« 2007-09 | HomePage | 2007-11 »

10/23/2007

"Perfect week" cont

(The blog published itself before I had finished.) We invited Yves the pharmacist over to watch the rugby cup final ( he brought his glasses as our TV is only half the size of his ) I assume he was supporting the English but it didn't help as they lost but there was the disallowed try not given by the Australian official not a very happy evening then my sister telephones saying our mother is in hospital having had a stroke so after examining my passport realised it had expired so had to renew it which is a slow process but sent it by chronopost only costs 15€ to arrive the same or next day and if I telephone the embassy at Paris I should get it back by the end of the week

08:47 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: coat aillis, gite, holiday, comments

It should have been a perfect week

But first I had a small plumbing job to do in the farmhouse one of the radiators had a very slight leak I think someone had knocked the pipe. The system I put in was the plastic pipes you cut and glue which I had done about 5 years ago ( I wouldn't use it again you have to be very clean and clinical with each joint ) so I started on the Wednesday thinking it would be easily finished by the weekend when clients were expected and finished the job 2 hours before they arrived with the fourth attempt . The glue takes 6 hours to dry sufficiently to be put under pressure so its one try each day.
We

08:03 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

10/14/2007

Watching TV with a Frenchman

Yves the pharmacist at Plestin ( the Tim Henman lookalike ) has been asking me all week to watch the semi final match at his house as it was England v France so I gave in.He has a fantastic house as pharmacists are the richest people in the village as French are the leading pill poppers in Europe and the doctors over prescribe for their various treatments. But I have to say that Yves has done most of the interior work himself and his wife has very good taste so the house looks like its popped out of an interior design magazine ( it does help having a good income). The match was really tense ( he has one and half metre flat screen very nice ) and I'm a very irritating person watching rugby as I tend to twitch a lot ( mentally helping the lads with the rucks and mauls ) so I had to try control that aspect and also being generous would like the host to be happy , but he was so sad when they lost. I kept saying "desole pour toi ........." and he had a good stock of interesting English beer such as "speckled hen" "green giant" he deserved better. The perfidious English had done it again the Sunday market should be good fun this week.
Our car failed its "controle" last week the problem is that being a plastic car the rear door of the Espace sticks in hot weather and it was hot the day of the test so it has to be retested but they only retest the one item ( just 8€ ) so we wait for a cooler day and try it before.
Allez les Blancs

09:35 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: brittany, gite, holiday, coat aillis, comments

10/11/2007

October in Paris

The weekend seems to have passed in a blur mostly through lack of sleep ,we ( Peter and Me ) caught the morning train to Paris the TGV is a very civilised way of travelling quiet clean and punctual arriving there in just under 4 hours then a quick lunch at an Irish bar which had a large screen to watch the SA v Fiji match our eating was interrupted by a street busking accordion player demanding money so we said no we are not tourists and didn't like his music.He was a bit shocked but being Parisian ( thick skinned ) moved off muttering to himself.By the time the afternoon match had finished our Irish friends had arrived so it was a few more guinesses then off to Montepanasse to check i the at the hotel then off to Stade de France a very stylish and futuristic stadium with a very good view of the match but the toilets are rubbish as they are too small hence the long queues.The match was average compared to the previous 3 other ones but its a good experience to be there.Getting out of the stadium was quick and just a slow walk to the trains along with 76000 other people.The Montepanasse area is really interesting it has a lived in feel along with the sex shops and Bar /restaurants which Hemingway and Jean-Paul Satre frequented ( I mean the restaurants in their case ). Next morning it was breakfast at a coffee bar munching croissants watching Parisian rush to work at 9.30 am then Mark ( one of the Irish lads ) rang his secretary asking her to google directions to the airport as he was returning on Ryanair.The answer was it took at least 2 hours and with booking in he should have left an hour ago so it was a hasty goodbye and they were off ( he emailed the next day and they arrived 2 minutes before the gate shut ) We did a tourist thing visited Luxembourg gardens and then caught the returning TGV back to Plouret and next day taxied Peter to Brest airport to fly to Southampton.An exhausting but fun weekend.
We have a sister staying this week she has the English disease wanting a second house in France prices are still reasonable they should be able to get what they are looking for within cycling distance of Roscoff.

14:25 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: brittany, holiday, gite, coat aillis, comments

10/04/2007

A cry for help

Last week I was minding my own business just checking my emails when I heard an anguished voice " Paulien help "
I thought it was one of our nosey neighbours come to check out the apples in the orchard so didn't rush but it was Nadine wife of Francois the local farmer. She had been working in the field adjacent to us when she had dislocated her shoulder and was in considerable pain so I immediately took her back to the farm and then searched for her husband. I could hear a tractor but couldn't locate him , he probably leaves it running and goes and has a drink with a neighbour ( he does at our place ) So when I returned to the farm Nadine had got changed ( very important ) had her handbag loaded with the appropriate papers ,x-rays, written a note to Francois , left the car keys on the table with the mobile telephone all with one arm while the other was looking rather useless. I was surprised she didn't prepare the evening meal but I was very impressed . So we dashed into "urgence " at Lannion which took 15 minutes and she kept apologising for "dearranging" me as if I would let her drive in my herself. Its the second time its happened to her so she knew the procedure so I just dropped her off and went back to see Francois.He was at home time and had already spoken to his wife, I had to wind him up that he would have to do all the milking for the next month , they have 40 cows but he wasn't worried and poured me some "wine " from a screw top bottle which I found strange but after the first sip thought he had given me fruit juice but after examining the label saw that it was "sans alcohol". Which was a bit of a shock he must be going to AA then visiting the neighbours for the real thing.
This week has involved a lot of planning for travel arrangements as I 've had the opportunity for tickets for the QF for the rugby WC so its a taxi job for me to Brest to pick up Peter ,Saturday then Sunday TGV to Paris and meet up with a couple Irish mates who have adopted Argentine nationality for the weekend see the match at Stade France ,doss down somewhere for the night and return by TGV Monday. Life really tough some times .

08:50 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Brittany, gite, holiday, Coat Aillis, comments