The weather continues to be cold so on Wednesday we gave in and bought an oil-filled radiator for the bedroom. I've just got used to getting dressed under the duvets. The radiator in itself was nice enough but I also received a letter from a cousin of mine, Irish but lives in London, in which she enclosed some photos of some of my Irish relatives, cousins, aunts, grandparents. It was a lovely surprise - the biggest one being that I am a dead ringer for my Auntie Eileen, except she had thicker hair. I really liked her, she was generous and very, very funny. Of course, she was beautiful too.
Later on Wednesday we met with the architect who has all sorts of good ideas and I can see the price climbing by the minute. He has convinced us that the contractor should demolish 4 rooms instead of 2 when [if] he arrives on Monday as it will be more cost efficient. The other rooms would have to be demolished later anyway to make way for the extension. We'll wait and get an estimate and then decide. The man with the mini digger couldn't come as arranged as he had lost the keys to his trailer so we've booked him in for Friday. The laundrette was the usual horrible experience, once more I feel as if I've slipped back 35 years and it's not nice. Had a bonfire.
Thursday was spent with Henriette and Jackie, the parents of the lad that Chris did his school exchange with 40 years ago. We have kept in touch regularly with them and visit whenever we are in France. We had the usual 17 course meal accompanied by 5 wines. We tried to do some work when we got home but it was difficult....too tired by the midday excesses! We had yet another bonfire until it got rained off. Funny, we haven't even scratched the surface of all the cuttings we have to get rid of, and then we have to demolish and burn the sechoir, which may well keel over before we get round to it. We spent the evening on paperwork: Chris on a form for Permission de Demolir which takes 3 months to process [remember the demolition is due to happen on Monday] and me on trying to get a cheap flight back to the UK in May for some sanity time. Problems with that, oh well, there's a surprise. We also read a book on the French taxation system, just how exciting can life get? This DEFINITELY is a rhetorical question.
Well it got exciting on Friday, Good Friday it definitely wasn't. I woke, put on the heater and the kettle and - whoops - all the electricity went off, so no warmth and no internet. I had no choice but to get up and go to the shopping centre to access the email from the contractor that is doing the work next week [we hope]. On the way I stopped at the ATM but our Belgian bank card wouldn't let me have any money so I had to use the English card and I am so mean that I HATE having to change money that way and pay extortionate charges.
But Ian turned up with his digger and some work did actually get done for once. Chris went shopping for some fuses and returned half an hour later to get some money to pay for them. Slow progress!! The sound of the digger in the garden reassured me that some small progress was being made while I prepared the supper on the [thankfully, gas] cooker. Chris eventually returned with fuses which solved the first problem. Accessing the internet showed me that we had just paid a credit card bill which had taken us overdrawn so at least I knew why I couldn't get money out. Second mystery solved! Ian dug a big hole and buried a lot of crap. Yay!! He also went to the dechetterie and got loads of free compost and dug some trenches in the right place. I think Ian is a God among men in French artisan terms, he turns up when he says he will and does the job, charges a reasonable amount and then buggers off. Same can't be said for the electrician who turned up to remove the electrics from the rooms to be demolished. He didn't do that but he did move the earth thingy, which is apparently important. So only half a result there and he left everything where he dropped it, charged 50 euro for less than an hour's work.
We bought 18 trees. Had a bonfire. Today was very expensive.
The sun gave way to thunderstorms and rain so heavy we couldn't hear each other speak in the caravan. I guess it watered the new trees which are waiting patiently to be planted.
But compared to a week ago, we have a working toilet, a new radiator [that cannot be used in conjunction with the other radiator], 18 new trees [which have yet to be planted] and an intimate knowledge of bonfire law in France. This is progress of a sort.
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