Since we returned

Ste Clémence
Yesterday's weather: gorgeous but cold - today someone has decided to throw buckets of water all over the house

I don't want anyone to think we have been idle and sitting around waiting for the phone and internet to come back. We've been busy planning the loft conversion, looking at stair options, costing insulation, walls and floors. And being very worried about it all. So much so that we have had to indulge in some planning fluid to help it all along (see earlier post).




We've cleared multiple square metres of land outside, Jon especially has put in hours of work and what a difference it has made. It was almost worth getting tangled in those 20 ft long brambles!

I was going to take more photos but it's chucking it down outside and I don't want to get wet! Bad enough when a cat comes through the back door dripping rain and jumps straight on your lap!

It has been difficult for us to contact people (obviously) whilst the phone was out of action and so I'm now on a mission to find the pool people and get them to start work. They promised March but it is looking increasingly unlikely at this point, especially as the forecast is for rain for the next 10 days. I have sent a very polite e-mail this morning explaining my disappointment and how we are looking forward to seeing them very soon. I won't hold my breath though, especially with a holiday weekend coming up.

We're looking forward to a nice meal again tonight as we return to the hotel school with friends. This time we are going to have a Soirée Breton with lots of seafood and a filet mignon of pork. It sounds delicious. We may just drown on the way though!

It's good to talk

St Herbert
Yesterday's weather: fantastic sun - but a bit nippy!

Well, I expect you were all wondering where we had got to? We were too.

Picture the scene:

4 February 2008. White van appears on the lane. Man gets out, gets into a mini crane on the back, goes up in the air, plays around with phone line, descends, gets back in white van and disappears. We then notice that our phone connection has vanished.

Later, that same day, three attempts later I manage to get through to our phone supplier.

'Have you checked that the modem box is plugged into the wall?'

'Yes'

'Have you changed the filter?'

'Yes'

'Have you recently had a power cut or electrical storm?'

'No'

'You're sure that the box is connected to the electric supply?'

'Yes'

'And it's plugged into the phone socket via the filter?'

'Yes'

'OK, well, I can't think of anything else for now. We'll test your line and send you an SMS to your mobile phone'

Two days later on the mobile again.

'You haven't been in contact, what's going on with my phone?'

'Is the modem box plugged in to the electrical supply?'

And so we went through the whole process again and they promised to contact us.

Three days later.....

'Do you have any news about my phone?'

'Is the modem box plugged into the electrical supply?'

'Aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhh'

'We'll arrange for our contractor to come out and see you'

'I'm going away for two and a half weeks on Monday, it's now Saturday'

'Well in that case they will call you when you get back. I've tested the line and there's nothing wrong with it.'

Monday 11th February. We took the evening flight to London arriving late evening and making the connection via youngest daughter for the Hong Kong flight on Tuesday.

More on that in the days to come. We had a very nice time thank you.

Thursday 28 February. Back home, rested and relaxed (well, apart from jet lag and all the stress that goes with travelling for 24 hours).

Friday 29 February. Tried calling the home phone line from the mobile to see if I could reach our messages. Found a message from someone on the home phone line saying that they heard that our land line was broken and they were phoning (the broken line) to make an appointment to come out and mend it. I didn't catch his phone number but decided to wait until the next day when I had been promised a phone call to make the appointment.

Saturday 1 March. Waited for a phone call. Nothing happened so I phoned the phone supplier again.

'Oh, your phone line has been broken since 4 February'

'Yes'

'And it still doesn't work?'

'No'

'Has someone been in contact about coming to see you'

I lied, after all, if the phone was broken and they hadn't phoned the mobile then how was I to know that they had called at all? 'No'

'Please don't worry Mrs Smith, I will personally ensure that someone calls you and comes to sort out the problem as soon as possible. Please do not worry about it. We will repair your phone line as soon as possible.'

I felt reassured.

Stupid.

Monday 3 March pm.

'Hello. I haven't heard from your contractor yet?'

'I will contact them for you and make sure they call you to arrange an appointment as soon as possible.'

Tuesday 4 March pm.

'Can you please let me know when someone will come and fix my phone?'

'I'll just try and find out'

Rubbish 'hold' music for 5 minutes.

