Today has been so warm that I have resorted to short sleeves, but I have not yet discarded my vest! Spring is in the air, the tiny tiny snowdrops are out and the daffodils on the bank opposite the house are in bud - if the weather continues like this we shall soon be cutting the grass .... We have seen a lot of jays over the last few days and the birds have been visitng the food station too. They are very wise little things- they soon know when a cat is around and there is a lot of alarm calling to warn each other until the cat has gone again. Apparently hedge sparrows are protected species over here - I'm delighted to discover this as you don't seem to see many in England these days...
Over the last few days we noticed some signs appearing mainly at the bottom of the hills - we'd never seen them before and I'm kicking myself that I didn't take a photo of one for you to see. Anyway, they were the standard red warning sign but inside the words written within it meant - barred to heavy lorries because of ice ...we were very puzzled by this because we had long since moved from minus temperatures into plus so we couldn't quite work it out. We discussed it over dinner last night and the explaanation was confirmed by our next door neighbour this afternoon, who wanted to make sure that we were still warm and had no further problems with the leaking pipe. According to him, because the ground underneath the road surface was so deeply frozen, heavy lorries were banned to stop the top surface being damaged and to allow the deeper earth to defrost - and a very sensible idea I thought. However, some potholes (in French nids de poule - literally hen's nests!) have appeared and we were very amused at the way the holes are filled in! A small lorry slowly progresses down the road looking for holes. As soon as one is found a couple of men leap into action! Spades are retrieved from the bakc of the lorry and a spade full of tarmac is taken from the pile on the back and place in the hole - the spade is banged down heavily to flatten it and then its on to the next one ....very quick, but how long will it last I thought. It reminded me of the Bible passage about not putting patches on old wine skins!!! We'll see!
The satellite saga continues ...last night friends over dinner and a lot of wine were kind enough to offer some consolation and help...so tomorrow may be the day...but I am only whispering this to you....
Today with such lovely weather we went into Cluny to start the process for car insurance ans registration. It is a bit chicken and egg. Do you get car insurance on the English plates then go about changing over to French registration or the other way round. We had not bargained for another step...the need to have a letter from the English insurance company to confirm how many years we have driven without accident...13 years history is the norm to have to find proof of, and that is well and good if you have stayed with the same insurer but we have changed for one year only so we need proof by letter from both. Neither will send an email, so now we have another delay whilst we wait for the letters to come. One insurer won't even send the letter to us here in France so it has to go via the English address and then be forwarded..However, that said, madame in Gan assurance was really helpful, took photocopies of everything document wise and told us to come back as soon as we have the letters and we will get a translation and then she wil immediately be able to give us a price...this bit I was dreading because I had heard that French car insurance is considerably higher than that in England. However, I managed to ask if the sum could be paid monthly like our pensions - no problem - in fact all our insurance can be paid in this way - the house, the chambre d'hote and the car. THat is brilliant news and madame was impressed that we could understand each other! So step one is now in place...On the way past the bank we called in to find out if the new cheque book had arrived (chequier). Cheques are printed with the home address on and cheques are signed not only with your signature and the date but also where the cheque is signed (no, not the room!) but the village, town etc...We were delighted that it was ready, and we were given a new wallet for it - we signed for it and again that confirmed we were really here! It also meant that somehow, as if a miracle, the bank now accepts our French address as the place of our residence - we rewarded ourselves with a "grande creme" in the Brasserie du nord and aat outside in the warm sunshine with the blue skies above us....
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
lotto gourmand
I've promised myself that I will try to write about as much of French life as I can. It is easy to forget the little things and great to go back and remind oneself what has been happening...
After the Mass in Taize this morning via the local cafe/bar for a coffee and a quick skim of the Sunday paper - we'll probably read it tomorrow! - we got ready to go to the annual Cortambert lotto. This is a fund raiser for our local village hall which is supported by the communities of Cortambert, Varanges and Toury. The hall is used quite a bit and back in October we went to play badminton there on several evenings and also on a couple of Saturdays to do basket weaving. This afternoon the tables and chairs were set out in long rows, in one corner the gauffre machine was at work (waffle maker!) and the bar was set up as usual. You buy a card - or more than one if you are particularly good at recognising the numbers in French and you wait for Pascal to turn the handle and pick up the ball that drops down and read it out. We were greatly helped by a man who showed what number had been called by removing a magnetic patch covering it on a big board on the stage. There were 15 rounds and it took about 4 hours. It was really important to concentrate! I was waiting for someone to cry "lotto" or even "bingo" or "house"!!! but it was a kind of banshee cry that went up. The numbers were checked and in each round there were 3 chances at least to win something - once the first card had been verified we played on untilall the prizes for that round had been won. We were not very lucky at our end of the table - out of the 7 of us playing (and 4 played 3 cards, 1 played 2 cards and we had one each) there were only 2 prizes won between us. On some tables prizes piled up as the afternoon wore on - it seemed amazing to us that some people won again and again. The prizes were all food, drink or vouchers for meals in a restaurant in Cluny. You can see the concentration needed!
