If you read the previous blog, last Sunday, you will know about the peeling ceiling (ha!)
As with all bumps in the nicely sealed road, this too has a beginning, middle and end....today, Thursday, I finished painting the ceiling in the 2nd half of the living room. It only took a week.
I am exhausted!
We got notice from our shipping agent to say that our NZ container would be here Monday and Tuesday. We wondered why two days, and didnt think more about it until it slowly (emphasis) dawned on us that the two days were needed because we had signed for their people to not just unload the container, but open everything (EVERYTHING!!!!) onto a 'flat surface' and 'remove the packaging materials'. MERDE! We dont want them to do that, and there is literally nowhere for them to unpack anything. Besides, we want to undo things at our leisure, thank you.
Update on this situation: When I wrote this last night (Thursday) I had written to our shippers asking if we paid for the unpacking service for two days? Their reply had us scoffing. "It is a complimentary service. We dont unpack client packed boxes however" ….. BULLSHITE! Complimentary?? So the company is PAYING two unpackers, a truck driver AND hiring of the truck to deliver our good in the container....and they didnt charge us a cent for this? (Making chicken clucking noises here...its a load of chicken shite...oh, and bull shite! Moo!). The company upped our initial quote on shipping at the end, saying we had more than they anticipated....hang on, we are renting a 40ft container for the purposes. HOW can there be more charges? That they chose to box everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, wasnt our choice. It has nothing to do with insurance, because we only insured for TOTAL LOSS. So, if the company is only going to unpack 'to a flat surface' the things they packed, and remove the cardboard etc, that had to be included in the original quote, no?
Sitting here shaking our heads, but we paid, because what choice do you have? It is a bit tough to argue with a company in NZ, 10 hrs behind us in time, when you have already signed the papers and kissed your money goodbye. Refund on those two days?? ha! Joke!
Their French connection told us today that she had expected to unpack EVERYTHING! yes! So she didnt get that memo about not unpacking the boxes et al that WE had packed!! naughty!
Moving right along (no pun intended!)
We are looking forward to welcoming our first kiwi guests....well, our first ever guests, actually...overnight ones. At least they will have a comfy bed to sleep in, vs the carpet on the floor currently, lol. We did a quick whip around the house yesterday, making sure everything was in place to receive the big furniture when it arrives.
Waz just printed off the inventory list so that I can assign rooms to it all, then I dont have to think on my feet while standing roadside, and the movers are taking things hither and yon, on the property.
We have a vacation to go on before we do a whole lot. Yes, we are going somewhere to do nothing. Write that down....NOTHING! Bet we cant! We are staying in one place for the week, so the potential to do very little is great, and in lovely surroundings. More on that later.
We havent stopped since we can remember. All this packing up and moving has taken it's toll on both of us. We are active relaxers at the best of times, but I have to admit to feeling my age...just a bit!
Standing on the ladder (well, actually it was getting up and down constantly, and changing positions) with paintbrush in hand, and either a small container or the roller tray in hand with paint in it, and trying not to reach beyond a safe point to avoid having to get up and down yet again, was plain exhausting. I would paint a bit, stop and take a moment, then paint some more. The neck and shoulders are tight as, and the arms dont want to move, this morning. Poor old body!!!
This is what it looked like. The white is all that is left of the painted surface that just peeled right off when I went over it with a roller full of paint. We discovered that the under-surface is slick and shiny, so there is nothing to adhere the paint to. No wonder it was peeling off. We made the mistake in the first place of removing some of those peelings, and this is the week long end of that mistake.
Being able to say ENOUGH, even though I could have kept going and painted more and once more rolled the whole ceiling, was tough. Waz convinced me to stop and not be too perfectionist. It was a bit soul destroying, to be honest....roll paint over a section of ceiling and then find that you have brought down half of what you rolled before. Like skin peeling off, the previous layer peeled all over the roller! GAH! Frustrating, and exhausting! Constantly having to stop because dried paint is now all over the roller, and you have to stop and wipe the roller clean before going again. Not back rolling, only forward so that the risk of paint removal is light. Adding just the right amount of paint to the brush or roller, hoping it wont make the previous layer too wet and therefore peel.
