So, this is our new house, shown from the lake.
Alan and I went to the Peak District again this year, full of hope that the weather would be better than last year, when there was still snow on the ground in some places. I knew however, that the minute Alan and I stepped foot in the UK, the heatwave would break. Well, at least the weather was good most of the time.
The house above (name forgotten, yikes!), was just along from where we were staying, so we took Alan's parents along to see it.
We rented a cottage, which appeared to once have been a dairy. There are actually about three cottages here. Ours was quite nice inside, but the walk up from the gates at the bottom of this drive to our door, was somewhat taxing for Alan's mum.
This is the pond at the cottage, it came complete with ducks and geese. 
We tried to sit outside most evenings before it got too cool. I think we must have hidden the glasses in this photo! Sadly there was a road on the other side of the hedge, which was a bit noisy.
Pauline (Alan's sister) appears to be about to strangle her husband. We all know what THAT feeling is like! Pauline and Ian joined us part way through the week. They brought with them a great board game, which was all about recognising brands and brand packaging. We ended up playing until late one night, all of us joining in, including Alan's dad who was wearing his p.js! I doubt anyone could look as dapper as he did. The second time we played it, he begged us to start playing it a lot earlier.
Alan and I went to Chatsworth House one day, which is set on a beautiful estate. For my fellow BBC Pride & Prejudice fans (you know, the one where Darcy stripped off), some of it was filmed here. I tried to get Alan to parade around the grounds and then rip off his shirt Darcy style and throw himself into the lake, but even had he been willing, it was drained!
Inside the whole place glittered with gold. It was interesting however, to read some of the comments made by previous inhabitants, such as how cold it was there and in one of the bedrooms which boasted a toilet in a cupboard, how smelly it was (as the toilet was a direct access down to the sewers). Even the rich it appears, had to put up with a pong or two!
I have never seen a chandelier quite like this. I have to say, as you came upon it, it rather took your breath away. I doubt it would fit in any of my rooms, sadly. 
Over in France, it too had some glories just waiting to be discovered. Alan and I had passed the turning to this chateau many times, but had never ventured up it. Believe it or not, this is the owners WEEKEND home! It wasn't open to the public (except I think by prior arrangement), but for a few Euros, you could walk around the outside and view the gardens. It all felt a bit like faded glory, but oh to have such a thing as this for my weekends! This is in fact the second chateau to have stood here, the previous one having burned down. Now the estate produces wine, which according to Alan, was very fine indeed.
Our town of Sainte Foy was covered in flowers, they were spilling from window boxes, hanging from lamp posts and inserted into containers. It looked so pretty, especially when the sun was out. On the day I took this photo, Alan and I did a guided walk around town, which caught our interest about the town we live near. I was pleased that I could follow most of it in French, with a bit of prompting from Alan. My French is pretty lamentable these days, but Alan keeps reassuring me that it will come back easily enough when I live there. 
This year we were surprised to see how many fields were growing sunflowers. We have never seen so many before. This photo is taken looking towards the rear of where we live, though not in the immediate field behind us.
I picked up a leaflet in the tourist office about a wool mill, which also happened to sell items for wool felting, which I am interested in, so I persuaded Alan to make the long drive out to see it. Part way there I joked that maybe it would just be me and a couple of 5 year olds wondering around on the tour (well the leaflet did feature children on it, but I thought they just couldn't afford adult models!). When we got there, it was indeed just us and a family with their two little children, probably under 6!!! Still, to give him his due, Alan didn't laugh too much and actually enjoyed the tour, though I swear there was a rumble of never again!
It was actually fascinating as the guide explained the process to us. I think the kids were a little underwhelmed by it, especially when he produced paper, a glue stick and some swatches for them to complete after. I think it was a bit too much like school for them. Last I saw them, they were sitting on the floor reading a book and the parents were engrossed in the machines.
I was lucky that they had a resident artist, who gave me a quick run through of the felting process. She has some beautiful pieces of felt on display, which I think get used to make hats, slippers and such like. I also managed to buy a bundle of wool, which hadn't been put into packets yet so I just pulled off the amount of wool I wanted for each colour and she weighed it. 
Outside the mill, the grounds had been made into an eco garden. We followed a boardwalk around the area. Er, yes that is Alan with a couple of carrier bags of wool!
On another day we travelled up to Perigueux, where we haven't been since we holidayed there with friends nearly 20 years ago I suppose. It is dominated by the cathedral, which has quite a distinct look. As you can see, it was a beautiful clear day.
Inside the cathedral, which is very light.
I thought this was beautiful, and so wonderfully lit.
Once Alan went home to Bangkok, he was 'replaced' by my friends, who flew over from the UK. Louise finally made it to France, having previously lost two sets of tickets attempting to make it. We have known each other forever.
Jackie made her second visit over to see me. Jackie speaks French and loves France, so it was more a case of trying to stop her coming over. We used to work together and have exactly the same sense of humour.