But it was a lovely surprise when Joe won a round and proudly collected a piece of jambon sec, a pot of apricot, orange and walnut jam and a cheese with peppers!
Well Done Joe!
After the Mass in Taize this morning via the local cafe/bar for a coffee and a quick skim of the Sunday paper - we'll probably read it tomorrow! - we got ready to go to the annual Cortambert lotto. This is a fund raiser for our local village hall which is supported by the communities of Cortambert, Varanges and Toury. The hall is used quite a bit and back in October we went to play badminton there on several evenings and also on a couple of Saturdays to do basket weaving. This afternoon the tables and chairs were set out in long rows, in one corner the gauffre machine was at work (waffle maker!) and the bar was set up as usual. You buy a card - or more than one if you are particularly good at recognising the numbers in French and you wait for Pascal to turn the handle and pick up the ball that drops down and read it out. We were greatly helped by a man who showed what number had been called by removing a magnetic patch covering it on a big board on the stage. There were 15 rounds and it took about 4 hours. It was really important to concentrate! I was waiting for someone to cry "lotto" or even "bingo" or "house"!!! but it was a kind of banshee cry that went up. The numbers were checked and in each round there were 3 chances at least to win something - once the first card had been verified we played on untilall the prizes for that round had been won. We were not very lucky at our end of the table - out of the 7 of us playing (and 4 played 3 cards, 1 played 2 cards and we had one each) there were only 2 prizes won between us. On some tables prizes piled up as the afternoon wore on - it seemed amazing to us that some people won again and again. The prizes were all food, drink or vouchers for meals in a restaurant in Cluny. You can see the concentration needed!
But it was a lovely surprise when Joe won a round and proudly collected a piece of jambon sec, a pot of apricot, orange and walnut jam and a cheese with peppers!
Well Done Joe!out and about...
Yesterday, we did our shopping in Cluny and then parked the car by the diused railway station and had a stroll along the Voie Verte.
The Voie Verte-literally Green Lane, was developed by the Conseil Général of Saône-et-Loire. It is an itinerary that will allow you to travel the département over a distance of some 120 Kms following the old railway lines. It is tarmaced mostly flat and smooth and is recommended for bikes, roller bladders and walkers - but nothing motoristed! The French railway system is still much used and I am a little sad that this line has been removed as we could have got on a train at Massilly at the bottom of the hill from Toury, and got off in Cluny. Now there is no nearby railway line and you need a car to go anywhere. However, the Voie Verte is lovely - litter free and easy to stoll along.
This was of course taken in the summer, but you get the idea. Where it has to cross a road there are barriers warning you and of course you slow down. When my bike eventually arrives from England on the removal van, I want to take a ride along part of it to try it out. Often whole families are out together - and its good to see that - in this area we are aware that family is everything - they get together regularly and seem less fragmented than in England. Relatives are close by.
I thought about the demise of the railway line when I looked at the station building and the sheds -
But nearby the train lives on. The high speed train (TGV -train grande vitesse) line is just over the bank next to the voie verte and I have not lost that childhood excitement of trains. Having being born and brought up in Jersey, whose railways from Gorey to St Helier and from Corbiere to St Helier have long before my birth been made into a tarmaced walk, I loved to visit England and get on the train at Weymouth and go up to London and thence on to Manchester to stay with my grandparents. So yesterday we continued our walk until we stood on the bridge over the TGV line. This is the main line to Paris so it is a busy line with trains passing almost every 10 minutes. When I snapped this photo the driver hooted at us and we waved (Railway Childrenish - although my red flannel petticoat was not to be seen!!!!
This was of course taken in the summer, but you get the idea. Where it has to cross a road there are barriers warning you and of course you slow down. When my bike eventually arrives from England on the removal van, I want to take a ride along part of it to try it out. Often whole families are out together - and its good to see that - in this area we are aware that family is everything - they get together regularly and seem less fragmented than in England. Relatives are close by.
