Well it seemed no time at all from our August trip to getting back out again in October and have to say the weather was superb!
I was having a few girlie days first with Rosie who was making her second trip out to Les Eaux. We met up at Southampton airport as both of us had booked flights with Flybe from our local airports and it was lovely to see Rosie waiting at the gate as I landed.
The flight over was very pleasant and we indulged ourselves in a bottle of Prosecco to toast the start of our weekend away. On this trip Phil, Wilson and Jan were making their way over in the van via Southampton laden with the cutter for the tractor ( Still in Welshpool!) and lots of other bits for the house including all the new furnishings for our bedroom and new carpets for the landing and our room... although will have to stop refering to it as our bedroom as from 2014 it will be the main letting bedroom.
Heather was waiting for Rosie and I at the airport and drove us to the house, I have said it before but it is a wonderful service that Heather supplies for us as is all the lovely cleaning that she does in the house we were very lucky to find her.
Rosie and I settled in, unpacked and decided we would go into town for dinner for a nice steak et frites at La Gondole Sur Toit, Rosie had eaten here on her last trip when we were out with Linda and Alex. To do this however we needed to go into the barn and reconnect the battery on the discovery and get her out. For all the years that she has on her she always seems to start first time and she may have lost the flushes of her youth and a gleaming body but she really is a pleasure to drive... This is the discovery I am talking about not Rosie :-)
I was looking forward to tomorrow as my dad's cousin Nick and his wife Julie were calling in to stay with us for a couple of nights on their way up to the UK. Nick and Julie live near Murcia in Spain and it was going to be a very long drive up for them. I also hadn't seen Nick since his mum passed away 23 years ago and had never had the pleasure of meeting Julie
Rosie and I enjoyed Saturday morning in the town, around the market and of course a nice cup of coffee at Cafe Chaud before heading for the supermarket to buy the ingredients for tonight's vegetable curry and tomorrow's Chicken casserole for when Phil and his assistants arrived.
Our annunal log delivery arrived at about 5pm and dumped its load on the front grass; at least this year I knew what to expect last year had been a bit of a surprise! The rain was coming on ( great excuse not to have to lug them) so we took a few for the fire and covered the rest with tarpaulin and went inside and opened the wine to watch Strictly and X Factor!!
We had noticed last night a rather unpleasant smell in the downstairs bathroom which neither of us would accept the blame for. Air freshners and open windows seemed to help but again this morning the smell was back. I did wonder if it was because maybe the toilet hadn't been flushed for 3 weeks but the smell just seemed to get worse and was really starting to bug me. Nick and Julie had phoned to say that they would be after midnight so at about 11.45pm keeping ourselves awake we decided to explore the smell!
The boiler is behind a wooden box and I knew that it had a very slight leak, one where a bowl underneath would last a good few months and not fill up. Removing the cover confirmed this was where the smell was coming from and there was the bowl which looked like it had been over flowing for quite some time! Rosie and I sorted it out and cleaned it all up and it smelt much better but this was one for Phil when he arrived.
Nick and Julie finally pulled up after midnight and with a quick curry we all set off for bed. Nick and Julie in their camper van but I did offer them a room in the house.
Sunday morning bright and sunny so we spent the first hour or so moving the logs that had arrived on Saturday stacking them in the attached barn ready for the winter. We then headed off for a wander round the lake and a coffee at Cafe Promenade before a tour of the town and the lighting of a candle in the church which I always like to do.
Rosie, Julie and I in La Souterraine Church
Julie, Nick and I
The rest of the afternoon was spent in front of the fire with Nick and Julie taking themselves off for a nap and Rosie and I giving the house a bit of a dust. I charged Rosie with the feather duster and set her off on a mission to find the cobwebs!! Have to say she did pretty well only had to point a couple out to her, you can come again Rosie.
Phil, Wilson and Jan arrived about 5pm after a long drive down from Scotland which takes nearly 2 days! You get to know each other very well in a 3 man van for so many hours. Dinner that night was a jovial affair mainly centered around Wilson's experience of the toll booths and using the wrong ticket, it's one of those stories that just wouldn't be the same repeated here but it was hysterical on the night!
Wilson was chomping at the bit to get stuck in on Monday morning so he and Jan grabbed the wheel barrow in preparation of moving the logs, had to tell them off though, the wheelbarrow was not for joy rides around the garden!!
They however did a great job of moving the logs and stacking them all very neatly between the two barns whilst Phil set to work painting our bedroom. I was really looking forward to seeing this all come together.
Bedroom before we repainted and carpeted.
