When Luck Runs Out...........

You may remember from my last post, that we had a problem with the electricity, and the fuse box etc ? Well, a couple of days after this, I switched the oven on, and it went 'BANG' - all the house blacked out, all the electricity went off !! Luckily, it is/was a double oven, so although the main oven was no longer working, the smaller one was. So I was still able to cook, although maybe a more limited menu - no large joints etc - but nevertheless, we weren't 'ovenless' totally.

We will never know whether the problems were related, but maybe we had had a power surge, and this had caused the fuses to blow and burn. This in turn, may have led to the limiter, not limiting anymore, and the surge continuing into the appliances. Anyway, whatever the cause, and I am no electrician, we had to cope as best as we could.

The problem was that the housing had been built around the oven, so we needed another of similar size of course. The choice here was very limited, and we even thought that maybe it would be better to change to a gas appliance to avoid the same issue again. This was even more limiting though, as we are not on mains gas, so needed a double oven that would run on LPG (bottled gas). All would have to wait for another trip back to the UK !

To be honest, this was a minor issue compared to the next problem. We were driving to a friends house, when a tractor pulled out of a side track, and hit us head on. In fact, we were pushed back about 15 metres. I tried desperately to reverse quick enough, but was in fact stationary when we were hit. The farmer just didn't look, and didn't even see us, even though I was tooting the horn, until he was nearly in the windscreen !!! Glad it was a Volvo at that point !!

All the farmer kept saying was 'I didn't see you.....I didn't look your way.....I looked left and you were on the right.....' He was an elderly man, and I suppose was as shocked as we were. Luckily a neighbour of his arrived, and helped us all with the necessary forms, but we had to arrange for the car to be uplifted and taken away, as it certainly wasn't drivable.

This was a big problem - not only were we now without a car, but I was booked to work again in the UK. We did have the small van, so weren't completely stuck, but it wasn't as reliable or comfortable. The insurance company were relatively quick in deciding the car was a write-off, but a little slower in agreeing a price, and even slower in paying out. Despite the fact that the car was in such good condition, and had been registered in France, the fact that it was a right hand drive, reduced the price - according to the Insurance company ! I was even cross that it had a full tank of fuel that we lost too !!

A nicer event was that we decided to ask a local farmer - not the same one as crashed into the car - to cut the back field, and bale the straw. It created over 400 bales, which we had to manually stack, and then he brought his trailer to help us move them under shelter. All this was manual work too - loading them onto the trailer, balancing while it moved along, then unloading them and stacking them into the barn ! Luckily, some friends helped, but it was very sweaty, thirsty, draining work - and straw scratches !! We were all left with wheals on our arms and faces - and Marie - Christine fell off the trailer at one point, so must have had other bruises too !!!

As I am now back and forth to the UK on such a regular basis, the time I have in France means that we have to concentrate on various jobs that need two people to complete, and we have to focus our time accordingly. Arthur needs his annual injections, chickens need to go to the abattoir etc. It means that there is little time to relax. There are fun times too - we try to go the the beach when we can, to unwind.

I get regular updates from Craig as to the progress and health of the animals of course - from the size of eggs they are producing to the number of yolks they contain !

My next trip back loomed, and we decided that the easiest way for me to travel would be to fly - so I went from Brest to Southampton, and then by train to my next job. To be honest, the journey wasn't too bad, considering I am used to the convenience of a car, and it is one that I would consider again.

The Start of a New Routine

Well, after all the excitement of three sets of visitors, it was quite nice to be on our own, and back to relative normality ! All the regular daily jobs had been completed of course, but the others had been left, so time to start again.

The huge pile of stones produced by the demolition of the wall between the kitchen and the utility room were itching to be used, so Craig took the opportunity to construct a wall at the side of the steps going into the back garden. It meant that they didn't have to be moved too far, which was a bonus of course. He also built some flower boxes and created a decked walkway, which will help in the winter with the mud and rain. It looks great.

