Just occasionally we hear church bells

As many of you will know, we have just returned from a visit to England, a trip that started off as about 4 weeks and ended up as nearly six, as my Dad had to go into hospital for major surgery.  It was good we were able to be there for when he went in and for his return, remarkably just 4 days after what appears to have been a five hour + operation, returning to the ward at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon and wanting us to visit that evening.  He was well enough to have four visitors for an hour and a half, whilst we waited for the registrar to confirm that they had successfully done what they set out to do!!  When he was home and settled we were able to return home, to our sleepy part of rural Vendée.  Regular reports assure us he is making steady progress, but it will still be several weeks before he can start to drive again and already my Mum is having withdrawal symptoms, as she can’t go shopping everyday!!!

Although six weeks is a long time to be away, and the day after we returned our lovely French neighbours came over delighted to see us back, and worried that we had decided to stay in England!!!  We had got a message to them about our delayed return, but they were still pleased to see lights on in the house again, all the other houses in our little hamlet, of which only two are regularly inhabited, hide behind us, so they would have felt cut off again like they had been for the five years the house was empty before we moved in!!  But, looking back, we did manage to fit an awful lot into our visit this time, the first since our return after the New Year in January.

We started by driving from here to Norfolk, via Dieppe and Newhaven, for Linda to drop me off in Caister-on-Sea for my annual gathering of the ACV (Association of Countryside Volunteers), before she drove on to York to catch up with her family and meet the latest addition – Harley who had been born back in August, his Dad, Linda’s nephew, is a biker! After an enjoyable and successful gathering I got a lift up to York to join Linda and similarly catch up with everyone there.  We then went down to Daniel and Lisa’s in Stroud, as somewhere in the distant past, I had reputedly offered to help Daniel block pave his front garden to ease their parking problems!!  Arriving as it was getting dark in very heavy rain (about the only rain we saw all the trip!!) we found Daniel and his friend having a mud bath as they finished off taking off the turf and soil, which Daniel was having to carry in large plastic buckets through the house (hall, living room and kitchen) along a strategically placed path of black bin bags.  Amazingly when the bags were later removed, you could hardly tell he had muddily slipped and slid through the house numerous times.  The next few days were thankfully sunny and the quagmire drained quickly, and apart from meeting some good friends for lunch and our traditional Saturday morning coffee in Mill’s Cafe in Stroud, meeting whoever happens to be around, we managed to get the job (several thousand pavers) eighty percent finished in the time we had.  We also then spent some time in the annex at the back of our Stroud house “tidying up” and consolidating things after Victoria had moved her things out into her new house in Plymouth (more of that later), hired a van and managed to empty the storage unit we have been renting for the last 3 ½ years, into the annex.  The annex is now stacked high and we won’t be able to get anything easily out of it, but we will be over a hundred and eight pounds a month better off, and there was the possibility that this amount was about to have VAT added in addition, part of the austerity measures we are hearing so much about!!  However, not all good news as we got back to an unexpected UK tax bill, having been given duff information a year previously.  Having had a bit of a rant (managing to avoid mentioning Costa coffee et al!) at an incredibly patronising technical advisor, we’re now introducing our own austerity measures!!!!

That done and with a car full of things we had collected or found when sorting out the storage, we headed for my parents and then fairly quickly on to my cousin’s new house just outside Worcester for a family get together.  I had had the presence of mind to get my Dad to add me to his car insurance, which meant that we could all go in his car, rather that squash my Mum and Dad in with the log basket, beer making equipment, bread making machine, slow cooker etc.  As you may gather, we once again have the time to use those labour saving gadgets that at the time seemed such a good idea, but we were always too busy to remember.  The bread machine has already been put to good use on those day’s that the bread van (camion boulanger) doesn’t call, as well as using it successfully for the first time to make pizza dough – may become a regular for visitors next year!!  Booking has already opened and some slots are already taken!!!!  

