Anyway, this was just after our car MOOOO'd at us! Yes, the GPS Moo'd. We think it was mooing because of an upcoming hazard. It was pretty funny, actually. We hadn't herd (ha!) it before, so it appeared to come out of nowhere!
So...I was destined NOT to get my haircut...just yet.
We weren't successful in getting the cut yesterday because well...as I said...MONDAY!!!
So, today I was up at Sparrows (fart), in the shower, dressed and sitting down to muesli with Apricot compote and yoghurt (LOVE that Bonne Maman Apricot Compote!!) by 8am. We had to be on the road to Verteillac by 9.45am for my 10am appointment with Alex.
Waz made his way to the Post Office to post two letters while I went down hill to the Coiffeuse. Open the door, Madame and her daughter were there, but alas...No Alex! Merde! not again?? Oui! Alex, he have what you call a...how you say it?? Abscess? Oui! Abscess! Pauvre petit! (poor little one!). He was at that moment at the Dentist getting his abscess taken care of! Aieee! So, make a new appointment for Thursday at 10am. I swear that if this appointment is a no-go, then I will have to just wait until I can raise my hands over my head to cut my own.
So, a Grand Crème was in order before we set forth to claim the keys to our new home. The previous owner has been kind enough to allow us access to the house. Thus fortified (for a second day in a row) we took the main road route around the Angouleme Ring Road to Jarnac to get the keys. There are other ways to get there, but this was the least windy way.
We came into Jarnac, picked up the keys and made our way to our home on this bitterly cold, windy day. The sun was out!! Small consolation when it is 2-3C outside without factoring in the wind chill.
We parked on the side of the road opposite, and waited in the freaking cold while Waz tried all the keys to open the front door! How many keys do we have?? Too many!! At least when its freezing and you just want to get out of the cold and wind.
We had put brought our lunch with us and a few other things to leave in the house.
The object of today's foray into the dark and cold house, was to take stock of everything. Phew! So much stuff.
It is a bit weird walking into a furnished house that now belongs to us...weird in that it feels a bit like another House Sit. The houses we sit are people's homes, furnished, things in the fridge (we dont have that benefit, but...) and we just walk in and 'live' in the home. The only thing we have to do immediately, is CLEAN. Well *I* do! Waz had to disappear down the rabbit hole that is the back stairs to the basement, where he got lost for a couple of hours.
We had to have some lunch first...well, maybe second. Discovery is all too enticing, for a bloke in his workshop. We had packed a cup of soup each, half a Baguette Cereal, some butter (Breton butter only in this house!) and some tea bags. I had to clean the kettle first, but no biggy. No hot water, so I boiled it twice, filling a bowl in the sink with the first kettle-full, adding some soap bubbles and cleaning while the second fill boiled for our lunch.
We had not yet shed our outer layers, so cold was it in the house. I found out part of why it was cold, when I went to see why the curtains in the living room were waving about a bit. Hmm....Some sealing of these single pane windows will be in order! Too much cold air coming in through the cracks.
I did eventually take my jacket off, but after shedding my scarf, decided that wasn't such a good idea after all, so the rest of the time at the house, I was rugged up...at least around my neck! Sweater was still on, and I had to keep moving or I would turn into an ice-block. Thank goodness for hot soapy water! Although I now have dish hands!
It was with great pleasure that Waz opened the shutters on the kitchen window. The sun poured in and made such a huge difference to the temperature in the kitchen...of course! How I will enjoy that light coming in this window. It just made everything seem more welcoming.
All surfaces were cleaned in the kitchen...well, not quite all...I forgot to clean the outside of the exhaust fan over the cooker.
We ate our lunch in the dining room on the oval table...kind of like Glamping! lol. and then Waz re-disappeared down the rabbit hole stairs to below, where he continued to make interesting discoveries and clean up his new workshop, somewhat.
I was called down those stairs after our mid-afternoon cuppa tea, and with jacket now back on, I descended to see what all the fuss was about. I have a feeling I shouldn't go down there. Way too much of interest, and one could easily get lost in the labarynth. Waz made some surprising discoveries and had to show me. I dont think I'm impressed, just overwhelmed, to be honest. LOTS of cleaning out/up/off etc and that will all get done, but it might take months...MONTHS!
Do we have months? We may. Once our 'stuff' is on the high seas, we will have time to clean out/up/off and sell, throw out etc before we put our own things in the house.
This home has been furnished from Vide Grenier/Brocante finds I think.
I want to wash everything and hang it out in the sun to dry. No drying in anything today....Everything I wiped/washed, stayed damp. I had to prop open the cupboard doors so that there is some airflow/drying in our absence. Who am I kidding?? It will be just as cold after we leave, so how is it going to dry, dahling??
We finished up there rather reluctantly, and hit the road, after tidying up. I sat in the drivers seat this time. WOW! 3 weeks and two days after my fall, Im in the drivers seat! Woot!
I just wanted to try driving again. I havent been able to get that 2nd gear downshift right because it takes strength to do that, and I didnt have that until today.
I told Waz I would stop and let him drive if I thought I couldn't. I drove all the way home, but I was ready to stop, by the time I parked outside the house sit.
On the way home we had to go to the SuperU at Chateauneuf sur Charente. We havent been there before, but because it is close to our new home, we might just go here more often. It is a typical SuperU, but they have more white wear, Waz said. We still need a clothes dryer, so of course we notice these things. We dont really want to buy one yet, but if the price is right (sales!) we will make the purchase. I really want to dry our clothes naturally, so we will be rigging up a clothes line in the garden. It will be part of our less complex life...we hope!
Oh dear...I have digressed again....
We bought the required food items, some things for the new house and toddled on home the other way, through Villebois Lavalette. We arrived home around 6.30pm.
Im going back a moment...
As luck would have it, we welcomed the Insurance inspector. He told us that we didnt have 8 rooms over 15m2 as documented, but 7. This is good for our Taxe d'Habitation, having less rooms. We hope so, anyway.
Now that he has visited the premises, the Assurance Agent can get our home owners policy up and running. Yay! Another thing done. Antoine was gracious enough to speak French slowly for me. He didnt speak any English, but he was very easy to understand - French that is - and I understood what he was saying, and could advise and guide him to see things he had to see and add to the policy.
We opened the shuttered doors to the back deck. The proper name for it escapes me right now, but I am told it has to have walls around the outside to be called this 'thing'. Otherwise, it is a Veranda!
It was cold outside, but it is always wonderful to open the shutters and let the light in. Somewhere the flies are coming in, and there are plenty of dead bodies on the floor. I did ascertain that one of the vacuum cleaners works, and well!
We enjoyed the glorious view, today, and went inside where it was actually warmer than out.
Home again, we made a large chicken/green salad and had dessert with a cappuccino. Yum!
Well, it IS Easter!
It boggles the mind that they would leave you a dirty house. I can't tell you how many apartments I have practically sanitized upon departure. It must be a cultural thing.
ReplyDeleteThe owner is English. I made this very comment to Waz on the way home today. If it was me, I couldn't for the life of me leave a house dirty for the next person.
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