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Photos 1. Vianne Market 2. Wk 3 The Pond 3. Front of the house 4. Terrys Bee Sting5. France,s biggest mole in our garden (septics) 6 & 7 First week controlling the lawn
My last post I mentioned the septics or should I say Fose Septics being full. Well that has created yet another French saga in this Australian household. We managed to get a name of local septic purger but could only get his wife and you said it doesnot speak English, so when the Electrician Edgar came down with Claire our neighbours daughter who wants to be a translater, we rang the septic purger only to find he was out, so that evening I managed to get the man who also does not speak English and in my best French managed to arrange for him to empty the septics on Monday evening, unfortunately I think he going to ring first, at least I think this why I had to give him my mobile number five times in French, poor guy, so once again watch this space. (6 days later and three telephone calls later, one by a French person, the septic purger still has not arrived, Terry said don’t ring him again in case we upset him and have to wait another week).
One evening this week we went to Vianne for dinner and low and behold the small bastide village was having their summer fete, this fete occurs every Friday night throughout June and July, there were a number of stalls selling local produce and a number of stalls selling aload of junk. We bought 2 bottles of aperitif, one red and one white, it is made locally and called Floc de Gauson, made from red or white wine and Armagnac (brandy) very warming to the cockles. Whilst we were walking around an old French man, who looked alot like Quasimodo, grabbed my hand and kissed it, whilst looking sideways out of his one good eye he spotted Mum, so I quickly introduced her as mon Mama (as you do in French) and he grabbed her so she had to kiss him on both cheeks, we all walked off and left them to it. She thought I had said this is the local Marie (Mayor) not ‘mon Mama’ and thought she should stay and be polite. We went on to have a fantastic meal in the local restaurant that had the tables set out in the street for our meal.
Another French translation saga, we had the local electrician come to do a few odd electrical jobs, Edgar does not speak any English, so over a cup of coffee I asked him where we could buy a barbeque, with this is broke into side splitting fits of laughter, literally holding his sides laughing, then he demonstrated in a very graphic manner what I had said – where can I buy toilet paper!!!!!!!
A couple of days ago a French man popped in apparently he has friends in the area and so came to say hello, another non English speaking French man, but with our new skill of writing and drawing on note pads we can communicate quite well. He is coming back next week with his friend a Swiss man who speaks good English and they are going to take Terry down the woods to explain the intricacies of shooting and hunting pigeons. Boarding onto the perimeter of our property are very dense woodland that has been set up just for hunting, this includes many hides and contraptions that hoist the decoy bird into the top of tree, we thought it was a seat where they pulled themselves up into the trees. Kee (the French hunter) has explained with diagrams what really happens. Should be interesting on Monday. Chris apparently shooting season is in October.
Yesterday we decided to hire a boat and take a trip up the River Baise in Nerac, this was more exciting than it should have been as we had to navigate and work a French lock, Judy, Mum and Val were in an absolute panic and as no one would listen to the instructions written down by the people hiring the boat, it was decided not to tether the boat to the top of the lock, so those sailors amongst you, will soon realise with the gush of water coming in our little boat was going all over the place, hitting the lock walls and going up and down to the two gates!!! Not a pleasant experience I can tell you, especially on the way back when we had to go down river and use the same lock, Mum wanted to get out in the middle of nowhere and said we could bring the car and pick her up, that didn’t happen I can tell you. All in all other than the lock incident it was a very pleasant gentle trip down the river, looking at the wildlife and flora and fauna.
Talking about wild life, we now regularly get a couple of cows or as happened yesterday two confused calves in our lane to our house, this has slowed Terry’s driving down, we always see deer jumping into the hedge rows.
Life in our local village SOS ... we go up to the village almost daily to use the internet in the local bar, of course while we are there we will sit out the front looking into the square with a regular group of men, who always seem to be there, they never seem to work just sit around talking drinking coffee or beer. We have also meet the local English contingent, we have met three of the men but not the third partner. Very nice boys, very friendly.
Monday 18th June
Sorry this is so long, I was going to post the last blog in SOS and the internet was down, sorry folks.
A few developments have occurred since my previous ramblings (above), the septics are now in the process of being cured, in fact Francis Piot (the Maire of Poudanas husband) and his son Simone returned today with a mechanical digger, and proceeded to dig up a trench down the back field in order to find the blockage (you need to say that with a French accent ...blockarge), 40 foot (12 metres) later it was decided that the blockage was caused by inadequate drainage, the solution dig another 150 foot (50 metres)and continue the drain down to the woods, that will be happening tomorrow Apres Midi in the afternoon.
This morning Guy and his friend Anthony ( a renowned photographer who has just arrived back from New York) anyway Anthony who is Swiss and rather gorgeous took Terry to our local woods to tell him all about the hunting that used to take place. Apparently the original farmer who owned this property was rather keen on hunting and shooting pigeons (him and all the males in France) so over a number of years, he and his friends built half a kilometre of hides which includes firing and decoy points, but more amazing is the fact that the hunters would spend up to two weeks at a time in these hides, which is still apparent by the carpet flooring, wood burner heaters, cookers and general living facilities. It has been fascinating for us to wonder through the woods, we also noticed loads of pulley action devices going up into the top of the trees, Guy told Terry that what they do is to attach a real decoy pigeon on it then hoist it into the top of the tree and wait for it to attract other pigeons and I think you can guess the rest!!!! The hides do not seem to have been used for a few years, but we have been told that October is the official hunting season.
