Decisions to be Made

At this time of the year, it rains, and it rains, and it rains. We have days of constant rain - sometimes that horrible fine drizzle, but often continuous downpours, and of course, we live in the country. This means that the roads are frequented by tractors (well, maybe a couple a day !), who drive in and out of muddy fields, and leave their mud on the roads. There doesn't seem to be the same necessity to clean the roads here, as in the UK, which Craig often comments upon, but this means that our car gets dirtier than ever before. We sometimes have to jet wash it, AND then put it through the car wash. We don't yet have the facilities to be able to wash it outside the house, and even if we did, the cost of the water would incline us towards the jet wash anyway.

Another issue resulting from the rain, is that the water flows down our road, and often pools, or seeps into the buildings we have opposite the house. Craig wages a constant war against this, and we have had several conversations with the 'Maire' (Mayor). The local 'council' have tried various solutions, but they are never sufficient, and we have even resorted to providing a drawing to them indicating what should be done. They did make the suggestion that they could alter the camber of the road, so that the water flowed into our house instead !!!

While the rain continues, the work inside goes on, thankfully. Craig was very busy - he tiled the downstairs cloakroom, and then started on the utility room. We had a friend who plastered the ceiling which set us well on the way. A big problem was, though, the fact that the room had been used as a dumping ground for all those things that you don't know what else to do with or where else to put them. It's always the same with an empty space isn't it ? It soon gets filled up !

Anyway, first off the walls needed to be studded....

...before work can start on the electrics. As you can see in the picture, we (that's the Royal 'we') have to work around the freezers, which doesn't help !

At this time, we needed to make a decision relating to finances. We needed some to be blunt !! We had tried to find employment, but the unemployment rate here is very high, and we would be at the bottom of the pecking order, being a different nationality, with limited French. The next option would be to return to the UK to work - Craig would earn more than me, but then the renovations would stop, so the decision was made that I would return to work in the UK. It's not how we saw things developing, but hey ho, needs must eh ?

Next decision - what could I do that would enable me to work, and come home when I wanted to, on a regular basis ?

OK, decision made, and we made a trip back to the UK, so that I could make the necessary arrangements, and plan ahead. This enable us to see the children and grandchildren, which is always a good thing ! The babies grow and develop, and we watch them and speak to them via Skype, but it's always nicer to give them a real cuddle !

It's also a good time to stock up on those things that are either not available or too expensive in France - who thought you could miss Jammie Dodgers, or Dr Pepper so much ? When it's there, and available, you don't crave it so much !!!

House locked up and safe, and Arthur the dog off on his holidays, to our neighbours about a kilometre away, to be spoilt with plenty of walks and attention.

See you soon France - we'll be back in a week.

Another New Year - Our 4th in France.

January 2014 started as December had ended - very wet and windy. In fact I can remember that we lost the roof to the sheep housing at one point, and it was no fun trying to get it repaired in the rain. I can also remember having several coats each, drying over chairs in the kitchen !

I think this was the final straw with the sheep, and we decided that they were more trouble than they were worth to us. They had escaped, they needed to be put in their housing each night, let out again in the mornings, cleaned out etc, so we decided to sell them. This happened quite quickly, and a lovely couple arrived with a trailer to take them away - that wasn't easy. We kept them in their house, and then 'lassooed' each in turn and led them away. None of them was inclined to be led quietly though, and we ended the day, very dirty, very wet, but pleasantly relieved !

We had tried, but decided that it wasn't for us ! Some good memories too though !

If you remember though, we had borrowed a ram from a friend, so we still had to return him - he wasn't too happy on his own. Picture this ............ Craig sitting in the back of the van, holding on to the ram for dear life, while I drove........an experience that I wouldn't want to repeat, but one that I wouldn't have wanted to miss either !!!!

Craig's birthday was on a Sunday, so after a quiet day, speaking to the children, with various renditions of Happy Birthday being sung, we had a small party in the evening. It was very pleasant - conversation, a few drinks, nibbles and laughter. The last guests left after 1 am - a very late night for us !

As always, jobs get started, others get finished, and some jobs create other jobs - it's an endless circle really, but a door hung in place means that a few more draughts are averted, a laminate floor laid outside the wardrobes, gives me a dressing area, and curtains hung, gives us more privacy and warmth. The fuse box was boxed in, so looking tidier too. The wall in the 'Snug' was plaster boarded, so it was the last time we would see the old plaster etc.

The walls were sanded and painted making it much cleaner and brighter. It is strange to think that we used to sleep in there, when we were first here !

We had to buy a new television as ours decided to give up. We rely on it quite a lot for contact with the UK. We often listen to the radio through it, so it was a bit of a blow when it failed. However, we managed to buy another one relatively quickly to replace it, although the choice and availability is not as good as in the UK.

We had an anxious call from a friend whose husband had been rushed to hospital. She was in England, so asked us to go to Carhaix to see if we could find out what was happening, and how he was. He had been very lucky, as his condition had been critical, but the care he received was excellent. He had his own room, television etc, and stayed there for about a week. We had heard conflicting reports about this particular hospital, but from what we saw there, it was reassuringly good.

We have an electricity 'pole' next to the house, almost completely obscured by trees, and one day an official called and asked if they could prune the trees around it, to prevent any damage during storms etc. Our first thought was 'How Much ? ' BUT it was free. Great news, as then a job that we knew needed doing, would be done by someone else at no cost to us. It was just a question of when they would come. We have been promised things like this before, and nothing has happened. We'll wait and see.

