Early September Update
Just a few lines to let the three of you who are reading this (that might be an exaggeration) know what’s going on out here. I know my posts are a little bit sporadic but it is sad to say that I doubt even my family bother to read my blog as I will prove by challenging any of them who do to chastise me either openly on Facebook or by whatever means they see fit. I’m fairly sure that I’ll hear nothing from any of them. I must be such a boring old fart. It would in fact be a good exercise for me to know who if anyone is reading this, if I’m writing this to myself maybe I’ll pack it in, so if anyone who is reading it could take a mo to use the comments just to let me know, no need to say anything except to say that you’re following the blog and give your name. Thanks to G&J who I know do follow it.
Onward, upward and full speed ahead, the reason for writing this is as a quick update on what’s been happening here while I’m waiting for Trevor to come as we’re going out to a restaurant in Lucon for dinner. Then that’ll be another review to do and I’d only just caught up, ah well never mind.
Dorothy and Dave my next door neighbours have gone home, Dorothy was here for the school holidays and Dave was here with Ashley one of their grandsons for 3 weeks. During the last week of their stay and at their behest I organised the final transfer of our old house and wine press to them and I got 3 estimates for the demolition of all of the old buildings and the installation of a septic tank. This was no mean feat as August is the main holiday period for the French and getting anyone to do anything is tantamount to walking on water, even some restaurants close in August. Also the Englishman who has a house behind the discotheque (he suffers from mega noise on Friday and Saturday nights but has a wonderful view from his terrace of the foam parties, I must try to get an invite) waited 2 years plus for a single estimate, and in the end I was instrumental in getting that for him. I must hasten to add that this has little to do with my charismatic personality and is much more down to the fact that I have a passable command of the French language.
As you will see from the blog I went to my second Fete on a couple of Sundays ago, the Fete des Chaseurs (hunters) with the Family Richard. It’s like a big meal under a very big marquee, there are normally about 150 people from Cezais, but the hunters draw their numbers from further a field and so there were less of the locals that I’d met at my first Fete. I was the only English person there and occasions like this certainly tax the language skills. At these do’s everyone brings their own crockery, cutlery and glasses, it would never happen in England too many people would use it as an excuse to get absolutely hammered. Here it’s an excuse to get all the family together and to go out and socialise with friends and neighbours, while getting pleasantly mellow. There are all ages from the youngest of children to great grand parents, here in rural France the extended family is still just functioning, although I have noticed a change in the young, they seem to be engaging less and less in this type of event. It will truly be a pity if they do disengage from the family, like so many of the young people in England have, and decide to follow the American model. This fete was as usual great fun, I ended up getting pleasantly squiffy and talking to a very attractive woman from Paris, her 12 year old daughter who was incredibly pretty reminded me of someone famous, but I couldn’t for the life of me place who it was, I’ve subsequently realised that it was the young Karen Allen from Raiders of the Lost Ark. They were a charming family and it transpired that they only lived around the corner from Christian’s sister Sylvianne in Paris. We did exchange addresses but being mellow I seem to have mislaid it.
Having been interrupted while writing this it is now gone no longer Friday evening, incidentally the trip to Lucon was delightful. It is now nearly two weeks later and a Tuesday morning, the weather has finally broken and it is raining having been stunning all summer. My cleaner Marie-Jo had said that the weather was set fair for the rest of the month, but she has now changed her tune and thinks that autumn may have arrived. That is not to say that we won’t get any more good weather but I fear gone are the days when I will still be sitting by the pool at 7PM. Of course the good weather doesn’t help the writing, and the late pool evenings and other demands on my time all conspire against me. A case in point is about a week ago I left the pool at 6PM I could have stayed later but I was making Pizza for dinner which is a bit labour intensive for me. The Phone rang it was Tony (the man with the house behind the discotheque) he wanted some help with a form he’d received, could he come over. What can you say, he didn’t leave until 7.30 then I had all the prep for the pizza and cook it by the time I’d eaten it was 10.15 and so life goes, writing is something I squeeze in when I can. It is true that I could have spent less time in and around the pool, but that’s what I’m here for and the winter is long and cold without the opportunity to sit by any pools.
Onward, upward and full speed ahead, the reason for writing this is as a quick update on what’s been happening here while I’m waiting for Trevor to come as we’re going out to a restaurant in Lucon for dinner. Then that’ll be another review to do and I’d only just caught up, ah well never mind.
Dorothy and Dave my next door neighbours have gone home, Dorothy was here for the school holidays and Dave was here with Ashley one of their grandsons for 3 weeks. During the last week of their stay and at their behest I organised the final transfer of our old house and wine press to them and I got 3 estimates for the demolition of all of the old buildings and the installation of a septic tank. This was no mean feat as August is the main holiday period for the French and getting anyone to do anything is tantamount to walking on water, even some restaurants close in August. Also the Englishman who has a house behind the discotheque (he suffers from mega noise on Friday and Saturday nights but has a wonderful view from his terrace of the foam parties, I must try to get an invite) waited 2 years plus for a single estimate, and in the end I was instrumental in getting that for him. I must hasten to add that this has little to do with my charismatic personality and is much more down to the fact that I have a passable command of the French language.
As you will see from the blog I went to my second Fete on a couple of Sundays ago, the Fete des Chaseurs (hunters) with the Family Richard. It’s like a big meal under a very big marquee, there are normally about 150 people from Cezais, but the hunters draw their numbers from further a field and so there were less of the locals that I’d met at my first Fete. I was the only English person there and occasions like this certainly tax the language skills. At these do’s everyone brings their own crockery, cutlery and glasses, it would never happen in England too many people would use it as an excuse to get absolutely hammered. Here it’s an excuse to get all the family together and to go out and socialise with friends and neighbours, while getting pleasantly mellow. There are all ages from the youngest of children to great grand parents, here in rural France the extended family is still just functioning, although I have noticed a change in the young, they seem to be engaging less and less in this type of event. It will truly be a pity if they do disengage from the family, like so many of the young people in England have, and decide to follow the American model. This fete was as usual great fun, I ended up getting pleasantly squiffy and talking to a very attractive woman from Paris, her 12 year old daughter who was incredibly pretty reminded me of someone famous, but I couldn’t for the life of me place who it was, I’ve subsequently realised that it was the young Karen Allen from Raiders of the Lost Ark. They were a charming family and it transpired that they only lived around the corner from Christian’s sister Sylvianne in Paris. We did exchange addresses but being mellow I seem to have mislaid it.
Having been interrupted while writing this it is now gone no longer Friday evening, incidentally the trip to Lucon was delightful. It is now nearly two weeks later and a Tuesday morning, the weather has finally broken and it is raining having been stunning all summer. My cleaner Marie-Jo had said that the weather was set fair for the rest of the month, but she has now changed her tune and thinks that autumn may have arrived. That is not to say that we won’t get any more good weather but I fear gone are the days when I will still be sitting by the pool at 7PM. Of course the good weather doesn’t help the writing, and the late pool evenings and other demands on my time all conspire against me. A case in point is about a week ago I left the pool at 6PM I could have stayed later but I was making Pizza for dinner which is a bit labour intensive for me. The Phone rang it was Tony (the man with the house behind the discotheque) he wanted some help with a form he’d received, could he come over. What can you say, he didn’t leave until 7.30 then I had all the prep for the pizza and cook it by the time I’d eaten it was 10.15 and so life goes, writing is something I squeeze in when I can. It is true that I could have spent less time in and around the pool, but that’s what I’m here for and the winter is long and cold without the opportunity to sit by any pools.
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