We said goodbye to the Aussies this morning who were off to Dunkirque on their motorbikes - they were NICE people even though I was as jealous as hell with their 3-month European touring holiday. Then there was Stephen and his friend (only referring to her as that because I can't remember her name!) who were our first guests to try the Michelin star restaurant next door. It was a success, thankfully! I know it wouldn't have been my fault if they hadn't liked it, but you know how responsible you feel, especially when its so expensive. From the sounds of it we must have the lobster starter - Stephen eulogised (is that the right spelling?) over it.
Since we had no more bookings for a few days, I said to John not to bother making the rooms up - let's just have a bit of a holiday/rest/laze, says I. I'll just get the beds moved back into the correct room, says John, and of course I have to go up to help him for a couple of hours before the Grand Prix was due to start. So it all got done. Then, after the Grand Prix there's a knock on the door and there stands a Brit who was scouting out a route and accommodation for a cycle ride he's doing with some friends from somewhere to Agincourt. Unfortunately it's the 3rd September and we'll be closed by then, but he and his friend book to stay the night. Thank you John, if you hadn't insisted that we make up the rooms we wouldn't have earned 45€ - though they want separate rooms so we have to give the twin-bedded room and the single room. Still, it's money we hadn't expected.
Then, as I'm hanging out the washing a Dutch couple turn up who want a room for 2 nights - the double room is fine for them and hey presto, there's another €100 in the coffers.
That's €145 John's earned us, but we do have to get up early tomorrow morning and do breakfasts, which is a bit of a bummer.
Went into Dieppe to try out a Turkish restaurant (L'Ankara) we had seen down one of the side streets which did a vegetarian menu, so we immediately thought of Yvonne Rowse. We've been meaning to go there for several trips and never getting round to it so decided we really would this time, stopping off to get info on the Parc des Moutiers which the Dutch couple had shown an interest in. Had a drink on the harbour, in the sun but also in a slightly cold wind, then a meal at the restaurant - and all of it 'free' given the unexpected income. Food wasn't bad, 'good value for money' is a good description - it was relatively cheap and hence relatively simple. I had moules farci (stuffed mussels) which were tasty, but the couscous stuffing somewhat drowned the flavour of the mussels. This was followed by lamb kebab, which was two lamb chops! Very tasty, but not exactly what I'd expected. Still, the whole meal came to just of €40 for 3 courses, coffee and a bottle of wine, so you can't complain. (Well, you can, but you shouldn't.) We'll go again this trip and try the more expensive menu by way of comparison, and let Yvonne try the vegetarian option.
Hey ho, that early night seems somehow to have moved to nearly 11 p.m.
Sunday 31 July 2011
Saturday 30 July 2011
Guests
Running a Chambres d'hotes can be hard work - all that changing of beds and ironing. Made especially bad when your guests arrive at almost 10 p.m. on a Friday night having booked the Green Room (double bed, shower & toilet ensuiste) to say they wanted twin beds! John swears Stephen never mentioned that, but as they went out to try and find somewhere to eat (fat chance around here at that time of night!) we quickly swap the beds around. But that made us nervous for Saturday night, because we received a phone booking just before for the one night, and I'd said we only had the twin room left. What if they wanted a twin, and now found themselves with a double? Hah, John spend the afternoon (after watching the qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix of course) tidying up the Rose room which he'd used as a depository for all his tools etc whilst rebuilding the bathroom, and we had a solution. If they needed separate beds, they could have separate rooms!
Phew, it's not an easy way to earn €100!
Still, it has its compensations...
It turned out that the new people were Aussies, as was the girl who had arrived with her Nigerian boyfriend (but with twin-beds, so I think the 'friend' part was literal) and we all had aperos in the garden. The fact that I got through almost a whole bottle of wine to myself may have clouded my judgement, but sitting there in the sun, with 4 strangers and exchanging views on everything from how crap Vodaphone mobiles are, through the political situation to whether or not the Aussies should still cling to the Queen's Birthday bank holiday when they want to be a republic, it all seemed worthwhile. Mike & Georgie (the two Aussies) were on motorbike driving a meanering route from Portugal, via Spain and Andorra, to Folkestone. They actually shipped their motorbikes from Brisbane out to the UK and will be shipping them back next week, when their 3 month holiday is over! I wish we had long-service leave.