A few days followed at my parents trying to make an inroad into the list of jobs my father had ready for us, as well as several others that then became obvious or at least came to mind!  As they say “no rest for the wicked” although not sure how that panned out with our luck in avoiding the rains in the Vendée and present devastating storms in the UK (“it never rains on the righteous!!”) as we returned to Stroud to do some more on the drive.  We were nearly able to get it finished before heading off to Plymouth, via Thatcham to pick up Tyler, to spend a few days with Victoria and Dermot. Here we would see their new house, meet some more of Dermot’s family and thoroughly warm up the house, very necessary as the weekend was the first cold snap of the year, which at the time had precious little heating, but it’s surprising what a good party and a few drinks can do.  Thankfully, the heating has now been installed and next stop a shower!!

The house that Victoria and Dermot have bought and already worked incredibly hard on, was a fantastic bargain, dint of being badly converted into two flats and generally, although sound and with new windows, neglected over a long period of time – where have I heard that before, a bit the case of “like father like daughter, we’ve both had extensive renovation projects recently, both likely to continue for some months to come!  The house is huge, with lovely big high rooms (kitchen, games room, lounge, dining room, three bedrooms, study, a bathroom and another on the way and a reasonably sound two storey lean to with plenty of potential) lots of potential as well as lots of stairs, currently a round trip from the kitchen in the basement, to the toilet on the top (3^rd) floor is over 70 steps!!  That and a plentiful supply of DIY and the gym won’t be necessary for a while!! Already it is looking great and their plans for the future are admirable.

Back then to the Forest of Dean and D-day regarding my Dad’s op, with a round trip to the hospital of over fifty miles, we spent quite a lot of time in the car and by the hospital bed and back to where we started at the top of the page.   

On our return, always a long journey and as the ferry was rather cold we didn’t get as much sleep as normal but fortunately we had been warned of the bloodshed in the kitchen.  Indeed, it had been cleared up before we got back by some kind friends down the road, who we had asked to pop in and get a letter that needed posting that we had left strategically, obviously thinking we might have been delayed.  Coming to get the letter they were quite literally greeted by blood all over the kitchen floor, liberally “watered” down with beetroot and blackberry juice.  The recent unprecedented rainfall, that we missed being in England but that seems to have now arrived in England since our return to France, I guess we must just be lucky, had cause a leak in the downstairs bedroom, which caused the electricity to trip and the freezers to no longer freeze!!

Since our return, we have been slowly getting back into the routine of DIY and gardening, with a pause as Beaujolais nouveau arrivée and karaoke beckoned, my rendition of Tom Jones’ Delilah being in danger of quite literally bringing the house down although there were a couple of  bravos as we beat a hasty retreat shortly afterwards!!  There have however been some difficulties getting out of bed in the morning, it’s the shutters and the dark mornings in France, you just don’t realise its morning, as some of our normally early rising visitors will attest to!!    We are also being very careful as the females in the three local English couples we have the most to do with have had a shattering time; broken wrist, seven broken ribs and a broken humerus, in that order.  But, as people keep telling us, at least that’s three, although ‘er with the ribs might disagree!!!

After all the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks, it was great to be back even though for a few days it was so dark and so quiet that it was difficult to sleep, something I used to find at my parents house, particularly before the village had street lights and the Severn Bridge (the first one!) was built, yes I’m old enough to remember both, and I hear you asking what’s the significance of the bridge; the rush hour starts earlier now the village is within commuting distance of Bristol and Bath!  It’s even been quiet during the day as it’s a relatively quiet period in the farming calendar and the other day, with the light breeze being in the right direction, I could even hear the church bells from the next village, some three kilometres over the hill, if the wind is too strong you can’t hear the bells for the trees!!!  That’s until the peace and quiet was shattered by our neighbours starting to re-roof their barn (is it a case of keeping up with the Joneses or simply a reflection of the recent storms, reputedly over 160 cm of rain fell in only a few days!) and our other neighbour who is both fairly deaf and heavy footed starting her car, I think her driving instructor told her to listen for the revs!!

Now, I must away and prepare for my next “gig” – photo enclosed and if that doesn’t do it, think Lady in Red with a gender change!!  And, still not there?  Tis the season to be merry – Ho, Ho, Ho!!!