away, which was worrying, but we think that it had to do with the fact that we changed his food. Once his tummy had adapted to the new sort, he appeared to recover, and is now his normal self. What made it worse, was that Craig too wasn't too good. He had an accident, and fell, injuring his chest. It makes us realise how vulnerable we are here in France.

I brought back many supplies from the UK with me - Craig always enjoys unloading the car from my trips, as there are numerous surprises for him - many are food related, but often there are other bits and pieces too. He had paint this time too - the paint here is very expensive, and very poor quality. If you asked any English person here about French paint, you would get the same answer. The paint I brought back with me this time, has already been used to paint the wall behind our bed, which means that our bedroom, is now completely finished.

We can start ticking off rooms that are completely finished now which is great - the bathroom and bedroom are sorted, and the study, kitchen, utility room and snug just have small finishing jobs to be done. In fact the two main jobs left - are the top floor, and the sitting room - both of which are manageable.

Let's keep positive - 2016 is going to be a good year.
 

Sad Times/Happy Times

Well, it's been a strange couple of months since I last wrote my blog. I went back to the UK for work, but sadly, the lady I was caring for passed away (as is the nature of my work, caring for the elderly in their own homes). It was a peaceful passing, but an emotionally draining time for me. I had become very fond of her over the last eighteen months. It was a double edged sword though, as because my work finished prematurely, I was able to spend time with my family unexpectedly, and I was able to come home early too.

Craig had been suffering from a cold, and while I was with my daughter, she had a cold. Then I called on my brother before I left the UK - and he had a cold too. Oh no.....here we go, I thought, BUT somehow I missed it. I did have a sore throat for a couple of days, but nothing more sinister.

It was lovely and unexpected, to stay with my family. I got to do the school run for a couple of days - something I miss, and spend time watching the weekly swimming lessons, feeling like a very proud Grandma of course. I got to see my boys too, and spend the day with them - all an added bonus.

It was necessary to change my ferry booking to come home, and for the first time I had offered a friend a lift back with me. Typical eh ? Murphy's Law and all that ! I have never offered anyone a lift, but equally I have never been in the position of having to change my ferry booking either. Of course, they were very understanding, and we managed to sort out their travel arrangements too.

Craig hadn't had a great time while I'd been away - not only had he been unwell, but he'd been working hard, trading/swapping trades as it were, and bartering jobs, and his days had been long and tiring. On his return each evening, he had to walk Arthur (who had never been left all day before!), and still sort out the other animals, and cook a meal for himself - and prepare for the following day. We are trying to decide whether it is better for him to do this while I am here in France, but then we don't see much of each other OR to do it while I am away, but then everything else piles up around him !! I think this picture shows who was enjoying the fact that Craig wasn't too well though.............

He had managed to get jobs done around the house which were obviously noticeable when I arrived back home. He had put a new roof on the porch - it was a bit of a glass monstrosity to be honest. Like a greenhouse on the front of the house. We had planned on demolishing it, and putting a new oak beamed structure up instead, but have now decided to renovate the existing one. So, Craig had removed the glass roof, and replaced it with a slate one. It looks good. It is tidier inside, painted etc, and now all that is left to do, is replace the broken panes on the sides. Big improvement.

The decking base is almost completed too - just a couple of boards missing which need to be purchased on the next trip to Carhaix. The coving is complete in the study, landing, and the bedroom, and the mantle pieces have been painted upstairs and down. The window grills have been repainted, and all in all, Craig has been as busy as I expected.

Our first job, when I got back was to fix the shower. It sprung a leak which damaged the plaster board on the kitchen ceiling below. This meant Craig had to remove the damaged board, and ascertain where the leak was. This was a job that he could not do on his own, so he had to wait for me, although I am not a great help to him ! For a week or so, we had no plaster board on part of the kitchen ceiling, while we checked nightly that the leak had been plugged, and no further damage would occur. These sort of jobs really annoy Craig, as he feels that he has done them once, so is just going over, and repeating previous jobs. Nature of the beast, I'm afraid !

We have been talking about a return to the UK, and although things here are progressing, we have definitely made our minds up. It is of course, a question of selling the house here, but it will happen, and we have to keep positive about it. We feel we have a goal to aim for, and a purpose again, which is a very positive feeling.