An interesting factoid that came out of our discussions on Australia was that they too are increasing their retirement age. This can have nothing to do with saving money as we are all tempted to think is the root of the UK (and French) moves, because the Oz economy is absolutely booming. It really must just be a result of us all living longer.
I tell you something, if this life is what's in front of us for another 20-odd years, you won't hear me complaining - not until we get back to the UK and I have to start commuting into Picadilly again, anyway!
Phew, it's not an easy way to earn €100!
Still, it has its compensations...
It turned out that the new people were Aussies, as was the girl who had arrived with her Nigerian boyfriend (but with twin-beds, so I think the 'friend' part was literal) and we all had aperos in the garden. The fact that I got through almost a whole bottle of wine to myself may have clouded my judgement, but sitting there in the sun, with 4 strangers and exchanging views on everything from how crap Vodaphone mobiles are, through the political situation to whether or not the Aussies should still cling to the Queen's Birthday bank holiday when they want to be a republic, it all seemed worthwhile. Mike & Georgie (the two Aussies) were on motorbike driving a meanering route from Portugal, via Spain and Andorra, to Folkestone. They actually shipped their motorbikes from Brisbane out to the UK and will be shipping them back next week, when their 3 month holiday is over! I wish we had long-service leave.
An interesting factoid that came out of our discussions on Australia was that they too are increasing their retirement age. This can have nothing to do with saving money as we are all tempted to think is the root of the UK (and French) moves, because the Oz economy is absolutely booming. It really must just be a result of us all living longer.
I tell you something, if this life is what's in front of us for another 20-odd years, you won't hear me complaining - not until we get back to the UK and I have to start commuting into Picadilly again, anyway!
Friday 29 July 2011
Yet more days in paradise. . .
Thursday, 28th July
Just a standard day today - got up and made breakfast for our guests - the Chiangs who hale from Malaysia, on the coast near Brunei. We had been wondering where they came from because they speak such very good English, but still with an accent which shows they were not of UK origin. They've been in England for 10 years, hence the good English. Didn't ask why they came over - silly of me. It will be a mixture of relief and sadness when they go, their two boys (Ethan 6, Joshua 5) are very sweet, but incredibly tiring because they are so full of energy! Children are so full of enquiry, why this? why that? it is a reminder of how staid you can get as you get older, and sad because you can lose that enjoyment and 'sensa wonda'. We sit down with a huge sigh when they go off for the day and we can collapse.
Unfortunately this was a working day for me, so from 8.30 a.m. until 6.30 p.m. I was at the computer writing an exciting course on anti-money laundering regulations! We did dive out at lunch time to the beach at St Aubin to see if we could buy some fish off the fishermen for a pie for dinner, but it was deserted. Igor hasn't been fishing for a couple of weeks because the motor on his boat died, but it looks like he's got a couple of brand spanking new outboards fitted now - I think that was his boat on the keyside anyway. Now how did they manage to afford that I wonder - they were complaining about how very, very expensive it would be to replace the. I suppose they've got HP terms or something like that, because without the engines not only does he not earn any money, but also his mother, Beatrice, who works on the stall selling his catch for him. Jordan's stall was deserted too, so no luck there. In fact, it looked as though nothing had changed at all from the day before. Perhaps they're all off on holiday.
So we went to the next village, Quiberville, where there are more stalls, but they were all deserted too. Of course, it was lunchtime, and here in rural France EVERYTHING stops for lunch!
So we eventually had to succumb to the supermarket which is a shame when there are so many local fishermen to support.
Back to the 'office' for the rest of the afternoon until we could have an apero out in the garden. Somehow we didn't then feel like getting on with the gardening, it being 7 p.m. and all, so we decided to leave the fish pie until tomorrow, and just have prawns dunked in garlic mayonnais for dinner. Now why can't I lose weight when we're over here?