I thought about the demise of the railway line when I looked at the station building and the sheds -
I'm pleased to be near the line, and I hope one day soon to actually ride on one - everyone I know who has done that says it is a wonderful experience.
So for those of you following the Blog there is no further news of the satellite - we gave ourselves 2 days off the frustration and lack of progress and last night we watched a couple of episodes of Downton Abbey which we had never got around to watching! And now its off to the lotto gourmand!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
LIfe is full of challenges...or the saga of the satellite
We decided that with some of the generous money given to us on our leaving, we would buy a televison and a digital box so we could still keep up with England. The televison had to be ordered from the hypemarket in Macon. We finally collected it on Tuesday afternnon and were checked out by the store's security as we left to ensue we hadn't got anything else but the tele!
Like excited children we unwrapped the televison from its box and realised that the challenge had just begun. Sometimes you are really lucky in France, you buy something that needs putting together but it comes with instructions that are also in English - but not this time!
The thing is, we also had a set top box and a satellite dish to install too. One step too far we are now thinking. Joe realising that the satellite needed to be high up first drilled holes for the bracket in the wall above the verandah. But after a couple of hours work he realised that the buildings opposite were probably blocking the Astra satellite signal so the dish needed to move. Enough for one day, it was cold and getting dark when he decided he had had enough - that was on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the decision was made to resite the satellite on the wall above the kitchen window. this is in fact just below the roofline and very very high. Joe got the drill and made holes - but as he said at the time, it was far too easy...the bracket would not hold as the walls are quite crumbly...plan B... put in some cement to help the bracket to be stable. Cement mixed and yet another climb up the ladder. I'll leave it to set Joe suggested and had a quick cup of tea. After an hour the cement was not set, so plan C - make wooden pegs to put into the hole and then screw in the bracket. Hmm not bad..time to try putting up the satellite....Struggling up the ladder with a satellite dish tucked under your arm is hard work. Then it needs to be bolted to the bracket - well you can imagine how hard this was. Add to that the bolts dropping so easily out of cold fingers and down on to the ground and you have the picture. Then adjusting the satellite - well that's for another day! Darkness falls and so do our spirits - especially Joe's as he grapples with - can he get a signal, can he get the signal to the box and will the digital box do it's job and send a signal to the tele.
Today is Thursday, and there is more hope today as a friend has lend us his satellite finder. Joe decides this time he will see if he can find a signal before he climbs the ladders ( yet again). He has taken the satellite down over night and when he tries to put it up again the fixings in the wall have not held and as he struggles to position the dish it becomes clear to Joe that the fixings are definately not strong enough and so the post to which the satellite is to be fixed must come down...
The post comes down remarkably fast and confirms the view that under the paintwork the walls aren't up to holding much.
The decision is made to test out if in fact a signal can be found and after a while it becomes apparent that a signal CAN be found by positioning the satellite about 30cms lower than where it was first positioned. This time it is an easier job because the walls are sound there and it is a lot lower than plan B location...
Satellite goes up - and guess what, suddenly we can no longer find a signal. In desperation Ruth drives over to a friend's house 30 minutes' drive away and through mist and dense fog to borrow his set top box which we know does work....by this time it is almost 8pm...plug in the box - it works but - you've guessed it - no signal from the dish. At this point Joe silently goes to have a shower and I go to cook the tea which we ate 20 minutes ago (at 9:15). Tomorrow is another day... and perhaps THE day, when we finally see a picture on our TV - but who knows???
Like excited children we unwrapped the televison from its box and realised that the challenge had just begun. Sometimes you are really lucky in France, you buy something that needs putting together but it comes with instructions that are also in English - but not this time!
The thing is, we also had a set top box and a satellite dish to install too. One step too far we are now thinking. Joe realising that the satellite needed to be high up first drilled holes for the bracket in the wall above the verandah. But after a couple of hours work he realised that the buildings opposite were probably blocking the Astra satellite signal so the dish needed to move. Enough for one day, it was cold and getting dark when he decided he had had enough - that was on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the decision was made to resite the satellite on the wall above the kitchen window. this is in fact just below the roofline and very very high. Joe got the drill and made holes - but as he said at the time, it was far too easy...the bracket would not hold as the walls are quite crumbly...plan B... put in some cement to help the bracket to be stable. Cement mixed and yet another climb up the ladder. I'll leave it to set Joe suggested and had a quick cup of tea. After an hour the cement was not set, so plan C - make wooden pegs to put into the hole and then screw in the bracket. Hmm not bad..time to try putting up the satellite....Struggling up the ladder with a satellite dish tucked under your arm is hard work. Then it needs to be bolted to the bracket - well you can imagine how hard this was. Add to that the bolts dropping so easily out of cold fingers and down on to the ground and you have the picture. Then adjusting the satellite - well that's for another day! Darkness falls and so do our spirits - especially Joe's as he grapples with - can he get a signal, can he get the signal to the box and will the digital box do it's job and send a signal to the tele.
