Monthly Archives: September 2012

HARRY HEADS SOUTH; with Sally behind and THEM inside…

(If you’re familiar with the style of this journal (blog), may as well skip this post.)

New readers start here! If you haven’t followed us from the start, then some of what follows might seem a bit odd, quirky, eccentric, even.

Speak for yourself!

He was doing.

See? You can’t even introduce a new section of a photo-journal without those two chipping in.

I thought it was ours!

MINE.

Big bully!

The blue one is Harry, the Motorhome:

Dscf9799

and the pink one is Sally, the little red car.

Sally_on_bodmin_moor

They’re both French made, though he’s left hand drive, bought in Germany, while she, bought in England, is RHD. Both fancy themselves as linguists.

Ça alors!

So sagt DER.

And the black print is me, SKT,  If ever Carol chips in, which is rare, we have to find another colour.

Dancing_with_the_captain

Untitled

DAY 1:  23rd September.

(Don’t worry – you’re probably NOT going to get a daily bulletin!) 

 

We lingered in Harry to listen to the ‘Sunday’ programme (Radio 4) on the computer, then emerged to find ‘Sunejo’ living up to its name. With the house facing south, the sun rises to the left of the French windows (which the French call ‘portes fenêtres’) and stays on the terrace all day, moving round the corner of the house just before sunset. Today clouded over during the afternoon, but never mind, we were busy.

 Well, busy before and after a rather late lunch, that is; roast pork cooked in the OVEN – we’ve got a noven! And we found out how to work it, both for the meat and later as a grill for the toast to go with that ongoing, imported, almost-inviolable-since-Billing Sunday evening tradition – the Boyle Degg. (If you visit on a Sunday, that’s what you’ll get; you might get asked ‘Ow d’y want yer regg?’ but that’s just a formality.)

 Anyway, here’s Harry settling in and admiring the view: 

Ptdc0618

 

Schön, ja! 

And for the moment Sally can choose between one of two carports: 

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Or the garage, if we move the ride-on mower:

Ptdc0617

Hmmm. Je ne sais pas, moi. I’ve never had a port or a garage! Je suis assez contente en plein air – I like the open air. 

Good, ‘cos I don’t think the garage will stay uncluttered very long! 

Our problem / dilemma is whether to wake up in the morning to this view: 

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And be tempted out to swim, 

Or this one, and be called to climb the hill:

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Of course, we could use the back bedroom and still swim first thing on hot days if we want.  

We’d love to say we celebrated our arrival by jumping into the pool, but it hasn’t happened yet. The previous owners moved out a few weeks ago and since thunderstorms were expected – and happened – they took the precaution of turning off the pool’s circulation & filtration, which can be damaged in storms. Unfortunately this has turned the water green and we have to add something called Chlor Choc (that’s to do with ‘shock’, not chocolate!). This product is usually in the supermarkets, but the one we went to yesterday has taken it off the shelves for this year because the ‘season’ is over!  

Here be dragons!

Ptdc0622

Carol found this chappie between the window and the shutters of one of the bedrooms when she opened up this morning. He was kind enough to stay put while she took his photo. 

Yesterday was something else! We knew we had a lot of work to do to break camp after two months, but I never thought we’d still be at Puivert after 4pm! At one point Carol was sceptical as to whether it was all going to go in to the two vehicles:

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But it did!

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And, as me father would have said ‘we’ll leave nothing but a good impression’.

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But what an impression!

 

Serious business, folding an awning.

Ptdc0606

 

One last bit of leftover bread to feed to the fish

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And at 4.40 pm we drove off the site – having paid our bill, of course, and that made a hole in the bank balance! 

We came ‘home’ unloaded the car then went and did a BIG shop in Mirepoix. Supper was unspecial and unphotographed, and the night was quiet till the barking of many dogs woke us up; we assume a group of hunting enthusiasts was gathering nearby. Probably no more than a weekly occurrence, if that. Return to the top …. 

PUIVERT – THE LAST DAYS

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Yes, the title IS an echo of a similar one at the end of May. I’ve just re-read that, and the next one; leaving the clip-board in Garth View’s kitchen turned out to be the least of our worries, and as for the catch on the fridge door – une bagatellle – it’s a twice a week occurrence. Just snap it off, put back on again and carry on.