We'll miss France and the sights we see close to our house though......

Summer 2015 is Ending.

We're coming to end of our Summer here in Brittany, and my couple of months off work has gone so quickly. We've had lovely visits from lovely family, and spent time together - walks with Arthur the dog, and a few days (admittedly too few....) sitting outside enjoying the sun, and the peace.

It hasn't been a great Summer, weatherwise, but it has been nice to be home, and I feel quite relaxed and prepared for my return to work next week.

Ironically, Craig has been very busy while I have been home. We try to plan that while I am here, we relax a little more, but Craig has been trading/bartering work, and can't really afford to decline, as he needs help in return. This has meant that I have had several days on my own. It's an unusual situation for me, but I have made the most of it. I can understand though that for Craig being on his own, for weeks at a time it's a different kettle of fish. Especially when the weather is poor, and the days are short.

Now that the decision has been made to return to the UK - at some point - we've met up with several other families who have decided to make a move onwards too. Our near neighbours shocked us with the news that they are to return too, and in fact, made the decision, and have actually gone, in the space of a couple of weeks !! Another couple are moving to be nearer children and grandchildren, to the Nantes area of France. So, our small community is changing ......I wish everyone luck in their future homes.

What have we achieved while I have been home this time - well, we have made changes to plans for the house. Choosing finishes for ourselves, is different to choosing finishes to 'sell' the property for example. We were going to put a window in the back of the house, to bring more light into the kitchen, but it's a lot of work, and won't necessarily increase the value, so it's one idea that has been shelved. Of course, a new owner could choose to do it, and we have got permission, so it wouldn't be too hard to renew that, as it has been agreed at some point.

There are lots of things I will miss from here - the peace, and the quiet roads for example. Although, saying that, the road outside the house can be very busy at harvest time. Tractors, with trailers and combine harvesters travelling past, in some cases as late as 11.30pm. It is something that we accept of course, as we appreciate that the farmers need to get the crops in, within a small window of opportunity. Other times, we don't see a car go past all day !

Customer service is strange here too. I think we have got used to the standards of the UK - and it is very rare to find it here. Craig had a problem with his nail gun, and after a lot of investigation, we discovered that it was easier to take it back to the UK, and get it repaired/serviced there. Here, we would have had to SEND it - yes, you read that right - to a depot in Southern France, where they would deal with it, at an unknown price, within an unknown time frame. The English repairers could give us a cost and a time frame immediately ! Which would you choose ???

Well, we've started to stock up on materials to keep Craig busy while I am away - we will complete this exercise in the next few days of course, and with food for him too. I have made copious amounts of cake to keep his sweet tooth at bay, and he has fuel for the fires, and gas for cooking. All that is left for me to do, is to get the washing, ironing and cleaning up to date. I try to leave the house as clean as I can, so that he can concentrate on other things.

Au Revoir for now, Bientot, until my next trip home x

Up To Date.

Well, this is a first ! I am up to date with the Blog, and am going to be writing about things that have happened in the last few days/weeks, instead of playing 'catch up', and writing about things that happened several years ago.

I do appreciate those of you that read this, but I am pleased with myself as well, that I have managed to create a record for ourselves of our French adventures - with all it's trials, but rewards too.

I have been home now for nearly two months - I have been able to have the Summer here in France - although to be honest, the weather hasn't been very 'Summerish'. It has meant that I can relax a little, and enjoy my time here, without the constant thought at the back of my mind that it's nearly time to think about going back to work.

We've also been lucky enough to receive family visits. Two of our grandchildren, Charlotte and Henry came with their Mum, Becky, to stay for a few days. Last year they flew into Dinard, but the drive from there is quite long for two small children (and for us, as of course, we had to do the journey, there and back !), so this year, they flew into Brest. This was much better, and we were very excited to meet them there. In fact, Craig hadn't seen them, in the flesh, for over a year, so he was a little emotional. We watched them come off the plane, and walk across into the airport, and then along the glass walled corridor, and into the Luggage Reclaim.

We had a lovely time with them - we went to the beach a couple of times, we went to the Trembling Rock,

 to the Fair in Huelgoat,

 and visited friends with horses and goats. They fed our rabbits, and the chickens, and walked Arthur - not sure whether Arthur was very impressed, but he played along very well ! Craig enjoyed some male bonding with Henry, while the girls were baking.....

