Back on the road

We’ve had a great 10 days at our first house sit in Trémolat and are hopeful that the remaining 4 sits will be as equally relaxing. It didn’t take us long to get back to the TV dinner on our laps watching Xfactor, Emerdale and Hollyoaks lol.

We did have a bit of a disaster to deal with at the house sit. We went to check on the gite after the guests had left to find water pouring down the stairs and the bathroom and bedroom flooded. We spent a couple of hours cleaning up, finding the leak, turning off the water then informing our hosts who had guests arriving in a few days time, oops.

Whilst we were house-sitting we spent the evening with Mike & Sharon Bonsall (Bonsalls on the Road), fellow Guerns, who sold up in Guernsey and have been travelling full time since March. It was great swapping hints, tips and the best places to visit. We had a great night with them and we wish them the best of luck and hope to bump into them again before we get home.

We met friends of our hosts, Mino and Paula who moved to France 13 years ago, we spent a lovely afternoon with them at their beautiful home and will definitely be popping by to see them again.

We managed to get all our internet business sorted, flights to Australia and Gatwick, Eugene booked on the boat for February and the most important of all I’ve booked the hairdressers for a day of pampering.

Monday 17 September

By the time we had said our goodbyes it was nearly lunchtime when we hit the road. It was great to back with Eugene and we set on our way north.

We’re heading up to St Malo over the next few days, we’ve got a couple of people interested in buying Eugene and we’ve agreed to meet them in and around St Malo over the weekend so they can have a good poke around and see if he fits the bill for what they want. If we sell him that’s great but if we’ve still got him by the time we get home it’s no big deal, we can sell him when we get back from Australia.

Our first stop of the day is the beautiful village of Brantome. We’ve been here lots of times and been kayaking a few times on the beautiful river. We parked up on the Aire which is 7.20 euros for 24 hours and 2 minutes walk to the center. It’s really hot today with the temperature around 31 degrees with very little breeze.

We walked into the village however being Monday nearly everything was closed and unfortunately for us the canoe & kayaking hire place is now closed for the season.

Tuesday 18 – Friday 20 September

As we head further north autumn is showing its face and it’s a bit of a shock. We are both trying to stay in our shorts, t-shirts and flip flops for as long as possible, but I’m not sure we’re going to make it all the way to St Malo without getting the woolly socks and jumpers out.

We’ve woken up to a couple of grey and drizzly days with the temperature down to a chilly 16 degrees, but we’re trying to hold out. The nights are starting to draw-in and it’s getting colder during the night we’ve had to put an extra blanket on the bed and we’re not getting out of bed much before 9am, 10am or even 11am some days, oh what a life we lead!

We’ve also got a confession to make, we’ve been a little side tracked this week, we’ve been viewing property to buy, oh yes, WHAT! we hear you say. This past week we’ve viewed two properties that are well within our budget, not our travelling budget lol. One property in particular being in the Vendee area of France which is a beautiful part of France. 3 bedrooms, big swimming pool, massive barn crying out to be converted into gites or a beautiful home, outbuildings and 4 acres of land, all for under £100,000, absolute bargain.

We came away from the viewing giddy with excitement, it had so much potential and the barn was everything that Keith had dreamed of. We could really do something with this and eventually make some money by turning the barn into gites, great, fantastic, we are so excited, we’re going to buy a house, make a business and have a new way of life, love it.

A few hours later reality hit home, hang on, how would we make a living when all our money is tied up in the property how would we restore the barn. I know, I’ll go back to work in Guernsey and Keith can stay here and sort out the building works and I’ll send him beer money every now and then, yes that’s it that’s what we’ll do.

Actually no this just wouldn’t work. Okay let’s just buy a house and swimming pool, cheaper and easier to manage, but in reality when would we come here, our main holidays will be to Australia so the house would sit empty for most of the year and would we really be happy settling in one place again, apart from Guernsey, probably not. After a giddy week we’ve now put this idea firmly to bed. We are not buying a house in France are we Keith?

Our job today is to buy Keith some new trainers, his toes are poking out the holes in the fabric and he looks like a tramp and we need to get to the supermarket for our big monthly shop.

We spend 21km travelling behind a pig transportation lorry which absolutely stank and there was no way we could over take, it was rotten.

It’s lovely being in France at this time of the year hardly anyone around no-one photobombing our photos, but the down side is everything is starting to close down. We’ve been to a couple of places to find they are only open one day a week which happens not to be day we want to visit, we couldn’t even buy an ice cream because they’d turned the fridge off in the shop, but a least we’re saving some money.

