Sunday, April 30, 2006
Sunday 23 April 2006
Spring has really arrived; it has been sunny, dry, mostly very warm and 23 or 24 degrees for the last three or four days. I did four loads of washing on Thursday, lots of bedding which had been in store washed ready for the visitors, the remaining blue curtain and spring clothes which were also packed way in Saint-Denis last autumn - nothing too drastic, some short sleeved T shorts and cotton trousers and jackets. I found several things which were only ever worn at weekends or holidays, which will get a lot more wear now. The sky was so blue and the washing blowing so hard against the background of blossom (yes, the cherry tree has reached its peak) that I felt as though I was taking part in some washing powder commercial. It was too nice to go indoors, so I took the round table out from the verandah and had lunch on it, thinking how at Ainsworth Street I could only do this at weekends, and often with the washing blowing in my face as the garden was so small. But here I had vast expanse of garden to look at, and the washing several metres behind me. The birdsong was another plus; so much and so beautiful.
After lunch I went to the woodshed and got out and assembled what N refers to as my Luxury Garden Furniture (because that’s what it says on the box). It didn’t take long and looks very good on the terrace outside the verandah. I had tea outside too, and lunch the next day.
On Friday morning at long last I had a chance to do the aerobic exercise DVD sent by Madeleine in February; with a working DVD player in the grande pièce with lots of space, and no workmen arriving first thing. I did it again today; am getting used to it and should be able to find time to do it regularly.
After that I visited the butchers shop for the first time; quite the friendliest shop here that I have visited; I’m not surprised they were friendly to the elderly lady in front of me - she spent over 60 euros. I had gone to get a couple of beefsteaks for dinner as N was coming back, and got two nice looking rabbit joints for Sunday lunch as well, as I remembered a good recipe I had for Lapin Chasseur. It is difficult not to become just a little more carnivorous here, but I have no trouble resisting various bits of offal and rich fatty sausages.
I telephoned both the Artisan and the Lapeyre shop in Bernay, still concerned about the non-functioning of the « broyeur », especially in view of impending visitors next week. Lapeyre say that they have/will leave messages for him too, but that he is working on a site in Paris at the moment.
In the afternoon I finally began the blue curtains, which should be simpler than either the kitchen or study curtains, but I must not confuse more straightforward with quicker; there are four of them and they are long. I have now got as far as I can get until I can buy some Rufflette, so on Saturday afternoon began trying to make a large customised valance for the Italian bed(s) from some of the white cotton sheets which came from Italy. The main problem is that the separate ends of the beds (two single beds pushed together to make a double bed) means that the end of the valance must be in two halves to allow one half to hang behind the foot of each single bed. The other problem was the very warm sunshine on the front of the house on Saturday afternoon; in both the bedroom where the bed is, and in the sewing room, making it difficult to work. At one stage a fleet of police cars drove past, followed by what looked like a cycle race - N had a good view of this too, as he was working in the front garden at the time.
Wednesday 26 April 2006
No chance to catch up with this since Sunday, for a variety of reasons. N is using the computer a lot at the moment as he is examining a thesis and so far only has it on disk; the paper version is in the post. We have also had enormous internet/e-mail problems with Wanadoo which now seem to be resolved, fingers crossed, after N going yet again to the shop at Bernay and then spending ages on the phone here in front of the screen. However, it was all worth it as he can get to his e-mails here again now, so does not feel so cut off from the world.
The rabbit on Sunday was excellent; N was strangely squeamish about it, surprising for such a carnivore who has no qualms about lambs, but we agreed we could have it another time with chicken. The other important Sunday morning activity was the clearing of the boiler room and verandah as much as possible to be ready for the installation of the new heater on Monday morning.
After lunch we went on an « outing », having decided it was time we started visiting places of local interest - time because the weather is so much better and lighter, and also because we must use the time well when we don’t have either workmen or visitors here.
We went to the Abbey of Bec Hellouin, about 40 minutes away beyond La Ferrière-sur-Risle where we went last Sunday. It had been a large and very important abbey in the tenth century, and had provided two early archbishops of Canterbury, but like the Ursuline Convent at Saint-Denis, was seized by the state at time of the Revolution, and monks had only come back into residence in 1948. We joined a very interesting guided tour given by one of the monks (there are only 16 in total) and felt very well-travelled and well-informed as he mentioned Canterbury, Rome, Siena and Cluny several times. There was a very good shop full of pottery, things to eat and drink, cards, books and music, and we bought drinks, biscuits and presents. N put the basket on the counter and said to the monk behind it « Father, I have given in to temptation, » whereupon a little bearded monk next to him said « Oh, but that’s very good! » and clapped his hand over his mouth with a smile.