Today is Thursday, and there is more hope today as a friend has lend us his satellite finder. Joe decides this time he will see if he can find a signal before he climbs the ladders ( yet again). He has taken the satellite down over night and when he tries to put it up again the fixings in the wall have not held and as he struggles to position the dish it becomes clear to Joe that the fixings are definately not strong enough and so the post to which the satellite is to be fixed must come down...
The post comes down remarkably fast and confirms the view that under the paintwork the walls aren't up to holding much.
The decision is made to test out if in fact a signal can be found and after a while it becomes apparent that a signal CAN be found by positioning the satellite about 30cms lower than where it was first positioned. This time it is an easier job because the walls are sound there and it is a lot lower than plan B location...
Satellite goes up - and guess what, suddenly we can no longer find a signal. In desperation Ruth drives over to a friend's house 30 minutes' drive away and through mist and dense fog to borrow his set top box which we know does work....by this time it is almost 8pm...plug in the box - it works but - you've guessed it - no signal from the dish. At this point Joe silently goes to have a shower and I go to cook the tea which we ate 20 minutes ago (at 9:15). Tomorrow is another day... and perhaps THE day, when we finally see a picture on our TV - but who knows???
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
our first encounter with French bureaucracy!!!
Today we had set aside to begin to tell the French authorities of our permanent presence in their country...I have to be really honest and say I was dreading it because we had heard about and read about the kind of tangles that can ensue! So today was approached with just a few nerves!
First, we thought we would try the bank in Cluny. We have had an account there since October 2005, but always the statements were sent to our English address, and we reflected afterwards that there was no evidence for them that we even had a home in the area!
We waited to meet the counter clerk - no English of course, and why should he, we are in France after all. We explained we were now living here in France and asked for our address to be changed so we could receive our paper work here and not in England. Well, his face fell! He wanted proof of our address in France but our bills all had the English address on them although they referred to the French property...it didn't help until Joe eventually reached out of his large black attache case the deeds of the property here and a bill from the insurance last year when we first registered as a chambre d'hote and had to pay the equivalent of public liability insurance. Even though it was more than 3 months old which is what the regulations seem to state, he took it, photocopied it all returned it to us and then explained that the computers were down today so he could not actually amend our account at the moment. The new cheque book will take about 10 days to arrive (French cheque books are still widely used in France and never require a cheque card as it is a criminal offence to write a cheque for which you do not have the funds in the bank!). He shook hands with us and bade us "bonne journee". Phew, that was hard! Next we decided that since the Tresorie Publique was in the same street we would inform them too that now we were domiciled in France. Oh dear, another problem. Now we are here we are of course subject to French taxes which are demanded in May, and cover the period of the previous year. No problem there, but the form for the tax is not available until the end of April and we will need to complete this as we no longer will pay British tax on our pensions or any income accrued from the chambre d'hote. So we were told to go away and return at may be the end of April!!!!
Next we decided that we would go for it by driving into Macon and registering for the French health service. We had already been in contact with the Department for Work and Pensions who had sent out paperwork here to await our arrival. We were told there would be a need to take identity ...so again in a bit of trepidation (mine not Joe's - I worry about everything!!) we found CPAM - that's the assurance maladie in Macon. We waited and explained in our best and simplest French that we were English and had come to live permanently here and we had paperwork. The lady behind the desk told us to wait in the waiting area and we would be seen. Sure enough after about 10 minutes we were ushered into an office and a very efficient civic servant (foncionere in French) asked for paper work and more paperwork - birth certificates, marriage certificates - all photocopied and returned. Then she said we had work to do, we were each given a form to complete - here we go, we thought!
A woman in France always has to give her maiden name and then lower down the form to whom she is married. I found that very odd! The phrase in French always puzzles me a bit - it is jeune fille - young lady - and I am only now beginning to realise it means your name when you were young!!!
We also had to give our fathers' Christian name and surname and also our mothers; too. The place of our birth as well as the date. We had to state if we were in receipt of pensions and how long had we been receiving them. Fortunately proof was not required for this as that paperwork is in a warehouse in Wolverhampton awaiting transporting here!
