A very
quiet week with not much activity but an awful lot of paperwork that had to be
completed. Some of the forms required information from home which had first, to
be requested by email and then we had to be around to receive the replies in case
they were not adequate. It was, in fact, a highly boring time. It was all
necessary however, so we had to get through it. Then when it was all done and
the answers all in, we had to go off to Rodez with some of the documents. So we
made a day of it; going first to Rodez, about fifty kilometres to the east of us; then taking a scenic route via
Decazeville to Figeac in the north; finally returning down the main drag back
to Villeneuve and then home.
Decazeville
is a town with a varied history. It was founded on a lucrative mining basis, silver
coal, iron and tin having been found in large quantities. A typical mining town
grew up around the various mines and in the 1830’s could boast a population of
a few thousand. Today, however with the decline of the mining industry and
having lost out to its neighbor, Aubin, in claiming a railway link, the town is
relatively quiet. We have heard that the mining museum in the town is quite
interesting, but somehow we never seem to stop there for long enough.
We reached
Figeac at about lunch-time which was the plan, and stopped for a light lunch in
one of the many eating places around the square. We ordered what we thought
would be a small snack and were horrified at what arrived – an enormous
plateful of food with a massive helping of chips on the side. Needless to say
we all managed to eat it – apart from all the chips – and it was quite delicious.
We had asked for a leg of duck with salad, but also got a piece of foie gras on
a slice of bread and a slice of goat cheese……. and chips!
The drive
home again was spectacular. The trees have now all ‘greened up’ and it is
wonderful to see all the various shades of green . The pastures are also a rich
lush green while those fields which were bright with yellow daisies last week
are now covered in a haze of shimmering grey-white as the dandelion heads take
over. Along the way we came across a property with two newly built cazelles,
the stone houses that were so typical of this area many years ago. Normally
they have fairly flat domed roofs, but these two have much higher cone shaped
roofs and look very attractive. We think they may be the start of guest accommodation
for a holiday retreat.
A couple of
weeks ago I began to knit again, having not done any handwork since we arrived
here. I am going to knit a series of eight-inch dolls and see if a friend of
ours will put them on her stand for the Christmas fair in Cajarc. I have quite
a way to go though as there are about twenty dolls in the collection and I have
only completed one so far. Courtney was obviously impressed with my efforts and
asked me to teach her how to knit – again. I tried to teach her some years ago
but once she went home again, knitting rather fell by the wayside. She is also
making a doll but off a different pattern and is getting on really well. I am
both proud and impressed with her efforts.
We will send pictures when we have something show for all the hard work..
Our English
neighbours have arrived for one of their annual two week breaks, with their
children. They have a new car which is a hybrid of some sort. All I know about
it is that it is really spooky when it comes and goes because it moves so
silently. One minute there is no car in their driveway and suddenly it’s there,
like a ghost car. It doesn’t even seem to crunch the gravel in the roadway
which makes it all the more silent. Oo-er!!
The neighbours on the other side, the French
ones, have just bought themselves a rather ramshackle ‘deux-chevaux’, a small Citroen
that in its original state had a two horse power engine. They have progressed a
long way since then and are now very sought after. Laurent is not very mechanically minded but he
has persuaded Neels to help him restore it. It isn’t a huge job, because the
car actually runs and Neels has driven it ‘around the block’ to see what needs
doing. I think they are going to have a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing
the finished product.
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