Bedroom with new carpet a toned down shade of Pale Amethyst and new carpets and furnishings!
Sadly Rosie was returning home today but we headed into town for a stroll around but not much to see as most places closed on a Monday. After lunch we set off to the airport and said our goodbyes it had been lovely having time to catch up we have been through so many different life stages over the last 20 years with our children and have shared many things including a trek on the China Wall. I love spending time with Rosie and I know she will be a frequent visitor once we are established en Francais.
The next few days were spent with Phil and I working in the house, painting, cleaning, laying carpets and adding the finishing touches trying to get a lot of the work out of the way before Andrew and Julie arrived on Thursday. The landing area was also to have new carpet and I am relieved to see the back of the grotty old blue stuff that was down when we moved in, and what a transformation a bit of carpet made. Rosemary had also kindly recovered two old chairs that had belonged to Phil's Aunt and Uncle which had a slimey green paisley patterned cover! With a nice new fabric they really looked as good as new and finished the landing off perfectly!
Phil laying the carpet
The finished landing which now makes a perfect reading and relaxing area for guests.
We also changed the front bedroom from a double into a twin. The double bed has been moved downstairs and that will be our room when the B&B opens. The twin room will only be let with Bedroom 1 as they will need to share a bathroom. It suits a twin room and will be handy for families traveling together.
Wilson and Jan really got stuck into the garden and planted all my Lavenders and Heathers all the daffodils and the other pots and pots of plants that we had kindly been given by Fred and Rosemary to bring out. It will be lovely over the next few years to see these develop and remind me of the friends who gave them to me. Wilson and Jan also cut back all the trees at the front of the house which was a long overdue task and Jan got her shot on the Tractor Mower even if her feet didn't quite reach the pedals!!
Wilson clearing the bushes which were really overgrown but with so much else to do had not been at the top of our priority list so it was great to see these all being cleared.
They also set about tidying up the front bit of patio area and planted the troughs with the minature daff bulbs that I had wanted to plant in memory of Alastair.
Trying to plant daffs around the fountain but the ground was too hard!
This was an old watering trough that was hid under all the overgrown bushes and looked super once Wilson and Jan had cleared it out then Julie and I planted heathers and Lavenders in it. Looking forward to seeing these next summer.
It was great to see with some concentrated effort how quickly things can get done when there are a group of you and what a difference it can make. We really need to have a concentrated period of time out in Bousseresse to really get on top of the all the land.
So Thursday came, Andrew and Julie flew into Limoges and I was there to pick them up. It was such a lovely morning I sat on the patio of the cafe waiting for their plane to land enjoying a nice cup of coffee and some me time. They landed on time and I watched them come down the steps and across the tarmac to the arrivals hall. It had a been 2 years since we last saw them and in that time they had also bought their own small holding with land so it would be good to see what they had been up to.
Andrew and Julie in La Celle Dunoise
The next few days were very warm and very busy we spent a lovely October evening in the garden, after dinner, with the small fire basket lit and a full moon shining down on us. Phil hit the bottle this night and thoroughly enjoyed himself in the garden. We even had the App on Andrew's phone to work out what the stars were in the sky above us.
It was lovely to be able to be in the garden in shirt sleeves towards the end of October.
The Cosy Fire Basket
Phil enjoying himself in the garden!!
Saturday evening we all took a ride out to La Celle Dunoise for dinner at The Auberge Des Pecheurs which was very enjoyable. The car was rather full but Wilson knew his place and was strapped in behind the dog guard in the boot, guess he probably had the shortest legs!! The evening was very warm and we had a wander around by the river before eating. great fun was had by all and was
rounded off by a Thunder Storm that rumbled on for sometime. We are
getting use to these now and they can be quite spectacular.
Wilson knows his place... behind the dog guard!
Sunday and time to take Jan to the airport for her flight back home and back to teaching on the Monday. We turned out of the drive to go up the long part of the lane but found it blocked by a tree that had been bought down in the storm so had to turn back and go the other way.
Back at home the boys had decided it was time to unload the cutter for the tractor which took a great bit of planning, and rope swinging before it was finally hauled to the barn floor with a big smile on my husbands face. Just need to get the tractor over now though. For those of you that follow the blog you will know that Phil bought a tractor a few years ago to bring out here. It was kept in Aberdeen before a brief spell in Lauder at New Mills and then onto Welshpool where it has been for the last 18 months slowly making its way south. Keep following and in March next year it WILL be making its grand voyage south.
Now where is Cheryl I could hang her with this rope!!