The subsurface of the ceiling appears to be plaster of paris. It has a shiny surface, so of course the paint doesnt want to stick. Roughing the surface is the ideal way to do this, or better still, have someone skim the whole thing. We dont have the time or the budget to do this, and it is tough finding tradespeople who will come in an emergency, which we considered this to be. I cannot describe the level of frustration this ceiling caused us. Just when we thought we had it nailed (not literally) more paint came off in shreds. Aieeeee!
The solution came, when we had laboriously handscraped 75% of the whole ceiling, after we said ENOUGH! Cant do any more of this. Paint brush in hand, I painted the ragged edges of where the paint peeled in the hope of sealing it to the surface. It appears to have worked. That too was laborious...up and down the ladder, move it here, move it there, more painting...carefully....then let it dry and roll where I could. My body objected every inch of the way, but it is done now!
We will be the only ones who will look up there and remark on how shocking it really looks, lol.
I even cleaned the shaun de leer....poor thing was white with plaster dust and the crystals were horrid. She sparkled afterwards.
Friday night, 10.30pm.
At 10pm tonight we decided (or I did) it was time to go outside and walk, or Promenade as our neighbor Frank said. His little dog Jolie was running around crazily this evening and we tried to get it to come to us, forgetting that I was speaking English...hahahaha! Goes to show that I should not attempt ANYTHING after 10pm!. Frank came out at the noise of the barking dog, and introduced us to it...I cant remember if it is a he or she!! and we had some fun and conversation. We manage, do Frank and us, (is that poor grammar??) when it comes to communicating. We laugh a lot, manage to tie ourselves in knots and it makes me vow to hit the books, which I dont seem to have enough time to do. It appears that Frank and his missus have only been in the neighborhood for one year. So, we are all new neighbors! Excellente! It also appears that as of January 1st 2019, he will be retired, like us! Whoohoo! we all said, and laughed.
Frank is originally a Bordelaise from Libourne, this side of Bordeaux, which we know well, and he studied Viticulture (as you do in these parts) at the St Emilion Vineyard and Chateau. He offered to take us there one day when he is retired, perhaps in the fall after the harvest, and we will go on a personalized tour of the Vineyard and Chateau...and of course drink wine! lol. Yes, really! How unusual, lol. I will be the designated driver. Waz and Frank can sit in the back of the car together afterwards and sing or sleep, all the way home. I know who will be doing what!!
What a day!
We left home as prescribed, for Angouleme, ostensibly to get to Leroy Merlin to buy lights and some pipe (heating) insulation. Waz is renewing the insulation which is currently covered in a white mold that we dont want to have anything to do with. So he will 'suit up' as it were for the removal of that, and install the new insulation.
Lights for the bedrooms which currently only have one dim sconce that you cant see anything by....I guess they could be called 'mood lighting'?? hmm....
So, we found the appropriate lights for the bedrooms and some for the bathroom also, because you can currently barely see in there, also. New exhaust fans will be going in there some time in the near future. The current fan arrangement is something akin to Heath Robinson/Rude Goldberg...it lacks originality, has the potential to kill someone and is attached to a manhole cover in the ceiling...THE manhole cover! What bright spark (since we are on the subject of electricity) decided on THAT!???
Back to the Brico...hardware. We didnt make it to Leroy Merlin, instead we went to Castorama, the first one we meet on the road just inside the city limits. Buying light bulbs to go with the light fittings set us back 80 euros! yes, really! 18 bulbs, all LEDs. Later, at Leroy Merlin, those same bulbs were 36 euros. We promptly returned the 80 euro ones on the way home.
Assorted Euro plugs for Waz to strip UK plugs off plug -in appliances etc and a couple of new shower scrubbers, and we had emptied the bank account...well, almost!
You know how it goes...when you see it, you should buy it! Well, we didnt, and might regret it yet....I'm talking about a trailer with double height sides, brand new, with a cover for 899 euros. One of today's list items was to visit a 3rd hand trailer somewhere beyond Riberac, that the Englishman wanted 650 euros for. We declined that one on the grounds that he had his head in the clouds somewhere, despite wanting a quick sale. It was only worth 400 euros to us, so we passed, as did he.
