PerigordVacance

Opening the Red Shutters

We have cut it a bit fine but the shutters are finally painted in the Bordeaux Red and hung up so we can leave the house secure while we are in England.

Mr Bertrand is keeping his eye on the house and our neighbour is feeding the cat.

The front door is finished but I didn't think is was worth trying to fit the frame just in case something went wrong so this will be the first job on the list when we get back.

Looking for property?, consider a scout.

Even if you live in the UK, finding a house in a different area to where you want to move to can be a daunting, if not expensive experience.

Looking for property in another country takes it to a new dimension and the expense can be multiplied if you do not prepare properly

. Before you travel it is worth doing some research into your subject and making a list of priorities.

What became of Crosby Doors?

Crosby Doors, now there's a name from the past. I tried to do a bit of research on Crosby Doors which was situated at the southern tip of Farnham for all those years and also employed so many people around the area.

I remember when I first met Donna, she lived in Upper Hale. I was asked by Donna's uncle, Ray Newman of the Upper Hale Recreation Committee to install some wooden posts around the recreation ground to stop illegal parking opposite the Ball and Wicket pub by the war memorial.

(Sorry I'm rambling) There was a chap who made a living by selling all of the off cuts from the Crosby Doors factory and he always had a large stack of planed wood of all sizes by his garden gate.

Oh how I wish we had something similar here. You can go down to the Brico in Villereal next to the Intermarche and pick up a chariot of wood offcuts for 7 euros but you are limited with choice.

Concorde set to grace the skies once more

There is an interesting story emerging from Paris. It transpires that Air France has kept one of its Concorde fleet in airworthy condition and it is possible that one day soon this majestic bird will once again soar into the skies.

While British Airways have sent their Concorde's to museums the French appear reluctant to let this engineering glory die and are working towards the feasibility to get it back into the air.

It will take millions to do this and apparently the French are seeking investors  who may be able to help.

I hope BA are keeping tabs on developments and indeed bring this Anglo British success back to life.

Dining at Les Routiers

If you have travelled through France often you would have seen signs for Les Routiers attached to may stone buildings and maybe with many lorries parked in massive car parks out side?

I am sure, like us that these maybe are overlooked when you are on holiday and Buffalo Grill or McDonald's are high on the list because the kids are having their say.

Today, Donna and I celebrated 18 years of wedded bliss (did I say that ;-0) and we celebrated this in the little Routier restaurant on the N 21 between Castillones and Bergerac.

Effectively these places are transport Cafe's and the facilities very basic but the food can be as good as any restaurant that you would expect to pay 25 euros or more for a head for in the evening.

French Connections

As I have mentioned earlier we have subscribed to French Connections to help market our property for letting here at Jean Blanc.

If you are thinking of doing the same then let me remind you of one thing we have missed in their terms and conditions and it is very irritating.

If you have a personal website you are more than welcome to link it back to French Connections but there must be no external links or any advertising unless it is French Connections related.

If like ourselves as an example you have spent many many hours keeping your website updated you may find this web juice can be lost if it cannot be bridged over to your letting site.

I am considering setting up a letting site myself. Today that thought came a little closer to home.

The horse with 'No Name'

Needles to say, Donna spent most of today at Helen's stables with Fleur swooning over No Name.

OK she did get to ride him and take him through his paces in the school.

Donna also picked up these photos of No Name at work.

Happy Birthday

It has been a difficult week because I have had to tell a few porky pies! In fact I have to tell a lot of porky pies.

You see on the 27th October Donna will be 40 years young and as most people do, I wanted to mark it with something special.

(left: Donna and No Name meet for the very first time)

Filling a hole

The task of filling in the hole in the barn where the children's bedrooms are going left us with a bit of a quandary.

On casual inspection the hole didn't look that big so it goes through your mind that a delivery of rubble or reject stone will soon do the trick. Of course any of these costs money so alternatives are considered for economic reasons.

Further inspection and setting out the levels using the laser revealed a chasm much larger in volume than the scant inspection threw up and it was now apparent that the little hole was actually a canyon.

Light

We are experiencing a mini heatwave and Indian Summer at the moment. It has been in excess of 25 degrees today and wall to wall sunshine with it.

Tomorrow is set for the same too. I hope it carries on for at least a month because it makes a great difference for working in and not becoming a quagmire.

I have got to share a few photos with you that I took on the way to the golf course Les Mirandes this morning.  The light was stunning and with the dew on the grass everything had a prismatic effect.