Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Timeline: mid Avril 2014: Spring has sprung in the village and as thoughts turn to the warmer days and evenings, we have a really good reason of a birthday to help exploit the good seasonal weather and spend as much time as possible outdoors. By happy coincidence, a few people are dropping by, some of them aware that I’m determined to forget any alleged significant age as soon as possible and just share some fun, frivolity and happiness.

First to arrive were Brian and Phil, en route to the south of France, Phil, after just an overnight stop, but Brian staying to fix my VW pick up truck. The cunning plan was to do most of the work before joining Phil in the south to fix more cars and a power boat, returning here a few days later, eat some cake, then take the truck back to the UK and sell it.

Popping in for lunch

The truck was duly fixed, despite some futile resistance to remain in France and we even had time to take a day off and visit a couple of airfields and the wonderful Angers aircraft museum, as Brian is a born again pilot and plans to visit again with his plane. We observed this privately owned jet fighter land at a tiny air strip near Saumur, taxi in, the pilot hop out to attend to this very exclusive big boy’s toy, while his co-pilot carefully stepping out of the cockpit in matching navy blue flight suit and high heeled boots, brush her hair and set off hand in hand for lunch. Now that really was French chic and with no shabbiness in sight! 

The bride arrived and inspected the hundred potted garden plants which turned up just days previously, with a load of furniture and belongings from the UK followed on Saturday by Carolyn and Martin with the precious cargo of the birthday cake and then my chums Colin and Nicky gurgled up in their TR6 on their way back from their holiday home in the Dordogne. We were also joined for the weekend by locals Kev, Rae, their small people, Paul, Sarah, Dan, Glynn and Leslie and enjoyed the first barbeque of the summer.

One of Colin's many cars and it's for sale

Bernie, Pearl, Martin and Vicky completed the party animals a few days later from Normandie and we settled into a few relaxed and happy sunny days of easy conviviality with an abundance of music and laughter and some of the local produce of the many vignerons.

Vicky thinking something delicious

 

Three gunslingers recently arrived in town

College friends

Breaking bread

BBQ

Cheers m'dears

We Taureans are know to ‘enjoy a selection of cakes for tea’ and amazingly most people had baked cakes, as well as the bride organising a rather racy birthday cake with a pair of my cars on it! We therefore had a splendid selection of home crafted cakes arrive in both quality and quantity which were a perfect accompaniment to the many gallons of tea and bottles of fizz we dispatched. Caketastic! I finally finished the last piece a week after everyone had departed to their various homes.

We all had a fabulous few days and I am truly warmed by the depth of friendship which sustains us through this wonderful journey.

Coming soon: is he kitchen almost finished? Will we ever have a staircase, oh and the magic of fire!!!

A bientôt,

LC

''Beep''

''Beep''

I lied about the trains, sorry!

The Boys Done Good !

Timeline: 6 Avril 2014: Almost fully recovered from the fall, I'm now working on three fronts, proving that blokes really can multi-task, as we re-lay the barn drain following too many large delivery lorries giving it a dip in the middle, continue fitting the barn kitchen and putting new external lime render on the Maison du Vigneron, which is already looking splendid only four days from starting to put scaffold up.

Getting back last night from a trip to my UK dentist, it was a joy to find the building devoid of the old and wearing the new base coat of lime render, with the site utility suite now wearing a finished top coat of render and a smiley face is watching over the courtyard!

I strongly suspect that the new render, which will eventually extend down the length of the outbuilding’s tired lower stonework, will quickly make the rest of the un-restored buildings look even shabbier, but hopefully retain some chic as well!

Yep, drains up again!

I’d made a reservation to hire a mini digger, as even the thought of exposing a short length of buried drain by hand mad my back ache. Unfortunately, the digger’s trailer had an agricultural pin and eye hitch which our tow vehicle couldn’t handle and so the next weekend saw me wielding pick axe and shovel and with Dan’s strong back joining in the next week, we found and fixed the problem the and now plan putting in some flower beds over the drain to keep traffic off and break up the sea of gravel.  

Never ending Ikea boxes

Meanwhile, the barn kitchen was neatly stacked out with over a hundred Ikea boxes. I’ve quickly became impressed with the pictorial instructions and the quality of the Swedish designed product and many kitchen units and a week later, I still had over a hundred Ikea boxes!

Progress is good though, we just designed ourselves a large kitchen!

I’m hoping for the VW truck to be fixed soon, so will have the opportunity to restore the old ‘hanger’, or open sided barn for dedicated gite guest parking.

More soon, a bientôt,

LC