I think it would be fair to say that in the few days we spent together, we sat up late, shared a few bottles of champagne and wine, ate copious amounts of whatever was to hand and laughed until we cried.
I have to say that sadly, as guests, they were less than nice to me, especially when I tried to download my emails for free at the local bar, by making them stand and examine the menu. After doing it twice in one afternoon and having to listen to my fake explanation about the place where we were standing as my emails struggled to download and send, they offered to just pay for me to download the emails. Hum, they never did quite get into the spirit of getting something for nothing.
I also promised to take Lou and Jack to see a chateau nearby. I am not sure exactly how many times I attempted this, but sadly I got sidetracked each time. I felt the thank you note I received from Jack was less than gracious, and I quote:
Thanks for driving us around & finding a 100 different ways to avoid the Chateau ! I definitely think you've mastered the art of loitering with intent or rather no intent of buying a drink at the wifi café !
Not fair. Well, maybe just a little bit. BUT it is a tad rich for your guests to complain that you didn't get them to a chosen destination, when one of the reasons was that you were BOTH singing so lustily and untunefully, into a hairbrush, whilst driving along the road, that the turning somehow got missed. Three times! That did actually happen. I had to pull over into a row of shops we were laughing so hard. I also seem to remember that the guest said "let's not bother with the chateau as I am having too much fun singing to the Pet Shop Boys"!!!
Lou also gave us plenty of amusement on her departure day. Both of them had flown out on the rather notorious budget airline Ryan Air, which is so strict, you handbag has to be inside whatever you are carrying on, If you have two items in your hands, one bit becomes luggage and you pay a huge fee. Lou declined my offer to weigh her luggage BEFORE getting to the airport, so when we reached there and realised her hand luggage was 2 kilos over, we needed some fancy footwork. Jack loitered near the check in to see how much weight people were getting away with, while Lou and I tried every combination to get her luggage to the correct weight. It ended up with Lou wearing the following clothes: a tee-shirt, a shirt, a thin sweatshirt, a small jacket, her jacket and a scarf wrapped round her neck. All this on what may have been the hottest day of her stay! AND her pockets were full! The poor girl was breaking out into sweats in the check in queue!
Oh yes, I can't forget when Jack and I strayed into a chocolate shop that also sold cakes. We were laughing about something in the window when we went in, which set the woman serving into conversation with us, in French of course. She gave us a chocolate each to taste and the next thing you know an HOUR plus had passed! During this time we discussed things about chocolate I didn't even want to know and could have barely understood in English (the amount of sorbitol used, why their chocolates don't get a bloom on them, how talented the chocolatier was, where the best chocolate was to be found, what its consistency was like), it went on and on. Just when we thought she was finished, we moved onto food. The horrified look on hers and the chocolate maker's faces when they found out that Jack was a vegetarian, had to be seen to be believed. Before long we were getting recipes for the best way to cook and eat foie gras. Well, I was getting the recipes, Jack was trying hard not to throw up or muster an army of animal liberators to raid the joint. We finally got out the door and stumbled, freezing cold (the shop was practically sub-zero because of the chocolates), to the end of the street, where we both literally started crying with laughter. We could not believe what had just happened. All we had wanted was a couple of lemon tarts!
Of course the other big story was the bat in our house. First Alan didn't believe that I had seen it (you know that look ladies, your husband/partner has that little smirk on his lips and a look that says 'she's been at the cooking sherry again'). Ha! Well didn't he have to eat humble pie when the bat was discovered on a staircase. To get him out we literally had to knock him to the floor (that bat clung on to the wall for dear life) and then using a bin, a magazine and a bit or wood, we managed to get him out of the house. Alan took him to the end of the garden and I leaned out a bedroom window to film the release. Er, if I was upstairs and Alan at the end of the garden, who was shutting the windows downstairs? Nobody it appears as the thing flew right back at the house again!
Alan found the bat the next evening. It had got back upstairs and into a carrier bag under a cupboard. Alan only found it because he moved the bag and heard it rustle. He was much more technical about the second removal, he just lobbed the bag and bat out the window and slammed it tight. Job done, hurrah! Now all we had to think about was not shutting any field mice into the house when I left.
On my final evening, after my friends had left, I sat with my feet up and the remains of a bottle of wine to watch television. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. Oh no, I had a mouse in the house! I banged and pushed the sofa but it wouldn't come out. I went back to watching tv, knowing that I had no recourse but to put down a trap. Our of the corner of my eye, I saw something move, well not so much move as hop and I swear its ears were sticking up above its head. I wondered if the drink had gone to my head. I set some traps and went to bed. In the morning, prior to my departure, the traps were empty.
By the time I told Alan this story, I have to admit I was somewhat skeptical myself about the hopping, big eared mouse and Alan just got that look back on his face again. Then yesterday, I downloaded my holiday snaps and what did I see?
Finally, a right proper travel log from you.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos, stories, and a chance to see your friends and family. From one who lives on the edge of the salt flats, all I can say is that it is an amazing way to spend an end of summer holiday! jt