Since then there has been progress on several fronts; Guillaume the heating engineer and Emanuel the electrician have been here each day since Monday. Emanuel has been working partly on the electrics for the new heater and partly finishing off the electricity in the outhouses; I was very glad N was here to explain exactly what he wanted. Monsieur A himself was here on Monday to help with the dismantling of the old orange heater, and today Guillaume has fixed the broken radiator in the grande pièce. Since Monday morning we have had no heating, but had reached a stage where we only switched it on night and morning as it has been so warm in the day time. Unfortunately it is not quite so warm now (especially as I had told my visitors how good it was) although some improvement this afternoon after rain this morning.
On Monday I phone Lapeyre again, and then in the evening the Artisan himself phoned; he has got a spare part which should stop any back flow of fluids - not provided by Lapeyre apparently - and will come and fix it on Friday evening, presumably after having finished in Paris on his way home. In the afternoon I finished the valance; quite an achievement as it involved N having to help remove the mattress so I could check the length to the floor, then sewing the hem all round and pressing it. I hoovered under the bed and all round, then put it back in position, fetched N to help put the mattress back and then very much enjoyed finally making the bed up. I used some John Lewis bedding bought by N years ago for the first Italian house and never used; pale blue quilt cover, pillow cases and bottom sheet, plus a white cotton bedspread from the house at Soliera. I was able to use the lighter half of the quilt which was on our bed, as a few weeks ago we decided the two layers were too hot.
Because of all the work going on, we were unable to leave the house together at the same time, so yesterday morning I went to L’Aigle on the bus, for the first time in ages. The main purpose was to get Rufflette tape for the blue curtains from my regular curtain shop, so I went there first and saw the very elegant lady with the rather put-upon husband (they remind me a little of Fanny & Johnny Craddock) who asked how my red curtains had turned out, and was I pleased with them? I said yes, very, and that I’d had enough left over for two cushions. She said that was good, she was always happy when people were pleased. I bought my Rufflette and then on going back that way at the end of the morning met her again in the market place, so we exchanged a few words, and I thought how nice it was to come to L’Aigle on the bus and find someone to say hello to, and about the time we had first visited there and parked in that very square in the rain, when viewing houses in September.
I had a lovely time at the market; the sun was bright and there was a lot going on. The other thing I was looking for - and successfully found - was a shopping basket, having observed that this is the way to shop in the village and in markets; trying to fit a baguette and then other shopping in to plastic carrier just doesn’t work. And nobody has a shopping trolley here, like they do at Saint-Denis. I also bought a round tablecloth ready for the round table in the verandah (at Ainsworth Street it was just used as a desk) tomatoes, two kinds of asparagus, artificial flowers for the attic guest room, a (second-hand) white cheesecloth blouse for 2 euros and almost a second-hand denim jacket, but it was a little too tight. By the time I sat down in front of a café on the edge of the square not far from the bus stop, my basket had bread and a bunch of tulips on the top and looked very good indeed. Even though the street sign said it was 17 degrees it felt a lot warmer, and the café looked like a good place for lunch if I’m ever there all day.
As it was I had a quick lunch with N at home before he set out to Bernay, to the France Telecom shop (see above) and to the garden centre to see if his dead apricot tree and rose could be refunded. I began sewing the Rufflette on to the blue curtains, but did not finish as once N came back we became embroiled in trying to install a new disc, and then in phoning, but as I said before am pleased to say all is now working OK (fingers crossed!) As well as a few minor problems with the sewing machine, the iron also then gave up - fortunately I had brought a spare one from Ainsworth Street, although I couldn’t remember then or now where it came from. I began to wonder what would go wrong next.
I finally got the blue curtains up and finished this morning; with brass rails and curtain rings and the blue & gold tie backs bought in Montmartre, and with the white bed it all looks much more comfortable and furnished. We have put up a couple of bluish pictures on the walls; all it lacks now is a waste paper basket, and perhaps one of those clever fabric covers for upright chairs. N has one at Saint-Denis I could examine for shape and style, and there is one more spare blue sheet, slightly darker, which I could use. Not before the weekend though. In order to fix the ends of the curtain poles I seemed to need a very small screwdriver; and went and asked Emanuel and Guillaume if they had one. They said no, I needed a « clé à serpent » and handed me a small z-shaped key. I said that was a good name, I could see it was shaped like a snake and they said, no a « clé à six points » (six-sided key) and laughed a lot. No doubt it gave them good tale to relate over lunch.
