Hello all. Time for the weekly update – although it feels strange to be blogging on a Wednesday. Our recent excursions have messed up timings somewhat. Ok, I suppose the first bit of news I’d like to mention is the Scottish referendum that took place last Thursday, the day after Chuck left us. As you all know already, to my immense relief, the people of Scotland voted to stay with the union. I am very sympathetic to Scotland’s plight: compared to the rest of the UK, and certainly to southern England, it is a very socialist country. Their views on Europe, immigration, the NHS and austerity mirror my own and I understand how painful it must have been for them to have voted overwhelmingly for Labour in the last election, only to be saddled with the Tories.
For me though, I found the proposal to be very regressive. I am passionately pro-Europe and believe all member countries should integrate further, not less. Mankind’s future, if we have one, is one of coming together, not adding new barriers and fanning nationalism. Even though the vote was close (55% / 45%), I am glad we’re still together. Also, as an entirely selfish aside, had they broken up the union, all of their MPs would have had to leave Westminster. There are 41 Scottish Labour MPs and just 1 Tory MP. Essentially, just as a yes vote would have freed the Scots from the Tories, it would have meant an eternity of Tory rule for the rest of us, a hell beyond words…
Right, on with the narrative! We both caught up on emails and work over the next couple of days. For Matt, things have finally slowed down and he has a well-earned breather after a very long run. Conversely for me, things have picked up and I’ve been frantically trying to get my current project (for a local building/renovations company) finished. After that, I have one to get on with for an equestrian association, and then one for my friend Nerissa, as soon as she gets the content to me.
I also had a meeting with an existing client last week: the French family that runs a chateau in the Charente. Since I started working for them, most of the staff involved have been fired or have quit so it is a very volatile setup they have. Luckily for me, I wasn’t summoned for the chop, but because they want some enhancements making to the site. I might farm this one out to Matt if he is amenable.
Friday was my Dad’s birthday (happy birthday Dad!) and was also a day of socialising for us. We invited Lee and Richard and Bryan and Carol over to dinner. Matt spoke to the former when Chuck was here for advice on visiting Cognac and they said they were free at the weekend. Bryan didnt come in the end as he’d been working on their house all week and was knackered. The boys and Carol all arrived around 7, just as a massive storm crashed over us and cancelled outdoor aperitifs. It soon passed, but cleared the air and since then, it’s been cooler and more seasonal here. Matt made a lovely meal of fig tart to start followed by a grilled chicken breast salad with homemade tortilla chips, and brownies for dessert.
Carol had had a root canal that morning and was also tired, so she left us around 11. As is often the case with us and the boys, time then ran away with us and it became a very drunken and late night. They boys finally left us around 1pm the next day, fortified by a fry-up beforehand. We took the rest of the weekend easy, apart from the gruelling task of moving last year’s wood delivery to the log shed. This took the 2 of us a couple hours but needed doing before the next delivery, due this Saturday. Sunday was also our anniversary – the 12th, can you believe! I’m hoping next year’s one does not involve so much manual labour.
That’s pretty much it for last week, I think. This week so far has mainly been about preparing for the arrival of our next set of guests. Faithful readers will remember our 2011 trip to Hong Kong and the Philippines to celebrate the marriage of Matt’s long-term friend, Paul to his now-wife Karmen. The generous couple bankrolled our flights and accommodation, an amazing act of generosity that I’m glad we can try to repay in some small way now by showing them our remote corner of France. They’ve just arrived in Paris, having flown the long way around to take in New York and Vancouver. They’ll return the other way, making this a round-the-world voyage for them. They get to Angouleme this afternoon and will no doubt be tired from their flight. We plan a quiet, rural week and then will take them to Bordeaux on Saturday before we part ways.
I had a new client meeting yesterday for another local association. This one actually came about from our DVD sales. One customer got to chatting to us when he came to collect his order and it turns out he is on the local council of the town of St Paul La Roche. This small commune was made famous by its gigantic “roche” or rock, which was alleged to have fallen from the sky in a meteorite and is made of the purest quartz ever known on earth. Well, I say “is”, but really, “was” would be more accurate. Due to the quality of the stone, it was used extensively in manufacturing: ground up for the Limousin porcelain, sold off to various international corporations, and was even used by Nasa to make the windows in their space shuttles. Unfortunately, as a result, all that remains now of the 60 metre rock is a large crater with a few small lumps of quartz dotted about the place. Anyway, the council has a budget to turn the site into a sort of tourist attraction, with geological gardens and the story of the now-missing edifice – and they want a website. I will send them off a quote today and see what transpires.
Right, that is all from me. I have a house to clean in readiness for the guests. A bientot.