Guests return, we have to watch Torchwood with the sound really low, then off to bed ready for another day in paradise tomorrow.
Just a standard day today - got up and made breakfast for our guests - the Chiangs who hale from Malaysia, on the coast near Brunei. We had been wondering where they came from because they speak such very good English, but still with an accent which shows they were not of UK origin. They've been in England for 10 years, hence the good English. Didn't ask why they came over - silly of me. It will be a mixture of relief and sadness when they go, their two boys (Ethan 6, Joshua 5) are very sweet, but incredibly tiring because they are so full of energy! Children are so full of enquiry, why this? why that? it is a reminder of how staid you can get as you get older, and sad because you can lose that enjoyment and 'sensa wonda'. We sit down with a huge sigh when they go off for the day and we can collapse.
Unfortunately this was a working day for me, so from 8.30 a.m. until 6.30 p.m. I was at the computer writing an exciting course on anti-money laundering regulations! We did dive out at lunch time to the beach at St Aubin to see if we could buy some fish off the fishermen for a pie for dinner, but it was deserted. Igor hasn't been fishing for a couple of weeks because the motor on his boat died, but it looks like he's got a couple of brand spanking new outboards fitted now - I think that was his boat on the keyside anyway. Now how did they manage to afford that I wonder - they were complaining about how very, very expensive it would be to replace the. I suppose they've got HP terms or something like that, because without the engines not only does he not earn any money, but also his mother, Beatrice, who works on the stall selling his catch for him. Jordan's stall was deserted too, so no luck there. In fact, it looked as though nothing had changed at all from the day before. Perhaps they're all off on holiday.
So we went to the next village, Quiberville, where there are more stalls, but they were all deserted too. Of course, it was lunchtime, and here in rural France EVERYTHING stops for lunch!
So we eventually had to succumb to the supermarket which is a shame when there are so many local fishermen to support.
Back to the 'office' for the rest of the afternoon until we could have an apero out in the garden. Somehow we didn't then feel like getting on with the gardening, it being 7 p.m. and all, so we decided to leave the fish pie until tomorrow, and just have prawns dunked in garlic mayonnais for dinner. Now why can't I lose weight when we're over here?
Guests return, we have to watch Torchwood with the sound really low, then off to bed ready for another day in paradise tomorrow.
Thursday 28 July 2011
Every two (make that three) days ain't bad
The trouble with keeping a diary is that often you're so busy living life, there's no time left for writing about it. Or else, it appears so boring when you put the words on the paper - what did I do yesterday? I did housework, gardening, worked on the computer, had apero in the garden, ate, watched tv. Still, for posterity, and for that novel I may one day write (well if Jordan - sorry, Katie Price - can do it, I'm sure I can).
So, Monday we had John and Mary round for a meal - they don't like eating late so were due round about 5 p.m., which foreshortened all the cleaning we had to do. It's great having one of those large farm kitchen/diners, but the problem is they have to be clean and tidy for entertaining. That's especially hard for us since the kitchen table is also the office (remember, I'm still putting in 21hrs a week on the computer) and repository for all the paperwork we must sort out 'real soon now', and the bag of John's cables etc which are of vital importance, and the empty wine bottles and cardboard boxes that we will recycle 'real soon now'.
Anyway, a good time was had by all - aperos in the garden since the weather was good(ish), followed by too much food and too much wine. That's what I call life - which is why I'm so overweight, but hey, someone's got to make everyone else on a diet feel good about themselves.
Going back one day, on Sunday there was a fishing competition at the local lake - not that much more than a pond really in a local farm - and in the bar on Saturday night Michel had said we must come. Sunday morning it absolutely chucked it down, so we thought we'd give it a miss, but by lunchtime it had cleared, so we had a small 'constitutional' walk round to see if anyone had turned up. You can tell we're not fishermen - of course they had turned up! Somehow, quite by coincidence, we managed to make it in time for lunch.