Anyway, we got to the end of the form then we had to write where we were completing it and the date and then signed it. Madame was satisfied, and she stamped all over the documents and then told us that we would be hearing from them within the next 4 to 6 weeks. It's a good job we have been this week as I think I just have enough medication to last that length of time. Oh, she also required our bank details because in France you pay for the treatment in full then a proportion is refunded directly into the bank account. After half an hour in there we rewarded ourselves with a quick lunch and then we went to collect and pay for our new television. It's now back in the house and unpacked but as yet we haven't worked out how to set up the satellite dish - that is proving very difficult as it has to be set at a very specific angle to pick up Astra so we can watch BBC. So it's another night with the laptop and the radio for us - perhaps we will start Lent not only giving up something, but watching a bit of TV!!!!!
The next challenge will be the registration of the car - and that will be expensive....good job it's pension day tomorrow!
First, we thought we would try the bank in Cluny. We have had an account there since October 2005, but always the statements were sent to our English address, and we reflected afterwards that there was no evidence for them that we even had a home in the area!
We waited to meet the counter clerk - no English of course, and why should he, we are in France after all. We explained we were now living here in France and asked for our address to be changed so we could receive our paper work here and not in England. Well, his face fell! He wanted proof of our address in France but our bills all had the English address on them although they referred to the French property...it didn't help until Joe eventually reached out of his large black attache case the deeds of the property here and a bill from the insurance last year when we first registered as a chambre d'hote and had to pay the equivalent of public liability insurance. Even though it was more than 3 months old which is what the regulations seem to state, he took it, photocopied it all returned it to us and then explained that the computers were down today so he could not actually amend our account at the moment. The new cheque book will take about 10 days to arrive (French cheque books are still widely used in France and never require a cheque card as it is a criminal offence to write a cheque for which you do not have the funds in the bank!). He shook hands with us and bade us "bonne journee". Phew, that was hard! Next we decided that since the Tresorie Publique was in the same street we would inform them too that now we were domiciled in France. Oh dear, another problem. Now we are here we are of course subject to French taxes which are demanded in May, and cover the period of the previous year. No problem there, but the form for the tax is not available until the end of April and we will need to complete this as we no longer will pay British tax on our pensions or any income accrued from the chambre d'hote. So we were told to go away and return at may be the end of April!!!!
Next we decided that we would go for it by driving into Macon and registering for the French health service. We had already been in contact with the Department for Work and Pensions who had sent out paperwork here to await our arrival. We were told there would be a need to take identity ...so again in a bit of trepidation (mine not Joe's - I worry about everything!!) we found CPAM - that's the assurance maladie in Macon. We waited and explained in our best and simplest French that we were English and had come to live permanently here and we had paperwork. The lady behind the desk told us to wait in the waiting area and we would be seen. Sure enough after about 10 minutes we were ushered into an office and a very efficient civic servant (foncionere in French) asked for paper work and more paperwork - birth certificates, marriage certificates - all photocopied and returned. Then she said we had work to do, we were each given a form to complete - here we go, we thought!
A woman in France always has to give her maiden name and then lower down the form to whom she is married. I found that very odd! The phrase in French always puzzles me a bit - it is jeune fille - young lady - and I am only now beginning to realise it means your name when you were young!!!
We also had to give our fathers' Christian name and surname and also our mothers; too. The place of our birth as well as the date. We had to state if we were in receipt of pensions and how long had we been receiving them. Fortunately proof was not required for this as that paperwork is in a warehouse in Wolverhampton awaiting transporting here!
Anyway, we got to the end of the form then we had to write where we were completing it and the date and then signed it. Madame was satisfied, and she stamped all over the documents and then told us that we would be hearing from them within the next 4 to 6 weeks. It's a good job we have been this week as I think I just have enough medication to last that length of time. Oh, she also required our bank details because in France you pay for the treatment in full then a proportion is refunded directly into the bank account. After half an hour in there we rewarded ourselves with a quick lunch and then we went to collect and pay for our new television. It's now back in the house and unpacked but as yet we haven't worked out how to set up the satellite dish - that is proving very difficult as it has to be set at a very specific angle to pick up Astra so we can watch BBC. So it's another night with the laptop and the radio for us - perhaps we will start Lent not only giving up something, but watching a bit of TV!!!!!
The next challenge will be the registration of the car - and that will be expensive....good job it's pension day tomorrow!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
church on Sunday
It's a big change from being "up front" to being part of a worshipping congregation. It is an even bigger change when the congregation is a lot younger than you are, the service is in French and the liturgy is Roman Catholic....
