Tuesday 23 December 2008

A snuffly update


Well been laid low with flu, boo hiss! Not ventured out at all as far too poorly so nothing much to report I am afraid. We did brave the Christmas shoppers today to get some much needed food. Both rather useless for each other. The cats are not good nurses.
I am feeling a bit home sick for family and friends but the thought of having to pack and travel with shaky limbs and body temperature hot and cold is the last thing I could face. However at least I dont have a daughter with scarlet fever like a good friend down south. They are quarantined for 10 days! I thought scarlet fever went out with Charles Dickens!
With Christmas Eve approaching I am praying we wake up feeling better and can get some fresh air in the forest. In the UK there are reports of horrid strains of flu and it seems it is on the French shores too. Then again, it seems a common occurance at this time of year!
Deck the halls with packets of mouchoirs, the ones with menthol in are all well and good but sting your nose!
A la prochaine

Sunday 21 December 2008

At last he has arrived!!

Yeyyyyyyyyyyy hubby and super Ronnie arrived at 330 a.m! What a hero chugging through the night in the 1980s vehicle! A little blip at Bordeaux but thankfully rectified. Car loaded with as much as possible including my Mr Mole doorstop which was a wonderful gift from a dear friend.
All kitties pleased to see him and for the first time since he left all 3 honoured us with their presence on the bed. Hubby is a light sleeper and so me thinks it won’t be for long they have this luxury.
I of course am delighted to see hubby too. I only wish I was in better health as he is still poorly too. Hey ho c’est la vie! We have had some home made carrot and coriander soup and I am dosing myself up with tablets as we are due to go to dinner at some new friends we have made. Am looking forward to a cuddle with their puppy ‘Fleur’ and of course the meal too!

Saturday 20 December 2008

Broken down


Well
See the pic of my lovely Ronnie Renault 4 in the previous post? Well that is what the hubby will be now attempting to use to transport himself up here with. His work van collapsed at Carcassonne this morning and he just spent a packet on some repairs. So, he won't be here for the big TV result show tonight but no matter just as long as he gets here poor man! He is en route to unload the van of some of the contents of our house that are still in storage which he was bring up, head off to collect Ronnie then start again. Doubtful he will arrive until Sunday morning.
I am still feeling dog ruff and so want to get on with some things. I have been offered to eat with our friends steak and chips tonight as long as me and my germs sit at another table. They have been SO generous, supportive and kind and made the move here so much easier. See the link to their wonderful accommodation for holidays.www.bergeronnettes.com Wow, a luxury, the other half rarely eats red meat these days and therefore nor I. The best has got to be Argentinian in my book. Oh for a churrascaria in Brazil. The best meat I have ever tasted. Well, I did have the pleasure of trying some Argentinian beef in Le Bistro in North London. Heaven.
Right, must must must get on and send positve vibes to my beloved and Ronnie and hope they both make it up here unscathed! The heater works in this precious old 1986 car, much used by the Vigneronnes in the Minervois. Have only seen 2 up there whereas they are so many of them down in the vineyards. Ah, cannot wait to see them both. Had some fun times in the car. Thanks to Simon who has 3 versions and convinced us this would be a great run around vehicle. If Ronnie makes it think i will give him a make over of at very least buy him a new sticker for the boot. People have brought me back stickers from all over, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Australia...etc Maybe this pic of my neighbours cute donkies ( hubby would like one himself) may prove that the old methods of transport are more reliable!!!

Friday 19 December 2008

Am I mad????????


What am I still doing up?? It is 00.08 and the sniffles are getting worse but….. I am hooked on getting this blog organised. Grrrr… I also have no idea why my lovely new laptop, Dell, bought in UK, set to UK languages keeps reverting everything into French. My French is perfectly adequate but why is it doing it?? Not best attempted to sort at this time of night/morning with a cold. That is it off to bed really now to read my book and recharge the batteries for another attempt at this tomorrow!!

4 weeks into my new surroundings.....