Yet another drama, Photo attached, whilst Terry was clearing the overgrown veggie patch is was stung not once but twice by a wasp on his left ear, two days later it is still very swollen and he is very deaf in that ear. But I must say we have had a good laugh at him as his ear was enormous and everytime I looked at him I burst out laughing, luckily he could see the funny side of it, ear ear I say.
French Phone Number
We are now contactable on our French mobile number:
From Australia: 001133623787154
From UK: 003362378154
From France: -0623787154 Abientot
One evening this week we went to Vianne for dinner and low and behold the small bastide village was having their summer fete, this fete occurs every Friday night throughout June and July, there were a number of stalls selling local produce and a number of stalls selling aload of junk. We bought 2 bottles of aperitif, one red and one white, it is made locally and called Floc de Gauson, made from red or white wine and Armagnac (brandy) very warming to the cockles. Whilst we were walking around an old French man, who looked alot like Quasimodo, grabbed my hand and kissed it, whilst looking sideways out of his one good eye he spotted Mum, so I quickly introduced her as mon Mama (as you do in French) and he grabbed her so she had to kiss him on both cheeks, we all walked off and left them to it. She thought I had said this is the local Marie (Mayor) not ‘mon Mama’ and thought she should stay and be polite. We went on to have a fantastic meal in the local restaurant that had the tables set out in the street for our meal.
Another French translation saga, we had the local electrician come to do a few odd electrical jobs, Edgar does not speak any English, so over a cup of coffee I asked him where we could buy a barbeque, with this is broke into side splitting fits of laughter, literally holding his sides laughing, then he demonstrated in a very graphic manner what I had said – where can I buy toilet paper!!!!!!!
A couple of days ago a French man popped in apparently he has friends in the area and so came to say hello, another non English speaking French man, but with our new skill of writing and drawing on note pads we can communicate quite well. He is coming back next week with his friend a Swiss man who speaks good English and they are going to take Terry down the woods to explain the intricacies of shooting and hunting pigeons. Boarding onto the perimeter of our property are very dense woodland that has been set up just for hunting, this includes many hides and contraptions that hoist the decoy bird into the top of tree, we thought it was a seat where they pulled themselves up into the trees. Kee (the French hunter) has explained with diagrams what really happens. Should be interesting on Monday. Chris apparently shooting season is in October.
Yesterday we decided to hire a boat and take a trip up the River Baise in Nerac, this was more exciting than it should have been as we had to navigate and work a French lock, Judy, Mum and Val were in an absolute panic and as no one would listen to the instructions written down by the people hiring the boat, it was decided not to tether the boat to the top of the lock, so those sailors amongst you, will soon realise with the gush of water coming in our little boat was going all over the place, hitting the lock walls and going up and down to the two gates!!! Not a pleasant experience I can tell you, especially on the way back when we had to go down river and use the same lock, Mum wanted to get out in the middle of nowhere and said we could bring the car and pick her up, that didn’t happen I can tell you. All in all other than the lock incident it was a very pleasant gentle trip down the river, looking at the wildlife and flora and fauna.
Talking about wild life, we now regularly get a couple of cows or as happened yesterday two confused calves in our lane to our house, this has slowed Terry’s driving down, we always see deer jumping into the hedge rows.
Life in our local village SOS ... we go up to the village almost daily to use the internet in the local bar, of course while we are there we will sit out the front looking into the square with a regular group of men, who always seem to be there, they never seem to work just sit around talking drinking coffee or beer. We have also meet the local English contingent, we have met three of the men but not the third partner. Very nice boys, very friendly.
Monday 18th June
Sorry this is so long, I was going to post the last blog in SOS and the internet was down, sorry folks.
A few developments have occurred since my previous ramblings (above), the septics are now in the process of being cured, in fact Francis Piot (the Maire of Poudanas husband) and his son Simone returned today with a mechanical digger, and proceeded to dig up a trench down the back field in order to find the blockage (you need to say that with a French accent ...blockarge), 40 foot (12 metres) later it was decided that the blockage was caused by inadequate drainage, the solution dig another 150 foot (50 metres)and continue the drain down to the woods, that will be happening tomorrow Apres Midi in the afternoon.
This morning Guy and his friend Anthony ( a renowned photographer who has just arrived back from New York) anyway Anthony who is Swiss and rather gorgeous took Terry to our local woods to tell him all about the hunting that used to take place. Apparently the original farmer who owned this property was rather keen on hunting and shooting pigeons (him and all the males in France) so over a number of years, he and his friends built half a kilometre of hides which includes firing and decoy points, but more amazing is the fact that the hunters would spend up to two weeks at a time in these hides, which is still apparent by the carpet flooring, wood burner heaters, cookers and general living facilities. It has been fascinating for us to wonder through the woods, we also noticed loads of pulley action devices going up into the top of the trees, Guy told Terry that what they do is to attach a real decoy pigeon on it then hoist it into the top of the tree and wait for it to attract other pigeons and I think you can guess the rest!!!! The hides do not seem to have been used for a few years, but we have been told that October is the official hunting season.
Yet another drama, Photo attached, whilst Terry was clearing the overgrown veggie patch is was stung not once but twice by a wasp on his left ear, two days later it is still very swollen and he is very deaf in that ear. But I must say we have had a good laugh at him as his ear was enormous and everytime I looked at him I burst out laughing, luckily he could see the funny side of it, ear ear I say.
French Phone Number
We are now contactable on our French mobile number:
From Australia: 001133623787154
From UK: 003362378154
From France: -0623787154 Abientot
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