So, this first trailer was sitting just inside Castorama, and we were very interested, but then again, if it was meant to be, it would have been there for our return, right?? Well, it wasnt, so it wasnt meant to be. We did ask if there was another, but were told it was the only one. I wish the French would write these things on the label, or something.
The French assembled- using- German -parts trailer the Englishman was selling. As the 2nd owner of the trailer, it wasnt that well cared for and the wheels looked less than stellar to me. It doesnt tip easily either, and as old people, we need one that tips easily, now. Lider is a good brand!
Not having been 'out' for almost two weeks...other than shopping for food, today reiterated to me that I need vocab...and verbs! I know conjugations, so that isnt a problem, and some tenses, and can muddle through with those, looking for help from the listening party, who are really good at helping me out. However, if you dont practice every single day, you just dont remember! At least *I* dont. I guess we are doing too many things at once, and I regret that I am not taking the time to hit the books as it were. This too will happen when we have our shit together, no doubt.
So, onwards around 11am towards Verteillac where we have a rendez-vous with Alan and Julie for whom we house sat, the first three months of this year. Lovely to meet them in person, having only chatted on Skype, before. They live full time in Beijing so we learned a lot about their lives there with three kids who are fluent speakers of Chinese...not sure which dialect, sorry. Both are administrators/teachers at an international school there. They gave us gifts and bought us lunch of Fish and Chips plus a shandy for me and a blonde beer for Waz. How generous! This was all at our favorite british pub, Le Calice, where the owner, Bex, was cooking for the day. One chef sick and the other on vacation will do that for a pub owner!
Lovely to see Polly, behind the bar and connect with Alan and Julie.
It is difficult to stop on the side of the road in most places as there is usually only 6 inches of shoulder (well, maybe 4 feet?) and then a deep trench, which you really want to stay away from....in most parts. The purpose of my wanting a parking space was to get a photo of the glorious sunflowers everywhere. We were in the Dordogne, and those wide open vistas were peppered with huge fields full of Tournesol, all with their heads following the sun, hence the name...Turn to the sun...Tournesol.
I did manage it, with Waz doing his usual eye roll...as he remarked, very wisely, I thought...You would think he would be used to my suddenly pulling off to the side of the road or stopping in a strange place to take a photo, by now, wouldn't you??
A more glorious sight is hard to imagine. You cannot NOT smile when you see these happy faces everywhere. Barley, wheat and hay are being harvested right now, so there is machinery everywhere and evidenced on the distance by a cloud of grain dust.
We had yet to do some food shopping for the weekend, so by four pm our tongues were hanging out for a coffee and a pick me up. Two grand crème and a sweet treat later, we were armed and ready for our food buying. We needed to look for instant food for the freezer, especially for lunches, as we often just down tools and eat whatever I can find in the fridge. having something I can toast or put in the oven for ten mins is ideal. We found some Fougasse...with cheese and lardons, which should keep us going through the afternoons, and some ready-made quiche.
Food shopping over, we headed for home, but first returning the light bulbs for a refund. Hitting the ring road in Angouleme at rush hour can be a bit hairy, and I was tooted at least once...I stick to the outside lane on the Rond Point, so that I can exit easily without cutting in front on anyone, which the French are really good at!
Home after 6pm, and we didnt feel like eating. Taking some time out was good after this hectic day out and about, until around 8 15pm, Waz suggested it might be good to eat something now or we will be hungry at midnight! Good idea, Einstein. We loaded up a tray with goodies from the fridge and ate al fresco on the back terrace overlooking the vines. Old Eagle Eyes spotted this couple on horseback in the evening sun, and we delighted in watching them at a slow pace, walk the perimeter of the vines, across the top of the newly turned field, and disappear into a row on the top.
The evening has been so still, only interrupted by the last birdsong of the day and insects going about their business.
Our promenade was much needed, and as we exited the gate to the road, we spied two deer crossing the road ahead of a car. :) Cant beat this life!
Night night.
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