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| L'Etang |
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| Not much fishing going on! |
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| Michel - typical Frenchman with his 'Ricard' belly |
We love to go to these types of occasion and see the French at their ease. I suppose English fishing clubs would have similar days, but you never make the effort when it's at home. But back to L'Etang du Peche. It's quite embarrassing at these sorts of occasions because we meet people we've seen in the bar perhaps once or twice, but have no idea what their names are. They all know us, because we're 'Les Anglais' with the house next to the traffic lights - or possibly, Les Anglais with the wife who speaks French. Either way, we stick out in a crowd, whereas your normal French person doesn't!
Just for completeness, and for our memories in several years when we look back on these blog entries to see what life was like, what more have we done?
Tuesday was the end of my holiday so I was back 'in the office' all day. At lunchtime we had to dash round and get the two bedrooms ready for our guests, and John had to finish off the bathroom where he has replaced all the fittings. Our guests (two adults (Chinese) & two children from Kingston-on-Thames) arrived about 8.30 p.m. so it was down with the volume on the tv and tiptoeing around from then on so we didn't disturb them. When we buy our next house we are DEFINITELY going to make sure guest accommodation is not over/under our living accommodation. Anyway, they seem really nice and don't want breakfast until 8 a.m. which is good - I hate early mornings.
Wednesday was another day in the office for me after sorting out the Chiangs' breakfast, and a stroll along the beach at St Aubin sur Mer (about 4-5 km from the house) before dinner, tv and bed. What an exciting life we lead!
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| Eve in the French office |
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| Don't know how much work John is doing, given the computer program he's running. |
It's now Thursday and the Chiang's have just left for the day, so we have 1 hr of peace and quiet before I start work - can't wait until someone buys our UK house and I can retire!
Monday 25 July 2011
Oh well, the best of intentions
Hah, so much for keeping a diary - a 21-day diary (every 21 days, not every day for 21 . . . you know me!). Well, you see, life got in the way and I must admit that after sitting at this computer for 7 hours a day Tues/Wed/Thur I tend not to sit here at the kitchen table in the evening as well.
Sounds like a good excuse to me.
But, at least I did finish the strimming of the 'lawn' (its green, but not with that much grass).
Life here in France just seems to go by without anyone noticing it. We're almost halfway through our summer already. So what have we done? Looked after some guests, had a short holiday over in La Manche (Cherbourg peninsular) to see what the areas around there are like for potentially buying a new house. That's if we ever get our UK house sold. I don't think there have been any viewings since we came over here. With the latest news from the US, it looks like it could be some time before we ever get it sold, so that makes it longer and longer that I will have to work to pay the mortgage.
Since I'm so far behind with this 'daily' diary I think I'll just start from here, and add the odd comment about the last 3 weeks as and when they seem appropriate.
So, what's a Sunday in Seine Maritime like? Not that different from the UK actually - got up late, went to do some urgent shopping (almost out of milk) and had croissants. That latter is not usual for the UK I hasten to add. Visited an older English couple who live in the village - John and Mary - to invite them for dinner tomorrow night. We've been very remiss and not been round much - not since the Repas Champetre which was held on the last day of the Festival du Lin at the beginning of the month.
Now that's a good thing about rural France, there're lots of reasons to eat and drink with the neighbours over the summer period. This part of the country is one of the leading producers of flax (Lin) and so the first festival of the season is the Festival du Lin on the first weekend. The main river here is the Dun (hence the name of the village Le Bourg Dun - the town on the Dun) and all the main towns/villages along its route (all of 5 miles!) open the churches and halls to displays of linen, tapestries and other needlework. Here in Le Bourg Dun the population goes from about 100 to about 10,000 (well, maybe I exaggerate slightly, but that's what it feels like as they park outside our house, or up the road and walk down past our windows. On the Sunday there is a car boot sale in the village (Foire a tout) which is just like a UK one, full of tat, but it's French tat which makes it more interesting. At lunchtime we have the Repas Champetre on the green behind the bar which is where a couple of years ago I tried Adouillettes for the first and last time. There isn't much I don't like, but Andouillettes are at the top of the list - it's the way the intestines spring out of the centre of the sausage as you cut it, in a spiral. Not exactly appetising.
