Just a few photos, taken on a walk I went on last Sunday. The weather was perfect, the company good and I won a bottle of wine in the tombola included in the entry fee!

Having spent many hours doing the preparatory work, Nick and Kieran were today ready to start putting the chevrons onto the hangar roof. The weather was perfect; warm, with not a breath of wind, so they made a good start this morning. By the time evening came, they were tired but very pleased to have achieved so much; tomorrow they’ll be able to start putting the actual roofing stuff on (corrugated, bitumen-coated sheets on the back, to take the photovoltaique panels and tiles on the front).

Having spent the best part of this week sorting out our paperwork, I was given time off for good behaviour this afternoon and allowed to go cycling with the club. I only did half the ride as I’ve not done much over the summer; but I was shocked at how unfit I’ve become! Must get out more!

We love the life here; the climate, the space, the people, the lifestyle; but there has to be a down side and that is the red tape which entwines itself around so many aspects of French life.

As you may know, Nick fell off his bike on Sunday; his injuries aren’t serious, but we have had to jump through a series of hoops since then. I don’t know how we’d have coped had it not been for our friend and fellow cyclist, Maithée, and her husband, Pierre, who have taken us through every step. They downloaded the four page accident report form and filled it in; everything from the time of the incident to the weather forecast, the condition of the road to whether Nick was in a group or on his own, had to be reported. He had to go to the doctor to get a medical certificate and we needed to include our house insurance contract number as well as Nick’s cycling license. Maithée had to phone Paris and Strasbourg for clarification of certain points and we had to buy Nick a new helmet, to replace the one that was damaged, today at the latest, to include the bill so he can be reimbursed.

I have to get the package of papers in the post, first class, first thing in the morning, as the claim must arrive in the insurance company’s head office in Strasbourg no later than five days after the accident.

So thank you so much, Maithée; you’re a true friend, we couldn’t have done this without you 🙂