This is the third violent storm in the past 4 days. Yesterday was a respite day, and we enjoyed the calm before the...storm!
I somehow made the mistake of not closing one of the upstairs windows properly, and there was a river running inside the room on the wooden floors. Oh joy!
This being a North east/south west storm, meaning it is blowing from the north east, all the windows on the northern side of the house are under siege. These windows are original to the house, which I think I said before, is about 80 yrs old. New in the scheme of things, and we laugh when French people see the house and exclaim that it is a 'New' home! lol. Relly!
We were in Barbezieux when we heard the first thunder. We had originally just gone down to the bar in Lignieres for a Grand Crème and a catch up with Celine, and to ask if she knew anyone in the neighborhood who might like to cut our 3 hedges....and posted a couple of letters at the same time....and as she wasn't able to help us, we made a split decision to go to Barbezieux to look at some trailers we had seen one other time. This is all with a view to cutting our own hedges and disposing of the debris ourselves. No fires allowed, anymore.
We got to BZ...well, we didnt actually....we were looking for what we remembered as a Paysagiste (pay sar zheest), on the way to Archiac (Are shee ack) some 9kms away. We got there in a roundabout fashion as we turned prematurely down a road we thought would take us there, but didnt immediately, and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery on the way, with sunflowers just starting to bloom, rolls of hay outstanding in their fields, short stalks of wheat where the tops have been harvested, numerous tractor units on the road moving between vineyards, cutting the wayward tendrils, top sides and bottoms et al. Phew...long sentence!:)
Well, we arrived at the place we thought we might find Hedge Help, but alas, it was the wrong kind of help. Hmmmm….where to next? Back to BZ (Barbezieux) via a route we hadn't take before. There can be only so many ways to get into a town, right? Well, I think we have done all of them getting into BZ, now.
Found the trailer place. They sell all manner of garden, yard, tractors/trailers, and VOILA! THERE!!! that one. Outside the main doors was a double axle trailer with a cage around the top. Exactly what we are looking for...or are we? Inside, we ask the desk attendant how much for the trailer with the cage. I should have known that all the parts cost something else.
Trailer is 1.328,00 euros... mille, trois cent vingt huit euros! I got that. If you want the cage, it is another 400 euros! We asked for a print out. The print out had added 300 euros in tax! merde! So, now we have a trailer with cage costing us almost as much as a van with 168,000 kms on the clock that we would use to put same debris in the back, AND use as a multi-purpose vehicle besides. Made us walk away from that 2k euro trailer. Phew!
Next up is the car yard...well, the van yard. Some of the vans had seen better days...well, most of them had, to be honest. We are looking at a Citroen Jumpy. Not too big to fit under the height barrier at the supermarket!! important point that:)
Anyway...back to the thunder...We first heard it while in the Intermarche supermarket where we had gone for lunch supplies. This included a baguette cereal.......oh, and they had some desserts, just by the by.
Passion mousse on the left, and something or other on the right...he wasnt too impressed with the something or other, but I was in heaven with my passion thing!
By the time we exited the supermarket, there were drops of rain on the windshield. Mostly, BZ gets it before we do, but all the way home we hoped the rain wasnt coming in the house through all those windows we had left open! Merde.
Exit the car, dash into the house with our bits and pieces...we had stopped for some fruit at the Bio marche first....and then the rain started in earnest.
Meanwhile, I had returned the black bucket from our neighbor with a box of muffins I made this morning for just that purpose, thanking them for their generosity, giving us all that lettuce! This was about 10am. As the rain started, we raced down the road and retrieved the bucket et all, surprised that said neighbors wife wasnt home. It was after 1pm, and someone is usually home about then.
Neighbor arrived home not ten minutes later, and now the rain was really coming down. Armed with an umbrella, I hopped in the car and drove the whole 100 metres down the road to deliver. Frank was sitting in his car when I stopped. I had the brolly up, and it was now pelting down. I delivered the goods, and retreated, hoping he understood my thanks, and to "look in the box", mate, as I shook out the brolly and got back in the car.
Got a bit wet getting from the car to the front door, shook out the brolly, and left it open on the front terrace. FOOL! It was raining hard when I took this photo...umbrella communing with hedge that needs cutting. Good thing is wasnt cut, or the neighbors down the road might have inherited one nice golf umbrella!!
The owner of the trailer shop spoke reasonable English and called someone he knew who cuts hedges. We cant afford a huge amount to get someone professional, as they say, vs an odd jobber, if you know what I mean, hence the trailer or Van quest. If we do it bit by bit, we can accomplish this together. Not high on the priority list, but it needs doing. The hedge will just continue to grow! And we will need to cut it in half, no matter what height it gets to in the meantime.
So, racing around the house now, towels in hand ready to mop up any more streams running inside.
Corners were full of water where the rain had entered at the corners of the old windows, and oozed through some of the glass corners. The glass ALL needs re-puttying.
Dining room...puddle in the bottom left corner was a small lake.
The wallpaper under the window is like this for a good reason...rivers!
It is dark inside the house with all the shutters closed, but better that than rivers running down the walls. The laundry has just finished, so I will go and hang the towels up. They should dry well, as it's warm inside. Waz put his sweatshirt on to put the trash out, just now, that's the northerly storm temperature change.
Well, dinner time, and its a light one tonight, after our sweet treats for lunch.
Au Revoir.
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