SETTLING IN....

Well we have now been in France for just over two weeks and it seems like months. While we have purchased much of our furniture at this stage we are still waiting for most of it to be delivered this week. Without a stove, refrigerator, sofa and dining chairs it's difficult for us to move into our house yet. As a result, we have extended our stay in the rental accommodation for another week and all for simply a further 100 Euro for the week. Thank you to our landlady.

Our local coffee shop....koffie

As mentioned we have actually purchased much of our heavy furniture and our few boxes from Australia are due to arrive this week, we hope,…..so we are getting there. We even managed to buy  our own car this week, a Peugeot 207 Sports Wagon only 15 months old and with only 20,000 kms, so we are now able to get around without any trouble. See the photo of the car and no comments on the colour……at least it is not white with a red stripe as some will remember.

no comments on the colour ............

We have spent a good part of last week organising electricity, gas and water as well as phone, internet and TV but it is now all done and we can tick those boxes off ( though the TV and internet are still to be connected) as well as setting up our own Bank account ( we are still waiting for our PIN codes to arrive so can't actually use the account).

We have found tradesmen to connect up our TV (satellite) and install the stove so we should be in a position to move in around Thursday 20 June. Unfortunately rain and electrical storms are predicted for early in the week so this could set the TV back……………..but at least we have a few DVD’s.

Went to the Sainte Foy markets on Saturday and bought some french country style bed covers for the guestrooms. Fresh strawberries were everywhere and the aroma was amazing. The tourists have started to arrive. Lots of motor-homes on the roads and trying to get through those tiny village roads.

Sainte Foy marché.....strawberries galore and cheap!!!

Piggy on the loose....

Sainte Foy coat of arms on the roadway....

To be totally honest we have employed an English expat to assist us in dealing with most of the French administration and while this costs only a modest fee, it has saved us considerable time and frustration. We would clearly recommend that anyone contemplating such a move should also think about this option. We have signed on for a 12 month service and so Paul (our consultant) will well and truly earn his fee. He has assisted us to open the bank account, find and purchase the car, get our insurances in order, set up the TV and phones and assist with delivery issues for the furniture.

Early in the week we settled on our house purchase and now have the keys and we have been gradually moving items into it during the week. Unfortunately, it looks like we will have to buy a lawn mower and get to work very soon.

Our house comes with its own dog......................

Just to show that we are not in “the middle of nowhere”, we walked to the local movie theatre during the week and saw a movie in English. We generally get 1 or 2 movies a week in English or their “ version originale” and this does provide some sanity as opposed to bloody UK television.

Finally we celebrated Graham’s birthday at home with a quiet dinner of duck aiguillettes and a bottle of sparkling rosé……too bloody tired to go out at this stage.

New adventures and experiences…

Today, being Sunday and quiet in town (almost everything is closed everywhere on Sundays) , we ventured out to the town of Beaumont du Perigord, about 1 hour away for their Vide Grenier. For the uninitiated, this is basically a “car boot sale” where both locals and professionals set up stalls selling anything from old junk to quality antiques plus some even sell food.

Beaumont du Perigord

Beaumont is another old bastide town established by the English around 1235 and is remarkably pretty on top of a modest hill but with some great views of the green countryside. Some of our photos may paint a little picture for you and it is a village that we will definitely show to our visitors.  While we only intended to “have a sticky” we still ended up buying a few little items for the house. Kerrie feels sure that she will be able to buy supplies here to on-sell back to Australia when she sets up her online store soon.

We bought the glasses, the vase, the antique pillowslips and the old wine bottle (6 Litres)

Arriving back in Sainte Foy la Grande, it was finally the hour when I let Kerrie loose in the car for her first ever drive in France. Albeit after a few growls and grumbles, she actually started to make a reasonable fist of it and I am sure that with a few days’ practice she will be more than competent on the very narrow roads around the villages and towns.

Having said that the entire departments of the Gironde and the Dordogne have been warned.

Until next week……………………………………….a bientôt.

Kerrie & Graham