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.

Le Petit Moulin

Our friends Ranjith and Sigrid live in Boussais, which is about 60 kilometres from us, in the Deux Sevres. They have a delightful house that is situated next to a stream, and have beautiful grounds and a new swimming pool. They have built a Gîte out of a large barn, and can put up about a dozen people. To add to the attraction for children they have constructed a large "wendy" house. Tony did the architectural design, and we both helped with the construction. It is proving very popular.

Whitelining

This vehicle is travelling at about 20 mph and is painting white lines on the road as it moves. Very impressive, and efficient.

Thomas is dead

Our cat, Thomas, died today. He was almost 16 years, and we had had him from soon after birth, so he was very much part of our family. He had a stroke a few days ago, and lost the use of a front paw. He then lost his appetite, and could not be coerced to take any food or drink. The video shows him a few days ago, after the stroke, but before his appetite was lost. He will be sorely missed, but we have wonderful memories of him.

Canon Ixus 750

I have bought a new camera, and the attached picture is an example of its prowess at picture-taking. It has a resolution of 7.1 megapixels, so I am hoping for a great improvement in the quality of my blog pictures.

The weather is scorching

Here is the swimming pool temperature record that tracks the temperature since we opened it in the beginning of May. It is at our all-time-high of 30 degrees, which for a solar heated system seems exceptionally good.

Boating on the river

This boat was bought specifically to float on the river, but due to its comparative instability I am confining it to the pool. The thought of being tipped into the river doesn't bear thinking about. But considering it only cost 39 Euros, the reassignment is no hardship.

Bastille Day

Lavausseau held its celebration in the football stadium area. Trestle tables were laid out in a long line, and lunch was taken by a hundred or so villagers. It was a scorching hot day, and the wine flowed freely. In the evening the villages held their own firework displays.

The pool is ready

Finally, the weather has improved, and the water temperature has reached 30 degrees. Not quite "bath temperature", but very respectable for retreating from the hot sun's rays.

Champigny

We've just returned from a week in the French Alps. We went with English friends, Ann and Geoff, who kindly arranged to borrow a friend's flat in Champigny. The weather was superb, and many exhausting miles were struggled over.

These brighten the garden

These lilies are splendid, and grow without any encouragement from us.

The weather is awful

As can be seen on the latest chart, the temperature of the water will just not rise any higher. We are almost into June, and I still have not been into the pool. The sun just won't stay out all day long.

Percussion in Lavausseau

Last Saturday there was held a musical evening by the Mairie. The first performance was percussive, involving a troupe from a neighbouring village. After their energetic performance they invited members of the audience to come and participate, which I was happy to do. This was followed by guitar solo in the nearby chapel hall, and then three songstresses who performed karaoke style. The evening lasted for four hours, and, best of all, was completely free!

Swimming Pool temperatures

I've started taking daily temperature readings of the pool. At the moment the temperature is 17°C, which is way below the desired temperature for swimming. Still, the sunshine is beginning to take off, and the solar heating system will surely raise the pool temperature.

Internet Phone

I bought this Internet Phone from Tesco for £14.97. It is intended to work with their network, but instead I use it with VoipCheap to make completely free telephone calls. I can phone UK and French (and a host of other countries too) landline numbers for absolutely no cost at all. And it is a cinch to set it all up.

The Pool is open

At last the sun is out, the temperature is at a respectable 22 degrees centigrade, and the water just might start getting warm too. The winter closure mode is over, and all the routines necessary to get the pool up and running are completed. Now, enjoy! You can see the new fencing all round the pool for the first time. This has become compulsory for all pool owners to install, with a penalty of 45,000€ for those who fail to comply. It is not too intrusive, and would have been far more noticeable if it had been in the colour white.