We even had a Birthday party for Charlotte, who turns 5 in September, and wanted us to go to her party. Of course, we can't, so the party came to us ! We had a barbecue, balloons, banners, and of course, a Birthday Cake. Even if it was a 'pretend birthday - you have to have a cake eh ?

All too soon, it was time for them to leave, and for the next set of visitors to arrive. Tom and Jo arrived by train into Morlaix.

They had travelled from London, to Paris, to Rennes, and were completing their trip with a short visit to us. Their time here was a lot less tiring than the visit from the grandchildren, but no less pleasant. A slight disappointment, was the fact that I developed an abscess on my tooth, and had to pay a visit to the dentist, and had three lots of antibiotics to contend with. I looked as those I had gone three rounds with Mike Tyson - my face was that swollen. Of course, I was told that it wasn't very noticeable. But I knew it was !!! Nevertheless, Tom and Jo were able to explore the area a little, we visited the market in Carhaix, and had a meal in Huelgoat to celebrate Tom's birthday. I wasn't well enough to make a cake for him this time, so we made do with lovely cakes from the Patisserie - it wasn't too much of a hardship !

Visits from family are great - but it's sad to see them go, and makes me even more determined to return to the UK to be nearer them all.

The Big Decision.

After a month away working, we both came to the same conclusion - we can't go on indefinitely like this. We didn't sign up for this ! The idea was to be less stressed, more relaxed, spend more time together, and generally enjoy life. At the moment, we are spending less time together, and the time apart is quite stressful, in as much as Craig is so isolated, and also we are not enjoying what we are doing. So......we have come to the decision that we need to move on.....and do you know what ? Now that the decision has been made, we both feel that a great weight has been lifted, and we are enjoying life more again. I feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The possibilites are endless - well, maybe not endless, but there are options certainly. Where shall we go ? What will we do ? When ?

First things first.....we are not in a position to do a lot until the house sells, and here we know people who have been trying to sell for years, yet others who have sold within weeks. There is not a lot of rhyme or reason sometimes, so it is something we are aware of.

With this in mind, we know that we need to get the house in a more sellable condition. It is at this point, a very large one bedroomed house ! However, Craig now feels he has an objective - a target maybe. So, while I am away he needs to work on the house, with the target to be, that next Spring we are in a position to put it on the market. He knows what he has to do, and we are both determined that we will be ready. Some of the plans we have for the house will be modified, as of course, they were for our benefit, and would not suit others.

We are very proud of our successes here, and feel that the adventures were worth it, but time to go now.

I do love it here, and I appreciate it more so, as I am not here all the time. On my return this time at the beginning of May, there is noticeable more greenery than when I left. The fields and hedgerows are blossoming, the grass is growing, and the wild flowers are blooming.

Craig has done so much work too. With longer warmer days, the incentive is there so much more so than when it is cold, wet and dark. He has painted the front porch - this was to be knocked down and rebuilt, but now we have decided to renovate it - paint, replace the broken panes, and replace the glass roof, with a slate one. One step at a time - he has painted it, and what a difference already.

He has put the fascia and guttering up at the front of the house,

dug out, and stoned the front,

 and even started the decking at the back.

He has tiled in the Utility room too. He has even had time to add to the wood pile.

One big decision we made was that we would not move things from this house to another that we don't use or need. Over time, we have sold or disposed of things as we found them, but now we started to actively sort through things. We made a couple of trips to the Scrap Yard for example, a couple of trips to the Tip - (this will be an ongoing job I think !), and advertised items for sale. It's surprising what you can find if you want to !

With a renewed vigour, Craig attacked the gable end wall, and with some more borrowed scaffolding, managed to finally complete the slating. He even manged to get the fascias up as well, before the scaffolding came down, and we returned it.

We bought another batch of day old chicks to raise/fatten for the table (sorry folks if you are a little squeamish about this type of thing !). The disappointing thing for me, is that I realise that it is another job for Craig to do while I am away. I feel that I am giving him more work, instead of making it easier for him.

We also bought some more hens, for eggs, from the market - if you remember, we lost our last lot to a pine martin over the winter - these need to grow a little before we get any eggs though.