There are jobs in any house that creep in to the schedule - the washing machine runs at night, on the cheaper electricity tariff, and one morning we woke to a puddle of water. The machine is now encased in a cupboard, so the down side is that it needed to be moved out, and the cupboard dismantled. This done, and after several expletive filled minutes, Craig discovered that it wasn't the machine at all, but a leak from the washbasin in the downstairs toilet ! So, there had been no need for all the de-construction !!

During one of the car journeys over the last few weeks, a stone hit and chipped the windscreen, so I started the unenviable process of trying to get it replaced. The paperwork here is never ending, and it took several days for the Insurance company to provide details of a local company to complete the work. The first lot of details given were for a garage that had closed down ! Eventually, a second company contacted me - I am used to the UK process, whereby a company will call at your house or place of work and replace the screen, often the same day. Here, I had to wait for a call, then take the car to the garage, so that they could arrange to order the correct screen. To us, it was an ordinary car - a Volvo C30. To the garage workers, it was a wonder - at one point, there were five mechanics standing around the car admiring it !!!!   Anyway, five days later, they rang me and asked if I could take it back again, as they had missed a vital measurement ! Just over a week later, I was able to take the car for the replacement, and it took all day !!!! I must admit, that they did a good job, and it was a genuine Volvo part, but the process in all took nearly three weeks !

We had a very good encounter with the electricity board, EDF, I am pleased to say. We had asked early on, for the meter etc, to be moved from the kitchen into the utility room, for aesthetic purposes. Although EDF agreed to change the meter for a more modern one, free of charge (the old one, was dated 1950, and was made of Bakelite), they wanted to charge to actually move it, so we kept it where it was, and Craig built a cupboard round it. However, at this point, they changed the meter, and the main phase switches, but not the incoming fuses - where the electricity actually comes into the house - this was still the original. Anyway, one night, we noticed a flickering of the lights, and sporadic cuts in power that lasted just seconds. Craig investigated, and the smell coming from the original part was awful - burning etc. So, we rang EDF, and a young man arrived within an hour, on a Friday night, at nearly 9pm. He was great, and he was even an Arsenal supporter, to Craig's delight. He changed the part, and everything was good, although we did keep the old part - melted, and smelly, so that we could just see how lucky we were, and what might have been. I was impressed with the service to be honest, and pleasantly surprised - especially after other encounters with service providers.

At this time too, I was preparing for my return to the UK for my first 'stint' at working, and leaving Craig here to run the show, care for all the animals, and carry on with the work. My time away went well, and we will continue with this, in order to stay here, as long as we need to. Of course, it is not ideal, but needs must, as they say.

There are bonuses to my trips back to the UK - shopping, the occasional visits to family etc, and there is always the excitement to see what Craig has managed to complete while I am away. Sometimes, he doesn't tell me what he has done, so that it is a surprise, and other times he shows me via the computer as a job progresses. We try to speak daily, but of course, I am working so it is not always easy.

This trip, Craig managed to fit an outside sink - which will save time and mess when giving water to the animals - no more traipsing into the house with muddy wellies....

And the biggest change, was at the side of the house, where originally Craig was going to render, but changed his mind and decided to slate...

I have no worries about the cleanliness of the house while I am away, as Craig keeps things ticking over nicely, and he keeps the washing up to date (maybe not the ironing), so I don't have loads to do when I get back. However, after between two and four weeks away, it is always very nice to be home.

Visitors Galore

No sooner had my sister and brother in law left, than the next set of visitors arrived - literally!!! I dropped Diane and Rob at the ferry at Roscoff, drove home, changed the beds etc, and left to collect Becky and our two small grandchildren from the airport at Dinard.

It's not the nicest of drives from home to Dinard - it's over two hours, of mostly dual carriageway/motorway. It's boring to be honest, but when you have the excitement of collecting visitors it makes the time pass a little quicker. I had to go alone, as putting two car seats in the back took up a lot of space, so sadly for Craig he didn't see the children until we arrived back with them both asleep.

