Our place in France Chapter 2

Would you believe it?!! I promised a picture of the new car, but we have been so busy running around in it that we haven’t even thought of taking a picture of it. Perhaps next time…….!

The past few days have been extremely busy and has had us running around like fleas in a fit. When it came to tiling the floor of the fireplace so that the heating stove had a nice level base, and an attractive one too, we found that the whole floor was decidedly wonky and in fact sloped from right to left by about four centimetres. So before the tiles could be laid, a cement floor had to be cast and allowed to dry. Time was getting really tight as it is so cold that the cement didn’t want to harden properly, but finally it was hard enough to lay the tiles and then to grout them, and we still a had a day over for everything to harden and set before the chimney-sweep arrived at 9.30 on Wednesday morning and started his cleaning. What a horrible job! In spite of wearing goggles and a full-fitting cap, double overalls and overshoes, he eventually came out from behind the protective curtain that he had taped across the front of the fireplace, completely covered in soot. Before he started, he had laid out something that looked like an old eiderdown to protect the tiles and a part of the floor and when he had finished, he stood in the middle of it and peeled off goggles, cap, overalls and overshoes and dumped them all into the middle of the ‘eiderdown’, wrapped the whole thing into a bundle and carried it out to his van. No mess. No fuss

The same afternoon the stove was installed and again it was a one man job. The only part he needed a bit of help with was getting the contraption into the house from the van. He brought out a little trolley and manoevered it into place to catch the crated stove as he pushed that out of the van then removed all the crating (Aha! Kindling for the fire) and was about to drag all 160 kgs of cast iron up the stairs by himself, but Neels and Pieter gave a push from behind and saved him some effort. The installation was quite a big job and was not completed on Wednesday but by Thursday afternoon, we had a lovely fire going and the temperature in the house started to rise.

Also during this week, Pieter decided that the workshop and laundry should share the big open space that we had cleared under the house, but that they should be two separate areas, divided by a wall. Then he proceeded to show us how dry walls are constructed. Only, of course, this one is a super-duper wall with a kink in it to make maximum use of the floor space, and to make things simpler for running wires for lights etc. It is almost finished.  The materials that he used had to be delivered by truck and once again it was a one-man operation. The truck was backed in next to the house and then the driver operated a huge folded up crane to lift the boards off and into our property. The whole consignment was plastic wrapped which was good as it was raining when he arrived and the plaster board Pieter intended using would have just dissolved if it had got wet. We are noticing vast differences in the amount of manpower used to get work done here, compared to South Africa. And.....so far, they have all cleaned up after themselves and taken their rubbish away.

The weather has, at times, been cold, icy and freezing, but now and again we have a brilliant sunny day which looks amazing and should feel warm but is only an illusion. However we are not feeling the cold quite as much as we have in previous years.

Perhaps we are becoming acclimatized!!

Our place in France Chapter 1

As there appears to have been some distress at the non-re-appearance of the Canny Vanners blog, I have rather reluctantly, decided to resume it. I have to admit that there is quite a lot to write about just now, but it may become incredibly boring later on and I may as well apologise now.

I am writing this on the 20^th February, exactly a month after we landed in France, but it already feels as if we have been here a long time. In my first letter which was sent to most people that I thought were interested, and which I will repost here, as a prelude, I mentioned a number of things that we thought should be in place before the furniture arrived, and in the first two weeks we managed to achieve quite a lot. We have had to learn a great many new words in French, to be able to effectively communicate with tradesmen and bureaucrats alike, which is not always easy. However, we have had no problems as yet and have found everyone extremely friendly and helpful.

We now have lights and water, a working gas stove, a washing machine and a telephone and the Internet. The chimney sweep is coming on the 24^th (required by law) and the heating stove will be installed on the same day. We have bought our first ‘stere’ of firewood, which is approximately a cubic metre. When we went to order it from a young man on a small-holding nearby, he told us that he only had very large trucks and could only deliver four steres or more. Then he looked at our little two door mini-Peugeot and asked if that was the only vehicle we had. And then smiled, sort of pityingly, but didn’t offer to help at all. But he did saw all our order into half metre lengths and stack it neatly under a tarpaulin at the end of the timberyard. So far we have done four trips in the little car and have brought about half our order over to the house. Of course it then had to be unloaded, carried to the house and stacked neatly. Now that it is done, or half done, it looks really tidy and we are proud of our effort.

