A year in the Gers

Well, we left the UK on 3rd May last year and arrived here on 4th, so it's our first anniversary!  What's happened to a whole year?   All in all it's been a wonderful year, but very busy.  Fortunately no regrets about the move!

The house progresses (slowly) and we now have a working mechanical ventilation heat recovery system (MVHR in England, VMC double-flux in France) which means we're not in danger of dying from asphyxiation when it's all shut up.  This has been a boon because the weather in April has been FOUL!  Rain, rain and more rain just like UK but a bit warmer.  Fortunately we now have a roof complete with guttering and surprise of all surprises the final bill came in lower than the estimate.  That doesn't happen too often I can tell you.

We're now waiting for quotes to do the final render coat - too tricky for us, waiting being the operative word, getting quotes from firms is nearly impossible.  We've also started on the bathroom (for guests) and have the dividing walls up and wiring in; plumbing next and the decisions about how to do the tiling.  Holiday home well on the way!

Our plumber called (amazing) to apologise for not having done the solar hot water system because the weather was too bad to work outside, and hopefully it will be installed this week or next, holidays permitting.  May 1st and 8th are hols here, as is 17th ... etc.  as with plumbers everywhere we are at his mercy.

Still walking and even get the occasional mention in the local paper as 'sympathiques randonneurs anglais'.  Did a walking quiz (about 14km and 20 questions en route) and came 3rd because one of our team members was French and knew who to ask for tricky answers.

Needless to say, the walk was followed by a superb lunch!

The fete in the next village where we play quilles (skittles) and belote (cards) was nearly a wash-out with the weather, and we did end up playing play quilles in the rain.  Chris had been called up to help raise the marquee, and it was necessary for the meal, which was very good and where we met more nice people.  They all think we're totally mad cos we walk home (only about 4km).

Missed one walk by going to another protest at our local (50km away) nuclear power station.  Quite a good turn-out and the weather held up.  Probably won't make any difference but one has to try.

 

Afterwards our friend Danielle gave us a guided tour of a famous local village, very pretty.

This weekend we decide to relax and appreciate the anniversary of our move, so Saturday morning we went to support the quilles team (who won) then stayed for lunch (free!) which lasted the usual 2-3 hours then had a quick game (badly) before coming back to enjoy a bottle of bubbly on what will one day be the terrace. 

Sunday was a local walk with an amazing half-way 'snack' including wine and Armagnac, then stayed for the village lunch.  Monday we worked on the house but because Chris had helped put up the marquee, we were invited for the post-fete dinner, also enormous and copious drinks - free again!  And again we walked home - still mad!  We seem to have been adopted by the quille players and get invited to everything.  Tuesday (8th) was another holiday (Armistice in Europe) so we had some friends round for lunch.  Two French, one American, one German and one Fench-Cambodian.

Seems to have been one long round of eating and drinking, but that's life in the Gers!! 

What with badminton, quilles, belote, jazz, French lessons, walking, eating and generally having a good time in between building the house and planting the garden, and getting our head around the way things happen (or not) in France, it's a very full life.

As Judy said at one point, we really can't imagine living anywhere else.

Slowly, slowly

We've worked on the exterior for a while with Chris doing the plastering between the insulation panels and over the screws and around the windows with special thermal render.  Judy has been varnishing all the wood and putting on a pva coat with a roller - not the favourite job!  One week we were working in 25 degrees!

Then Chris went to London for a sort of job interview (maybe 4 weeks work a year) with the GMC, flying Toulouse to Gatwick (the job doesn't really matter but he'll be really p...ed off if he doesn't get it as it's doing his old job more or less).  A few days after he came back we had a call to say that his mother was not likely to live much longer and she finally died on 10th March at the grand old age of 97.  Needless to say there was lots to organise, although Chris' sister Sue did lots of it.  Like when the undertakers said that the crematorium would not accept the application form electronically - and when we went to post the original, La Poste was on strike!   We seemed to spend most of the week on the phone.