The children were well behaved on the plane apparently, and at ages 2 and 3 that is always a bonus, and not a given, although Charlotte was concerned that they had landed on a house as it was a little bumpy ! We put them in their pyjamas, and set off home.

We were up early every day - once they open their eyes, that is it - full on, but we had a lovely time, and they were great to have around. I'm not so sure that Arthur the dog was so keen. He is used to a quiet life, not quite so keen on having children in HIS bed, or helping him eat his food !!

Every job we do on a daily basis took that little bit longer - letting the chickens out, and feeding them, took on new levels of entertainment - so why don't the chickens run out straight away, let's try to get inside to see if there is a problem !! Maybe not such a good idea Henry, you may get stuck ! Chickens don't like 'sgeti' (spaghetti) do they Pops ? Yes, of course they do - and grass - and grain. Not just the food you are encouraged to buy at the Children's Petting Farm in the UK.

Pops (Craig) rediscovered cutting, colouring and sticking, to make crowns, to pass the time while Henry had a nap.

The beach proved a firm favourite with everyone. It is clean, empty and provided hours of fun. Other children were there, dressed in coats, with hats and scarves, while Charlotte and Henry were running round in their swimming attire ! Mind you that was after Craig had to rescue Henry from the waves fully clothed (both of them !), as he decided to walk straight into the water. Craig enjoyed lying relaxing in the sun, until the children dropped sand and water on his head. And the greatest fun ?  Standing on a big stone, and jumping off onto the sand, and making patterns with your feet - and collecting loads of shells that looked like butterflies.

We took them to visit a friend locally who has horses and goats, and they had a lovely time riding a pony, and in Henry's case, cuddling the goats. They climbed trees, found worms, didn't find the moles that made the mole hills, but enjoyed flattening them, and swinging on the swing that Pops made for them. We visited the park, and walked by the lake, but the bridge and running water proved a hit more than the walk to be honest.

All in all it was great - tiring..........

...............but great - and we look forward to them coming again. The weather was good which was a bonus. The ice creams on the beach, and in the cafe in the woods, the sun, the fun, the laughter and the tears - all made it an unforgettable time.

Two days after their departure, we had friends arrive. Michael and Emma arrived for a long weekend. They were here to complete the paperwork and sign for their new house not far from ours. The weather stayed good - great for April - and we even managed to have a barbeque.

Once this visit was over, we could relax a bit, relatively speaking - what I actually mean, is that we could start on our normal job list again ! Sometimes, it's like having a holiday ourselves, and it gives us the impetus to start all over again...............

Light at the end of the tunnel - well at the end of the doorway anyway !

The next huge job was to knock through from the kitchen to the Utility room - easy, you may say. Well - not here, and not through a granite wall that is just under a metre thick !!

Up until now, to get to the Utility room, we have had to go out of the front door, and round the house to what will be the new front door. However the thought of the work, the mess it will cause, and the effort it will take are not very inviting...BUT we have another lot of visitors due who will sleep downstairs, and may need the new downstairs loo, and it's not very courteous to ask them to go outside and round the house, now is it ?

So, with a limited window of opportunity, Craig started the work. All went well.....

...........the idea is good - the template is there - first lintel to go in at the earliest opportunity.

End of Day One.....

End of Day Two....

Who's idea was it to put a doorway in here ????????????

The size and irregularity of the pieces of granite caused such headaches, broke three breakers, and very nearly broke Craig too. He would make a huge inroad, only for the drill to hit solid granite and be unable to tell which way the edge went. The noise was horrible. The dust and mess was equally bad .....IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT !!!

Each evening, before we could eat, we needed to wipe down the whole kitchen area. Craig put a dust sheet up to stop the dust as much as possible, and it also kept the draughts out to some extent. He needed to have regular breaks due to the effort he had to put in, and those people that called in, often had tips and ideas of how he could do it easier - not always helpful, especially after the event.

In fact it took NINE DAYS in total....For those who don't know Craig, he is a small guy, definitely not designed to do such physical work, but I am so proud that he completed it, and in time for the next set of visitors. 

And Arthur was the first to go through the new opening.....

