 |
 |
 |
 |
Initiation To The Vendee
November 2001
I thought that I had better make another visit before the end of the year to 'winterise' the house so I took Jan's brother Mike with me who needed a holiday!!
We booked the usual ferry and went from November 1st to the 11th. The trip is becoming easier the more times you do it and it is in some respects like going home. The house was ok and just as we left it the last time. I had aquired some new 10 tog duvets because it looked like it was going to be colder. And it was. It actually snowed while we were there.
I started off doing some more electrical work and Mike concentrated on cutting the grass for the last time. It's looking good now, green too. Over the next few days he second coated the emulsion and gloss paint inside where it was needed.
I ceramic tiled the bathroom floor and sealed the lounge and study floors with a new type of coloured seal which brought them up lovely. I fitted the heater in the bedroom to keep the chill off and fitted some new worktop in the kitchen.
This done we set about clearing all of the rubbish in the barn and the brambles around the pig sheds. We were struggling with this when our neighbour the local farmer 'Rene' offered to help and brought over his tractor. This made short work of the trees and brambles. He deposited it all in the top field and we had a great big bonfire that stayed alight for three days.
|
|
|
|
We now had an almost empty barn and a level garden area in front of the pig sties. There were also chicken coops that we didn't know were there.
We took a day off and went to Pauzauges to see the Notaire and collect the house deeds but he had sent them in the post to England two days before!
The last job was to refit or replace all of the slipped roof tiles in an effort to keep the place dry until next year. They slip because there is nothing to stop them. I must think of a way ................