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French House Diary

10th August 1987

Don & Helen

10 August 1997

We arrived at Saint Elier Les Bois approximately 6:00 pm. Devastated to find restaurant was closed for the next two weeks (annual holiday), However, Martine and Daniel were about for a few days before heading down South. We were invited in for drinks before retiring to bed.

11 August 1997

Awoke at 7:00 am, we must do something about the church bells. Baker arrived 8:00 am and croissants for breakfast. Don began sugar soaping the right hand bedroom as you enter through the front door and plastered any large holes. I completed hammeriting the outside railings followed by sanding down the bedroom window. Don emulsioned bedroom walls and ceilings and interfered with my attempt to putty the windows. My hands were so dry that I absorbed the linseed oil in the in the putty and it began to crumble. After lunch I undercoated the windows. Don gave walls and ceilings a further coat of emulsion. We were introduced by Martin to an elderly couple called Susan and Louis who happened to live adjacent to our piece of land as you enter the village. They invited us to join them the next day for aperitives.

12 August 1997

Awake again at 7:00 am and we got straight on with some undercoating and glossing. Breakfast after 8am after the Baker had called. Washed and changed to meet with Susan and Louis for aperitifs. We were joined by Martin and Daniel which was fortunate as neither Susan or Louis spoke any English. We ended up having lunch with Martin and Daniel in Carrouges. On returning home we were taken to meet Jeff, an English guy who teaches French in a boarding school in Reading. Again further drinks and coffee. Jeff turned out to be very informative and helpful and offered to join us the next day to go into Carrouges to the bank to establish details regarding opening an account. We also met his neighbour who again invited for aperitifs the next day. We accepted their kind invitation and walked home as Daniel Martin had left us talking with Jeff one and a half hours previous. On return to the house Don completed glossing the windows and I colourwashed the walls yellow. Martin and Danielle could not understand why I was applying paint with a rag. More drinking with Martin and Danielle in the caravan.

13 August 1997

Usual start to the day, bells and Baker. I undercoated the architraves to the bedroom, Don polished part of the kitchen floor with an acid cleaner Martina kindly brough us, it looks good. We were to collect Jeff for 11:00 am which we did to go into the bank in Carrouges. We also paid bills in at the post office enjoyed an aperitif with Jeff's neighbour. We then went back to Carrouges for lunch where we met another English couple who invited us back to their house. Again we accepted and left their house near Ferte Mace at after more drinks and supper. We were to leave St Ellier Les Bois at 5:30 am the next day so as you can imagine we had a rush to clear up, put doors and windows back on their hinges before retiring to bed.