 

But there are similarities with May’s departure; the sale of Garth View was completed on the 21st. Today, 21st September, we expect to sign the acte de vente and so become owners of our new home. So we’ve been homeless, or houseless (sorry, Harry!),  for exactly 4 months. 

 

Hausloß, ja, besser! 

We came to Puivert saying it might be for two months. It’s been two months, two weeks and two days – we don’t plan to leave till tomorrow. Today is too busy. 

Curiously, yesterday evening was the first time we’ve seen anything like a sunset. Someone told us we’d get sunsets in October. Maybe we’ll get another tonight. 

Dscf0077

There’s a gliding club just a couple of fields away, and we often see the towing plane taking off with the glider still attached. It’s taken a long time to get a photo, but here’s one. Minutes later the towplane comes back on its own and very soon repeats the process. 

Ptdc0588

While we’ve been here the CADAC barbecue has been much in use, all its accessories having been tried out. Just in case last Sunday did turn out to be our last Sunday Lunch here, we made it a big one: a lamb shank each with the vegetables cooked all round, and plenty of red wine – some even found its way into the sauce – then took a photograph when it came to the dessert.

Ptdc0575

 

Today has been a mixture of relief, celebration and anti-climax. We met the agents and the vendor at the house to check on things before going to the notaire. Another long, detailed explanation of all the papers, each sheet to be initialled and / or signed. Then the handing over of the keys and WE HAVE A HOUSE! Caroline, the former owner, (wife of Stephane, curiously) couldn’t stay for the customary drink, having to get back to Perpignan for family reasons, so we had a glass with Natalie and Marie, the agents who have looked after us vey well, but they wouldn’t come back and share the bottle of Blanquette from Harry’s fridge as they had other commitments. So we went to the house again just to look around on our own and now we’re back for the last evening at Puivert. They’re not doing meals here tonight and Natalie told us that Mike and Vincent, where we might have gone to eat, have closed for a two week holiday. We’ve no ongoing contact with anyone on site, nor immediate neighbours, so the Blanquette will stay unopened. 

But hey – no  matter; we have a house! And next Friday it will be furnished!   

Ptdc0594

MORE SNIPPETS

…. “And we’re eating outside again”. On good days (for weather) that includes staying out till well after dark: 

 

Ptdc0573

But the weather has become much less predictable, with grey, sometimes showery, days mixed in among the fine ones, which are still very warm and a dip in the lake remains an almost daily activity. 

 

…. “Lizards are common round here”; This is the best attempt so far to photograph one: 

Ptdc0571

I’m sure there’ll be a better photo once we move to the house …..

 

 

FROM LAKELAND TO LANGUEDOC. (Could be a book title; ‘Lakeland to Languedoc; A Year To Move House’. Hmmm …. Hasn’t someone done something like that already?)  Many years ago, when I first went camping in the Lake District with a little girl in a little tent, I was sat outside the tent one morning (couldn’t sit IN it!) planning the day, and I said to little girl “Could you bring me ‘The Southern Fells’, please?’ (Maybe not all readers will know that that is the title of one of A W Wainwright’s guide books). Instead of popping into the tent to get the book, little girl trotted off to the other side of the campsite. I thought ‘must have said something wrong!’ and got the book myself. Some minutes later, little girl comes back carrying (for her) quite a big stone. ‘I couldn’t bring you the whole of the Southern Fells, so I just brought you a bit of them – hope that’s all right.’ …. We kept that stone and put it in the car at the end of the holiday. It stayed with me through time at Billing, Plumpton and Garth View; now here it is at Puivert, between my flowering (sort of) shrub and my herb trough: 

Ptdc0578

 

An irony is that ‘The Southern Fells’ is the book that has gone missing from the set of Wainrights. A replacement won’t be the same as all the amendments, notes and dates of the walks and climbs are irreplaceable.

 

There’s also a log (piece of wood, not a diary!) that served as a mug stand in the hearth at Billing – nearly got burned once when a guest offered to pop it on the fire – which also made it to Plumpton and Bolton. That’s here, too. 

 

Company around us keeps changing, but most of the time we are the only occupants of our ‘square’. (the campsite is arranged in enclosures like this, mostly containing four or more very generously sized pitches):

 

Ptdc0460

When there are no immediate neighbours a good place to socialise is in the all-purpose, unisex, wash-up, laundry and toilet / shower block. Our current friends are from Germany, he German, she Austrian, and when not sitting in our awning on drizzly days: 

Dscf0073

 

…. We play light-hearted games of boules, ignoring most of the rules and speaking a Durcheinander 

Quoi?