This means the only rooms left without curtains now are the sewing room - for which I have some yellow curtains found here; we have a spare pole not used in the kitchen, and spare hooks so only need to get ends and rings - and the landing, where we already have a brass rod in position (from a wardrobe) and if I get voile as planned, can just hem it over the pole, as the grande pièce, so no rings, hooks or Rufflette needed. I wonder what I will do when there are no more curtains to make……
Thursday 27 April 2006
I had a phone call from the Artisan yesterday evening to say he could come this morning instead of Friday, which was good news, so he has been this morning and fitted the extra part to stop the flush going back up into the washbasin. I feel I ought to try it out before the guests arrive; perhaps tomorrow. I was pleased to be able to show him the finished kitchen, with curtains, shelf and pictures, and to tell him again how much I enjoy using it. He was interested to see N’s boarding and painting of the socle, and said again that he would give him a job. (He had previously been impressed with his boarding-in of the ceiling, and surprised he wasn’t in the trade!)
I still haven’t tried the shower - I thought I should before letting guests loose in it, but it has taken so many coats of paint on the socle, that we are always waiting for it to dry! N is going back to Paris this afternoon in order to fetch the guests from the Gare du Nord on Saturday, so I should have a chance to try the shower and paint the water pipes along the wall. (Probably in reverse order!)
Yesterday afternoon I planted more plants which N had brought from Bernay, when he went to exchange his dead apricot tree for a healthier peach tree, which has been planted against the wall at the end of the vegetable garden. He brought two dozen petunias, which I have put in the two metal urns either side of the steps down to the wine cellar and in a terra cotta trough on the window of the grande pièce, and some more violas, in a smaller trough on the other windowsill, and in two hanging flower pots on the wall of the outhouse. These took a long time to hang, but it was all worth it as they look magnificent against the brown beams and white plaster.
Other news in brief:
N has still not received his money for the Italian house sale; although he has managed to set up some sort of regular contact with a financial adviser at Saint-Denis, who he refers to as Sambo, as his name is very similar. It seems that the money only left Italy on 14 April…….
Before the computer problems I had got as far as the letter C in the re-typing of the Lexique (French/English dictionary of property terms) Have not managed to do any since, and think I will take it with me to Paris next week, where I hope there will be more time.
We received a phone call from an acquaintance at Saint-Denis asking if N could help an English friend of his with some musical terms needed for the subtitling of a film for the Cannes Festival! This has since been done, and N has invited the English friend (also called Nigel) to lunch at Saint-Denis with wife and baby later on in May.
I have finished reading « Carmen » by Prosper Mérimée and am now reading the next story in the book - as I haven’t anything else to read - set in the Eglise Saint-Roch in Paris, where I went to several free concerts in the autumn!
Saturday 29 April 2006
Since N left on Thursday afternoon I have done a tremendous amount of cleaning and tidying; given the pipes in the downstairs washroom two coats of paint, successfully tried out the loo/broyeur and the new shower, and fitted in a nice relaxing trip to the hairdresser. The new heating installation was finally finished on Thursday afternoon, and it was good to have some heating back on again, as by that time it had turned much colder. It took Guillaume some time to check all the radiators had started up again, and he needed to get to some pipes in the Mystery Room behind the linen cupboard, so between us we took all the sheets and bedcovers out and removed the shelves. He laughed when I told him we had twenty bedspreads, and asked if we were afraid of being cold. He, Monsieur A and another chap whom I assumed was a heater expert, explained briefly how to turn it on and off, up and down, and said they would be back to fit and explain the thermostat next week. I said we would be in Paris until Friday. Emanuel was due back to finish - at last! - only few things in the verandah and what is left of the garden lamps now they have been removed, but did not turn up.
N is due back this afternoon with the visitors - my brother Steve, sister Issy and younger daughter Caroline. I have done a lot of food shopping from the traiteur, boulangerie vegetable stall and spent yesterday afternoon cooking. Have also finally got round to another important task - a letter to Monsieur Urset our estate agent, who we promised to invite to lunch with his wife.
