France

A couple of things we have noticed in France and perhaps someone knows why these are....
first of all , how can it be that at the local village markets a real, live, clucking, many-egg-laying-years-in-it chicken costs less than a cauliflower? That's insane.
Secondly we are surrounded by dairy farms and Fresian cows (and lots of other types of cows that i don;t know the names of) - and i really mean surrounded. Everywhere in Normandy seems dairy related. So why on earth is it you can't buy fresh milk? You can buy dairy in any long life way you like - yogurts, creme caramel (which is purchased in packs of 24 - urgh), custard etc but no chance on 2 litres of the fresh stuff. Where does it all go? it leaves your mind wondering....so out of the cow, into the lorry,off to the factory and turned into hideous kids desserts and UHT milk; sorry, not forgetting the vast amount that disappears off to be turned into cheese. Strange.

We did take the kids out for afternoon tea yesterday - to a trendy tea shop in a nearby marina town (Granville). www.picorette.fr. We tried not to blink when we saw the prices of a bowl of ice cream, or the surcharges for wanting 1)milk in my coffee  or 2) it decaffinated, and couldn't indulge Euan's desire for a chocolat chaud at £3.50. It is all about the experience after all and the kids spoke their basic French to the waiter and are now totally au fait with waving Au Revoir when we leave places.




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if you're having a nervous breakdown, have it in France

It has been a really long time since i posted anything - for good reason, there was nothing to say, no tenant to report and no leaving date. Then we found a tenant but i still didn't post as his signature was not on the dotted line. However he had parted with his deposit, visited the house 6 times and we thought it was a sure thing....so we left.
We left Perth last Saturday and had two rather liver pickling, but great, days in Northern England with our great friend. Then one night in a very good Premier Inn in Dover - good in all counts except pest control. We were all eaten alive by mosquitoes, something we hadn't expected for another couple of countries.
Anyway we are now at the gorgeous holiday cottage of the Brysons, and loving having beds, a bathroom, a cooker and internet access for the last time. We have a veritable mobile office set up and i am busy sorting out our various insurance policies (ran out of time for that at home!) and the last few details of the tenancy.

Catastrophe yesterday however - the tenant pulled out of the whole deal, at the 11th hour - he was supposed to be moving in on the 15th. We are shell shocked and gutted. So now we don;t know what is happening - without a tenant we might have to return to Perth. For now we will wait a few days in Normandy, Archie is due to get the cast off his broken arm on Monday (thanks to Adam and Wendy for making that appointment in French for us!) so we will stay till then at least. How stressful is this???? We have left home and now are totally up in the air again. Of course if you are going to have a nervous breakdown i do believe i am in one of the better spots - wine is cheap and good and plentiful ;)

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