27 Mai 2012
Let’s see….what did we do
in May? Well, there was Mother’s Day, of
course, and we celebrated with friends at Domaine l'Adrienne in
Coulobres, then there was a village
Fete in Alignan, dinner at The Tourbes Cave Cooperative, another Friend had a
birthday, there were Vide Greniers, brocante sales, cold weather for May,
random dinners with friends, a Ladies Lunch with my friend Jenny, and Jake finally walking off leash with me.
The lunch at the Domaine on
the 13th was very nice. It was held in the courtyard of the domaine
and was sheltered from the sun by leafy trees. A cooling breeze and perfect
weather made it a fabulous setting. Ken and Alison offered one of the best
meals we have had with them yet. It started with aperos, wine, champagne,
pastis and whiskey while everyone arrived and found their places. This is
largely an English speaking event as news has spread among the Brits and they
come in hoards. Probably 80 people in all. We had 12 at our table and another
table of our friends. The menu was Yogurt-Marinated and Grilled Lamb;
Two-Day Brined and Grilled Pork Chop; Slow-Roasted Salmon with Tamarind and
Ginger; Potatoes with Lavender and Rosemary; Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper
Strata; Haricots Verts with Harissa Vinaigrette, Dried Ham, and Spiced Almonds;
legumes du jour; served buffet style. This was followed with a choice of 6
desserts and the fromage course. Then coffee if you still had any room. Did I
mention all the rouge, blanc, or rose you could drink. (Peter kept them hopping
to keep our pichets full.) All this for €23 each.
On the 16th, we
had 18 of our friends over for aperos and then adjourned to the village Café de
Place in Alignan’s square for an evening of music and dancing. Richard and
Nadine, the bar owners, were pleased that we brought such a large crowd. They
served a great paella meal followed by dessert and coffee for €13. Did I mention
all the rouge, blanc, or rose you could drink. What was advertised as an
orchestra turned out to be a couple of vocalists singing to canned music. No
matter, the locals were first to start the dancing but were quickly followed by
our group. We danced until about 11 when we, “more mature” people started to go
home.
The 18th, the Cave Cooperative in Tourbes put on
a do that included aperos, entrees volonte followed by all the moule marinere
you could take. They showcased some of their wine but I don’t think they sold
much. We had 10 at our table and reacquainted ourselves with some of the locals
such as the current and prior mayors; the committee de fetes folks and some
artisans that we had met.
The 19th we had dinner with Robert and Dorothy
at an old convent near Beziers. The setting was great but the service lagged
even by French standards and was a little pricey at €28 for the meal. The wine was bouteille only and quite
expensive.
On the 22nd, Francoise celebrated her big
birthday at her home with Champagne aperos. I think there were only 14 as some
of our friends were out of town. We followed that with pizza at the Tourbes bar
on Wednesday and Friday aperos in Alignan
Oh! Wait!
What have we done on the Ruin!
Well, Jerry finished and hung the second set of Shutters, Hannie and
Bert hall was painted (sort of), all the iron was removed from the barn and the
rest of the debris was swept up and taken from the barn, the salon was sanded
and the painting has started, the trim boards were added to the door facings into
the bedrooms and they were painted as well as the entry to the bedrooms. Doors were painted and hung (with door knobs)
in the Master bathroom and brown chamber, and a friend and a professional were
consulted about the renovation of the barn to terrace.
The second set of Shutters
gave Jerry as much trouble as the first set.
There was measuring, gluing, and attaching the hardware ……. then there
was the muttering, vigorous use of the wood planer, cussing, more use of the
wood planer. Then he decided some cement
needed to be applied to one of the hinges on the exterior wall. That done we waited a day or so and then the
muttering, cussing and hammering began because the hinge was literally 1/8 of
an inch off some way or the other.
Finally, Jerry got the shutter to slip onto the hinge, and then he was
back to muttering, cussing and vigorous use of the wood planer. I think he also had to redo a set of hardware
on one of the shutters to make sure they fit together properly. Shutters are hard work!
A young man stopped by
asking if we had any iron he could haul off.