We also finally had a visit from the Insurance Assessor about the damage to our roof, three months previously. Unbeknown to us though, the meeting was arranged with us, the people who's fault it was, and their representative. We were not ready for this, and the kitchen was full of tools and plasterboard, so not an ideal scenario to have a meeting. Anyway, maybe things are finally moving for the work to be completed. The problem is that the roof is asbestos, so Craig is concerned about the safety aspect of the work, whereas nobody else seems to be worried. You can even take asbestos to the tip here !

End of Another Year

The year is drawing in again - I'm not sure where the time goes, but it is always a time for reflection, wherever you are in the World.

We look back with pride on our progress, even though sometimes we get despondent with the lack of pace. At the end of the year, we remember what has actually been achieved, what has changed, what has improved - and there has always been just that - changes and improvements !

Joseph, our neighbour, a lovely man, who was in the Resistance during the Second World War, and has some great stories to tell, often advises us if we have any problems. He also always helps physically whenever he can. He is a font of knowledge when it comes to tree felling, so when Craig decided to trim/prune one of the bigger trees in the field, he was there with his advice. Sometimes however, things get lost in translation, and before we knew where we were, we had agreed that the tree would be better completely down, and Joseph was sitting on his tractor, ropes were tied, and the tree was down...................

This time of the year is always a little difficult, as my birthday falls in December, Craig's in January, and of course Christmas and New Year - so many celebrations, and no family here with us. We do miss them all, and are grateful for the Skype calls, and messages that we regularly receive. 

The weather is another issue at this time of the year - as I think I have said before, our weather is similar to the UK - we are not that far away, maybe a degree or two warmer. However, Brittany is the wettest area of France, and where we are, is the wettest area of Brittany. Some days, the rain is continuous, and the mud....well. However, December 2013, as in the UK, saw some of the worst, strongest winds on record. We were prepared, in as much, as we had sufficient fuel, food etc, but we also knew that the electricity was likely to go too - and we were right. Our power went off during the night of December 23rd, and we were lucky that it came back on during the evening of the 24th (lucky, as we had friends who had no power all over Christmas !). We were wondering whether we would have a Christmas lunch, but as it turned out, we did ! Turkey (reared locally) and all the trimmings - lovely ! However, we have a gas hob, so we could have managed a warm meal, and appreciate that others weren't so lucky.

The year ended - thank you 2013, and welcome in 2014 !

Runaway Sheep - Again !

I'm back - I'm sorry to those who have been following me, for the delay, but sometimes time runs away from us, and sometimes things don't go as expected, but here we are again, and I'm back to November 2013 !

The days draw in suddenly at this time of the year. Once the clocks go back at the end of October, we start to close the curtains at about 5.30/6.00pm, and the long evenings stretch ahead. We try to do something constructive every day, and then feel more positive, but there are days when it is wet, cold and very grey, when we work in the mornings, and then spend a few hours in the afternoon watching a film. We do try to confine these days to a weekend, to give the week more structure, but sometimes in the Winter, they creep into a week day too.

The Commune workers arrived very promptly at the beginning of the month, and did some repair work to the ground where the tractor had skidded and damaged our roof. They laid new drainage, and stones etc. They told us that it had been planned in advance, but the sequence of events seemed strangely convenient to the farmers. It was done though, so I suppose we should be grateful - not to a particularly high standard, and we hope for a more permanent solution at some point, to prevent the water coming into our buildings.

Craig is always busy - he worked on the new wardrobe doors, the surround at the top of the stairs, architrave, sanding, painting - a job gets crossed off the list, and another ten appear !

As the weather deteriorated, we realised that the sheep housing needed to be moved. They had been in the same place for a while, and although we put straw in for them to stand and lie on, as they were in there all night, it was becoming more difficult for me to clean - more muddy, and definitely more slippy. It was easier said than done, to move the shelter though. It was stuck in the ground, and very very heavy. Craig had to partly dismantle it, just to move about 10 or 15 feet ! We also thought it would be good to move the outer fencing to give them some fresh grass..........that was once again the start of several days of chasing the sheep. They are such stupid animals - we gave them an area of fresh grass, and they decided that they wanted a bit more etc etc, and then when one decided that the fence wouldn't keep them in, they all had to follow......like sheep ! I'm not going down this path again !!! In the end, we had to move them back to their original more secure area. They are becoming a problem now, and to cap it all, the smallest of the lambs died - what a shame. We had been doing so well.

A friend 'lent' us his ram, to 'service' the remaining sheep. I'm not sure that this was a good idea. I became paranoid that the sheep would escape again, and this time, it would involve an animal that wasn't ours, and we were responsible for it. However, things went reasonably well to start with.

The next problem came, as we needed to 'worm' the sheep, and trim their feet. This meant not only catching them, but flipping them on their backs - at this point, Craig wrenched HIS back, and was stuck in the field in agony ! This meant an enforced rest for Craig, which wasn't such a bad thing, but the sheep were becoming more trouble than they were worth - we needed to think about selling them on.

We went to a lovely Christmas Fayre, and 'Seed Swap' one Sunday afternoon. A very good idea, particularly for those unusual plants that you see, but can never find where to buy. You take seeds/plants/cuttings etc, and leave them for others to take, and take what you want/need, giving a small donation as you see fit. It made a pleasant afternoon out, and a visit that we would definitely repeat.

There are many good days of course - when things go well, and we can be positive....

.......the days when we eat a meal totally created and produced by ourselves..... 

....... the days when we become more comfortable....

...when draughts are excluded. These pictures are taken from the top floor, which until this point was exposed to the roof slates. It was a difficult job, very awkward to complete, as it involved balancing at various points across the gaping hole !


Craig fitted the first of the carpets - in the bathroom - the first room that is very nearly finished. I am not a great lover of carpets in the bathroom, but as the house has little heating at this point, it does keep the room warmer, and we have bath mats etc for stepping on, as we get out of the shower.

The year is ending - let's try to keep it on a positive note.