The stuff we're doing ourselves is slow but satisfying, and at least we know we'll be here! The general attitude of artisans here is to give a 'Gascon promise' - tomorrow simply means sometime, even mañana is too soon! The carpenter is the culprit at the moment.
Have bought a load of cheap trees and shrubs and been given lots of others by local English and French people. Have planted quite a few, as here you have to wait for the winter rains to soften up the ground! The advice was don't try before 25th November. We're working our way through them and hope to see some leaves and flowers next year. But we still have poppies flowering in our bank.
Chris is still playing badminton on Tuesdays, cards on Friday where we seem not to get very good ones, and walkies on Sunday. Yesterday's was a gentle stroll for a couple of hours with vin chaud and hot chocolate at the end, by the chateau at Larressingle.
French lessons continue on Wednesday evenings and either Tuesday or Friday. We've met some nice people through the classes, both the other English 'students' and the French teachers. We arranged a group meal for them all last week. The walking group programme for Jan to June 2012 has just arrived and includes a weekend walking and snow-shoeing in the Pyrenees in February, and a 4-day walking trip in May. Needless to say, we're trying to book in! Also looking around for possible cross-country skiing places as the local ski-clubs only do alpine.
Had a satellite dish installed with a Freeview box so we can now watch UK-TV on a borrowed set until we get our own. Judy has been glued to Strictly. Getting the dish aligned with the satellite was very tricky, especially as the guy who installed it was a friend of a friend and not really an expert.
Had a free health check last week and both got declared still alive, so that's a relief.
Have been investing in the local wines which are really good at 9 euros for a 5-litre box, and will be bringing a bottle of Armagnac for Xmas and New Year.
We'll be in the UK from 22 Dec until 12 Jan, spending Xmas and New Year with Nicky in North Wales. Then down to Devon to try and move Chris' mother into a care home - if she'll go! Fortunately his sister is working really hard at organising this, so fingers are crossed.
The last week has been quite rainy and it's turning colder, so glad we got the insulation on as we only have a 500-watt towel rail in our shower room and a 2kW heater for the rest of the whole house, and no walls and doors to make separate rooms yet. Can't install the wood-burner until the flooring is down which will have to wait for the plasterboard on the walls which will have to wait for.... Hopefully before next winter! But it's still warmer than the UK, and we've been really lucky with the weather this autumn, as we've hardly had to stop the outside work. Who knows what 2012 will bring.