We are beginning to learn that to worship it is not aleays necessary to understand the words - the chants in Taize (www.taize.fr) are rarely these days in English, and this week have featured more French chants as the majority of visitors are French at the moment. I think they must be from French catholic high schools and they come for a few days with the catholic chaplain. Many have not been before but as the chants are repeated 3 times a day in the different services they soon get to know them. What always strikes me is the way in which they respond to the silence - 10 minutes of it in the middle of each service. There is no giggling, no messing, they usually respect the time in silence -sometimes they write in a notebook, but they are well behaved, respective, prayerful. It is only right at the back of the church that sometimes the young people are clearly there under pressure and they disappear as soon as they can when Brother Alois leads the brothers out of the building. But who can tell what impression is being made, who knows truly what is going on in the hearts of these young people? In the silence we stop, and we give God a few moments of complete attention, of mind and heart tuned in to him. And it is in the silence that the liturgy and the chants are made real. For me today, the Old Testament reading, in French first and then in English, resonated loudly
- so loudly that I was thankful for the silence in which to turn it over in my mind and meditate on it... It was about letting the past go and the Lord doing a new thing...
Then it was joining a queue to receive communion and the final chants before leaving and hoping that the contents of the silence will take root inside all who were there.
We are beginning to learn that to worship it is not aleays necessary to understand the words - the chants in Taize (www.taize.fr) are rarely these days in English, and this week have featured more French chants as the majority of visitors are French at the moment. I think they must be from French catholic high schools and they come for a few days with the catholic chaplain. Many have not been before but as the chants are repeated 3 times a day in the different services they soon get to know them. What always strikes me is the way in which they respond to the silence - 10 minutes of it in the middle of each service. There is no giggling, no messing, they usually respect the time in silence -sometimes they write in a notebook, but they are well behaved, respective, prayerful. It is only right at the back of the church that sometimes the young people are clearly there under pressure and they disappear as soon as they can when Brother Alois leads the brothers out of the building. But who can tell what impression is being made, who knows truly what is going on in the hearts of these young people? In the silence we stop, and we give God a few moments of complete attention, of mind and heart tuned in to him. And it is in the silence that the liturgy and the chants are made real. For me today, the Old Testament reading, in French first and then in English, resonated loudly
- so loudly that I was thankful for the silence in which to turn it over in my mind and meditate on it... It was about letting the past go and the Lord doing a new thing...Then it was joining a queue to receive communion and the final chants before leaving and hoping that the contents of the silence will take root inside all who were there.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Today we made contact with the lovely Stephanie the assitant in the estate agency where we bought our house; we have remained friends ever since! She told us how bad the local housing market is, like England houses are generally not selling. She has few clients at the moment - and definitely no English ones. It made us realise again how bad economically things are not only in England but in France too.
But we also said hello to the owner of the Brasserie du Nord our favourite place to eat in Cluny. He was delighted to learn we had finally decided to make France our home and wished us Bienvenue! This was followed a little while after by our neighbour Julien, the ex-mayor of the community with whom we exchanged a few sentences in French. It was he who confirmed the sad news that one of the local viticuleurs (wine grower) M. Bichard, had passed away in October. He had been ill for a while but it was a shock to have the news confirmed to us. M Bichard always gave us a warm welcome and always insisted on a petit degustation in his little wine store. We always chatted and he was very interested to learn of England. Once we brought him a selection of English cheeses to try - he was impressed but Madame was interested to see thatthe fat content was not on the label! His wine was always very drinkable and we hope his sons' will be the same. RIP M Bichard....
Gilbert who was brought up in the hamlet comes back every day in his retirement often doing odd jobs for anyone who needs it. He came and as is the custom, shook hands with us and passed the time of day. He was interested to know we were here "definitivement" - permanently and wished bienvenue. He was pleased to know we will be living in the house and he said it is good for the community to have new people! - Mind you we are hardly new having bought the house 6 years ago this week!
We have trimmed most of the shrubs and roses in the garden and given the wisteria a good haircut. The vine awaits attention tomorrow. Everything here grows so fast and we are delighted to report that the daffodils that Joe planted on the opposite bank are growing well. It was a joy to see them poping their buds out today. With milder weather they should soon be in bloom and then I'll post a photo!