'I'm sorry, they can't tell me when it will be'

'Then if I haven't heard in 24 hours I will be cancelling my contract with you'

'That, Madame, is your choice. I completely understand how you feel'

Thursday 6 March am, France Telecom Agency in Cahors.

I am told that France Telecom would love to have our account back and it will be very easy just to transfer our number back again.

Just a minute, the telephone number you have given us doesn't exist.

'I can assure you that it does exist and we have had that telephone number for 10 years'

No, the telephone number does not exist. It has completely vanished from all telephone records. Where? Who knows?

Ah well, just to resolve this issue we will accept a new number. No problem, received new number, received France Telecom's 'Live Box' (yes, I know they can be flaky but I will try anything at this point to get a phone and the internet back). We'll have a mobile phone too while we are here. It comes with 5 Euros credit, I'll top it up tomorrow just so that we can be contactable in case of emergencies and can equally contact others.

The phone line will be connected in 10 - 14 days.

Tuesday 18 March. Mobile phone. Tried to call France Telecom technical assistance. Five minutes on the phone being told that it will cost me 34 cents per minute from a fixed line and other operators will charge accordingly. Waiting time, however is free from a fixed line. I'm on the mobile. Five minutes later, I can't get through.

Tried the main France Telecom line for reporting broken phone lines. Held on for 10 minutes was connected to an operator.

'Please hold for a moment'

Ten minutes later I was cut off.

Checked the credit on my mobile and was dismayed to find it had reduced by 15 Euros in the last day.

Gave up. Had a large glass of white wine with lunch and got on with other jobs.

Wednesday 19 March. Went to a friend's house to use their phone to call France Telecom technical assistance.

'Are you by the phone line, live box and computer?'

'No.'

'Then I can't help you. Please go home and call us again when you are in front of the computer'

Aaarrrrrggggghhhhhhh.

Twenty minutes later

'I'm in front of my computer and the live box. Please help me'

'Is the live box plugged into the electrical socket?'

'Yes'

'Have you connected all the other leads correctly?'

'Yes'

'I've tested the line and there is nothing wrong with it'

'Yes there is'

At this point the mobile phone cuts out. I have just spent another 15 Euros for 10 minutes on the phone and run out of credit.

I'm looking at the phone, dumbstruck, expecting it to suddenly turn into a pumpkin or a white mouse or something when it suddenly springs into life and rings.

'Hello again Madame Smith. I'm going to send an engineer out to you tomorrow morning to find out what is wrong with your phone'.

Hoo-bloody-ray!

This morning. 8.15. Mobile rings. Man is coming out to help me.

10am two men arrive. One wants to go up the pole and see what might be wrong but the other stops him saying that it is bound to be a problem in the house.

Takes phone socket apart. Tries various other tricks but to no avail. He goes to leave and says he will return. Fortunately he has left his tools behind so he will HAVE to come back.

He does.

'It's fine now. Yes. Look here, the ADSL light is lit and not flashing any more. Yes. The problem is solved.'

I wait for an explanation.

'Ah, yes, well, the wrong line had been connected in the exchange. Sorry. You won't be charged for the call out or the engineers' time.'

I should hope not.

Well, I can't stop and chat any more. I've got 353 e-mails to read.

Do I want to join an on-line casino?

Will I give someone all my bank details including my pin number please?

Do I want any Viagra?

A very wealthy man has just died in Nigeria and they want to share his money with me (co-incidentally he has the same surname as me). Yeah, right!

Boy, have I missed my e-mails.

It's good to be back.

Back from the east

Back today from two weeks in Hong Kong. Three hours in the UK enough time to check in for next flight and read some e-mails (and play with the grandson!).

Phone line in France should be fixed on 3 or 4 March and we've got tons to write about after that!

Just to let you all know that we are alive and well.

Our phone lines have collapsed and I'm writing this from the UK on a one-night stop over!

We have heard that the phone can't be fixed until early March - I'll fill you all in as soon as I can.

Meanwhile.

Enjoy the peace and quiet!

Where to start?