We’ve got a new box set to watch ‘the Walking Dead’ and some days we feel we might be part of the series, minus the zombies obviously, we’ll most of the time lol.

Friday to Monday 24th September

We arrived in Dinan on Friday and managed to park under the beautiful bridge. It’s really cold 11 degrees up this end of France, jeans, jacket and a scarf on today. It’s drizzling a little but we walk up-to the town and have a beer. We have a nice meal along the river later in the evening although Keith’s beef burger and chips didn’t look like any burger and chips he’d had before. I had the house moules, and stank of garlic for the next week.

On Saturday we drove up-to St Malo to meet Andy and Celia from Jersey who had braved the stormy weather and traveled on Condor for a day visit to have a look around Eugene. Although they liked what they saw they’re not yet in a position to make us an offer.

On Saturday night we found a free Aire in a very small village with nothing open but something was somewhere as we spent very long night listening to music coming from somewhere.

We woke up on Sunday morning to rain, so decided we wouldn’t have a shower until later in the day. We went for a 6 mile round trip walk to Dinan, then spent an hour in the supermarket carpark waiting for the washing.

Because we were ‘going out’ we made sure we had a shower before heading off to visit Dennis and Jenny for Sunday roast along with Steve and Jan. it was great chatting and catching up with what’s been going on at home and we had a really great evening. Dennis and Jenny were perfect hosts they even let us stay the night. The room and the bed were like being in the Sofitel, I had to remind myself I was in their home so that I didn’t clear the room of all the toiletries lol. Jenny then opened up her store cupboard to us, but we had to stop when she wanted to give us the contents of the store cupboard and bathroom lol. But we have 4 meals, thanks Dennis and Jenny lol.

Monday we again went to the Madeline to meet my cousins Monica and Phil who were staying in St Malo for the weekend. Again great to catch up.

We’re heading back down to the Dordogne we’ve got another sit there starting the 4 October, the weather is improving as we head further south which is great, the extra blankets have been put away and our shorts and t-shirts are back on, fantastic.

Tuesday 25 – Sunday 30 September

We’ve stayed in some great villages this week, all free with free services and one had free electricity bargain. Most of the time the nights have bed. Really quiet apart from the owls. It’s lovely to hear the owls, but screeching above us most of the night is not on.

We’ve been for a couple of bike rides ‘this week. One ride was 24km obviously it stared off as a 14km ride and we lost the signs and ended up miles away, but it’s exercise and we’ve nothing else to do. Another ride was more challenging than our usual flat ride with lots of hills, but it was a great ride.

We stopped along the way and collected a basket full of lovely chestnuts.

Next morning I went into the garage and my basket of lovely chestnuts was crawling with big fat white maggots eekkkkk.

Friday night we spent in the village of L’hospital which is the village at the top of the Rocamadour valley over looking the medieval town of Rocamadour. We set our alarms at 7.30 am so we find a spot at the top of the valley to watch 30 hot air balloons launch over the town. For once we actually got up before the party started and so glad we did. A little after 8am the sky started to fill with beautiful balloons, it was amazing.

Bells Palsy 9 months update

It was 9 months on the 23rd that I’ve had Bells Palsy and my recovery continues slowly. People that don’t know me can’t see anything wrong I look almost normal to them. But for me there is still a way to go. I now have what is called synkinesis (involuntary movement of muscles at the same time as deliberate movement, e.g my mouth moves when I close my eye), which is very annoying and I have crocodile tears when I’m eating especially steak or apples. From the research this is expected and eventually will settle down.

I am doing some very strange facial and neck exercises in the attempt to stretch the neck and face muscles. I need to stretch my eyelid because it is slower to close than my right, stretch my lips because I still can’t make the ‘O’ movement with my lips 😮blow, whistle or suck, and if I’m doing a lot of talking my facial muscles get tired and then I can’t pronounce my words properly or I start dribbling out the corner of my mouth. My left side of my face feels like I’ve got a tight face pack on, that’s what it feels like. Two positives I can now wear my contact lenses all day without to much trouble, and I have the tiniest flare in my left nostril if I really concentrate.

I continue to be positive if a little impatient at the tiny improvements, I will get there.

Thanks to all of you for followings to those of you who take the time to read our never ending journey.

A la Perchoine

Shirena & Keith

Xxxx