Then on Tuesday of last week Pieter and Tilly arrived with our new (second-hand) car. It was all a very complicated arrangement. Tilly saw the car advertised  on a French web site for secondhand goods, similar to Gumtree, and asked her brother-in-law to go and have a look at it as he lives in Paris about 20 minutes from where the car was. He gave it the ‘all clear’ and then went back again the following day to negotiate with the owner, managing to get the price down by €400. They filled in and signed all the relevant papers, then they were popped into a special ‘fast mail’ envelope and sent to us. This was on Monday morning. On Wednesday morning the envelope arrived here at our gite; we signed the bits we had to; went into town and got a bank cheque to enclose with the papers; put everything back into another ‘fast mail’ envelope and it was delivered in Paris the next day. On Friday, Tilly’s brother-in-law went back again and fetched the car and brought it to his own house. The following Monday, Pieter and Tilly arrived in Paris to spend a night with her family and on Tuesday they drove down to Ols.

Unfortunately the two nights they spent with us were probably the most uncomfortable nights they have ever spent anywhere. The two fold-up beds that we had bought for a few euros for the two, were not even worth that. Neels tried lying on one and went all the way down to floor level. So we decided to tie the springs up so that they could not expand, which made a smidgeon of difference. There was nothing we could do about the mattresses though which were so ‘flop’ that they were like two layers of material with nothing between. Putting some of the many blankets that we had received from the people from whom we bought some bits of furniture last year, under the mattresses we made up the beds using more of the linen we had been given. It looked a bit strange when finished as there were double duvets but only single covers so we stuffed the doubles into the single covers which made the beds look decidedly lumpy. And in the end our efforts were for nought as they pulled the mattresses off the beds and put them straight on the floor which didn’t really improve matters, but at least they didn’t sag. Fortunately there was an electric heater in the room which helped a bit, but it turned out to be the coldest night of the year so far at -6 degrees, and the floors are as yet uncarpeted! Future visitors will be infinitely better treated.

Tilly only had the one full day with us, so we spent it sight-seeing. A little further north and across the River Lot is Figeac and she had read somewhere that it has a giant replica of the Rosetta stone because the eventual decipherer of the stone was a Frenchman, Jean Francois Compollion, who was born in Figeac. It was a bitterly cold day with an icy breeze but the skies were clear, and the car’s heater worked well, so we were quite happy until we had to get out of the car. We had found our way into the centre of the old city and found parking, but then we had to get out and walk through the narrow little streets with three storey buildings on both sides, and my goodness, did the wind whistle through there! However, we found our way to the museum which of course, because it was after twelve noon, was shut, but around the corner in an open area we found the replica stone with its three types of script. The original stone was only about a metre high, but this which has been laid out as a flat plaque must be the large print edition as it is about five metres from top to bottom. Very interesting though, but it was far too cold to really appreciate. So instead we went to look for a cheap and cheerful café for some warm comfort food. The drive there and back was very scenic and it is on our list to visit again, perhaps in Spring or Summer.

After lunch we rushed back to Villfranche to get there before the Prefecture closed so that we could get the new car all legal while Tilly and her fluent French was still here to help us. I have to admit that things go a lot more smoothly when someone understands what is being said and can reply just as quickly. The only near-glitch in the proceedings was that the man behind the glass counter wall would only take a cheque in payment, and although we have applied for a cheque book it hasn’t arrived yet, so he and Pieter had to rush off to the bank again and get another bank cheque, and then rush back again to get there before the office closed. Tilly and I sat and read publicity notices and advertising leaflets while we waited and when the office started closing up she went and charmed the man behind the counter, begging him to wait just a few minutes more and at 2 minutes after closing the men arrived with the cheque and we are now legal.