Spring has really arrived; it has been sunny, dry, mostly very warm and 23 or 24 degrees for the last three or four days. I did four loads of washing on Thursday, lots of bedding which had been in store washed ready for the visitors, the remaining blue curtain and spring clothes which were also packed way in Saint-Denis last autumn - nothing too drastic, some short sleeved T shorts and cotton trousers and jackets. I found several things which were only ever worn at weekends or holidays, which will get a lot more wear now. The sky was so blue and the washing blowing so hard against the background of blossom (yes, the cherry tree has reached its peak) that I felt as though I was taking part in some washing powder commercial. It was too nice to go indoors, so I took the round table out from the verandah and had lunch on it, thinking how at Ainsworth Street I could only do this at weekends, and often with the washing blowing in my face as the garden was so small. But here I had vast expanse of garden to look at, and the washing several metres behind me. The birdsong was another plus; so much and so beautiful.
After lunch I went to the woodshed and got out and assembled what N refers to as my Luxury Garden Furniture (because that’s what it says on the box). It didn’t take long and looks very good on the terrace outside the verandah. I had tea outside too, and lunch the next day.
On Friday morning at long last I had a chance to do the aerobic exercise DVD sent by Madeleine in February; with a working DVD player in the grande pièce with lots of space, and no workmen arriving first thing. I did it again today; am getting used to it and should be able to find time to do it regularly.
After that I visited the butchers shop for the first time; quite the friendliest shop here that I have visited; I’m not surprised they were friendly to the elderly lady in front of me - she spent over 60 euros. I had gone to get a couple of beefsteaks for dinner as N was coming back, and got two nice looking rabbit joints for Sunday lunch as well, as I remembered a good recipe I had for Lapin Chasseur. It is difficult not to become just a little more carnivorous here, but I have no trouble resisting various bits of offal and rich fatty sausages.
I telephoned both the Artisan and the Lapeyre shop in Bernay, still concerned about the non-functioning of the « broyeur », especially in view of impending visitors next week. Lapeyre say that they have/will leave messages for him too, but that he is working on a site in Paris at the moment.
In the afternoon I finally began the blue curtains, which should be simpler than either the kitchen or study curtains, but I must not confuse more straightforward with quicker; there are four of them and they are long. I have now got as far as I can get until I can buy some Rufflette, so on Saturday afternoon began trying to make a large customised valance for the Italian bed(s) from some of the white cotton sheets which came from Italy. The main problem is that the separate ends of the beds (two single beds pushed together to make a double bed) means that the end of the valance must be in two halves to allow one half to hang behind the foot of each single bed. The other problem was the very warm sunshine on the front of the house on Saturday afternoon; in both the bedroom where the bed is, and in the sewing room, making it difficult to work. At one stage a fleet of police cars drove past, followed by what looked like a cycle race - N had a good view of this too, as he was working in the front garden at the time.
Wednesday 26 April 2006
No chance to catch up with this since Sunday, for a variety of reasons. N is using the computer a lot at the moment as he is examining a thesis and so far only has it on disk; the paper version is in the post. We have also had enormous internet/e-mail problems with Wanadoo which now seem to be resolved, fingers crossed, after N going yet again to the shop at Bernay and then spending ages on the phone here in front of the screen. However, it was all worth it as he can get to his e-mails here again now, so does not feel so cut off from the world.
The rabbit on Sunday was excellent; N was strangely squeamish about it, surprising for such a carnivore who has no qualms about lambs, but we agreed we could have it another time with chicken. The other important Sunday morning activity was the clearing of the boiler room and verandah as much as possible to be ready for the installation of the new heater on Monday morning.
After lunch we went on an « outing », having decided it was time we started visiting places of local interest - time because the weather is so much better and lighter, and also because we must use the time well when we don’t have either workmen or visitors here.
We went to the Abbey of Bec Hellouin, about 40 minutes away beyond La Ferrière-sur-Risle where we went last Sunday. It had been a large and very important abbey in the tenth century, and had provided two early archbishops of Canterbury, but like the Ursuline Convent at Saint-Denis, was seized by the state at time of the Revolution, and monks had only come back into residence in 1948. We joined a very interesting guided tour given by one of the monks (there are only 16 in total) and felt very well-travelled and well-informed as he mentioned Canterbury, Rome, Siena and Cluny several times. There was a very good shop full of pottery, things to eat and drink, cards, books and music, and we bought drinks, biscuits and presents. N put the basket on the counter and said to the monk behind it « Father, I have given in to temptation, » whereupon a little bearded monk next to him said « Oh, but that’s very good! » and clapped his hand over his mouth with a smile.