The television in the bedroom was annoyingly only working periodically. Craig finds this TV very necessary, especially when he is on his own. It gives him company, and a bit of life, and if it is very cold, it means that he can be warm, without having to be too isolated. However, he very cleverly, has hidden all the wires, which meant that to remove and mend it, proved to be quite difficult. I did a little research on the problem on the Internet, and came up with the fact that the wires may be loose, so we spent a good afternoon, lifting the TV on and off the wall, and re-threading the wires through the plaster, insulation and batoning !! There were a few choice words uttered during this time, BUT it now works again !!!

Poor Arthur had to have his annual check up, and injections - I'm not sure why I said 'poor Arthur'. He doesn't do too badly living with us. He has a lot of comforts that other dogs in the area certainly don't have - a bed inside (two in fact, one upstairs, and one downstairs), regular walks, treats, good food, and caring owners. Bless him !

We had four - yes, FOUR - Public Holidays here in May.....all deliberately set to trip up the unsuspecting visitors of course !! No shops open - well, aside from the bakers !

Although the month home goes so quickly, I know that Craig will be busy getting the house sorted to move on to our next adventure while I am away again.

Lovely Family Visits.

There are very few jobs that Craig will not do while I am away working - the ironing is one, and I am very aware that there will be a pile left for me to do when I get back. However, everything else is always up to date - the washing, cleaning, even the kitchen floor, and bathroom. I have no worries that the house will deteriorate in any shape or form. I try to get jobs done while I am here so that he has no need to worry about them - defrosting the freezers (we have four !!), and cleaning the windows etc. Jobs that need doing, but not that regularly, if you see what I mean.

I loved the little flowers that Craig planted into beer drums - how original...

We like to have visitors, and of course to arrange for them to be here while I am too, and we were lucky enough to welcome my cousin Debbie, and her husband Steve for a long weekend in March. They had hoped to come on their motorbike, but to be honest, the weather wasn't expected to be good enough for that, so they travelled by car - and it was a good job they did. Their arrival into Roscoff was very wet !

The weekend panned out slightly better though, and although it wasn't t shirt weather, we did manage to get out and about. We went into Huelgoat,

 visited the cafe in the woods for a cup of coffee, and walked into the forest.

We went to the market in Morlaix,

and to the beach as well.

 We had a lovely time, a lot of talking, and lots of laughter - maybe too many late nights !!!

We had an unexpected visit from the Commune workers (Council workmen), who arrived to work on the drainage opposite the house. We have periodically complained about the drainage, and have had several visits from them with half hearted attempts to try to resolve the problem. The last time they visited they said they would return in October, and here they are - in March, only 6 months late !!!! Anyway, they created a concrete gully along the side of the road, so we'll see if this is any better.

We had a good view of the solar eclipse from the house, and Craig captured a few photos. The local primary school kept all the children inside, with the curtains closed to avoid the possibility that the children may harm their eyes. This was in stark contrast to the broadcasts we saw on the television of UK children being involved with experiments involving colandars etc.

Craig spent a lot of time working on the gable end of the house. It has been an ongoing project due to the height of the walls, and the problems getting hold of suitable scaffolding, safe and secure enough for someone who is not too good with heights. At this point, he has finished boarding the wall, ready to start (or continue) with the slating.

Our little grandson, Henry celebrated his 3rd birthday, and his first swimming lesson - we are missing a lot of things. They are all growing fast, and we will never get that time back.

All too soon, my time here is coming to an end, and the UK with work is calling again.

Our First Snow.

Winter days are short, and the evenings are long, so sometimes we allow ourselves time to catch up on films, or TV series. It does feel a little bit of a luxury, but it doesn't matter - there is no-one to answer to - only ourselves ! So long as the normal daily chores are complete, why not eh ?

We have had fun this winter with the new wood burner - we have even cooked jacket potatoes in it - why ? Just cos we can ! It has made a huge difference to us though, and sometimes we just sit and watch the flames, in companiable silence.

While I am home, although we manage to get small jobs completed, we try to spend time together, and Craig tries to get more done while I am away. That way his time goes quicker, as he can be quite isolated on his own.