Back at the house, the next day, I tried out my new washing machine which rather resembles a Boeing control panel when it is switched on. It is very quiet and appears to be efficient but has so many programmes that I wonder if I will ever use them all. There is a wonderful button that says ‘Push and Wash’ which I may try next time. Needless to say, having put the load in and started the machine, I then sat down to read the instructions and discovered this wonderful button which does a really quick wash.

We found a discount flooring shop and bought enough tiles to tile the base of the fireplace where the stove will stand. The two men are hard at it getting the floor level and the tiles down before the people come on Wednesday to install the stove. Quite a job.

We also decided that it was completely unfair to expect Pieter to sleep any more nights on the floor so we went to buy a bed. Just an ordinary wooden slatted divan bed and mattress, I thought. There is no such thing. You choose a bed frame, and the type of slats you prefer and the legs in the style and colour you prefer and then you decide if it should be an upholstered frame or not. Oh….and of course the size you need. Then you have a bed. Then you go to the mattress section and start all over again. Spring? Foam? Latex? Hard? Medium? Soft? A Flowery cover? A plain cover? One with a Union Jack on it? At that we explained we were South Africans and the mattress with the flag on was quickly pushed out of sight again. Finally we had our bed and the man would deliver next day. Great! We just had to make sure that we were there before him, which we managed by about four minutes, but at least we have one of the two single beds we need.

I will try to include some pictures next time as we have taken very few so far but I will certainly show you our new car if nothing else.

Our place in France Prelude

I have decided not to write the blog every week as there will obviously be some weeks that will be incredibly boring. Instead, when we have some news to tell you about, I will send a letter which should reach you all. This way you won’t have to go looking for our news, only to be disappointed.

Having arrived on the 20th January, we have now been here just over ten days and have accomplished quite a lot, I think.

We had a few major projects lined up when we got here – to find the nearest supply of gas and purchase a bottle and connect it up so that the stove would work; to find a washing machine that suited our needs and our pockets and get it installed; to apply for a telephone and internet line; to seek out a suitable wood-burning heating stove which will provide our main source of warmth in the house; and to up-grade our valiant little Peugeot to something a little roomier. Quite a list of requirements, you might think, but all very necessary.

Starting at the beginning, we found that gas is sold at all supermarkets and, although there are two kinds of gas and a dozen different kinds of fittings, we managed to find the right one and soon had a working stove. Next on the list was the washing machine. Almost as easy as the gas. January and June are sale months – by law – and prices are genuinely reduced on items. People who want a specific item can rush in and get it right at the start of the sales, while those with more nerve can wait it out while the prices drop bit by bit to the end of the period. The sales are due to finish any day now, but the last time we drove through town there were places advertising 80% discounts. If, however, you do sit it out until the end you have to be prepared to take what still for sale, which not necessarily be exactly what you wanted. In our case, we had thought the Bosch machine looked rather nice, but was already sold so we had to settle for an Indesit. It is due to be delivered this week.

When applying for the phone and internet line, being accustomed to the rather tardy service from Telkom, we were prepared to go on using our cell phone for several months, but, guess what, this is a first-world country. Neels organised it all via the English-speaking help line for France Telecom/Orange last Wednesday and was little amazed when he was told that someone would be along to install the line this coming Tuesday. (Tomorrow, in fact). He was also told that the router would be sent to us by post, to the address where we are currently staying, which is not the address for the installation. So we prepared ourselves for a wait. What unbelievers! On Friday morning the postman arrived with a shoebox-sized parcel for us, containing the router, as promised. No parcel slip in the box saying where the parcel should be collected but a hand delivery to the door. Or it would have been but our host had just had a load of firewood delivered by the next door farmer, who had dumped about two bakkie loads of chopped wood in the road outside the gate, completely blocking the road. No one seemed terribly put out about it though and the postman just reversed back up the lane and went on with his round.

The phone will cost about R500 a month and will include free phone calls to almost the whole world, but only to landlines. It also includes completely uncapped internet, and we think it is a bargain.