Since then there has been progress on several fronts; Guillaume the heating engineer and Emanuel the electrician have been here each day since Monday. Emanuel has been working partly on the electrics for the new heater and partly finishing off the electricity in the outhouses; I was very glad N was here to explain exactly what he wanted. Monsieur A himself was here on Monday to help with the dismantling of the old orange heater, and today Guillaume has fixed the broken radiator in the grande pièce. Since Monday morning we have had no heating, but had reached a stage where we only switched it on night and morning as it has been so warm in the day time. Unfortunately it is not quite so warm now (especially as I had told my visitors how good it was) although some improvement this afternoon after rain this morning.
On Monday I phone Lapeyre again, and then in the evening the Artisan himself phoned; he has got a spare part which should stop any back flow of fluids - not provided by Lapeyre apparently - and will come and fix it on Friday evening, presumably after having finished in Paris on his way home. In the afternoon I finished the valance; quite an achievement as it involved N having to help remove the mattress so I could check the length to the floor, then sewing the hem all round and pressing it. I hoovered under the bed and all round, then put it back in position, fetched N to help put the mattress back and then very much enjoyed finally making the bed up. I used some John Lewis bedding bought by N years ago for the first Italian house and never used; pale blue quilt cover, pillow cases and bottom sheet, plus a white cotton bedspread from the house at Soliera. I was able to use the lighter half of the quilt which was on our bed, as a few weeks ago we decided the two layers were too hot.
Because of all the work going on, we were unable to leave the house together at the same time, so yesterday morning I went to L’Aigle on the bus, for the first time in ages. The main purpose was to get Rufflette tape for the blue curtains from my regular curtain shop, so I went there first and saw the very elegant lady with the rather put-upon husband (they remind me a little of Fanny & Johnny Craddock) who asked how my red curtains had turned out, and was I pleased with them? I said yes, very, and that I’d had enough left over for two cushions. She said that was good, she was always happy when people were pleased. I bought my Rufflette and then on going back that way at the end of the morning met her again in the market place, so we exchanged a few words, and I thought how nice it was to come to L’Aigle on the bus and find someone to say hello to, and about the time we had first visited there and parked in that very square in the rain, when viewing houses in September.
I had a lovely time at the market; the sun was bright and there was a lot going on. The other thing I was looking for - and successfully found - was a shopping basket, having observed that this is the way to shop in the village and in markets; trying to fit a baguette and then other shopping in to plastic carrier just doesn’t work. And nobody has a shopping trolley here, like they do at Saint-Denis. I also bought a round tablecloth ready for the round table in the verandah (at Ainsworth Street it was just used as a desk) tomatoes, two kinds of asparagus, artificial flowers for the attic guest room, a (second-hand) white cheesecloth blouse for 2 euros and almost a second-hand denim jacket, but it was a little too tight. By the time I sat down in front of a café on the edge of the square not far from the bus stop, my basket had bread and a bunch of tulips on the top and looked very good indeed. Even though the street sign said it was 17 degrees it felt a lot warmer, and the café looked like a good place for lunch if I’m ever there all day.
As it was I had a quick lunch with N at home before he set out to Bernay, to the France Telecom shop (see above) and to the garden centre to see if his dead apricot tree and rose could be refunded. I began sewing the Rufflette on to the blue curtains, but did not finish as once N came back we became embroiled in trying to install a new disc, and then in phoning, but as I said before am pleased to say all is now working OK (fingers crossed!) As well as a few minor problems with the sewing machine, the iron also then gave up - fortunately I had brought a spare one from Ainsworth Street, although I couldn’t remember then or now where it came from. I began to wonder what would go wrong next.
I finally got the blue curtains up and finished this morning; with brass rails and curtain rings and the blue & gold tie backs bought in Montmartre, and with the white bed it all looks much more comfortable and furnished. We have put up a couple of bluish pictures on the walls; all it lacks now is a waste paper basket, and perhaps one of those clever fabric covers for upright chairs. N has one at Saint-Denis I could examine for shape and style, and there is one more spare blue sheet, slightly darker, which I could use. Not before the weekend though. In order to fix the ends of the curtain poles I seemed to need a very small screwdriver; and went and asked Emanuel and Guillaume if they had one. They said no, I needed a « clé à serpent » and handed me a small z-shaped key. I said that was a good name, I could see it was shaped like a snake and they said, no a « clé à six points » (six-sided key) and laughed a lot. No doubt it gave them good tale to relate over lunch.
