Lost en France

Woke early - five a.m. we wanted to avoid the Paris rush hour, which we did and we also avoided Versailles. Journey to Uzerche was good and we arrived at our home by eleven thirty a.m Emptied the car and went straight out to get some supplies. It’s amazing how much booze we seem to purchase. Mainly for other folk. Spent the rest of the day cleaning and removing dust sheets. Noisy evening. The DJ with the p.a system seems overloud. But, at least it didn’t go on until four a.m this time(two instead). It was also very warm.

Traveled down Friday. The M1/M25 were busy. Probably because it is a Bank Holiday and people are making the most of the end of the school holidays. We arrived at the Channel Tunnel quite early. They said all trains were delayed by half an hour. Groan. Later a member of staff said the train before ours wasn’t full and did we want to catch that. Yes please. That left at the time our original train was supposed to. Perhaps eurotunnel does this as a PR exercise so everybody thinks they are gaining something! Crossing fine. Likewise the journey to Arras. The hotel we stayed in was called Ace. Fine for a budget hotel. Clean, pleasant, no coffee facility but hey, it seems to be the norm for hotels not to provide drinks now, including some “better” places. We went to the restaurant next to the hotel for dinner. We both had steak. The chips were served in those mini frying baskets that seem to be everywhere. Then to bed.

Rained in the night and soaked the washing we had put out to dry. Typical. First time it rained during the night in the three weeks I have been here. It rained briefly one morning during my first week. We have left the washing on an airier. Will dry quickly inside. Will probably have to wash it again when we are next out here, in August. Croissants and bread from boulangerie. Had to have a croissant. Final bit of covering furniture ready for our departure. Bags packed, car loaded. Looks like a wine cellar. Turned off the electricity and the water. Said our goodbyes to our neighbours - Natalie, Pierette and Bernadette. We didn’t see Annette this trip, hope she is o.k It is a shame we had to leave today because Uzerche has its annual car show and brocante. Andy said it was quite the spectacle last year. The journey as far as Versailles was uneventful. Aaaaaaargh, Andy had set the satnav, as usual, to go via Versailles, this is to avoid the notorious Paris p...

Sad day. Last full day. Time to pack our bags and head to our other home. Spent the day finishing little jobs. The cupboard in Serena’s room looks fantastic. Did cleaning and covering some of the furniture to save time on Saturday. Andy hung the door to the lounge/diner. The improvement to that room is tremendous. The day went fast. We did intend going out for a meal, but our hearts were not in it. Had a take out pizza instead. I think it was described as seven cheese. What the seven cheeses are is anybody’s guess. I go with - emmental , gruyere, mozzarella, brie, camembert, roquefort and cheddar. Truly I have no idea, hence cheddar. Bound to have emmental and gruyere in there somewhere. I find it quite shocking that you go to a French cafe, hoping for a nice Brie butty and they offer you the aforesaid gruyere or emmental. After dinner we went for a walk around the village. As I mentioned on Friday,week one, I went a walk to the papetierre to see the far...

Leisurely start to the day. (Meaning - we had a lie in). Decided to go to Brive. Had a wander around the centre. Didn’t buy anything. On the way home we popped into Leroy Merlin. Gotta love Leroy. Bought new lights for the loo and bathroom. They are a vast improvement. Went to get more wine from Intermarche and decided to have lunch. French supermarket cafes seem very civilised. Wine? Beer? Table service and a bottle of water without having to ask for it. Great value for money too. For the squeamish I noticed cheval steak! Before working, had a snooze. Siesta. Taking ages to finish the cupboard in Serena’s room. Andy fitted the new lights and I still haven’t finished. This week is going fast. Will be back in Hinckley before you can say “Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt”!

The week is flying past. It will soon be time to go home, home. I don’t know how I feel about that. Another bad night's sleep. I think it is because it is a tad too warm, even with air con. Air con annoys me, it is too noisy! No win situation. Also it is a bit cool around the nether regions! Had a bit of a lie in. Didn’t have croissant for breakfast, just yogurt. Down to work - finishing off the bathroom and Serena’s cupboards. Both are looking good. Andy has done a fantastic job painting the lounge/diner. Not enough hours in the day. Can’t seem to get as much done as I would like too. Ah, cleaned the front windowsill. Can’t have the neighbours thinking we are slobs. Went for an evening walk, called in the local bar. As some would say - it would be rude not to. Is that another of those “cheeky” type things to say?

For some reason neither of us had a good nights sleep. Did not want to get up. I had the intention of painting the bathroom, but the paint suggested using a small roller and we didn’t have one. Gave the cupboards in Serena’s room a second coat of paint instead. Looking good, though I say it myself. Andy went to the local bricolage to get a drill bit and came back with a small roller for me. How romantic. The roller makes painting so easy. The bathroom is going to look so much better when it is finished. Pleasant evening draws to a close. Sitting outside having a drink, reading and writing notes. A huge bug just flew by. I swear it was the size of a small bird. If it had landed on me, the screams would be heard miles away! I hope we get a better nights sleep.