 Un méli-mélo 

Wie?

He means un mélange. 

Oh – ein Durcheinander, ja ! 

… and speaking a mish-mash of English, French and German. 

Hey, Harry – c’est quoi un ‘mish-mash’? 

Das weiß ich nicht ….

 Doh! Carol has never played boules (pétanque) before, but two of these winning bowls are hers!: 

Ptdc0586

 Life goes on …….

 

 

 

 

 

BAD DAYS, BIG MOUNTAINS AND BUTTERFLIES

 

Don’t panic! ‘Bad Days’ refers to the weather and computer problems, nothing worse … 

 

The month end brought big changes. First, we had three nights of thunderstorms, and a fourth of heavy rain. Also one day of almost continuous rain. Whether it was that day or another we can’t remember, but around the month end we had all three meals in the van for the first time since crossing the Channel, we think. Temperature plummeted and we began to wear long trousers and cardigans! We even used a heater in the van one morning when the temperature was only about 18°. Well, you have to be comfortable …. 

Pair of big softies! 

Tais-toi, petite! 

Die  hat aber recht. She’s right, though. 

OK! OK! Leave it …. The month end also brought the departure of our neighbour for the last three weeks or so – REMY!  (And a journal of our stay here wouldn’t be complete without reference to him.) He burst into our lives one morning when a mate brought his caravan round from another pitch. Then he fetched his car and parked it on OUR pitch, and said (in French) ‘Is that OK?’ ‘Otherwise I’ll put it over there, but it’ll block your view of the lake’. I said ‘there’s room’ – we were having breakfast – and that was that. The car was there for 3 weeks. Rémy has been a long-term resident here since the eighties, spending the month of August on pitch 11. When we came (July 12th) we were on pitch 13, but they changed the numbers and we became no. 10. So R. had to move to the next pitch. (Would he have been so keen to keep no. 11 if it hadn’t been lakeside? ….) 

Anyway, at times he was very friendly, inviting us to share drinks, or coming to our table with a bottle in hand and insisting that we share it. We invited him to eat with a us a couple of times but he always refused. He has a naturally loud voice, which he continues to exercise even when phoning …. He also has made friends with other regulars over the years and calls to them from pitch to pitch regardless of who might be in between. But the greatest irritant was his RADIO, which he switched on in the morning and left on all day, whether he was on site or not …. We did speak to him about this, but he was unmoveable – he’d been a policeman for five years and was convinced the radio deterred intruders.  

Much more could be said about this larger than life character, but Carol doesn’t think it’s appropriate, and is concerned that this journal isn’t as private as it’s supposed to be …. Anyway, he left in the early hours of a soggy Sunday morning, leaving a note on Sally’s windscreen that would bring tears to your eyes if it weren’t already damp enough with the drizzle ….

 

However … Summer is returning! It’s been forecast all along, and finally it’s breaking through. There seems to be a battle of the seasons going on; summer, desperate to return, is fighting off autumn, who, having arrived, is reluctant to let go!

 

So one day when it wasn’t raining, but not too hot, we drove up to Andorra –

 

Laissez-moi! Let me! Me do! C’était magnifique! Très difficile, mais magnifique! I took THEM up to Ax Les Thermes, where we’ve been before, very twisty-turny, voyons, then on to Andorra in the High Pyrenees. 

Ptdc0510

 It took THEM a long time to find a place to stop to picnic, so I was quite glad when they found this spot: 

Dscf0028

So were we! 

Dscf0037

And then after that I had another rest while THEY went shopping. 

Whisky £10 for 1.5ltrs! – No tax. 

And HE filled up my tank with petrol for 2 or 3 cents less than in France (per litre). 

On the way back THEY got excited because THEY thought THEY saw a pair of eagles riding the thermals – 

We did!

Well, you don’t  have a photograph, so who knows? 

Be reasonable! 

Raisonnable? But of course…. We stopped at the highest point – where there were no ealgles – and SHE took photographs of the mountains with ski runs on them.