My birthday in December was spent in the UK with me working, and as Craig's is in January, we were able to celebrate the two together this year. We were in fact invited to a party - two friends with birthdays at the same time (one French and one English) - so it was a celebration all round. The protocol here for this type of party, is for you to take a plate of food, and some drink, and add it to the table. If the party is given by French people, it is not the 'done thing' to take a bottle of wine, as it may be construed that you don't like their wine, which is a little bit of an insult. Also, never take Chrysanthemums - they are the flowers used for funerals !!!

Craig's birthday in fact, didn't start too well, as we discovered all the chickens had been killed over night. Last year, we lost them to a fox, and this year, it appears to have been a pine martin. It had chewed through the door of the chicken coop, and you could even see the teeth marks. Not the best thing to face, first thing in the morning.

The weather here is the driving force which decides our days activities, and the wind and rain this year, which England also had, was horrendous. We are also at risk in these conditions of power cuts, which affect us greatly. This means we have no phone, internet, TV, lights, no cooking facilities etc of course, so we try to prepare when we know the forecast. We check the batteries in the torches, and arrange candles - it can be quite romantic ! However, we become aware of our isolation, and the risks of trees falling down and causing damage or injury. I lie awake some nights listening to the creaks and groans around us with a little nervousness.

We did have snow that settled this year, for the first time since we have been living here. We had heard rumours about being snowed in, during previous winters, but it has never happened to us, although we try to be prepared just in case. It does look so pretty when the snow lands, but it didn't last very long.

We decided that we would sell our little van - it was getting very little use, and the brakes kept sticking due to this fact, which meant extra work for Craig every time we wanted to use it. The Controle Technique (CT, like an MOT) was due, and it would need work to pass. We advertised it, and managed to sell it quite quickly, which was another weight off our minds. It saved on financial outlay as well of course, with no insurance to pay out for etc. A good and sensible move on our part really. In fact, we bought a trailer to replace it. It is big enough to take to the tip, big enough to fit plaster board in, but small enough to store quite easily.

The car however, needed to pass its CT as well, to make it legal for me to drive to the UK, and be covered by our insurance. The process for registering a car here has been written about before, but, like all things French, is a lengthy bureaucratic procedure. Firstly the Certificate of Conformity, then changing the headlights, before the CT, and then the paperwork from the Tax Office, and finally the trip to the Prefecture - Oh, of course, then the number plates ! As I wanted to get all this completed before my next trip, the final step, the visit to the Prefecture had to be in Quimper. You can do this more locally, but to get the details, 'there and then' it necessitated a trip to Quimper. This isn't too much of a problem, as this town is very pretty, and we quite enjoyed a walk around for a few hours.

A bonus, as I've said before of travelling to and from the UK is the fact that I can buy/bring back things that we are unable to obtain here, and the biggest thing so far, has been a new oven ! You may remember that ours broke a few months ago, and we were managing with the smaller oven of the two, but that we had been unable to replace it here, as we were governed by the casing and sizes that we had already got in place. It was easier to buy in UK, and bring over, and once here, Craig had it unpacked, fitted and working within a few hours of my arrival !!

Arthur always seems to benefit - a very spoiled dog, I think ! - and he may have a new bed, or biscuits maybe. Never toys - he has had numerous toys, that he never, ever plays with. Throw a stick, or a ball for him, and he just looks at you !!! The field has many sticks lying in it, from various attempts over the years.

  

Christmas 2014 and into the New Year 2015

As December 2014 approached, and our 4th Christmas in this house, we go through the same emotions as previously - missing the family, and taking stock of another year - the trials and tribulations and of course the successes and the progress. The winters here are quite harsh - not so much the cold of course, but the dark mornings and the never ending rain (or so it seems !).

I was away for much of the month, and only arrived home on 23rd December. I did panic a little that there may be a problem with the ferries, and I may spend Christmas either on board, or at the port ! Of course, that didn't happen, and I arrived home with a car full of goodies, and Christmas treats.

Both of us had spent a good proportion of the time apart, ill ! Not great for either of us - me, as I was working, and had to carry on regardless, and Craig as he had no back up, and still had to walk the dog, feed the animals etc, and bring the wood in, to keep warm ! Needless to say, any visitors are vetted for illnesses before they enter the house now !!!!

