Monday 20th October to Sunday 26th October
Author: Jack
I have no idea now (December 8th) what happened on Monday and Tuesday of this week. One thing is for sure though – time is going fast. I cannot believe we have been here eight months already. What’s worse I don’t feel like we have achieved a great deal. Probably because I’ve started playing tennis and reading magazines again! or maybe because it just takes so long to get anything done. I feel as if the majority of my time is spent on that very mundane of tasks, paperwork – certainly no end of it in France and with a vineyard to boot!
But maybe my weekly game of tennis is slowing me down! This week Beck had to come with me and occupy herself for the two hours, which amazingly she didn’t seem to find a problem, and even spent some time acting as ball girl for us. After lunch we had to go to La Vitaille to talk to someone who was planning on renting the house. We showed him round, discussed which rooms they would use etc. etc. He had previously put in an offer for the house that we had refused, as it was very low. However on second inspection he had decided that the house was indeed worth more and said that should our present purchasers drop out he would be prepared to increase his offer. Which reminds me of what occupied me partly at the beginning of the week, an offer for La Vitaille that we have accepted. At last - fingers crossed (and everything else at all humanly possible) we may actually reach the point of completion. Later that day Beck and I trundled off to St Foy for a doctor’s appointment. Whilst the reason for the visit is of little interest the doctor himself was! Definitely a mad professor type! On entering is office/surgery the first concern was did this man actually have a licence to practice? Somewhere in the office were some objects that looked vaguely like medical instruments but in the main what caught my eye, and my concern, was the huge pile of seemingly unopened letters precariously perched on the edge of his desk, saved from toppling over only by an assortment of books, magazines, pens and other assorted objects. And then there were the piles and piles and piles of books, both in the bookcases and outside them, on the floor, as well as heaps and heaps of journals. So…this was the man I had come to consult! At this point I was more than glad that Rebecca was with, as witness as much as anything else. There is a saying, ‘a cluttered desk is a sign of genius’ – this man must therefore have been THE genius! Not quite so as over a month later his cures have not quite worked, but at least we escaped unharmed!
On Thursday I turned my attention to the garden – I have been neglecting it. Time to work on the roses that line the drive. They have got to be the thorniest roses ever – probably good at coping with the heat of the summer but absolutely awful when it comes to maintenance. Neglect over the summer has resulted in some pretty tenacious weeds taking root over, under and around them – so it’s going to take me several days to get them back into reasonable shape. C’est la vie!
Friday was the first day of half term for Rebecca. Unfortunately for her I had an appointment at the notaires for the preparation of the sous-seign for La Vitaille. As of today (December 8th), all parties have signed the sous-seign, there are no clauses in the contract, which would give our buyers a get-out, and the deposit has been paid. So we wait for the due processes to take their course towards completion around the end of January.
And at last it is Saturday and Iain arrives for a weeks’ holiday, at last. As it is half term we have decided to have a few days away next week and to actually spend a whole week together. Will we be able to cope with this? Of course there is also a long list (Iain: V long list!) of jobs which need his special attention (OK there are some things I just cannot do! I don’t believe there is such a beast as superwoman myself).
Sunday we start winding down for a week off. We have been invited to
lunch by an English couple that own a vineyard near Bergerac. They have
been here for seven years now so are quite well established and are
more than willing to offer us advice and guidance. We had a lovely afternoon
with them.