That Sunday was the chasse (hunt) lunch which ran from noon until 5:30, aperitifs, wine, four courses including roast wild boar, armagnac... aahh!  Monday was the long drive up through France then down to Devon to scatter ashes and sort out her flat for sale, including multiple trips to the tip.  All very stressful, but then drove up to North Wales for a relaxing weekend with Nicky and Glyn who are waiting for the birth of the latest edition to their menagerie - a foal.  Walked the dogs and generally chilled out.

Hence not that much progress on the house in March.

But we spent a day in Bordeaux at an anti-nuclear protest and have been doing the usual social stuff. 

This weekend we spent snow-shoeing and walking at Gavarnie in the Pyrenees with our walking group.  Very convivial and wonderful scenery.  Amazing weather again so not a lot of snow about but enough to make it look pretty.  As an aside, apparently April Fool's Day is called avril poisson (April fish!).

Back to work now and hopefully will make more progress over the next couple of months.

Brrr...

The big freeze arrived at the end of January and it snowed on the first Sunday in February.  The snow lasted a week with the low temperatures which didn't get above freezing some days, really glad I found some thick jumpers in the box we brought back last time!  People say it was the worst winter for 50 years!  We managed to get some good pictures of Montreal in the snow - this may never happen again.

Needless to say it was a good test of our super-insulated house and our two 2kW electric fires.  Even though we haven't got all the insulation in yet, the house performed amazingly well and we didn't need the fires on all day.  It wasn't exactly roasting but we weren't cold even at night.

Having moaned about the absence of our carpenters, they were really amazing and worked through it all, even mornings at -12 degrees! One lunch time they had a bonfire of scrap wood - after that I took pity on them and brought them into the house for their lunch. We managed some work outside when the sun shone, but spent some days working out how to install the mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system.  More complicated than it seemed, with lots of insulated ducting, fans and a big heat exchanger.  Still not finished which is a shame because we didn't want to open the windows much!  It'll be finished in time for the summer and open doors and windows.  Ah well, next year it'll function.

We eventually had to stop the carpenters before they tiled the terracing roofs so that we can finish off above them, with Judy varnishing the fascia boards etc.  Chris will follow on with filling the joints - quite a task but he insists it won't take long and he's not about to let me have a go.

Meanwhile, we (Judy) managed to organise a birthday lunch for our friend Helene and others. Yummy food - will take the walking group there in September.

 Our planned weekend snow-shoeing in the Pyrenees was cancelled because the weather was too bad (-20 degrees, snow and wind).  But then we've just come back from 4 glorious days skiing in the Pyrenees.  Stopped on the way down to buy a late Christmas present - our own skis - bet it won't snow in Montreal again.  Good hotel, good skiing and wonderful sunshine, all just over 2 hours away - another reason we're here.

Another weekend of eating drinking and walking finished, now back to serious work on the house.  Has to be done!  But we are going to a concert and a Jazz club next week so not all serious stuff.

P.S.  We have arrived!  J was asked to be in the Quilles team (local skittles) because I showed some skill at lobbing a bit of wood 10 metres at a few skittles.  Felt quite flattered as a Brit (they are short of ladies and am only reserve player, but ...)  They play for the Championship of France (it's only played very locally) and it's taken quite seriously so will have to practice my lob.

2012 starts well

Well, it's been a long time since the last information.  We spent a super Christmas and New Year in North Wales with Nicky and her menagerie - Glynn was away at sea.  We did very little but eat drink and walk the dogs - very restful and just what we needed.

Then down to Devon to visit friends and to move Chris' mum into a care home: her flat with lots of carers was no longer viable.  Anyway, with the help of Chris' sister we managed the move and we hope she's settling in well.

Back to France in mid-January to chase our elusive carpenter who seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth and with both land-line and mobile answer services producing nothing.  But, after the first phone call he arrived and told us that his wife's father in Chile had developed cancer but had no health insurance, so they had to look after him for four weeks.  If only he'd said, we wouldn't have panicked (so much).

We've also had our window-sills installed by Patrick, the town plumber - they're zinc.  This means we can now finish off the external insulation around all the windows.

We've started the long job of filling all the joints between the sheets of external insulation and covering the screw holes with a thermally efficient mortar-type glue.  Did the big blank wall first to practise on.