It is now 19th December and I have a cold, how, why now??? I have not updated this blog as planned so regularly! Hubby still down the Languedoc, ( he with cold too!) will be three weeks on Monday since I saw him. I sent him off with some wonderful local goats cheese in seaweed for my dear friend for the fete du fromage on her blog. See her link. It went down well and I must purchase some again for myself. I gaze at the cheeses on offer in France and wonder if I will ever get through them. Lou Lou is doing a good job for us all with her tastings.I have a Christmas tree. I am soooo excited. We have not spent many Christmas seasons on French soil, always visitng family and friends so seemed somewhat pointless to have a real tree, well am sure the 3 furbabes would have enjoyed destroying it. I am loving my tree, it is so cute and in the window for the neighbours to see and cheer them en route to their abode. I feel more at home here with my very own decorations collected over time. I just adore it. Feeling more festive now! The prettiest ones are from the Christmas market in Vienna when I was on a work conference weekend. A fabulous market with arts crafts and food a plenty. Utterly a true Christmas experience in a stunning city. I did buy a tree in a pot that I will plant in our new property when we get it. On track for a signing in January!! Will be a far cry from our historical house in the remparts of charming Mailhac but cannot wait to be surrounded by so much land. I have been researching goats and may decide to just loan some for a while to keep the grass down before I take the plunge. Yes, people do need to have foster homes for goats whilst going on trips. They eat everything in sight! I would love to think I would milk my own and make my own cheese but I think I will be concentrating on the renovations first and foremost and getting the place habitable for us to move into. Maybe I may get a Golden Guernsey breed to fly the flag from my home island. They are I believe not easy to obtain though.The kits are lurrrving the forest and fields. 2 of them came in soaking tonight, it has not rained here at all so I suspect they found some damp boggy area which was perhaps deeper than first expected! I have captured a couple of the many fab sunsets so must post them on this blog when I work out how to fit them to size for the page!!Right, up the wooden hill as my papa says with hot water bottle and hot toddy and hoping I feel less rough for his homecoming! If he leaves on time he should just should be in time for the wonderful dance programme final on the BBC !!div>

Monday 8 December 2008

Languedoc Lass to Brittany Bird ?


Thursday 20th november
Well we arrived. A long 9.5 hr journey but enjoyable in the main except for the thick fog on the very last 20 mins of our journey. I don’t like driving in the dark at the best of times and 3 hrs of it was quite enough on the motorway and then ‘Hubby’ led the way on the last bit through dark forest roads. It only cost me 63 euros in petrol to get here!
The gite belonging to our friends whilst we renovate our next home is warm ( central heating – the first time in 6 yrs I wont need an electric blanket, flanalette sheet, 2 hot water bottles and get undressed whilst in bed!) and all so new and I am liking the idea of smaller properties by the minute! The kitties were SO well behaved ( now dying to feel the grass under their paws and scratch on trees but they must wait!) How many times can you listen to the same CD over and over? Answer, a lot. Me and the kits have had enough of Sade for a while. I must get my IPOD adaptor for the car! I stuck to this CD as was fairly chilling for my drive
We are going to get slowly organized unpacking bits and bobs over the next few days and visiting our Languedoc mate on Saturday and showing him Hammeau Tallene we are buying so he can report back to the south first hand at just what a task it is going to be!
Our friends cooked us a meal for our arrival, in fact a dish I made for them a few weeks back. They kindly thought we would feel more at home! Monday sees us off to see the new film The Changeling in the nearby main larger village of Baud about 8 mins away. We both really wanted to see this film and even in this rural location they have Version Original films that come to town! How civilized! We will be taking a trip to investigate Rennes and a walk on the beautiful coast line here is a must. 20 mins is the nearest. Maybe a start to finding the best creperie will commence and which butter from Brittany is best though we don’t really use it, in the name of research etc!!??
We have no t.v for now (not that watch t.v but company when alone curled up in new central heated abode with my kits and the hubby is toiling on a terrace down South. I will rectify that before my hubby heads back south for a week or so. In the mean time will watch my favourite show on friends big screen. It is not cold by the way! Everyone who knew we were moving up here said about the rain and the cold. Granted it has a damp edge but the sun has shone plenty and the sunsets have been wonderful.
Our phone will be connected on 25th November ( ha – all being well as originally FT called our friends to say that their phone would be cut off on that day?)
Right, back to sorting stuff out before I also tackle admin that has to be done. Borrrrring!