I
have just started writing a weekly ‘round-up’ of news for a local website here
and in doing so I am reminded that it is a while since I last updated this
blog. So here is a round-up of my
extremely local news...
Firstly,
the Carcassonne – East Midlands summer flights have begun, so now I am a
regular visitor doing the airport run.
On Wednesday the waitress in the airport restaurant brought me my
regular ‘Cafe Allongee’ before I had even ordered it! The airport is in the final throes of
renovation work which has been going on for 2 years now but it can only be an
improvement and will be nice when it is finished.
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Talking
of nice things when they are finished, we finally have a kitchen! It is such a luxury to be able to store food,
cook and wash-up in one room at last and it is so beautiful that I can almost
forget the fact that it has taken 10 weeks to get to this stage – in much the
same way that mothers can forget the pain of childbirth when they gaze into
their new baby’s eyes... The ‘cuisiniste’
has been conspicuous by his absence during these long weeks but finally dared
to show his face last week to present us with an oven glove, a bottle of wine
and an enormous bill.
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Having
left the dog to amuse herself in the garden while I went to the airport I was
dismayed when she ran to greet us and was absolutely soaking wet. She had somehow worked out how to turn the
hose on and had bitten so many holes through it that it had become a giant
sprinkler system and was now her new favourite toy. A trip to the DIY shop beckons to see if they
sell ‘dog-proof’ hoses.
Also
on the subject of the dog, now that the ‘summer season’ is starting we can no
longer take her to the more popular beach areas due to her obsession with
balls. Despite the fact that we take her
own tennis ball she is much more interested in all the footballs being kicked
around by the children and has disrupted many a happy family game. And I can only apologise to the poor
gentleman who was attempting to entertain the crowds on Place Mediterranee with
his juggling act. Although it was
entirely his fault for dropping so many balls, and despite the fact that I
think he earned more money by having a dog as part of his act, we can never
return.......
And
finally.... Perpignan Properties is no more.
I have been asked to join a local estate agency which by definition
means that I can no longer be considered an ‘independent property finder’ – so if
anybody is interested in taking it over, don’t hesitate to contact me! My new agency is called Beautiful South and I
think I was taken on as I am the only person who can pronounce the word ‘South’
properly! I will be the main liaison for
the English-speaking clients and have already spent days on viewings, long
hours trying to understand the database and even longer hours at the Prefecture
sorting out all the paperwork....
I
shall continue writing this blog – mainly because I hope it gives a real
flavour of the realities of living life in France for those who are thinking of
taking the plunge, but also because it is the easiest way of keeping in touch
with my friends!