But we also said hello to the owner of the Brasserie du Nord our favourite place to eat in Cluny. He was delighted to learn we had finally decided to make France our home and wished us Bienvenue! This was followed a little while after by our neighbour Julien, the ex-mayor of the community with whom we exchanged a few sentences in French. It was he who confirmed the sad news that one of the local viticuleurs (wine grower) M. Bichard, had passed away in October. He had been ill for a while but it was a shock to have the news confirmed to us. M Bichard always gave us a warm welcome and always insisted on a petit degustation in his little wine store. We always chatted and he was very interested to learn of England. Once we brought him a selection of English cheeses to try - he was impressed but Madame was interested to see thatthe fat content was not on the label! His wine was always very drinkable and we hope his sons' will be the same. RIP M Bichard....
Gilbert who was brought up in the hamlet comes back every day in his retirement often doing odd jobs for anyone who needs it. He came and as is the custom, shook hands with us and passed the time of day. He was interested to know we were here "definitivement" - permanently and wished bienvenue. He was pleased to know we will be living in the house and he said it is good for the community to have new people! - Mind you we are hardly new having bought the house 6 years ago this week!
We have trimmed most of the shrubs and roses in the garden and given the wisteria a good haircut. The vine awaits attention tomorrow. Everything here grows so fast and we are delighted to report that the daffodils that Joe planted on the opposite bank are growing well. It was a joy to see them poping their buds out today. With milder weather they should soon be in bloom and then I'll post a photo!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
A visit to the cinema
Last night we received a phone call to tell us that the film The Artist was being shown in a tiny cinema in Chissey le Macon, a tiny hamlet about 10 minutes' drive from us. We had only commented over the last week that it was a shame we had not been able to see it in England and here we were being offered the chance to see it just down the road. We were transported by a French lady, a neighbour of our English friends in Varanges, who knew the road less well than us!!!
When we got there we lined up to pay - 4.5 euros each. We went around the other side of a large screen where a crowd of about 40 + people had gathered including 2 English couples we are getting to know. We were delighted to discover that several French people we had already met were there and eager to come and say welcome and how pleased they were to know we are at last permanently in the local area. The hall was lovely and warm - I was so pleased to have worn several layers so I could peel a few off!
We settled down and the film began. It was an absorbing film and I have to say the little dog was very good! But all in all it was a good story!
Half way through the reel had to be changed and we were served free of charge some homemade cake and fruit juice. It was a chance to stretch your legs and compare opinions! Altogether a very pleasant evening and so so French!!!!!!!
Last night we received a phone call to tell us that the film The Artist was being shown in a tiny cinema in Chissey le Macon, a tiny hamlet about 10 minutes' drive from us. We had only commented over the last week that it was a shame we had not been able to see it in England and here we were being offered the chance to see it just down the road. We were transported by a French lady, a neighbour of our English friends in Varanges, who knew the road less well than us!!!
When we got there we lined up to pay - 4.5 euros each. We went around the other side of a large screen where a crowd of about 40 + people had gathered including 2 English couples we are getting to know. We were delighted to discover that several French people we had already met were there and eager to come and say welcome and how pleased they were to know we are at last permanently in the local area. The hall was lovely and warm - I was so pleased to have worn several layers so I could peel a few off!
We settled down and the film began. It was an absorbing film and I have to say the little dog was very good! But all in all it was a good story!
Half way through the reel had to be changed and we were served free of charge some homemade cake and fruit juice. It was a chance to stretch your legs and compare opinions! Altogether a very pleasant evening and so so French!!!!!!!
Oour first few days in Toury!
This is my first post. But there are people who have kindly followed our progress thus far through Facebook. However, I have been persuaded by circumstances that it was a good idea to start this blog and then to offer it to my friends as a way of keeping in touch with our day to day lives in Toury, our new permanent home!
We arrived last Friday - 10th February after spending the previous night just 15 minutes away with our dear friend Ton. We had talked much about sampling his fabulous b and b and we were not disappointed! Have a look - www.lebourg.eu - after a long journey it was a delight to have hot showers and a comfy bed and Ton's wonderfu1 company. Thank goodness we did, for the next 24 hours were taxing in every way!
We drove over to Toury the next morning with blue skies and sunshine to welcome us, but it was so cold...This area has been gripped by sub-zero temperatures for over 2 weeks and we were on orange alert according to those in the know at the department HQ! The fire had been lit by our wonderful neighbour (more of him later), and although the house was cold we were prepared and kept our coats on. Of more concern was the lack of water! We soon realised that the pipes were frozen and we didn't really know what to do except that we knew that we had to warm them gently. There were immediate concerns - the toliet was a block of ice, hmmm, where's the camping toilet we thought. Out it came from the cellar and with water that was flowing off the hillside and into the local lavoir we were sorted in that direction! We went next door and asked if our empty water bottles could be filled. That done, the advice was to take a hari dryer to the pipes in the cellar, and we were assured it was a problem many were having across the region in such cold weather. We have 2 hair dryers so we each took one cellar and warmed the pipes. Suddenly to our delight the water started to flow into the water tank and we were even more delighted when it bagan to come through the taps. However, the water coming through the cellar ceiling was of more immediate concern to us. Racing up the stairs into the house we were confronted with a large and increasing puddle flowing over the tommettes in the salon. The hot water pipe serving the bathroom had sprung a leak at a joint and we could have paddled! Off went the water again!