Jerry told him yes and proceeded to take him up to the barn …. It was
full of farm equipment, iron bars, and other items of iron that we hadn’t had
the time or energy to haul down the stairs, out the back of the garage and load
up to take to the dump. This young man
proceeded to dump the entire lot out the barn loft window and into the street
below! Cars just drove around the entire
mess until he went downstairs and loaded it up.
Then he was back upstairs throwing stuff out again! He also collected the bits and pieces that
were left over in the garage.
When Jerry asked him if he
was going to pay him a little something for the iron the fella said “Non”, then
he asked Jerry for a job painting. Jerry
negotiated the painting of what we call Hannie and Bert Hall and the sanding of
the salon. He finished the hall (sort
of) in one day and the sanding of the salon took two days. The hall will have to be sanded smooth in
some places and repainted and he didn’t do a good job up around the beams…that
will have to be redone, but at least when we look up the hallway we don’t see
dirt, ugly old wallpaper paste marks and 200 year old cob webs hanging from the
beams! At first glance it looks clean
and fresh painted. I can live with that
right now! LOL I think we made a good trade!
The entryway into each
bedroom was a problem area because the rubble walls were separating from the
trim. Some of the trim is plaster and
some is wood. We were told to MAP it
which I didn’t want to do because it is just like concrete and it is messy to
work with. Someone else said to put up
wall board, I didn’t want to do that because I didn’t want to hide the
wall. So, Jerry cut some trim boards and
attached them around the problem areas…Voila!
Ugly hidden and it looks very finished now. I painted the trim the same color as the
doors and trim in each bedroom and the wall portion of the entry is painted the
same color as the bedrooms. I must say
it is very colorful on that second landing!
LOL
The terrace space has
continued to be a brainteaser for Jerry. We had John and Wendy offer their
insights on Thursday as to how to arrange stairs from the ground level o the
terrace level. Good advice but it is still a problem. We have spent about a
week in removing the debris and accumulated dust up there. So far there have
been 4 trips to the decheterie with heavy bags of dirt and rock ….. about 500
pounds of fine dust and another 500 pounds of misc lumber and wood. Once we
could actually see the floor, we found more wood rot and floor boards that must
be replaced. A nagging question is whether to strip it all off and start new or
patch the rot and then resurface over the existing floor.
An architect’s assistant
came by and offered some ideas but I’m not sure any will work. He suggested
taking off the old boards but I am not as sure as the existing floor (after
repairing the rotted boards) is still quite serviceable. He also was concerned
that we get permission to have a terrace put in prior to spending any major
money. In France you must have
permission from Batiment du France to make any renovation to the outside of
your old house. If you don’t get
permission you can be fined or you can be forbidden to sell the property until
the house is put back to its original state.
Either one is a problem for the property owner. Paul Philippe said the powers that be do not like
to see the roof pierced so we may have a problem getting the ok for the terrace
even though our neighbors right next door to us, across the street directly in
front of us and cornerwise across the street from us have a totally opened
terrace. Their house is as old, or possibly older, than ours and they all “fall
within the shadow of the church”. Until
we figure out what we want to do we can’t even ask permission to do
anything! We will have to submit the
proper paperwork and some sort of drawing to show them the final look. At any rate, the terrace is still just an
idea in our mind. Hopefully, before long
it will become more than an idea. After a few days and a little more thinking it over and speaking with another architect and the mayor, Jerry decided how to tell them what we wanted to do. All the papers have been completed and turned into the Marie along with a computer generated plan for what it will look like "plus ou moins". Now we wait.....
Jean Louis came today to begin repairs on the roof. We have had a significent leak in the garage next to the back wall of the house and we have had a slight leak around the new stove top exhaust.
As with EVERYTHING else the roof repair did not go as planned. The exhaust was vented thru an old chimney......we thought we could just get the flashing redone, but....the chimney was "KAPUT"....those were Jean Louis' exact words! So, the chimney was demolished and a stove pipe and "chapeau" was installed. They had trouble demolishing the chimney because they didn't want all the debris to fall into the kitchen exhaust. However, the roof is repaired, no leaks anywhere and the little chimney stove pipe with it's "chapeau" looks great.
