SNOWDROPS ANNOUNCE SPRING

My photo art of our snowdrops.

And so spring almost sprung.  A couple of warm temps and sunshiny days set us up for a cold defeat.

We had snowfall. Not much but enough to give that feeling of winter - much too late of course, but we still felt it.  It lasted only til about 11a.m. and was gone.

We had another snowfall...same scenario but this time I ventured out earlier and further than our front garden. I took photos of the snowy homes of our UK neighbors and while I was out I saw these sights.

RED

WHITE

AND THE BLUES OF WINTER TIME

It seems that once per month Lidl, a German based grocery store which also has stores in Britain, offers foods from a foreign country.
What a surprise when, at the end of February,  Fabulous LAS VEGAS Nevada was featured!

Disappointingly, we didn't find anything "American" that we fancied.  In Lidl last June we were able to buy "Made in America" steaks but not since, and they were sooo tender and tasty too. The filets de poitrine de poulet (boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets) priced at €6.58/kg would equate to $3.88/lb USD. Brian says that is a good price.

At last we have started the renovations to our 3rd bedroom.
Last October we gathered quotes (devis) and then realized that we should have drawings. We needed to find a space planner/designer. AngloInfo, is an English online site filled with wanted and for sale ads plus discussions where recommendations can be can be found.That is how we came hire Zoe. 




 In December and January she drew up plans, then from the various trades we asked for devis.  Finally, we put together the best professionals. However, we still had to acquire permission from the Marie (Mayor) to put in two windows. It is illegal to add a window which will overlook your neighbor's property - quite a civilized law. In December we applied for permission and by February we had not heard a word and thought that odd as there should not have been a problem as we don't overlook anyone's house. We found out through Zoe that the process is: If we didn't hear from the commune within one month, we were good to go. And off we went...

The Hole in The Wall Gang (Jordan and Clifford)

We hired http://www.bluetreefrance.com Clifford (Zoe's husband) who is a mason by trade and he brought on board Jordan the lackey and Ray the master carpenter/ tiler. We hired a local plumber, electrician and painter.
The tradespeople are self employed, all knowledgeable and with the experience and confidence to suggest subtle changes to the original drawings. What a joy!

As an aside, we have heard horror stories of English tradespeople being hired  to renovate entire homes owned by English folks. The reason the homeowner hires the worker is because the person speaks English. These "builders", in their former UK lives may have been bankers, posties, hairdressers or teachers and they have no idea about renovation, but in France they call themselves artisans. When house hunting we viewed many properties touted by the estate agents' ads as "renovated to a high standard" by these so-called artisans and they were atrocious. So, having knowledge of the pitfalls of hiring just because the person spoke our language, we were careful in our selection of 'artisans' and we came out on TOPS. 
Shopping for the bits and pieces has been a challenge. All the good DIY (home improvement) stores are over an hour away. 
                     Getting out and about can be rewarding though.

This was the day we bought the bathroom hardware. At the BricoMarché it was a pleasant surprise to be helped by a man from Glasgow. He even signed us up for a Fidelity Card and now have a €20 credit. We drove into St. Jean D'Angely for lunch and stopped to admire the flowers at the market.


My friend Lara has gone on many of these forays with me - translating my needs to the store help. On one trip we went from store to store looking at tile after tile until, as she puts it, "We lost the will to live!".  Another day we went in search of a shower tray - that's the part you stand on and keeps the water in. We could have bought one in any size except the size we needed. No matter how long we stared at the selections none was magically going to change dimensions.  
Since Lara is the plumber's wife, she had printed off different store's inventory and so forearmed with information, one Saturday Brian and I drove up to the Leroy Merlin store in Poitiers, a 3 hour round trip.  Yes, they sold the right size tray but was it in stock as stated on the computer printout? Non, prochaine semaine (next week). Aggghhh. As we had to have the tray for Monday and all stores are closed on Sundays, we drove to another store and had to settle for a not quite right one but Dave the Plumber has made it work.
The good news is that the Leroy Merlin store had our glass block for 2/3 the price of other stores and Michelle the pointer/painter had told us to apply for a fidelity card and we received 10% off that day. Every little bit helps.

During all this turmoil Brian put forth the idea of buying an RV. No way! I didn't want one. But, I have changed my mind and think it will be a brilliant way to see Europe. As former boaters we are familiar with the most of the interior systems (AC/DC).We went to look at a couple of camping-cars, oddly that is the french term, but neither was suitable. After seeing those two we knew we had to raise our price point (beer money and champagne taste!). Everyday we check online with LeBonCoin (The Good Corner, similar to Craigslist,) but unfortunately one of the ones we liked the looks of was sold and the other is up in the Loire Valley 5 hours drive. Our camping-car is out there somewhere just waiting for us....

It's all in the pronunciation 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tusson is a "Village Protégé meaning it is protected. Fouqueure is well....one that you would certainly want to pronounce properly. The line across the name indicates end of the village limits.  This is common in continental Europe and very handy when driving around LOST in the outback.

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When we first moved to France I was disconcerted by the number of crucifixes at junctions or just on the side of the roads. Now, they are not so jarring but I still notice them. What did I expect from a Catholic country. A Mosque on ever corner?

One brown                        One white

On another note, being France, when the kids are off school all other activities stop so I didn't have french lessons for a couple of weeks. Lara and I are thinking of finding another venue as this one isn't working very well. Lara's french is very good and I am learning from her too.

I found a yoga class only 10kms away. In rural France that equates to just down the road. I have only been to one class which was attend by only three of us and Martin the teacher - former London concert pianist. There will be more ladies next time and maybe it will be in french and I'll learn more words.

It is the same all over the world, isn't it? You get a group of workers together and this is what happens!    

      

     CAUTION: MEN AT WORK

Well deserved coffee break for: Mason and project mgr. Clifford, Electrician Paul, Plumber Dave and Carpenter/Tiler Ray

Work continues and everything but the painting and the flooring should be completed next week. We love these guys, but will be happy to have our home back. On the hand, after they finish Angus will mope around just like he does on weekends when they are not here to spoil him with tidbits. He has become such a disobedient pain of a dog! Retraining is in order.

I continue to be awestruck by the wondrous layers of clouds and the light within them. The camera does not do justice to them. I know these are not the colors and light of Provence, but they are stunning in their own right.  And all seen from the comfort of our living room...

 Next post will include: before-during (and I hope)-after photos of our new bedroom area and maybe our NEW-to-us Motorhome/camper-van/RV/camping-car.
O reservoir until the next installment.