Xmas at Bas Etang

This is our contribution to the festivities.

Frosted spiders' webs

The temperatures have been steadily dropping in Lavausseau. Just look at these webs that are accentuated by the frost.

Leo is watching you!

 

Bas Etang 2

The flooding is slowly encroaching the lawn, but is still a foot below the bridge. 

Winter rains pour down

The river "La Boivre" that runs through our gardens has risen by another foot overnight. We have not suffered any flooding yet, but are keeping a close watch on the levels. 

Dining at the Heendeniyas'

 

We had dinner recently at the Heendeniyas' house in Boussais, Deux Sevres. This shows how welcoming they made their room for the dinner. 

Alex visits Bas Etang

 

Alexander came for an extended weekend to visit his parents, Mimi and Tony, prior to flying off to Egypt on holiday with his family. Alex is starting a new job shortly with Johnson & Johnson. 

MG TF news

The work on the car has only just begun, and I've been told that it will cost 1,250 Euros. Seeing that I'm only driving a few hundred miles each month in it, I'm annoyed that it is costing so much. C'est la vie! It is due for completion in a week's time.

Up in smoke

 

We created a huge bonfire by gathering all the fallen branches, sweepings of leaves, and cuttings from pruning in Thomas's Field. Today we had a big bonfire, in lieu of celebrating Guy Fawkes. 

Bas Etang 2 in Autumn

 

The trees are beginning to turn a beautiful colour. The weather is still very mild, so the leaves are firmly attached to the branches. No doubt they will be falling down very soon, once the frost begins to take hold. 

Autumn is delayed

 

Here is a very healthy looking montage of flowers that are blooming right now at Bas Etang. 

Lounge ceiling repair

 

A constant problem with our house has been the leaking ceiling in the lounge. The roof has corrugated sheeting, covered by tiles. The problem is probably caused by the fact that the roof line is almost flat, and capillary action and cracks combine to allow the leaks to occur. So we are now having the sheets raised, and a sealing compound injected underneath. Hopefully, this will cure the problem. 

Flashing, but not as you know it!

 

Another casualty of the recent storms was our bedroom ceiling, which began to show damp patches. The culprit was the roof line that had no lead flashing. So, our local builder swung into action to cure the problem. 

The house has got a hat on

 

A few weeks ago it rained heavily, and water poured down our chimney, and onto the dining room floor. Thank goodness the floor was tiled and not carpetted. So we've had this new cover put onto the chimney to forestall a repeat performance. 

MG TF in repose

 I have only driven 32,000 miles so far, but it is needing some TLC lately. It has to have a new head gasket, accompanied by a bout of skimming. I understand it is going to take 6 hours to manage this process, with the skimming done at a specialist shop, so I am expecting quite a hefty bill. 

Carcassonne

 These battlements stretch all the way round Carcassonne, which we visited a week or so ago. Apparently, the town has only had two hostile attacks, both of which were successfully repulsed in the 15th century. Now, it mostly contains gift shops and bars, cafes and restaurants for tourists. 

Busking with a difference

Not quite what her parents had in mind for a career, no doubt. This was a scene in Madrid.

Majestic Madrid

This is the Bank of Spain. The barriers in front were in position for the Tour of Spain cycle race that was finishing that day. With buildings like this one, I think Madrid is far superior to London in terms of architecture.

La Sagrada Familia

We were in Spain recently to attend a wedding in Madrid. While there we also visited an Aunt in Moraira, near Alicante, and Barcelona. The reunion with the Aunt was the first in 43 years, and was a delight in such a beautiful setting. She has a villa with a swimming pool, and the clear blue sky and 30 degree temperatures enticed us into the water. In Barcelona, where we stayed for a couple of days, we visited the Gaudi marvel - La Sagrada Familia. As can be seen in the attached photo, the design and workmanship is breathtaking. Though started 100 years ago, it is still a work in progress.

Frog

While I'm on the subject of animals, here is another little chap I came across here. A real poser, don't you think?

Butterfly

This butterfly was found in Thomas Field. Prizes to anyone who knows its name.

Ken Tipton after 53 years

I last saw Ken 53 years ago when we both lived in King's Langley, Hertfordshire. We reestablished contact this year for the first time since then, and Ken and his wife Gillian visited Bas Etang on their way to Italy on vacation. It was great to see Ken again, and we look forward to many more visits. I challenge anyone else reading this to have a story that can beat this for a reunion after such a long time.

Bas Etang

Tony has presented us with this drawing of our house, which we think is quite magnificent.

Fete at Lavausseau

The annual fete was held today, with many stalls and traditional dancing to entertain us all.

The Dormouse is back

Well, not the same one that was reported in this blog last year. On Tony's return from the wedding he found this dormouse in his office. It had chewed numerous papers, and found and devoured all the biscuits there.

The marriage of Ann & Sebastian

Our son Sebastian married Ann on the 27th August. Here is a picture of them, with another of their son Leo, in the arms of Amanda.

A trim Laurel hedge

Jason kindly volunteered to trim the Laurel hedge while he was here. We had to buy a special scaffold to work from, and the one we chose (105 Euros from Castorama) was perfect. I already had a Stihl hedge trimmer, so we were fully equipped. The job took all day, and was back-breaking work for Jason. All credit to him, as he worked non-stop, and completed an excellent job. The red scaffold that can be seen in the second picture was used for the hedge on the roadside, as the height was much less there.

Visits to Bas Etang

Our son Jason came to stay for a few days. He also flew in with Max and Alice, Mimi's and Tony's grandchildren, who are returning a couple of days after Jason. They arrived a day before the terrorist alarm in England, so will be returning to Stansted airport that will be at a high alert level.

Repainting Bas Etang

You may recall that our house was hit by a car in January for the second time in a year. It has now been repainted at the expense of the insurance company, and the improvement is quite remarkable. We complained to the road authorities about the state of the road, and as a result it has just been resurfaced.

The Tyms' visit

David, Vanessa, and their daughter Harriet, came to Bas Etang last week. They combined their first visit here with a day at Futuroscope. We hadn't seen them for nearly two years, and the reunion was very welcome.

Menigoute festivities

Today we went to the Menigoute summer day. They always hold a market in the morning, followed by a procession of farming people and their animals and old farming machinery. They are dressed in costumes, harking back a hundred years or so.

Our wedding anniversary

We celebrated 37 years of marriage in a new restaurant in Poitiers, called "40 Gourmets".

Our son and grandson

Leo is now a few months old, and we are looking forward to seeing them at the end of the month. Sebastian is marrying Ann on the 26th August, and we will be attending the event with pride.