Jan

31

A Week in Provence - Winter [15]

Filed Under Live 

Just as we were congratulating ourselves that we had survived winter and the daffodil buds were starting to peep out from their hibernation - down came the snow again.

We awoke on Wednesday morning to that calm eerieness which signifies - le neige (the snow). Not a huge dump but enough to bring back the dreaded black ice and make things difficult for walking and driving.

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We had expected a quiet week.

Erica went back to the US on Monday and we had anticipated packing up and cruising through to departure for South Africa.

No, not to be.

We had a suprise - but welcome - visit from Jean-Pierre and Genevieve to do business with their house, a luncheon along with Alma and Charlie and then managed to have the VW Touran serviced in French for the first time. All good, managed.

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[The new pots have been placed in position and now await calmer and warmer weather for contents]

We have had some of our furniture colour washed in Provencal style to fit in with the two houses and have found Roland and Corinne in Bonnieux who do a superb job:

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[Regency furniture from Ronald Scott (remember them?), now a la provencal]

Robi and Daviiiid Duncan took us for lunch to a great little restaurant in the non-descript hamlet of Le Chene. Situated in the old school, the restaurant Le Petit Ecole, seats only 20 and is one of the old classrooms. You sit as school tables and the walls are adorned with old maps showing France’s colonies in Africa over the past 300 years. Fascinating stuff and the food’s good to!

Then a call from Jose, the builder. We had briefed him for a quote to finish off the rear of the pool house with a kitchen, toilet and much needed storage. Other odd jobs were thrown into the quote as well as a wood storage shelter in the car park.

Jose phones. “I need a meeting at 11h00 on Saturday”. He brings Julian as his interpreter. “I’m starting on Monday”, he says. “Jose”, we tell him, “we are leaving on Monday”.

“We start Monday, we send photographs” is the reply we receive. That’s it, building recommences on Monday!

This started a frantic round of salvage and stone processing yards as we had to find and arrange a stone basin, the fittings etc. Deposits are paid and off we go again.

In the midst of this we have waved farewell to Sara, welcomed Sara and Paul’s new home owners Casey and Jen and were invited to lunch with Alma and Charlie at the Cafe Veranda in Menerbes (superb as usual). And, we have been adopted by the village Golden Retriever. We do not know his name or who he belongs to but he now follows us and barks to be let in to the house:

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[Beautiful boy - he only speaks French, though]

Whew! Monday is Marignane Airport, Gatwick, Heathrow and then Cape Town for the month.

Au bientot. Lovonne and Simon xx

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