Bonjour September......
Always my favourite time of year....White rabbits!
I've just ordered a nice pair of comfy slippers! Haha! I'm so old! Still, I do remember that most French homes have cold stone floors and therefore these are a necessary purchase. Amen!
T - 9 days and we are off back to France! It will be rather strange as this is the first house we've rented without actually viewing it! Exciting or just plain stupid? Don't answer that! Saying that, it will all be very familiar which is nice.
I do need to order some good books to read as I'm very aware 'His Majesty' will be back and forth and has other jobs to do, such as getting his parents belongings back to the Uk from Spain and our stuff from UK to France, which will take a few fully loaded trips. All this means it will be just me, the dogs, a bottle of wine and a good book for a few long weekends! Also, winter is verrrrrrry long and very quiet in La Belle France! Make your own entertainment or die of boredom!
Recommendations for books pease!
I'm really not being caught out this time and I'm packing smart! My English to French plugs have just arrived! Feeling smug! My list is endless but the room in the trailer isn't! Yes, yes of course there are lamps, cushions and throws to pack, its my USP lol! Also, the reality is that I don't have a clue what I need really because I've never set eyes on this house! The last tenant moved out a few weeks ago and I can only hope its clean and tidy?
I've managed to thwart 'Him in Doors' booking travel for a Sunday! I mean.....come on! France is shut on a Sunday (France is often shut but let's not go there) and if we needed a 'thing' in an emergency, it just would have to wait. So now we are arriving on Friday by lunch time which is much better. We can unpack, find the supermarket and then spend the weekend sorting it all out, patting ourselves on the back for a job well done whilst scoffing all the cheese! He's grabbing the lorry on the way down, so I will be able to chuck some garden furniture in for the win!
What to pack clothes wise?
It's still warm in the Deux Sevres, swinging between the late and early 20's with a little rain here and there. I'm also packing as much Gluten Free bread as humanly possible, because I cannot go back to the GF cardboard bread in the shops there. No thanks! The land of crusty bread and pastries clearly isn't the reason I am going, its just the wine folks! France isn't particularly Celiac friendly, but this is not a surprise really.
I'm looking forward to finding out just how much the cost of living and energy crisis has bitten in France as opposed to the Uk, which is frankly ridiculous! In the Uk, the energy Cap has a fatal flaw in that its no Cap at all, in fact it has a permanent hole in it!
I'm hoping to get Mum and Dad out to stay soon, as I've seen less of them here than I have in previous years in France. Meanwhile, Miss H is settling well into her uni house with a bit of help from my rather depleted purse. She's also gone and got a little job! I'm so bloody proud of her, I could burst! She has always had the perfect excuse 'not to work' as we were always abroad and also, she was in a boarding school in the middle of nowhere! Last year she found Uni really tough, especially with the constant attack of freshers flu. I just hope she manages to stay healthy this time. I just need to find a way to bribe her to take her drivers test! Picking my battles carefully don't worry!
Thanks to the rise in living costs, we won't be able to reduce her reliance on the bank of Mum and Dad, sadly. it is what it is. I'm really not sure there is any help for students but there should be! My girl is doing well and growing up fast, 21 in December, can't quite believe it! 3 more years of education and then we are running away!
The dogs are booked into the vets for vaccine updates and I'm sure Bertie Spaniel will remember how to gruff in French, he's lived in France on and off most of his lifeless bless him! Fizz is still very much a Canadian through and through lol!
Am I looking forward to going back? Yes, very much. I find Uk life quite stressful really. I'm also looking forward to catching up with various friends and getting back to crafting my candles! I have it in mind to get started as soon as I get back, but just for retail this time.
Hubby and I have bad necks at the moment and one of us is severely out of sorts (not me). I added a soft topper to our mattress to help my hip, hip is fine but we are more broken than ever! I feel like I've fallen out of a 5 story window on to tarmac! Seriously! Anyway, I've removed the topper and ordered special pillows and hope they help!
He is super cranky at the moment, mainly because he's trying to cram way too much into each day and me mentioning 'slow down' has only served to make him crankier! Oh well. This weekend, we will mainly be helping the big kids get moving with this house renovation of theirs. There has been a bit of a lull because of their work commitments, but as there's a good chance this house will be rented out soon, needs must. My Son is also leaving for Saudi in a couple of months to work on the NEOM project. we are so proud of him and of course he will be tying the knot at this time next year, which is very exciting!
His better half is super busy with her sustainable interior business, bless her, so it's all hands on deck this weekend. We need to lend them some furniture, until theirs arrives and hubby needs to help with fitting some lights! It very handy having an ex electrician in the family. Keeps his hands in I guess.
In other news, we've been trying to close down two old and useless bank accounts in France! I could cry! What a faff and don't forget banking in France is rarely free! French banking actually makes me both sad and frustrated, more so since Brexshit! Also, our accountant has buggered off for a month, not that he was available in August either, but it would seem he's not done our personal tax returns! He's done the business return and normally would also do the personal return at the same time, so lord only knows what's happened this time! I'm sure we will sort it out, but I do wonder what we are paying for sometimes?
Anyway, best get on! I'd love to go to the shops but he has taken the wheels off the Range! Don't ask!
Lots of love and Gumption
P.S. The new carpenter didn't start as expected and is scheduled for Monday>>>>>>>>>>remaining hopeful.
D x