We also got two devis on the Facade renovation. Unfortunately, David's was high, so Jerry searched out another artisan who does only facade renovation. Reynald has done work in the village and it looks wonderful. He is extremely friendly (as they all are) and he is ready to get started the first part of July. According to Reynald it will take two weeks to strip off the old, repair and put on the new. Looks like my 4th of July party will have to be pushed to maybe Bastille Day, 16 July. Except for the War of 1812 the French and Americans have been Allies.....right?
I finally got the salon painted and cleaned up. All the furniture I have for up there (with the exception of the TV and computer desk) has been moved up. The bedrooms look a lot bigger without the extra furniture, but the salon looks smaller than I thought it would! Anyway, we have some arranging work to do in the salon as far as furniture goes, but at least it is clean and "finished". The little French doors are off right now because Jerry is preparing them for painting. Hopefully they will be installed in a couple of weeks and the threshold repaired as well. We also have pictures for the wall and a rug for the floor but until we are sure where the TV is going and after we are finished with the tramping in and out of the barn conversion the pictures and rug will just have to wait!
There was a big Queen's Jubilee celebrations and all I can say I hope the Queen had as much fun as we did! The first celebration was held at a friend's home in Tourbes. Jenny outdid herself with the refreshments...finger sandwiches, scones, fairy cakes and Pimms! Pimms is GOOD!
The first part of June we had a big Aperos night here at the Ruin. We invited our French neighbors and friends, English folks from the village we have met, our contractors and their wives and the friends who have had a hand in helping us so far. We wanted to thank them and let them see what all the fuss, noise, dust, and inconvenience was about. Thirty three people showed up. Everyone seemed to have a good time. In fact, one of our French Friends said, "Usually, aperos are a very short time at a person's home". I laughed and said "Welcome to one of my parties!"
Jerry decided the end of May we were going on Vacation ... to Germany. We had been to Germany before and enjoyed every moment. This trip we were going to see parts of the country we had never seen before. And to make it even more fun....we were going on the TRAIN! I love the train! We were gone 11 days and saw Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Weimar, Erfurt, Lepzig, Dresden, Berlin, Hannover and back to Dusseldorf. We traveled on a German Rail pass. you are allowed to use the trains as you wish for a set amount of days. We took advantage of this and had 3-4 hour stopovers in Frankfurt, Erfurt and Hannover. Jerry and I packed for summer weather and ended up buying sweatshirts. We had each taken only one pair of long pants and they were worn more than once I can tell you! Despite the weather we enjoyed seeing Germany in the throes of Euro Cup Frenzy. The closest thing we have in the States is maybe the World Series or Super Bowl playoffs. I don't think they rise to the Frenzy as the Euro Cup playoffs however. Anyway, when we returned to La Belle France the weather was a balmy 85 or so degrees and lots and lots of sunshine!!