We won't be able to continue with that this week as it seems winter has arrived and the temperatures will be about freezing, and the glue won't set unless it's at least +5.  But there's plenty of other things to keep us going!

The carpenter came back today and is really making progress!

Meanwhile, we have been making the space (walls and plasterboard) for the hot-water tank for our solar system which should come soon.

We've also managed to keep the social stuff going with the usual round of activities.  Last Friday was the "voeux" or the mayor's state-of-the-nation speech, a tradition in France apparently.  Not too long and followed by an hour or so of free eating and drinking.  It seems we're trying to drink our way through our local tax!

Lots more social stuff happening over the next couple of weeks - will post again when we're sober.

Back to UK for Christmas

Well, we got all the insulation on the house, but need another 12 sheets (ordered 358, needed 370!) .  The electric drill has been working hard.  We're also very good at moving scaffolding as we have hired enough for the longest wall, not the whole house.  Weight-lifting was never really our thing, but...

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.

Making progress - thanks to friends

Our friends, Keith and Julia, from Plymouth came to visit for a week, including a weekend of partying for the 'Flamme d'Armagnac' of which more later.  This put the pressure on us to really get the house sorted with a shower and a makeshift kitchen.  This we managed to do the Monday before they arrived on Wednesday! Phew!  It would have been a little cramped in the caravan.  We were given some old kitchen units and a sink by a builder friend here, so that helped.  We now have a shower...

...and a temporary kitchen in the utility room with light which was a welcome addition...

... and some furniture only light here being standard lamps but at least we have power.

So, we spent most of the time fixing external insulation to the house.  We got 4 complete layers done which was more than expected.  If it takes 4 people 4 days to fix 4 layers... ?  It's about one third of the total required so a bit left to do.  We're waiting for builder friend to come and fix some scaffolding but he's become French in that you never know when he'll turn up.  Demain or Demain....

But we also managed to walk (Keith, Julia and Judy and a few hundred others)

and cycle (Chris) which included breakfast - bacon butties and red wine - in a distillery.

Then, it was party time in the evening.  A meal for 500 with music and dancing and of course plenty of liquid refreshment!  Good time was had by all.

The Sunday was another walk (stroll) to a wine tasting and back for large lunch (with more liquid refreshment).  Not much happened that afternoon surprisingly.

So now we're on our own again and hoping to complete the external insulation before we return to UK for Xmas. 

Will post on progress before we leave.

Camping in the house

We now have water and electricity connected and on 29th October - the night the clocks changed - we spent our first night in the house.  Had the loo connected and cold water - luxury!  Celebrated with a bottle of pink bubbly and a game of Scrabble (in English) in bed.  As you can see from the rubble stacked around it's not exactly luxury living!  Still it's not the caravan which is becoming more important now we're getting into winter.  The poppies have finally given up as have the french beans but the weeds live on.  How do they do that?

Connected a temporary hot water system the next day, so even better.  Next week's push is to get the shower installed and tiled and to get a temporary kitchen up and running so we can move out of the caravan permanently.  We do have a working bread maker so that's a start.

Last week was spent plaster-boarding and filling the gaps, strange French system, you don't use plaster, just fill the joins and then put a kind of primer over it.  Jury's out on the finish at the moment.  Also managed to get power circuits in all rooms, but not complete, just enough to get by, at least we can have the computer and telephone in the house.  The lighting is more tricky but started - that will be a breakthrough so we're not stumbling around in the dark.

Finally have the caravan registered in France - a great success as it was a very tortuous process taking six months but the paperwork came through at last so we celebrated with a very nice lunch with two friends at a catering school.  Cheap and extremely good.

 Picture below is of a walk with the local group.

We're still going walking, playing badminton, doing our French lessons and playing cards (badly) but the card players are very tolerant - especially when we lose - and try to explain the rules to Belote and some of the playing tricks (it's quite difficult  to understand what they say as it's the accent and they talk at a hundred miles an hour).  It's all good fun.  We managed to win one round out of four last week, so two bottles of wine were the prize so it's not all bad.