Not sure that was the main idea Julie of the Jungle!!
Health & Saftey must make sure your shoe laces are tied!
Easy does it...
And she's down!
Once the excitement of sorting out the cutter Phil then investigated the smell in the downstairs bathroom further
and it was the boiler that was well and truly leaking. Not wishing to
take any chances we had decided that we would need to buy a new one so
set off with Andrew and Julie to Chateauroux to purchase one.
The
buying of it was the easy bit the transporting of it back to La
Souterraine in the back of the discovery was another matter the damm
thing just didn't want to go in! I did take some photos as they were
trying which I don't think Phil and Andrew appreciated but it was just
one of those moments and I had to capture it for the blog!! Finally it
fitted with Andrew and I squashed on the back seat and Julie in the boot
and Phil with no sideways view and little back view we set off for La Souterraine with a
welcome relief of a bite to eat at Le MacDonalds and some strong caffeine!
On the day that Phil and Andrew decided to fit the boiler Julie and I were very sensible and took the train into Limoges for some retail therapy and lunch. (I think it was more a keep her out of the way moment!!) It was so warm we sat in t.shirts eating our lunch outside enjoying a wee Kir Royale and delicious food and desserts.
It was so good to spend some time catching up which as it's not something we do very often. Julie and Andrew have been friends of mine for almost 24 years and Phil MUCH MUCH longer and they are godparents to Harriet and Jack. It doesn't seem to matter how long you leave in between we always seem to slot back into conversation like it was yesterday. We have shared some superb holidays with them over the years from Disney in Orlando to Skiing in Canada and 3 weeks around the Canadian Rockies, some very special memories.
The day that they fitted the boiler was the day that Wilson decided he was going to pull down the hen house and burn all the rubbish which was great in theory but meant no hot water that day for washing so it was a very black coloured man that sat until almost 11pm before being able to wash off the soot! However saying that he did a fantastic job of pulling it all down and burning the rubbish.
It's the little leprechaun sitting on his barrow!
We spent some time putting some more plants in and Wilson and I planted a rosebush in memory of Jennifer under the front window next to my Lavenders. I wish that she had been well enough to make the journey out to see the house but sadly it hadn't worked out but she is there with me in spirit on the garden swing seat, that she gave me, enjoying a glass of wine.
Well some of us worked others sat on their phone whilst their wife tided up the weeds in the patio!
Although Andrew had been spotted earlier that day with his marigolds cleaning the shower ;-)
Andrew also did a fantastic job with my new Raspberry bushes and built and excellent trough for them to go in I am looking forward to some lovely fresh raspberries next year along with some of the rubharb that seems to be doing really well.
Wednesday was a day off and a trip out to Boussac to the Chateaux which is one of my favourite days out to take our visitors on. We had a lovely lunch in a restaurant in the town square before a walk down to the Chateaux and a tour around it.
We had some great evenings on this trip spent eating, drinking and talking it was very entertaining and lovely to spend time with friends after a hard days work enjoying nice wine and delicious food and our new "in" drink Kir Royale!
An evening around the table inside...
and lunch outside.
Wilson did an awful lot of the cooking which was very much appreciated by all but especially by me as I usually spend the whole time cooking! Not sure on the tinned tomatoes though... how many men did it take to open a tin?
Phil goes in with the screwdriver...
Andrew is standing back and taking no chances!
Phil finally cracks it and Wilson works on like nothing is happening!
Sadly time for Andrew and Julie to return home and for me to start turning my thoughts to preparing the house for our next guests arriving on Saturday, Phil's cousin Karen and her husband Richard. I also took quite a few pictures of the new landing area and our bedroom to update the website and to use for marketing material for the New Year. We finished off our last evening in La Souterraine with a trip to the theatre to see the local English Am Dram perform Carry on MacBeth which was very good. Before the performance we enjoyed an evening aperitif at Bar Du Marche sitting outside at 7pm on October 24th!! I can get very use to this.
So another very busy trip comes to an end, beds changed and clean towels left out, every where wiped over so that Heather doesn't have too much to sort and a last minute job of laying the lino in the downstairs bathroom.
So much achieved and still lots to do but it just shows you when you really get stuck in what you can get done. This was all made possible by the friends that dug in and helped out and spent their holiday time working with us for which we are eternally grateful. Thank you never seems enough but I hope that all of them will get the chance in years to come to enjoy what we can offer at Les Eaux at a time when there shouldn't be any work that needs doing. One thing though they keep coming back so it can't be too bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Or was it all the drink they got through??
Next trip... Our first Christmas in Bousseresse!