St Blaise

Orange.fr has been inconsiderate enough to stop putting the Saint's Day on their home page so now I have to go and look it up on the 'lovely' calendar I got in exchange for my donation to the local fire service! That's all very well for now but I will have to make sure I don't lose the calendar (I always manage it) before the end of the year!

We've been taking a bit of time to reflect on what is going to happen with the loft recently. There is a lot to consider. At the moment there is no insulation, there are no stairs and the floor is decidedly dodgy. Work on this area will take us many, many months. Starting with knocking a hole in the ceiling to give us access and getting someone in to quote us for a set of stairs. For us non-diy-ers it is going to be a very interesting time. We have to be careful to decide where the Velux windows will go before I put in the planning application. We'll have to treat all the woodwork for termites, woodworm and capricorn beetle before we start work. We will also have to decide on what sort of flooring to have up there.

My crystal ball tells me that we are in for an expensive time this year.

Silent Saturday #4

No Comment.
North Michigan, June 2006

Our anniversary

Ste Ella

Let me take you back to February 1st 2007. The Big Day had dawned.

Jon and I woke before the crack of dawn in a hotel near to our, now empty except for three cats, home. We had dinner the evening before with youngest daughter and her husband and had been very disappointed with the food and the service. We had selected this particular hotel as we'd had very good meals there in the past, we must have hit an off night and it was a sad last night as UK residents. Oh well, c'est la vie, as they say.

We gathered our belongings, crept out of the back door of the hotel and returned to our house to collect three cats and a couple of thermos flasks of hot water for the journey.

Cramped into our packed little car, with one cat box on my knee, we drove to our pre-arranged meeting point where Jon moved into my mother's car and the cat box was placed on the passenger seat of my own car.

As I climbed into the driver's seat I noticed a rather unpleasant smell and, thinking that one of the cats had had a bit of an accident, I tried to see which one and whether there was anything I could do to clean her up. I didn't find anything nasty so put it down to a cat with a nervous tummy!!! We carried on down to the Channel Tunnel.

The three cats were very well behaved and only shouted for ten minutes or so each time the car stopped and started up again.

At the Channel Tunnel I was stopped by UK Passport Control.

'Good morning, Madam. How many people in the car? Just one? And three cats. Where are you headed for?'

'France' I said.

'Where exactly?' he insisted, so I told him.

'And how long are you staying for?'

That was the best bit. 'For ever!' I said with a big smile.

He waved me through with a muttering 'Lucky you!' and I was pleased not to be bomb checked at the next point.

Arriving in France we didn't see a soul and we began to wonder whether the £400 or so pounds we had spent on getting the cats vaccinations, rabies jabs, blood tests, microchips and pet passports had been worth it. But even though no-one else wanted to know we were glad that we had taken every precaution.

The long journey south was uneventful until we noticed thick snow by the side of the autoroute just north of Limoges and on southwards.

It got dark. One of the cats decided that she'd had quite enough of this being cooped up, thank you. Worked out that if she pushed her nose against her basket enough times the zips would come apart and she could make a bid for freedom.

Well, as much freedom as the back of one small hatchback loaded with bags, cat boxes, litter trays, cat beds and bedding would allow her.

The first I realised was when looking in the rear view mirror I saw the silhouette of a large furry cat wandering past the back window.

I pulled on to the hard shoulder - one of those points where it is really narrow. Jon pulled in behind me in Mum's car but, sensibly stayed in the car. We both knew that if I opened my car door the cat would be out like a shot.

I managed to persuade her back into the basket and found a piece of something to tie the zips together. We were now only about 30 minutes from home.

On arrival we found a very cold, very dark house which we had expected and a white garden full of snow - we hadn't expected that.

The cats were freed from their boxes in the kitchen. Queued up to use the litter trays and then hid under the sofa, the sideboard, anything they could find. One of them had been sitting for 12 hours on the unfortunate accident she had had back in Surrey and was a rather disgusting mess. Very embarrassed, she began to clean herself up.

Guess what we did?

We opened a bottle of champagne. Mum cooked us a nice meal.

The first day of the rest of our lives was nearly over.

One year on was it worth it? Yes. Are we happy? Yes. Do we find enough to do with our time, what with not going to work and all that?

Are you kidding?