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Before the poele |
After the poele |
Initiation To The Vendee
The winter
The next visit was February 2005. I was going to go later but had arranged to meet some friends who would be down there at that time so off I went. I was going to finish the ceiling in the last bedroom and hopefully locate and fit a 'poele a bois' - a woodburning stove - in the lounge to keep the place warm.
I arrived in the middle of February to a very cold hamlet so the poele-a-bois was a must. After setting-up after the 'hivernage'. Turning on the electric and water and checking for leaks I went shopping for the usual groceries but also to look for that elusive stove. Wendy and Richard my friends in Chinon had sent me a brochure for 'Godin' poele-a-bois and I had picked the one I wanted. The trouble was finding one or one like it. I had decided I wanted one that would fit in the existing fireplace with a rear flue connection and about 9kw rating. I tried all of the local builders merchants and bricolages and found big ones and small ones but not the ideal one. After a couple of days Wendy 'phoned to see how I was getting on and offered to look in her local Mr Bricolage for a stove for me as that is where she originally saw the one that she had fitted. Next day she 'phoned again to say that she could get the exact one I wanted the next day. She ordered it for me and I travelled to Chinon the next day.
I picked up my new stove in the afternoon and stayed with Wendy and Richard for the next couple of days. When I got back home on the sunday lunchtime I started hacking out the lintel on the existing fireplace so I could get the flue in. I had the whole thing working by tea time. It was warm at last. I had to get it finished as Rene and Jeanne my neighbours had invited me over for an aperitif at 7pm. I made a casserole and put it in the oven had a shower and went to Rene's. I was a bit late back after the aperitifs and the dinner was a bit overdone but I was happy, a little bit p-----d but the house was warm.
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Before the poele |
After the poele |
I asked Rene where I could get some wood for my new stove and he offered to get me some. It is measured in 'stere's' which is about a cubic metre. I noticed in town that someone was selling 'bois' for 40 euros a stere. Rene asked 30 euros so that was it. He delivered it next day. The temperature was dropping rapidly at night and I was glad of that 'poele'. One morning I woke up to snow - about 75 - 100 mm. How exciting!! The temperature was about minus 9 degrees.Brrrrrrr.
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A 'stere' of bois. |
It was actually colder than this |
Wendy and Richard came over to visit for a couple of days and they had to follow a snowplough over the high point of the 'Bocage'. That must have been exciting too. They had their two dogs with them who couldn't wait to sit by the poele and keep warm. When the snow thawed a bit we went for a day-out to see a friend who lives west of Lucon. We had lunch with him and took the dogs for a walk on the beach at l'Aiguillon-sur-mer. It was lovely but ever so cold.
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La niege |
After I fitted the shutters again. |
When I was on my own again I got on with the renovations, this time replacing the shutters I made too small last year and staining them darker. I still have some more to make but it is looking better all of the time and practical too.
Time seems to go so quickly when you are busy and soon it was March. I managed to get back to St Malo through the snowstorms and home again. Next time I must paint the barn and the pig sheds and find some furniture for the bedrooms.
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The summer
I had decided that I must get back in the nice weather so I could get some painting done. Some friends wanted to come down too so I thought I could give them some space in the house so I would sleep in the caravan again. I was taking 'Rosie' my dog too as she had the chip, jabs and passport and was ready to go. It was to be a month again from the third week in June to the third week in July so I would be home for my birthday. We were going on 'The Fast Cat' this time so Rosie wouldn't be on her own in the car on the ferry too long. It was an early start as the 'Cat' left Poole at 07.30am so we left home just before 4am. We stopped a couple of times on the way for Rosie to have a 'walk'. We had a 'dog' sticker applied to the windscreen, passports checked and loaded with the minimum of fuss except Rosie took a disliking to anyone with a reflective jacket - which meant all of the Brittany staff - and barked in my ear until I settled her down in the car on the deck and went to find my seat in the lounge. I was too worried about how Rosie was coping to have any breakfast so as soon as we arrived about 2½ hours later I was first back to the car. She was asleep on my seat and looked at me as if to say 'what are you hyped-up about?' We disembarked no problem and set-off into the Cherburg countryside. A few miles out I found a big picnic area so we stopped for a well earned walk and a big deep breath. We were in France at last. It took nearly six hours including comfort stops to get to our house which is double the time it takes from St Malo but the St Malo trip would be too long on the ferry for Rosie I think. The trip down was at one of the hottest times of the year and the temperature guage in the car showed the outside temperature to be 37 degrees celcius. It was still warm in the car even with the air-conditioning on!
It was good to get to the house, so after opening-up and turning on the services and 'phoning home we went for a long 'rondonee'. It had been an emotional day.