We got back to Alignan to find correspondence from OFII (Office of French Immigration and Interrigation). We had an appointment the very next day! In France you have to have a medical exam and a "sticker" issued for your passport for you to remain in France and for your visa to be renewed. I was worried about passing their physical, what would they check for, how would we talk to the Doctors if they don't speak English and what happens if one or both of us fail the physical? Jerry and I made it to the OFII office well in advance of our 13:30 appointment.....only to be left standing in a darkened Foyer waiting for the OFII to open after lunch. I kept thinking to myself...Jerry's blood pressure is probably rising by the minute and so is mine. By 13:30 about 30 people made a mad dash for the stairs and elevator to reach the OFII first....we were about 10th in line when the dust settled. We were signed in and told to wait until we were called. As the others started coming and going I was thinking "they can't be doing a very thorough exam....nobody is gone more than 5 minutes". Finally it was my turn. The Doctor showed me into the exam room, told me to take off my shoes and she weighed me....in kilos of course. She asked me if that was about right and I told her I didn't have a clue cause... we use pounds and I couldn't make the conversion. She gave a typical French shrug and said she couldn't either. We then sat down and she pricked my finger for a drop of blood to check for "Blood Sugar". She immediately became alarmed by what she saw and I then got a little nervious ..... until she said very sternly "You have no sugar.....are you eating?" I then reminded her she had just weighed me and I asked her "what do you think". We both had a good laugh! She asked me a few more questions....any existing conditions, any medications..that sort of thing. She stood and said "Bon! Go back to the waiting room and wait for the other doctor". The other doctor called me in about 10 minutes later and told me I was about to get a "chest xray for my breath" and to "please strip to the waist and come back into the xray room." I was not offered a little paper cape like we get in the states. So I "brazenly" stripped to the waist, she made the xray and I apparently had breath and nothing else. I was told to dress and go back to the waiting room with my Xray in hand. After about 10 minutes Jerry and I were both called into the first Doctors office and she looked at the xrays and said we both were fine. She reprimanded Jerry about smoking, told him to stop, said were were now in the French system and if we needed medical care just go to the DR tell him we don't have much money and they will treat us! And that my friends was the extent of our medical exam. We were then led into what I would call "the administrator's office". There we were given our carte de Sejours and a paper that verified we had passed our medical exam. We were told to go back to the Sous Prefecture in Beziers and complete the process for renewing our Visa. The next day we were back to Beziers to give the paper we were issued and a copy of the carte de sejour to the Sous prefecture. Our dossiers were the top two on her desk..and when I say her desk looks worse than mine ever did when I was working....well, friends who know me are groaning at that visual. We were issued an visa extension and told we should get our renewed visa in about 6 weeks....well before the extension expires...She directed us to the front lobby and was telling us which line to get in when we came back for the visa...The Etranger line...then she laughed and said "Well, you two aren't strangers here anymore!" It is good to have a laugh with a French Government Official!
The facade man came today and I was awakened by the sound of scaffolding being put together. It took him and his one helper about 2 hours to set up the scaffolding. As he was leaving, he said "see you Lundi with my jackhammer" or something close to that! It will take about two weeks for the facade to be demolished then rebuilt but according to Reynald..."Il sera tres beau" when finished. All I can think about is the noise and dust! I know my neighbors will be pulling their hair out too..... even though the neighbor across the street gave Reynald a French shrug and "so, I will close my windows"! Hope closing MY windows helps keep the dust out of here!!
As with EVERYTHING else the roof repair did not go as planned. The exhaust was vented thru an old chimney......we thought we could just get the flashing redone, but....the chimney was "KAPUT"....those were Jean Louis' exact words! So, the chimney was demolished and a stove pipe and "chapeau" was installed. They had trouble demolishing the chimney because they didn't want all the debris to fall into the kitchen exhaust. However, the roof is repaired, no leaks anywhere and the little chimney stove pipe with it's "chapeau" looks great.
We also got two devis on the Facade renovation. Unfortunately, David's was high, so Jerry searched out another artisan who does only facade renovation. Reynald has done work in the village and it looks wonderful. He is extremely friendly (as they all are) and he is ready to get started the first part of July. According to Reynald it will take two weeks to strip off the old, repair and put on the new. Looks like my 4th of July party will have to be pushed to maybe Bastille Day, 16 July. Except for the War of 1812 the French and Americans have been Allies.....right?
 |
| looking from barn into house |
 |
| looking from house towards the barn |
 |
| Dorothy as the Queen |
There was a big Queen's Jubilee celebrations and all I can say I hope the Queen had as much fun as we did! The first celebration was held at a friend's home in Tourbes. Jenny outdid herself with the refreshments...finger sandwiches, scones, fairy cakes and Pimms! Pimms is GOOD! The first part of June we had a big Aperos night here at the Ruin. We invited our French neighbors and friends, English folks from the village we have met, our contractors and their wives and the friends who have had a hand in helping us so far. We wanted to thank them and let them see what all the fuss, noise, dust, and inconvenience was about. Thirty three people showed up. Everyone seemed to have a good time. In fact, one of our French Friends said, "Usually, aperos are a very short time at a person's home". I laughed and said "Welcome to one of my parties!"
