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......