Before I get to the exciting news, there’s an update on Uncle Dean. He’s been in hospital since his seizure last week, still agitated and somewhat confused. The docs blamed this on the medication and thought he was improving. However, he’s still leaking fluid so this morning, he’s back in for another operation to try to re-repair the hole in his brain membrane. Let’s hope they manage to do it right this time and the poor guy returns to full health very soon.
There’s only one other thing to report this week. Anne and Andrew came out on Wed do some house hunting. They had found three places that fit their budget, all within 20 mins from us. Will collected them from Limoges on Wed evening, and we had dinner when they arrived. Will suggested I try one of his mom’s veggie recipes which was Glamorgan Sausages which are made with cheddar cheese instead of meat. They were served with grilled courgette and carrots, and followed by cheese and leftover cherry chocolate cake for dessert. It was an early night because of the early start the next day.
Will was on chauffeur duty while I stayed home to do some work. Their first meeting was at 9:30 at St Pardoux although they were early and the agent didn’t turn up until nearly 10, so not a good start. The house was a bit outside of town and it was an immediate “no” based on the feel of the place, but also that it would require €20K to repair a falling down barn wall. The next meeting was in Nontron to see a house near St Saud and this turned out to be the one. It’s about 5 min from town, in a hamlet called La Chapelle Verlaine and consists of a 2-bed house, plus a large barn and garden. The house belonged to an old couple who died recently, and it’s still filled with all of their belongings, including lovely old furniture that’s included in the asking price. The house is habitable, but has basic electrics and is without plumbing. Both Anne and Andrew thought it was the one, but they still had one more place to see.
The Roberts came home for lunch and then headed out for their final appointment in a town called Nantheuil, about 5 min from Thiviers. This place turned out to be a no-go as well, so after returning home, they put in an offer at the asking price for the 2nd house which was accepted immediately. Because of the amount of work required, it will take some time raise the funds. This could be from Andrew selling his business, or if his parents’ place in Spain sells. In either case, it’s not going to happen immediately and that’s once the sale goes through in a few months. We’re all very excited about having Anne & Andrew join us out here. Although we’ve got some great friends here now, there’s nothing like having family close by.
I had a meeting for Milhac Loisirs and then went to conversation for the first time in a while, so I heard the news when I got home. We had celebratory espressotinis before dinner, where we introduced our guests to raclette. This is an electric broiler/grill that you put in the middle of the table and everyone makes their own food. The raclette itself is a semi-hard cheese, thickly cut and often made with pepper or herbs. You place it in a small pan under the heating element where it melts nicely, and then you eat it with boiled potatoes. We made them with various cured meats and we also had courgette and mushrooms that we cooked on the grill pan. The meal was a big hit, and we ended by finishing the small bit of cake that remained. We played some cards but didn’t stay up too late.
Will took his folks to the airport the next morning for their midday flight. It was a very short, but very successful visit. There isn’t much else to report from last week. I went swimming on Monday and discovered that it really bothers my back, so I’ll hold off until I see the back specialist in mid-Feb. We’re both fairly busy with work. I’m having problems with my computer so I spent a fair bit of time backing it up. I plan to get a new one when I go to the States at the end of next month. On that front, Will and I are both going back in June with a one-night stopover in Reykjavik. It’s sunny but cold here today, with the high temp around 1C, and will warm up slightly over the coming days.