The fire was a huge success for us - while I had been away, Craig had managed to get the flue in situ, and had enjoyed the warmth that it had supplied. When I think back to our first night here, with no heating at all, one light, one plug socket, cold running water, and no loo - what a change ! Mind you, I think maybe Arthur enjoys more home comforts than most of us.....

Despite being ill, Craig had also latexed the floor in the Utility room, and laid carpet tiles in there too. It is at last a proper room. Are things finally starting to go in our favour ? We even managed to sell some of the hay that we had had cut earlier in the year. Christmas was starting to look up !

Christmas Day was spent in our familiar way - we space our meal out over several hours, to enable us to enjoy each course, and clear up in between. We can speak to the family too, without worrying particularly, about food spoiling, and this always gives us a boost, although it also makes me a little sad that we are missing so much.

Boxing Day is not recognised here as such - all the shops are open, and everyone is back to work. I've talked about this before I know, but we do try to have a relatively lazy day, and enjoy the Festive season. Of course, the animals don't recognise this, and still have their needs to be attended to !

New Year is more celebrated here, although in our hamlet of five houses there is little really to be noticed of any significance. We are the youngest people here, and even we go to bed before the magic hour, as there is no one else about. Once the shutters are down at the windows of the neighbours, to be honest you would never know what they were doing, as you can't hear anything going on behind them.  Maybe they're having their own private parties ??

Our 5th Grandchild Arrives.

My next trip back to the UK was a lot more exciting as I was able to combine two separate work 'stints' with a visit to see our 5th grandchild and newest grandson - Jake Joseph - who was born in October.

Here he is pictured with his brother and two cousins.....

We do miss them all so much......., but it was very nice to catch up even if for such a short time, before work called again.

Arriving back this time, we were caught out by a Bank Holiday here - technically, they are not called that here, but you know what I mean. I think they catch us out, as in the UK, they tend to be the nearest Monday to a particular date ( the Monday after May 1st for example). Here in France, they are the exact day, so May 1st, November 1st etc. For this reason, and the fact that I am hovering between the two countries, I forgot, and we travelled to Carhaix, only to find that nowhere was open !

Craig had managed to do lots of smaller jobs that he had been putting off, but that made a huge difference with nice finishing touches. 

He finished laying the stone....he painted the stair well and he waxed the stairs...

This made a world of difference, as before it was just plain wood, and now it had a colour and a finish to it. We had pondered with the idea of carpet, but the logistics of buying and getting it fitted were just too much. It's not something that the French have very much of here, so the quality is quite poor. I am pleased with this effect, and it's easy to keep clean too.

The biggest achievement however, was that the roof damaged by a tractor in 2013 was finally repaired !!!! It only took twelve months, multiple phone calls, site visits by the Insurance company, contractors, and numerous letters to finally get it sorted out. Our main beef, was the fact that the roofing is asbestos, and Craig was very conscious that the workman should be provided with the correct equipment, and the asbestos should be disposed of in the correct way. Needless to say, this is the contractor at work....

Craig was almost apoplectic with rage and the finished job wasn't any better either really.

In fact, finally the Insurance company gave us an allowance so that Craig could finish the work himself. What do we pay these companies for eh ? Mind you, it gave us the impetus to change all of our policies we held with them over the next few months.

It was nice to see various jobs being completed - we even now have skirting in rooms which is nice to see. 

Our internet here is quite slow, and we have no option to change providers, as Orange have the monopoly in our area. Most of the time, it is OK, but we have friends who rely very heavily on their connection for work purposes, so it is always very inconvenient if there is a problem. In fact, they have been known to travel to us, to work from here if their connection is down, and the next time the engineer can visit is 10 days away !! It's a situation that we find quite bizarre, and we find the Customer Service here a lot to be desired.

We have many examples that I could relate of this, but one that could make you smile, and doesn't implicate or condemn anyone is the fact that I can't pay any money into the Bank without taking ID !!! What is all that about ??? It's paying in, not withdrawing, and what does it matter who pays into my/our account ???

We desperately wanted to have our wood burner fitted and working for this winter, but the problem was getting the flue pipe into the chimney. Craig wanted to drop it - well not literally - more lower it, from the top of the chimney downwards, but we needed someone, and something, to get Craig + pipe to the top of the chimney. We approached several of the local farmers who all have large tractors and other machinery, but no one had anything suitable, so this was another conundrum for Craig to get his head around. They were all very friendly, and helpful in their own way, but were unable to help.  