My friends were due for a week in three days time so I set about tidying and cleaning and moving the beds around and shopping the next day. I also had to connect-up the power supply to the caravan and get that ready for us. I set-up the mini-cooker and microwave in the barn for our dinners, and cut the grass what was left of it - there hadn't been any rain for ages so the grass was a memory from last year.
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Rosie outside the house |
My friends arrived on the thursday and immediately ate all of my food as it had been a long journey for them and a trip to the 'supermarche' was a trip too far. Some of the food was replaced the next day. I left them to it for a couple of days and Rosie and I went to Chinon to see Wendy and Richard and their dogs Millie and Pepper. We had a good time if very hot. We left the dogs in the house on saturday night and went into town where there was a gastronomic extravaganza. Lots of food stalls in the town centre and lots of tables to sit at. Lots of drinks all reasonably priced and everybody entertained by local bands. It was a nice break if not a bit hazardous trying to remember the way up the hill to the house afterwards. Hic!
We returned home on the Sunday as I wanted to be back in time for the'Tour de France' to sprint through our village on the Monday. During Sunday night the 'mere et pere' of thunderstorms lit up the sky and drenched everything for about an hour. It was exciting in the caravan and Rosie jumped up on my bed but wasn't too worried. Next morning there was no damage except for a leak through the upstairs bedroom ceiling which was only caused by a slipped tile. The race was excellent- 2 hours of waiting and because we were near to the start - 10 seconds of bikes and then all the support vehicles. Good job I didn't blink!
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The 'Tour de France' through the village. 4th July 2005 |
After a week when the first group had gone home my friend Claire from French lessons and her husband Phil came for a few days. Their first job was to trim the fastly growing Laylandii? in the garden, that took all afternoon. They brought their dogs too so Tikka and Midge played with Rosie in the garden while we downed a few beers.
When Claire and Phil moved on to Chinon to see Wendy and Richard I got on with the rest of the work that needed doing. I finished making and fitting the downstairs shutters and gave the big barn a coat of paint. I cut down some doors and fitted them to the pig sheds so I can use them for storage and empty some of the barn.
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After the last shutters were fitted. |
The painted barn |
Suddenly it was nearly time to go back to England. I had already made an appointment for Rosie at the local Vets as animals need a once-over before they can get back into the UK. We duly turned up at the Vets on time much to Rosie's disgust - although it was another country the smells must be the same. She had her injection and tick treatment and the bill was 49 euros. We then had to present her at Cherbourg teminal exactly between 24 and 48 hours after her treatment., either side and she wouldn't be able to travel. I cleaned and swept everything again packed-up the car made Rosie comfortable, locked up and set off on our six hour journey to Cherbourg. It passed quickly and apart from a hiccup with Rosie's passport at the terminal returned home again after another adventure for both of us.
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The Rally
The next visit was only a flying one as I had arranged to do a car rally in the Charente with an old pal Ray who I used to rally with many years ago. He also has a house in the Vendee, south of Lucon, so we have another common interest. We were driving his 1972 MGB roadster as all the cars in the 'Rallye Charente International' have to be over 30 years old. The event is attached to the 'Circuit des Ramparts' in Angouleme where old racing cars drive drive at breakneck speeds around the old town one day a year and have done since the first event in 1939. It is a really good spectacle and a must for Francophile petrolheads.
We were staying at my house either side of the event weekend. We drove to Angouleme on the friday morning and met up with Wendy and Richard who were doing the event in their MGB GT. We signed-on and had lunch where we met some other pals from other rallies.
The saturday run started in a cold Geant supermarket car park at 8am. Breakfast was free. We were flagged off of the ramp at about 9.30. It was to be a simple 200km run half in the morning and half in the afternoon through the wonderful Charente countryside. There were probably up to 200 cars doing it and as all things French there were cars all over the place with no semblance of order. However everybody turned up at the airfield at Cognac for a lunch that lasted longer then the rally. Afterwards the police were in evidence breathalising all of the drivers in case they had got carried away with the free lunchtime wine. We finished at the 'Place Victor Hugo' in Angouleme and again were given a drink of Pinot and then repaired back to our hotel for a lie down!!
The evening meal was in Les Halles in the old town which consisted of a free-for-all buffet with lovely food but a bit of a crush.
Overall a good time was had by all.
Sunday's race day was excellent and the sun was hot. There were races for Bugattis, Frazer-Nashs, mixed sports cars and Porsches. Not a thing you can do every year but a good experience.
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Somewhere around Cognac |
We stayed at my house for another couple of days then caught the St Malo ferry back home. About 1000 miles of driving and a little tired.
A bientot
