If success were measured in terms of money spent, we’d be onto a winner for the last week!

We spent last Thursday in Pau, going round the big DIY shops, trying to choose a bath, a shower cubicle, tiles, etc, for the new bathroom. Today we went to Aire sur l’Adour, again to the DIY shop, but this time we came home with a rotavator. Kieran couldn’t wait to assemble and play with the new toy; so we spent the afternoon in the garden, digging over the ground where the veg plot will be. We all had a go, though I think the machine won when it was my turn.

A lady from the roads department turned up during the afternoon; something to do with the planning to change the hangar into a garage (a bit late; we’ve already got the permission); as luck would have it, she’s one of the walking group I went out with on Sunday; I felt almost as if I belong here! Within minutes of her leaving, the neighbours came across to find out what was going on, soon to be followed by a friend of theirs who happened to drive past and saw us all in the garden. It was quite a party, the only problem being that, between our neighbours’ strong Portuguese accent and their friend’s strong Italian accent, Nick and I really struggled to understand much of what was said. We no longer felt like we belonged!