Since then I stick to the steak or sausage and chips, and of course the wine. We usually meet lots of the locals there who all know us but we can't remember who they are. Well, there are more of them than us, if you see what I mean. It's quite sweet really, I am known as the Englishwoman who speaks French! Since there are several English families who have holiday homes in the village, it says something about how much we Brits take part in local life that the others don't figure at all. It's no wonder we get a bad reputation in areas like Brittany where there are lots of Brits who live in their own little world.
Other festivals due this year is a Kermesse 1st weekend in August (again an open-air meal but this time with tombola) followed by a Four a Pain the following weekend. In the 'olden days' each village used to have either a communal brick oven, or the villagers would use the baker's oven when it was still warm. I think Bourg Dun had the former, and we still have the old oven in a field at the back of the village. Once a year they get it going again and have a fete - small stalls, games for the kids (free, mind you, this is rural France not England and so very child-friendly) and, you guessed, a barbecue. I remember being really embarrassed one year when a group of Brits who have a holiday house in the village turned up with their own food! Events like this help finance events around the village and it's just NOT DONE not to participate to the full.
So, back to today, we went round to invite John and Mary to dinner tomorrow night, before our next group of visitors arrive on Tuesday. Then got ready for an afternoon of tv - the German Grand Prix followed by the Tour de France. The Tour has been my saving grace over the last couple of weeks - it gave me something to do whilst I was doing all the ironing from the guest rooms. That's the one thing I hate about having guests(well, besides having to get up early to do breakfast for them) and that's ironing the bedding. I can understand why some B&B's charge a supplement for one-night stays. Perhaps we might next year, it depends how desperate we are for money, and that totally depends on whether Incisive want to keep employing me if we can't sell the house.
That managed to keep us occupied until 6 p.m. when I thought I'd better get out and do some weeding in the garden. Oh, what a hard life we lead.
Sounds like a good excuse to me.
But, at least I did finish the strimming of the 'lawn' (its green, but not with that much grass).
Life here in France just seems to go by without anyone noticing it. We're almost halfway through our summer already. So what have we done? Looked after some guests, had a short holiday over in La Manche (Cherbourg peninsular) to see what the areas around there are like for potentially buying a new house. That's if we ever get our UK house sold. I don't think there have been any viewings since we came over here. With the latest news from the US, it looks like it could be some time before we ever get it sold, so that makes it longer and longer that I will have to work to pay the mortgage.
Since I'm so far behind with this 'daily' diary I think I'll just start from here, and add the odd comment about the last 3 weeks as and when they seem appropriate.
So, what's a Sunday in Seine Maritime like? Not that different from the UK actually - got up late, went to do some urgent shopping (almost out of milk) and had croissants. That latter is not usual for the UK I hasten to add. Visited an older English couple who live in the village - John and Mary - to invite them for dinner tomorrow night. We've been very remiss and not been round much - not since the Repas Champetre which was held on the last day of the Festival du Lin at the beginning of the month.
Now that's a good thing about rural France, there're lots of reasons to eat and drink with the neighbours over the summer period. This part of the country is one of the leading producers of flax (Lin) and so the first festival of the season is the Festival du Lin on the first weekend. The main river here is the Dun (hence the name of the village Le Bourg Dun - the town on the Dun) and all the main towns/villages along its route (all of 5 miles!) open the churches and halls to displays of linen, tapestries and other needlework. Here in Le Bourg Dun the population goes from about 100 to about 10,000 (well, maybe I exaggerate slightly, but that's what it feels like as they park outside our house, or up the road and walk down past our windows. On the Sunday there is a car boot sale in the village (Foire a tout) which is just like a UK one, full of tat, but it's French tat which makes it more interesting. At lunchtime we have the Repas Champetre on the green behind the bar which is where a couple of years ago I tried Adouillettes for the first and last time. There isn't much I don't like, but Andouillettes are at the top of the list - it's the way the intestines spring out of the centre of the sausage as you cut it, in a spiral. Not exactly appetising.