Ptdc0516

Then just before we came back into France we stopped again – 

Ptdc0518

And found this excellent hotel-restaurant where they serve a help-yourself-as-much-as-you-want buffet dinner. Special offers included champagne (small glass) with dessert and a bottle of Pastis. (We don’t drink that – we might have given it to Rémy. but he’d gone before we got up next morning!). Total bill: £24 (3 courses, kir and wine). Think we might go back there! I nearly bought a computer, too.

Au restaurant? 

No!! earlier, at the superstore. Yes, this ‘puter has been playing up big time, a bit like Harry on the M25 – 

I heard that.

Well,… you did!

 

And I haven’t really been able to use it for about 5 days. I’m told my profile was corrupted –  

It’s the new hair cut! 

What? Who said that? Just call me Samson! That hasn’t even been mentioned yet. The computer was fixed this morning (Wed.) by Rachel’s  friend, Peter. 

Two other vsits to record: we ‘did’ Chalabre Castle on the last day of public opening. It’s more of a big house than a fortress 

Ptdc0481

 

And it’s seen better days, but a dedicated team of enthusiasts put on displays and run workshops. After the rain of recent days the display of armed combat on horseback couldn’t take place – risk of slipping and injury to the horses – but a good show of hand-to-hand swordplay took place indoors. 

Ptdc0478

After the castle we explored Chalabre’s little lake and tennis club. 

Ptdc0486

Yes, one of us has had a haircut. 

Ptdc0490

One of us hasn’t. 

Then today we visited the nearby butterfly house. Not much to say, really: just put up a few piccies: 

Dscf0061

Others were very envious when Carol took this one! Whenever it posed it closed it’s wings and was just brown. Brilliant.

Dscf0039

THAT is an invasion of privacy! ….. Shouldn’t be allowed…. 

Dscf0047

Ptdc0528

That one’s a moth – just emerged. When I can get it to work I’ll put an album on SkyDrive of these. And by the way, those who were with us last year and and have been having sleepless nights ever since wondering what the butterflies on Oleron were – they were ‘Soucis’. Sleep well …. 

This morning (Wed.) they took the canoes and pedaloes off the lake, and also the chains of floats that mark the safe swimming area. They’ve also taken away the lifeguard’s chair: 

Dscf0020

Carol actually encouraged me to do that! 

The campsite has been bleak and almost deserted, but this afternoon as the temperature rose and the sun really did try to shine again, the beautiful people began to reappear ( and some of them really are!). More pitches are occupied tonight on the site than for some time, though mostly by one-nighters. We have our ‘square’ to ourselves! And we’re eating outdoors again.    

Dscf0003

 BREAKFAST TIME! 

 

BAD DAYS, BIG MOUNTAINS AND BUTTERFLIES

 

Don’t panic! ‘Bad Days’ refers to the weather and computer problems, nothing worse … 

 

The month end brought big changes. First, we had three nights of thunderstorms, and a fourth of heavy rain. Also one day of almost continuous rain. Whether it was that day or another we can’t remember, but around the month end we had all three meals in the van for the first time since crossing the Channel, we think. Temperature plummeted and we began to wear long trousers and cardigans! We even used a heater in the van one morning when the temperature was only about 18°. Well, you have to be comfortable …. 

Pair of big softies! 

Tais-toi, petite! 

Die  hat aber recht. She’s right, though. 

OK! OK! Leave it …. The month end also brought the departure of our neighbour for the last three weeks or so – REMY!  (And a journal of our stay here wouldn’t be complete without reference to him.) He burst into our lives one morning when a mate brought his caravan round from another pitch. Then he fetched his car and parked it on OUR pitch, and said (in French) ‘Is that OK?’ ‘Otherwise I’ll put it over there, but it’ll block your view of the lake’. I said ‘there’s room’ – we were having breakfast – and that was that. The car was there for 3 weeks. Rémy has been a long-term resident here since the eighties, spending the month of August on pitch 11. When we came (July 12th) we were on pitch 13, but they changed the numbers and we became no. 10. So R. had to move to the next pitch. (Would he have been so keen to keep no. 11 if it hadn’t been lakeside? ….) 

Anyway, at times he was very friendly, inviting us to share drinks, or coming to our table with a bottle in hand and insisting that we share it. We invited him to eat with a us a couple of times but he always refused. He has a naturally loud voice, which he continues to exercise even when phoning …. He also has made friends with other regulars over the years and calls to them from pitch to pitch regardless of who might be in between. But the greatest irritant was his RADIO, which he switched on in the morning and left on all day, whether he was on site or not …. We did speak to him about this, but he was unmoveable – he’d been a policeman for five years and was convinced the radio deterred intruders.  

