Well! We have been very busy bees indeed these last couple of days. We have had a bit of an ongoing nightmare with our internet connection since we arrived, which is now mostly sorted – but some rooms (including, of course, the one with the PC in it) have no wi-fi signal. We will have to look into a booster of some sort.
We have also been on a major hunt for a car. This has been my first real speaking test and I think I have done ok. I have certainly learned some new words. ‘Budget’ was a crucial one… We spent 2 days visiting all the garages and used-car salesmen we could find in the area and, as is so often the case with these things, we ended up today going back and buying the very first one we saw: a 5-yr old Toyota Corolla. We got on v. well with the merchant, who had a severe case of Gin Blossom and hairy ears, but was very kind. He was definitely the least cowboy-esque of the bunch.
Thanks to Sharon’s help, we have also got an appointment at the bank this Friday to get ourselves a French bank account. Didn’t think we’d be able to open one not being in employment, but fortunately, they don’t seem to give a toss – as long as we don’t expect too much by way of interest or anything fancy like that. Progress….
On the downside, the weather keeps dropping several degrees a day. It has also been oscillating between torrential rain and hail, interspersed with very occasional, glorious moments of sun and blue skies. Hopefully all this cold dampness is just a blip…Also on the downside, things seem to keep breaking on us. The speakers attached to the PC (which serves as our main stereo) died a couple days ago. Bizarrely, they came back to life the next day – but we aren’t planning on them being around for long. Today, we also found that our portable ipod stereo player is down to just one speaker, which is annoying as it was only a couple years old and really good bit of kit. Merde.
Oh yes: a big thanks to Glynn, Robert, David C & Roger for the gift of the sat-nav. It had its maiden voyage today, guiding us to all the garages. It is a real boon, despite having a criminally APPALLING French accent (and an occasional & hilarious blind spot when it comes to counting roundabout exits). Great to know that any wrong turns we take now are no longer my fault…
Finally, Iain Clarke, our ex-neighbour in Dalston, is looking set to be our first visitor. He is playing three classical concerts in Paris in mid November, so he and his boyfriend, Fab, are going to catch the train down here afterwards to spend a couple days with us. That is all for now folks.