A stroll into town and as it nears noon, thoughts turn to food. We decide to try the place next to my usual haunt, and which shares the same roof, but is outside in the square. We are lucky to get a table as soon as people see me there the place quickly fills up rapidly, while my usual haunt remains with only a handful of customers.
There seems to be only the one thin woman serving. She whizzes about talking loudly to herself, trying to remember who has ordered what, if she has taken an order etc etc. It is entertaining to watch. Our main course of steak, goes briefly to the table next to ours but then proceeds on its journey to us. The steak is thick and tasty. The next door steak is very thin and chewy.
The rest of the meal passes uneventfully, except that the couple who have been waiting a long time for a table do not get either of the next 2 tables that become free. They complain and are given another table as suddenly every one has finished and leaving.
Thursday, 4 September 2008
23 Aug 2008 Sat - Still no go
Great excitement in the house. It is internet day. It will surely be worth the extra 100 Euros that they want to charge me for the visit.
The technician arrives. He tries all the sockets. I have no phone line he tells me, so unfortunately he can do nothing to set up my live box. He can however arrange for a telecom technician to come out to investigate. After a tantalisingly brief glimpse of a Monday appointment, it rapidly becomes Thursday next week. The good news is that he does not ask me for 100 Euros.
At the Bricomarche I buy some Teflon pads for the bottom of the sofa. Once home I open the black bin bag whose shape suggests that it contains the hose and attackments for the bosch vacuum cleaner.
Contents = 5 plastic feet for sofa, 1 vacuum telescopic handle. Where the bleep have the removal men put the brush end of the machine…..
The technician arrives. He tries all the sockets. I have no phone line he tells me, so unfortunately he can do nothing to set up my live box. He can however arrange for a telecom technician to come out to investigate. After a tantalisingly brief glimpse of a Monday appointment, it rapidly becomes Thursday next week. The good news is that he does not ask me for 100 Euros.
At the Bricomarche I buy some Teflon pads for the bottom of the sofa. Once home I open the black bin bag whose shape suggests that it contains the hose and attackments for the bosch vacuum cleaner.
Contents = 5 plastic feet for sofa, 1 vacuum telescopic handle. Where the bleep have the removal men put the brush end of the machine…..
22 Aug 2008 Fri Fruitless day
No Orange technician turns up so I phone on my new payg mobile. After lots of music and being transferred to lots of different people, I find out that the technician is due out tomorrow instead. The call costs me slightly less than £20.
We walk into the old town and as we near the British shop, we note that it is closed from yesterday until the 2nd Sept.
We walk into the old town and as we near the British shop, we note that it is closed from yesterday until the 2nd Sept.
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
20 and 21 Aug Plumbs but no oranges
21 Aug 2008 Thurs
Second plumber quote. The father and son team arrive. They seem to have a good sense of humour and they leave after an hour, promising to come back on Monday to puff some smoke through the pipes to find out where the water supply to the former shower room has been hidden.
22 Aug 2008 Fri
No Orange technician turns up so I phone on my new payg mobile. After lots of music and being transferred to lots of different people, I find out that the technician is due out tomorrow instead. The call costs me slightly less than £20.
We walk into the old town and as we near the British shop, we note that it is closed from yesterday until the 2nd Sept.
Second plumber quote. The father and son team arrive. They seem to have a good sense of humour and they leave after an hour, promising to come back on Monday to puff some smoke through the pipes to find out where the water supply to the former shower room has been hidden.
22 Aug 2008 Fri
No Orange technician turns up so I phone on my new payg mobile. After lots of music and being transferred to lots of different people, I find out that the technician is due out tomorrow instead. The call costs me slightly less than £20.
We walk into the old town and as we near the British shop, we note that it is closed from yesterday until the 2nd Sept.
20 Aug 2008 Weds Covering my assurance
First plumber arrives. I explain what I want, give him a plan for the kitchen in the former toilet and he leaves within 15 minutes. He will get the quote to us quickly he says.
I head into the old town to the British food shop. We had been there the week before and had chatted to the owner and her husband. Just as I approached the building, I could see them strolling towards their shop. They had been out for a coffee which had taken longer than expected. I explain about the insurance and the owner S searches through a copy of the yellow pages for the firm. No trace. She tries on the internet, but her connection keeps getting dropped. She has a spare 2007 phone book which she kindly gives me.
Well it closes every Wednesday. Ah she had just been out for coffee, but apart from that the shop never closes.
