We had 3 lovely pine trees in our garden which are typical of the French countryside but over the years we have been here have grown rather tall. With the wet winter and the tempêt 2 weeks ago, they have become unsafe so reluctantly we decided that they must be cut before they fall down and cause damage to the pool or its surrounds.
Many thanks to Jean-Yves Macron from Alairac for his professional work.
The garden is looking a little bare at the moment but once we have got the ground prepared, I think we will plant some cherry trees that will give us hopefully, blossom in the spring and fruit to eat later.
We have finally repaired all the damage after the tempêt that hit us on 24th January. Maurice Bes, a local builder arrived with his team last Friday afternoon to repair the roof, which was the most important work. The boys arrived bang on 2:00 pm and worked hard all afternoon. Fortunately, apart from a load of broken tiles, only a small strut of wood had been broken in the attic. It could have been an awful lot worse.
As they didn’t have time to finish the chimney, they said they would be back Monday morning at 8:00am. Although we are not used to early starts like this, it was worth the effort to get the job completed. Unfortunately, it was wet and windy and so the builders didn’t turn up (I don’t blame them). As the weather cleared up in the afternoon Fabrice arrived at 2:00pm to repair the chimney.
As the job wasn’t completed we put the alarm on for another early rise on Tuesday morning. The morning was still a bit grey and drizzly and certainly not good weather for repairing chimneys, so no sign of Maurice or Fabrice. Fortunately, we had a phone call from Dave who was going to put up our satellite dish for us. I had really missed the TV, especially last week during the Australian Open Tennis when I had to listen to Australian Radio for the commentary of the Men’s Semis and Final. (It is amazing how cheaply you can buy prawns to throw on a BBQ.) By lunch time we had TV and radio. Two o’clock, on the dot, Fabrice arrived to finish the chimney and fix the aerial for French TV.
Thanks to everyone who have helped us. It is amazing how communities pull together during time of crisis.
These made me smile. Thanks you Viv for sending them.
*Caution... They Walk Among Us!*
*One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when someone
shouted....'Look at that dead bird!' Someone looked up at the sky and
said...'where???'*
**They Walk among us!!*
***
While looking at a house, my brother asked the estate agent which direction
was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every
morning. She asked, 'Does the sun rise in the north?' When my brother
explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime, she shook
her head and said, 'Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff.' *
**They Walk Among Us!!*
****
My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard
one of the administrative assistants talking about the sunburn she got on
her weekend drive to the beach. She drove down in a convertible, but 'didn't
think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving'.*
**They Walk Among Us!!!!*
***
I told the girl at the steakhouse register that I wanted the half pound sirloin.
She informed me they only had an 8 oz sirloin. Not wanting to
make a scene, I told her I would take the 8 oz steak instead of the
half pound.*
**They walk among us! *
****
My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car it's designed to cut through a
seat belt if she gets trapped She keeps it in the trunk...*
**They Walk Among Us!!!!!*
***
My friends and I were on a Beer run and noticed that the cases were
discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier
multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount.... *
**They Walk Among Us!!!!!!*
***
I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring
attached to an earring by a chain. My friend said, 'Wouldn't the chain rip
out every time she turned her head?' I had to explain that a person's nose
and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which way the head is
turned...*
**They Walk Among Us!!!!!!! *
***
I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area. So I went to the
lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up.
She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional
and I was in good hands. 'Now,' she asked me, 'Has your plane arrived
yet?'...*
**They Walk Among Us!!!!!!!!*
***
While working at a pizza parlor I observed a man ordering a small pizza to
go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut
into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time before responding.
'Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6
pieces.*
**Yep, They Walk Among Us, too.!!!!!!!!*
*Sadly, not only do they walk among us, they also reproduce ! ! ! ! *
After much deliberation, Richard and I decided to sell our house in Pitstone, near Aylesbury and in 2006 moved to France. The children had grown up and living independently so now it was time to have our adventure. We now live near Carcassonne in the Malepère region.