Since then I stick to the steak or sausage and chips, and of course the wine. We usually meet lots of the locals there who all know us but we can't remember who they are. Well, there are more of them than us, if you see what I mean. It's quite sweet really, I am known as the Englishwoman who speaks French! Since there are several English families who have holiday homes in the village, it says something about how much we Brits take part in local life that the others don't figure at all. It's no wonder we get a bad reputation in areas like Brittany where there are lots of Brits who live in their own little world.
Other festivals due this year is a Kermesse 1st weekend in August (again an open-air meal but this time with tombola) followed by a Four a Pain the following weekend. In the 'olden days' each village used to have either a communal brick oven, or the villagers would use the baker's oven when it was still warm. I think Bourg Dun had the former, and we still have the old oven in a field at the back of the village. Once a year they get it going again and have a fete - small stalls, games for the kids (free, mind you, this is rural France not England and so very child-friendly) and, you guessed, a barbecue. I remember being really embarrassed one year when a group of Brits who have a holiday house in the village turned up with their own food! Events like this help finance events around the village and it's just NOT DONE not to participate to the full.
So, back to today, we went round to invite John and Mary to dinner tomorrow night, before our next group of visitors arrive on Tuesday. Then got ready for an afternoon of tv - the German Grand Prix followed by the Tour de France. The Tour has been my saving grace over the last couple of weeks - it gave me something to do whilst I was doing all the ironing from the guest rooms. That's the one thing I hate about having guests(well, besides having to get up early to do breakfast for them) and that's ironing the bedding. I can understand why some B&B's charge a supplement for one-night stays. Perhaps we might next year, it depends how desperate we are for money, and that totally depends on whether Incisive want to keep employing me if we can't sell the house.
That managed to keep us occupied until 6 p.m. when I thought I'd better get out and do some weeding in the garden. Oh, what a hard life we lead.
Monday 4 July 2011
The first day
It's 12.17 p.m. or 11.17 a.m. depending on where you want to be, and I suppose it's about time I started work. Well, today was going to be the end of the 'holiday' and the start of me getting organised. That was the intention last night when I was going to bed at 10.30 p.m. to get a good night's sleep in readiness for 'getting on' with things today. I even had a list:
Anyway, that was before I dediced I'd just load the photo of me in the Mickey Mouse poncho onto Facebook, by which time there was a good program on tv which 'only' had 15 minutes to go, and then I had to play card on my PDA, then it was 12.15 a.m. and I was wide awake and just couldn't get to sleep.
We did wake up by 8.30 a.m. this morning, though, but that was before John decided to answer a query for the B&B and I had to play cards, and before we went down to the boulangerie for bread for breakfast, before making and eating breakfast and then I just had to play all the games on the computer. Then I had this idea, you see. Instead of trying to write really good stuff for this blog, and starting numerous pieces, but not finishing them before life overtook me, I'd write a diary. So I just had to start it before I forgot.
So I'd better get out and do that strimming. Oh, wait a minute, I think I just have to. . . . .
- Finish strimming the 'lawn' which I left half-done 4 days ago
- Finish cleaning the main guest bedroom and ensuite which I started 3 days ago
- Clean the lounge, in particular the windows, which I was supposed to start 2 days ago
Anyway, that was before I dediced I'd just load the photo of me in the Mickey Mouse poncho onto Facebook, by which time there was a good program on tv which 'only' had 15 minutes to go, and then I had to play card on my PDA, then it was 12.15 a.m. and I was wide awake and just couldn't get to sleep.
We did wake up by 8.30 a.m. this morning, though, but that was before John decided to answer a query for the B&B and I had to play cards, and before we went down to the boulangerie for bread for breakfast, before making and eating breakfast and then I just had to play all the games on the computer. Then I had this idea, you see. Instead of trying to write really good stuff for this blog, and starting numerous pieces, but not finishing them before life overtook me, I'd write a diary. So I just had to start it before I forgot.
So I'd better get out and do that strimming. Oh, wait a minute, I think I just have to. . . . .
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