I try to arrange insurance cover for my new car, contacting 2 firms who list themselves as speaking English. The first firm speaks no English at all, and the second firm says that if I phone back next Monday someone will be able to help me.
Later I emerge from the bank with very costly insurance cover and an indication of how much top up insurance for my E106 medical cover will cost me. But for the health cover I need a social security number. I will need to take the paperwork for my E106 into the CPAM office to start the ball rolling.
The car insurance is so costly because the car is just over a year old. The maximum French equivalent of a no claims bonus is 50%. This has been included in my insurance price and I need to get my UK car insurance to send a letter to DM detailing my no claims bonus or my insurance will get even more expensive.
The screw on feet for the sofa are nowhere to be found.
I head into the old town to the British food shop. We had been there the week before and had chatted to the owner and her husband. Just as I approached the building, I could see them strolling towards their shop. They had been out for a coffee which had taken longer than expected. I explain about the insurance and the owner S searches through a copy of the yellow pages for the firm. No trace. She tries on the internet, but her connection keeps getting dropped. She has a spare 2007 phone book which she kindly gives me.
Well it closes every Wednesday. Ah she had just been out for coffee, but apart from that the shop never closes.
I try to arrange insurance cover for my new car, contacting 2 firms who list themselves as speaking English. The first firm speaks no English at all, and the second firm says that if I phone back next Monday someone will be able to help me.
Later I emerge from the bank with very costly insurance cover and an indication of how much top up insurance for my E106 medical cover will cost me. But for the health cover I need a social security number. I will need to take the paperwork for my E106 into the CPAM office to start the ball rolling.
The car insurance is so costly because the car is just over a year old. The maximum French equivalent of a no claims bonus is 50%. This has been included in my insurance price and I need to get my UK car insurance to send a letter to DM detailing my no claims bonus or my insurance will get even more expensive.
The screw on feet for the sofa are nowhere to be found.
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
19 Aug 2008 Tuesday Lots of stuff but no show
No phone call from the removal company, but they turn up at about half past ten. It is good to see my stuff again. What the f am I going to do with it all? Fortunately I have kept the downstairs studio empty to put the boxes into.
It is very hot and the two men sweat buckets getting the heavy stuff up to the second floor. It takes several hours.
Most of the rest of the day is spent moving things about. Then we walk into town for something to eat and to see the advertised singer at the Irish pub. The poster has disappeared and no singer appears. We are almost the only people in the place. We have mussels and chips which is okay but nothing special.
It is very hot and the two men sweat buckets getting the heavy stuff up to the second floor. It takes several hours.
Most of the rest of the day is spent moving things about. Then we walk into town for something to eat and to see the advertised singer at the Irish pub. The poster has disappeared and no singer appears. We are almost the only people in the place. We have mussels and chips which is okay but nothing special.
18 Aug 2008 Monday Car hunt
Since offering to help me to buy a car and go shopping for a cheap fridge (to replace the revolting one in studio, Madame has remained in deep cover. So in the afternoon we set off to the shops in the hated Hyundi. We then pop in to the Renault dealer to start the quest for the French car.
VC comes to ask us if he can be of assistance. He speaks English. He lived in Aberdeen for a while, so he introduces Fucking into the conversation regularly. I could be easily shocked as I do not swear often myself.
Now when I go shopping for shoes, I get bored easily. It’s the same with cars.
I had decided that I would probably buy a Nissan Note, a Kia Ceed, or the favourite, a Citroen Berlingo. We found a Renault Modus, just over a year old, with about 23k kilometres on the clock. Leaving the Hyundi keys as collateral, we took it for a test drive spin. Lots of paperwork and a few fucks later, I was to be the proud owner of a Renault the following Wednesday. VC would pick us up at the train station after we had returned the hire car to P.
Just phone him from the station. What could possibly go wrong?
VC comes to ask us if he can be of assistance. He speaks English. He lived in Aberdeen for a while, so he introduces Fucking into the conversation regularly. I could be easily shocked as I do not swear often myself.
Now when I go shopping for shoes, I get bored easily. It’s the same with cars.
I had decided that I would probably buy a Nissan Note, a Kia Ceed, or the favourite, a Citroen Berlingo. We found a Renault Modus, just over a year old, with about 23k kilometres on the clock. Leaving the Hyundi keys as collateral, we took it for a test drive spin. Lots of paperwork and a few fucks later, I was to be the proud owner of a Renault the following Wednesday. VC would pick us up at the train station after we had returned the hire car to P.
Just phone him from the station. What could possibly go wrong?
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