I am conscious that reading about our ‘adventures’ in rural France might be a bit too much like watching paint dry but we are certainly enjoying ourselves! We did have a frisson of excitement this week when a mouse ran out of the kitchen bin which is not something which happens in Manchester! We are due to put mouse poison down when we leave but I am a bit loath to do it whilst we’re here as at least live mice can run away. I suggested to J that we try to get a humane trap and then take the mice somewhere further away in the car. He was sure that the French would die laughing if we tried to ask for such a thing so I’ve just blocked up all visible holes with paint tins and put the bin out every night!
Lighting the fires is J’s daily task and it can take some time, especially the one in the front room which is rather large and draughty. The wood is quite wet as we’ve had a lot of rain especially at night so even when lit they require constant vigilance in case they go out. Sometimes we get the most amazing sunny days but it is getting progressively colder and there is certainly plenty of rain. This is bringing on the winter wheat beautifully though so the fields are already starting to look pretty green.
I run every morning so my fitness levels are improving and I’m developing some good circuits of between 4 and 6 miles. The residents are getting to recognise this mad English woman in a pink woolly hat, which for some reason has little silver sequins on it though there is not way in which it could be described as glamorous! This morning I saw 3 little deer running through the fields who eyed me warily – no gun but a sparkly pink hat, before rushing off across the road.
Yesterday we went into Condom which is a really pretty little town and clearly quite affluent judging by the number of bijou shops and delicatessens. Everywhere is making a great fuss of the Beaujolais Nouveau with special evenings and tastings which I though was a peculiarly British thing but clearly not. We have bought a bottle to try as well as some Mure fortified with local Armagnac which sounds delicious.
I’ve been taking the time to do some research and planning for our big trip starting on 6th January. The round the world flight tickets are bought and paid for and all the individual flights booked but now we have to find the hotel accommodation and pre plan any activities. I downloaded the relevant sections on South America from Lonely Planet to help with the research and have been constantly on the email to Debbie at Trailfinders in Manchester who booked the flights and has been incredibly helpful and knowledgeable all along. We head to Rio on January 6th for 6 nights before spending 2 nights at Iguacu Falls on the Brazil/Argentine border and then on to Buenos Aires for 13 nights and 5 nights in Santiago. I’m a bit nervous about South America so I’m taking my time to ensure we get the best places without blowing the budget – though I did draw the line at one place in Santiago where 5 nights was coming in at £72, not sure what kind of place that was! We’ve booked the hotels in Tahiti and Bora Bora, where we head to after Santiago, since accommodation is in demand so at least I can relax on that score.
It all seems a world away from this quiet corner of the world where absolutely everything stops for lunch and it’s best if you don’t run out of firelighters on a Saturday afternoon as it may be Tuesday before the relevant shop is open!
No comments:
Post a Comment