This means the only rooms left without curtains now are the sewing room - for which I have some yellow curtains found here; we have a spare pole not used in the kitchen, and spare hooks so only need to get ends and rings - and the landing, where we already have a brass rod in position (from a wardrobe) and if I get voile as planned, can just hem it over the pole, as the grande pièce, so no rings, hooks or Rufflette needed. I wonder what I will do when there are no more curtains to make……
Thursday 27 April 2006
I had a phone call from the Artisan yesterday evening to say he could come this morning instead of Friday, which was good news, so he has been this morning and fitted the extra part to stop the flush going back up into the washbasin. I feel I ought to try it out before the guests arrive; perhaps tomorrow. I was pleased to be able to show him the finished kitchen, with curtains, shelf and pictures, and to tell him again how much I enjoy using it. He was interested to see N’s boarding and painting of the socle, and said again that he would give him a job. (He had previously been impressed with his boarding-in of the ceiling, and surprised he wasn’t in the trade!)
I still haven’t tried the shower - I thought I should before letting guests loose in it, but it has taken so many coats of paint on the socle, that we are always waiting for it to dry! N is going back to Paris this afternoon in order to fetch the guests from the Gare du Nord on Saturday, so I should have a chance to try the shower and paint the water pipes along the wall. (Probably in reverse order!)
Yesterday afternoon I planted more plants which N had brought from Bernay, when he went to exchange his dead apricot tree for a healthier peach tree, which has been planted against the wall at the end of the vegetable garden. He brought two dozen petunias, which I have put in the two metal urns either side of the steps down to the wine cellar and in a terra cotta trough on the window of the grande pièce, and some more violas, in a smaller trough on the other windowsill, and in two hanging flower pots on the wall of the outhouse. These took a long time to hang, but it was all worth it as they look magnificent against the brown beams and white plaster.
Other news in brief:
N has still not received his money for the Italian house sale; although he has managed to set up some sort of regular contact with a financial adviser at Saint-Denis, who he refers to as Sambo, as his name is very similar. It seems that the money only left Italy on 14 April…….
Before the computer problems I had got as far as the letter C in the re-typing of the Lexique (French/English dictionary of property terms) Have not managed to do any since, and think I will take it with me to Paris next week, where I hope there will be more time.
We received a phone call from an acquaintance at Saint-Denis asking if N could help an English friend of his with some musical terms needed for the subtitling of a film for the Cannes Festival! This has since been done, and N has invited the English friend (also called Nigel) to lunch at Saint-Denis with wife and baby later on in May.
I have finished reading « Carmen » by Prosper Mérimée and am now reading the next story in the book - as I haven’t anything else to read - set in the Eglise Saint-Roch in Paris, where I went to several free concerts in the autumn!
Saturday 29 April 2006
Since N left on Thursday afternoon I have done a tremendous amount of cleaning and tidying; given the pipes in the downstairs washroom two coats of paint, successfully tried out the loo/broyeur and the new shower, and fitted in a nice relaxing trip to the hairdresser. The new heating installation was finally finished on Thursday afternoon, and it was good to have some heating back on again, as by that time it had turned much colder. It took Guillaume some time to check all the radiators had started up again, and he needed to get to some pipes in the Mystery Room behind the linen cupboard, so between us we took all the sheets and bedcovers out and removed the shelves. He laughed when I told him we had twenty bedspreads, and asked if we were afraid of being cold. He, Monsieur A and another chap whom I assumed was a heater expert, explained briefly how to turn it on and off, up and down, and said they would be back to fit and explain the thermostat next week. I said we would be in Paris until Friday. Emanuel was due back to finish - at last! - only few things in the verandah and what is left of the garden lamps now they have been removed, but did not turn up.
N is due back this afternoon with the visitors - my brother Steve, sister Issy and younger daughter Caroline. I have done a lot of food shopping from the traiteur, boulangerie vegetable stall and spent yesterday afternoon cooking. Have also finally got round to another important task - a letter to Monsieur Urset our estate agent, who we promised to invite to lunch with his wife.
# posted by Chez Katherine @ 9:17 AM 