All this stone from one opening - note the sack barrow needed to remove the bigger pieces - too heavy for us to move alone.....

We always enjoy the arrival of visitors, especially when they have been before, and so can see the progress we have made. My sister and brother in law stopped by, on their way home, after spending several weeks in Portugal. They travelled by train via Paris to Morlaix, and then on to Pleyber Christ. I had expected to collect them from Morlaix, but they text to say that they could get a little nearer - I never even knew that there was a station at Pleyber Christ ! They were to stay a few days, and then return to the UK via the ferry from Roscoff.

It was lovely to have them here. We had a relatively quiet few days with them - we had coffee by the lake in Huelgoat, went to the market in Carhaix, and enjoyed the company of family, in the sun. And of course, they were suitably impressed with the new door opening, which pleased us no end !

Spring is on its Way

As previously written, a bonus of returning to the UK is that we can shop for things that are more expensive on France, not available or sometimes of inferior quality. On this trip we managed to return with carpets .....yes, carpets ! Here, they are not very popular, and so difficult to come by. The problem of course, is fitting them in the vehicle to bring back. For this trip, however, we went in the small van, so were able to load pretty much everything we needed at this point.

The first day back, as usual, is spent unloading, and trying to find places to put everything, but we also managed to get the carpet in the bedroom laid. We didn't want to keep them folded too long, so Craig set to work straight away. It's amazing what a difference having a carpet makes - not only does the room look nearly finished now, but it's quieter, and warmer.

The following day, the carpet was laid in the 'snug', and then the next, the study - finally the landing! Wow ! We have proper rooms WITH A PROPER FLOOR COVERING ! Gone are the carpet squares, gone are the oddments that have been there for ever. The rugs by side of the bed look better, and more at home - it's great. What a difference ! That's it folks - shoes off at the door now !

A trip home, or a holiday, often gives us the impetus to crack on with the house again - more momentum etc, so after a trip to the Builders Merchants we came back laden with plasterboard AGAIN ! The wall in the Utility Room was boarded and the first of the wall units lifted into place. The fuse board was boxed in, and the downstairs toilet and wash basin positioned. He fitted new light switches, heaters, and re-sited the washing machine and tumble drier.The big freezer which we had to buy to put all of our produce in - bringing the total number of freezers we have to FOUR - was never destined to remain in the Utility Room, but had been left there as it was easier, now needed to be moved to the Workshop - out of the house, across the road, up an incline ! At least it gave me a chance to discover those delights that are always found at the bottom but are often lost and forgotten about !

Now that Spring is evident, we needed to replace the chickens that we had lost to a fox during the Winter. A friend gave us a cockerel, which we accepted with thanks, as we thought that he would help keep the 'ladies' under control when we bought them. We managed to get four from the market in Chateauneuf de Faou - they do not sell them at the markets over the Winter, so this was one of the first opportunities we had. They were about 8 weeks old, so we expected eggs from them in two or three months time. The fun starts now, as until they get used to the routine, we have to chase them into their housing each night. After a while, they go in without any prompting, as soon as it starts to get dark, but it's 'fun' to start with !

We also bought 18 x day-old chicks as we have done before to bring on and fatten up for the freezer - sorry if you are a little squeamish ! They spend their first few weeks under a heat lamp, so are contained and secure.

Spring is also a good time to have a bonfire - there are rules and regulations surrounding these, as I have explained before, but we managed a couple while the weather was warming up, and at least dry - getting rid of loads of rubbish, and odd branches from the garden.

A while ago, we had a visit from EDF who asked if they could cut the trees that surrounded the wires next to the house. We were never sure if they would arrive or not - but they did. Three men in total - one went up in a cage to cut the branches, while the other two watched him ! We persuaded them to cut a bit of the yew tree down too, that was overhanging a little too much. They were very obliging and friendly, although their health and safety - or lack of it - left Craig gasping in amazement.

We discovered that we have a fifth grandchild due later in the year - as I have said each time, we are far too young of course !!! What a blessing though, and what a joy !