I had one more trip back to the UK before Christmas, so I was very organised with my Christmas cards and presents this year, so that I could post or deliver them while I was there. It was a nice feeling to be so up to date for a change.

A New Parking Area.

I always sleep very heavily on my return to France. I suppose that I am maybe a little on edge in a different bed while I am away, and of course, in my line of work now, I am on call 24 hours a day, so have an ear open for any unexpected noises etc. However, one of the things we have always said about our house here, and its surroundings, is that it is so quiet at night. We lived in a cul-de-sac in the UK, but even so, there were cars at all times of the night and day, and you could hear the traffic in the distance too. Here though, there is nothing, and when we used to visit here for short periods of time, it was one of the things we used to comment on. Even the house didn't make any movement noises - until we started work on it of course !

While I am away working, despite the fact that Craig speaks very little French, he manages to communicate with the locals, and even arranges for help if he needs it. He in fact arranged with a local farmer to collect stone from the quarry, and deliver it here - I think there is a lot of sign language involved, and pictures drawn - but even so, his ingenuity always surprises me !

He planned on clearing an area opposite the house, which is slightly under cover, and then stoning it, so we could park the van and the car off the road and out of the way. We do have several options available to us regarding the parking, but the vehicles are often in the way of work that we want to do. Having a dedicated 'parking' area, means that I won't in theory have to keep moving them !!

We even had some stone left over, which allowed Craig to make a bed at the front of the building opposite the kitchen window, and gave us a slightly nicer view.

The work I do, and the time I am spending away is not ideal, and I was given the opportunity to do similar work here in France. There must be a huge demand for this, and I actually went to meet with a family locally. However, the cost of the insurance etc, the taxes to pay, and the certificates that are needed to work in a professional and legal manner made the proposition less viable at this time sadly.

We bought a new laptop to enable us to communicate with each other more easily. We have a tablet, and a desk top computer, which we were using - me taking the tablet with me, but it did mean that Craig had to sit in the study each night to talk, and in the winter, it is a little chilly in there, and the warmer rooms were being wasted, so we made a small investment. A laptop also gives me greater flexibilty to play DVD's etc while I am away, and Craig can now speak to me using the tablet in the warm. He can even go to bed and chat from there, if I am unable to talk earlier to him !

We made the decision to sell the tractor. It was the second tractor that we had bought, each time with the intention that Craig would use it as a project, and we could make use of it on the land. BUT Craig just doesn't have the time ! Each evening, he is too tired to do much more than prepare for the following day ! The work is very physical here, and mechanics is not something that Craig is particularly comfortable with, so it kept being passed over, for other more important jobs. It was quite sad really, but more sensible than letting it deteriorate into an unsellable condition.

A lovely couple, newly arrived in France bought it from us, and I hope that it gets the attention that it deserves now !

It is a motto that we have tried to adhere to while we have been here, to avoid accumulating unnecessary things - how many of us have attics full of those things that we MAY need one day, or can't bring ourselves to throw away for sentimental reasons. We are all guilty of this aren't we ? For this reason, we try on a regular basis to sell off, throw or give away ...it's not always easy.

Home Again Soon.

My next trip was slightly more exciting as I managed to buy a car ! This meant that I flew to UK via Brest, with a welcome lift there from friends, and drove back from Plymouth, so as well as the excitement of a new car, I was able to load up with the groceries and those goodies we miss - we miss them more now, as we get them more often !

We bought a Toyota Rav 4, which is a bigger car than we had before, but one that we felt was more suitable to our lifestyle here now - more robust, more stable, and with more room in the boot - which was always an issue with the Volvo.

While I was away this time, Craig had the misfortune to lose his wedding ring in the field. He had an idea where it was, but despite extensive searches on his hands and knees, he was unable to find it. Luckily, he tracked down a metal detector, and found it within minutes ! So, we were able to thank our friends for the loan of it with some Duty Free goodies on my return. We were very grateful, as of course a ring has such sentimental value.