Jerry decided the end of May we were going on Vacation ... to Germany. We had been to Germany before and enjoyed every moment. This trip we were going to see parts of the country we had never seen before. And to make it even more fun....we were going on the TRAIN! I love the train! We were gone 11 days and saw Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Weimar, Erfurt, Lepzig, Dresden, Berlin, Hannover and back to Dusseldorf. We traveled on a German Rail pass. you are allowed to use the trains as you wish for a set amount of days. We took advantage of this and had 3-4 hour stopovers in Frankfurt, Erfurt and Hannover. Jerry and I packed for summer weather and ended up buying sweatshirts. We had each taken only one pair of long pants and they were worn more than once I can tell you! Despite the weather we enjoyed seeing Germany in the throes of Euro Cup Frenzy. The closest thing we have in the States is maybe the World Series or Super Bowl playoffs. I don't think they rise to the Frenzy as the Euro Cup playoffs however. Anyway, when we returned to La Belle France the weather was a balmy 85 or so degrees and lots and lots of sunshine!!
We got back to Alignan to find correspondence from OFII (Office of French Immigration and Interrigation). We had an appointment the very next day! In France you have to have a medical exam and a "sticker" issued for your passport for you to remain in France and for your visa to be renewed. I was worried about passing their physical, what would they check for, how would we talk to the Doctors if they don't speak English and what happens if one or both of us fail the physical? Jerry and I made it to the OFII office well in advance of our 13:30 appointment.....only to be left standing in a darkened Foyer waiting for the OFII to open after lunch. I kept thinking to myself...Jerry's blood pressure is probably rising by the minute and so is mine. By 13:30 about 30 people made a mad dash for the stairs and elevator to reach the OFII first....we were about 10th in line when the dust settled. We were signed in and told to wait until we were called. As the others started coming and going I was thinking "they can't be doing a very thorough exam....nobody is gone more than 5 minutes". Finally it was my turn. The Doctor showed me into the exam room, told me to take off my shoes and she weighed me....in kilos of course. She asked me if that was about right and I told her I didn't have a clue cause... we use pounds and I couldn't make the conversion. She gave a typical French shrug and said she couldn't either. We then sat down and she pricked my finger for a drop of blood to check for "Blood Sugar". She immediately became alarmed by what she saw and I then got a little nervious ..... until she said very sternly "You have no sugar.....are you eating?" I then reminded her she had just weighed me and I asked her "what do you think". We both had a good laugh! She asked me a few more questions....any existing conditions, any medications..that sort of thing. She stood and said "Bon! Go back to the waiting room and wait for the other doctor". The other doctor called me in about 10 minutes later and told me I was about to get a "chest xray for my breath" and to "please strip to the waist and come back into the xray room." I was not offered a little paper cape like we get in the states. So I "brazenly" stripped to the waist, she made the xray and I apparently had breath and nothing else. I was told to dress and go back to the waiting room with my Xray in hand. After about 10 minutes Jerry and I were both called into the first Doctors office and she looked at the xrays and said we both were fine. She reprimanded Jerry about smoking, told him to stop, said were were now in the French system and if we needed medical care just go to the DR tell him we don't have much money and they will treat us! And that my friends was the extent of our medical exam. We were then led into what I would call "the administrator's office". There we were given our carte de Sejours and a paper that verified we had passed our medical exam. We were told to go back to the Sous Prefecture in Beziers and complete the process for renewing our Visa. The next day we were back to Beziers to give the paper we were issued and a copy of the carte de sejour to the Sous prefecture. Our dossiers were the top two on her desk..and when I say her desk looks worse than mine ever did when I was working....well, friends who know me are groaning at that visual. We were issued an visa extension and told we should get our renewed visa in about 6 weeks....well before the extension expires...She directed us to the front lobby and was telling us which line to get in when we came back for the visa...The Etranger line...then she laughed and said "Well, you two aren't strangers here anymore!" It is good to have a laugh with a French Government Official!
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| Reynald |
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| scaffolding up |
 |
| This puzzle piece goes here!! |
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| Jerry thinking Thank God I don't have to get up there!! |