We went to bed, cold but relaxed - we could sort this, we could - but not tonight!
We woke on Saturday, ate porridge and wondered what to do. We had rung the plumber but it went to a message box - all plumbers were busy our neighbour told us! Then our neighobur appeared - how are the pipes - we showed him the leak..oh he said I can fix that, I'll go and get my equipment!!!! What a man! He returned with oxygen tank for the blow torch and solder. It was really difficult because we now think that there was ice in the pipe and it was this that forced the joint open. This meant that each time he tried to solder the joint the ice in the pipe melted and the joint was wet and the solder wouldn't take. However after 2 hours work he managed a partial repair and promised that if we would drain down the system on Sunday morning he would come and complete the job - and he did!
We have managed a couple of short walks and a drive to look at some of the wildlife so far. It is really hard to take photos of them as they seem to spot you long beofre you get the camera trained on them! However I did snap this heron relaxing in a field in the vallley on Sunday.
We arrived last Friday - 10th February after spending the previous night just 15 minutes away with our dear friend Ton. We had talked much about sampling his fabulous b and b and we were not disappointed! Have a look - www.lebourg.eu - after a long journey it was a delight to have hot showers and a comfy bed and Ton's wonderfu1 company. Thank goodness we did, for the next 24 hours were taxing in every way!
We drove over to Toury the next morning with blue skies and sunshine to welcome us, but it was so cold...This area has been gripped by sub-zero temperatures for over 2 weeks and we were on orange alert according to those in the know at the department HQ! The fire had been lit by our wonderful neighbour (more of him later), and although the house was cold we were prepared and kept our coats on. Of more concern was the lack of water! We soon realised that the pipes were frozen and we didn't really know what to do except that we knew that we had to warm them gently. There were immediate concerns - the toliet was a block of ice, hmmm, where's the camping toilet we thought. Out it came from the cellar and with water that was flowing off the hillside and into the local lavoir we were sorted in that direction! We went next door and asked if our empty water bottles could be filled. That done, the advice was to take a hari dryer to the pipes in the cellar, and we were assured it was a problem many were having across the region in such cold weather. We have 2 hair dryers so we each took one cellar and warmed the pipes. Suddenly to our delight the water started to flow into the water tank and we were even more delighted when it bagan to come through the taps. However, the water coming through the cellar ceiling was of more immediate concern to us. Racing up the stairs into the house we were confronted with a large and increasing puddle flowing over the tommettes in the salon. The hot water pipe serving the bathroom had sprung a leak at a joint and we could have paddled! Off went the water again!
We went to bed, cold but relaxed - we could sort this, we could - but not tonight!
We woke on Saturday, ate porridge and wondered what to do. We had rung the plumber but it went to a message box - all plumbers were busy our neighbour told us! Then our neighobur appeared - how are the pipes - we showed him the leak..oh he said I can fix that, I'll go and get my equipment!!!! What a man! He returned with oxygen tank for the blow torch and solder. It was really difficult because we now think that there was ice in the pipe and it was this that forced the joint open. This meant that each time he tried to solder the joint the ice in the pipe melted and the joint was wet and the solder wouldn't take. However after 2 hours work he managed a partial repair and promised that if we would drain down the system on Sunday morning he would come and complete the job - and he did!
We have managed a couple of short walks and a drive to look at some of the wildlife so far. It is really hard to take photos of them as they seem to spot you long beofre you get the camera trained on them! However I did snap this heron relaxing in a field in the vallley on Sunday.
The bitter weather was brought to an end on Tuesday morning when we awoke to a layer of snow enfolding the valley. This was our first experience of snow here and it wasn't much but quite beautiful. Whilst our neighbours were wrapped up warm in their houses we took the camera and went out to record the scene (mad English!!!)
This is just 200 yards front our house - and amazingly the road had been cleared by the local mairie(town hall) and was so much better than our English experience of bad weather!
In my next blog I'll tell you about our first experience of cinema in France!!
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