We have often visited the Emmaus warehouse near to Morlaix, and discovered various treasures there. It is a charity, run worldwide, that accepts donations of household items and clothes, for resale. There are sometimes, but not always some great bargains to be had, so we decided to visit another branch near to Quimper, as a change. Quimper is a lovely city, about 40 minutes drive from here, and we like to walk along the river, visit the shops, and sit outside with a coffee watching the world go by. It's a completely different environment to our more local town of Carhaix - it seems almost cosmopolitan !

We also visited, as we try to do every year, the Roscoff Onion Fair. This celebrates the red Roscoff onions, and the Roscoff Johnnies that used to pedal (literally) their wares across the Channel in the UK.

We were relatively lucky with the weather, and managed to buy a few strings of onions, and garlics too. Previously, we have bought a sack of onions, and I have strung them myself, but time precludes on our schedule this year. Craig built a new hanging rack in the Utility room to hang them on.....

A visit to the beach is one of the nice trips that we choose to do as regularly as we can (not as often as we would like to though!), but this month, August, is not ideal to take Arthur the dog. There are a number of beaches that do not allow dogs, and some of those that do, exclude dogs during the holiday season, which is a shame as he loves the beach, as I'm sure I have mentioned before.

My French lessons are suffering due to the new work schedule. Obviously, when I am here, I can continue, but I notice that I am not as fluent, or capable now that I have more time in the UK, and am not immersed in the language as before. My teacher has been very patient, and tries to accommodate me as much as she is able to, between her other commitments, by giving me extra lessons too.

My home visit is coming to an end again, so we have the seemingly endless round of shopping, washing, visits to the tip, the DIY shops, and stocking up the cupboards to keep Craig fed, and busy !

Au Revoir France and particularly Craig and Arthur, I'll be back in a couple of weeks.

Summer is Passing Us By.

It's slightly disappointing to be travelling to and from the UK now so often, as obviously this wasn't what we wanted from our move, and our new life. There are of course compensations - one being that I can collect supplies - either DIY type things or grocery supplies. However this latest trip was made by plane and train, so my return perhaps may not have been so eagerly awaited, as my luggage allowance was a lot more limited ! I hope this is not the case (and I know it isn't really !!).

As I have said before, I am always full of anticipation, to see what jobs have been started, and sometimes too, those that have been completed.

While I have been away this time, Craig has started, and is in fact over halfway through, putting the slate on the gable end wall of the bigger extension. You may remember that he has already completed the smaller end, so this is another big step forward.

This bigger end is tough though, as it is so high and exposed to the elements - and Craig isn't a great lover of heights remember !

It's strange to slip back into our routines when I return too. The division of jobs is quite distinct, and the animals and the dog walking fall back to me, as is only right. There are so many things that I can't do, that I know that those things that I can do, must be passed straight back !

A big item on the agenda this time, is of course to buy a new car. The Insurance company paid out, so we can start looking. But where ? We visited a few garages locally, but the price of second hand cars here made this a pointless exercise. The locals here, (and the French in general, I am led to believe), do not hold store for possessions particularly, and do not see them as so much of a status symbol as we Brits do, so they drive their cars until they die. This means that the second hand market is very strong, and the cars hold their value. The difference between the price of a new and a second hand car is very little.

We kept an eye on local Forums to see if there were any cars for sale, and also on the internet auction sites. Finally, we decided that we would have to buy in the UK, which meant that we had to factor the cost of re-registering the car into the equation. Of course, me travelling backwards and forwards meant that I would be available to collect a car on a trip too.

My time here has become very precious. I am not here as much as I would like, and we need to get a lot done while I am here, and we need to spend time together too. Sometimes I feel that visitors 'popping' in intrude on that time, but I am pleased to see them, and it means I can catch up on all the news, as Craig isn't a very good gossip, and forgets to tell me the interesting snippets that I could miss out on. I do appreciate those people who call on Craig while I am away though, as he can get quite lonely. Thank you Guys !

It's high summer, and while we should be enjoying the weather, and each other, instead we are rushing round busy, busy, busy.....materials to be ordered to keep Craig stocked up, food to be bought, cleaning to be done (I like to get the house, washing, ironing up to date, although I know full well, that Craig will keep on top of it. I just FEEL better leaving it all in order !), animal feed to be collected, and paperwork to be completed. All too soon, it's time for me to go back to work - I don't like this - It's hard !