The heating stove was giving us a bit more trouble and the examples for sale were not what we wanted. The designs we had thought were attractive had been sold out some time before. So we turned to Plan B and put an advertisement on the local version of Gumtree. We haven’t been inundated with replies but there have been a few and one of them wasn’t even a reply as such – it was a ‘Welcome to the Aveyron’ message, inviting us to join them for coffee at a local restaurant any Sunday morning. Something we intend to do very soon.

When it came to the car, we enlisted our son and his girlfriend to help us. He knows all about cars and she speaks fluent French and is a wonderful negotiator, so they make a good team. Almost immediately they found us a car in a town about 50 kms away. Wonderful, we said on Friday, we will go and see it on Monday. It was sold on Saturday! Then another one popped up, not too far away but the advertiser never responded to emails, so that was also out. Now we are waiting to hear about one that is a three hour drive away, but we can do the trip by train and if nothing comes of it, we can ride the train back again. That is probably scheduled for Wednesday.

In between all these activities we have been hard at work cleaning the spider webs out of the house and the cellar, and dusting and cleaning all the surfaces. The second-hand furniture that we bought from a couple returning to the UK last year, has been spread around the house to where it will ultimately stand and the ‘living room’ looks so much better without a large clumsy pile dumped in the middle of it.

We also found time to have some lunch in a café in Villeneuve our closest town. When we walked in, the place looked crowded, but the owner insisted that he still had a table for us, and so he did. Most of these little café/restaurant places have tables for two – a place on each side. If there are four of you, two tables are pushed together; for six, three tables and so on. Against one wall, a couple were sitting at a table for four (one on each side, of course) so their table was separated and voila! We had a table! As the tables were only about 6 inches apart it wasn’t long before we started talking to each other and we discovered that, although they live in Toulouse, they also have a house in Villeneuve that they have been renovating for the past thirty years. They insisted that we come and see it, so after lunch we trotted across the square to inspect the house. I think the word to describe it is ‘intriguing’. Three floors high, jammed in between two others, it has an entrance hall/dining room and a kitchen with no windows on the ground floor. Two bedrooms and bathroom fill the second floor while a large lounge area completes the top storey. I can’t imagine working on any house for thirty years but this one takes the cake. Charming couple though and they insisted that if we see their car outside the door at any time, we are to come and say hello.

We have also met one of our fellow villagers who came strolling around while we were packing up the car to come home one evening. He is French but his English is very good and he obviously enjoys speaking it. He has lived in the village for most of his life as did his parents and their parents before them. His father was the village blacksmith and he took us to see the old forge which is two houses away from us. The house that it is attached to belongs to his brother, so he has a key to get in and opened the door on to a piece of history. The room has become a dumping ground for a lot of things but the old anvil which dates back to the 1800’s is in the centre of the room. The fire is up against one wall, with a massive bellows attached to the roof and the wall in such a way that the draught is concentrated on the flames. Along the broad windowsill are arranged all the tools of the trade, exactly as they were last used. It is like a museum exhibit.

He told us that our house used to be a grocery shop run by a certain Rosalie, but he couldn’t remember her surname, but that other people had lived there after her for a while, before it became neglected and fell into disrepair.

So there is our house, then Mr Radford (who restored our house) and family who we are to meet at Easter when they come for a holiday; then our new friend’s brother who lives in Clermont-Ferrand and only comes to Ols in the summer as he is a keen cyclist and like to ride in the area. Next house around the square belongs to our new friend and after that is a youngish couple with a small daughter whom we have waved to but not yet spoken to. After that comes a house that is all closed up at present but we have been told that the owners will soon be back from Morocco. Time alone will tell if they are, in fact, Moroccans. Then it is the Mayors office.

The next house stands with its back to the square and we don’t even know at this stage if it is occupied or not. I think there is another one and then our other side neighbours whose house is almost behind ours. They live in Paris and again, only come for holidays

And that is what we have done and learnt in the last ten days.