Much more could be said about this larger than life character, but Carol doesn’t think it’s appropriate, and is concerned that this journal isn’t as private as it’s supposed to be …. Anyway, he left in the early hours of a soggy Sunday morning, leaving a note on Sally’s windscreen that would bring tears to your eyes if it weren’t already damp enough with the drizzle ….

 

However … Summer is returning! It’s been forecast all along, and finally it’s breaking through. There seems to be a battle of the seasons going on; summer, desperate to return, is fighting off autumn, who, having arrived, is reluctant to let go!

 

So one day when it wasn’t raining, but not too hot, we drove up to Andorra –

 

Laissez-moi! Let me! Me do! C’était magnifique! Très difficile, mais magnifique! I took THEM up to Ax Les Thermes, where we’ve been before, very twisty-turny, voyons, then on to Andorra in the High Pyrenees. 

Ptdc0510

 It took THEM a long time to find a place to stop to picnic, so I was quite glad when they found this spot: 

Dscf0028

So were we! 

Dscf0037

And then after that I had another rest while THEY went shopping. 

Whisky £10 for 1.5ltrs! – No tax. 

And HE filled up my tank with petrol for 2 or 3 cents less than in France (per litre). 

On the way back THEY got excited because THEY thought THEY saw a pair of eagles riding the thermals – 

We did!

Well, you don’t  have a photograph, so who knows? 

Be reasonable! 

Raisonnable? But of course…. We stopped at the highest point – where there were no ealgles – and SHE took photographs of the mountains with ski runs on them.

Ptdc0516

Then just before we came back into France we stopped again – 

Ptdc0518

And found this excellent hotel-restaurant where they serve a help-yourself-as-much-as-you-want buffet dinner. Special offers included champagne (small glass) with dessert and a bottle of Pastis. (We don’t drink that – we might have given it to Rémy. but he’d gone before we got up next morning!). Total bill: £24 (3 courses, kir and wine). Think we might go back there! I nearly bought a computer, too.

Au restaurant? 

No!! earlier, at the superstore. Yes, this ‘puter has been playing up big time, a bit like Harry on the M25 – 

I heard that.

Well,… you did!

 

And I haven’t really been able to use it for about 5 days. I’m told my profile was corrupted –  

It’s the new hair cut! 

What? Who said that? Just call me Samson! That hasn’t even been mentioned yet. The computer was fixed this morning (Wed.) by Rachel’s  friend, Peter. 

Two other vsits to record: we ‘did’ Chalabre Castle on the last day of public opening. It’s more of a big house than a fortress 

Ptdc0481

 

And it’s seen better days, but a dedicated team of enthusiasts put on displays and run workshops. After the rain of recent days the display of armed combat on horseback couldn’t take place – risk of slipping and injury to the horses – but a good show of hand-to-hand swordplay took place indoors. 

Ptdc0478

After the castle we explored Chalabre’s little lake and tennis club. 

Ptdc0486

Yes, one of us has had a haircut. 

Ptdc0490

One of us hasn’t. 

Then today we visited the nearby butterfly house. Not much to say, really: just put up a few piccies: 

Dscf0061

Others were very envious when Carol took this one! Whenever it posed it closed it’s wings and was just brown. Brilliant.

Dscf0039

THAT is an invasion of privacy! ….. Shouldn’t be allowed…. 

Dscf0047

Ptdc0528

That one’s a moth – just emerged. When I can get it to work I’ll put an album on SkyDrive of these. And by the way, those who were with us last year and and have been having sleepless nights ever since wondering what the butterflies on Oleron were – they were ‘Soucis’. Sleep well …. 

This morning (Wed.) they took the canoes and pedaloes off the lake, and also the chains of floats that mark the safe swimming area. They’ve also taken away the lifeguard’s chair: 

Dscf0020

Carol actually encouraged me to do that! 

The campsite has been bleak and almost deserted, but this afternoon as the temperature rose and the sun really did try to shine again, the beautiful people began to reappear ( and some of them really are!). More pitches are occupied tonight on the site than for some time, though mostly by one-nighters. We have our ‘square’ to ourselves! And we’re eating outdoors again.    

Dscf0003

 BREAKFAST TIME!