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 ??