5 July 2014

OH DEAR!

I can hardly believe we have been in France for a week already.  The weather has been mostly very good after a showery start.  The village and surroundings have been a riot of red, white and blue as everyone (apart from us, it seems) embraced the concept of football fever.

On the night when France qualified for the quarter-finals, celebrations could be heard drifting up from the village square late into the night.  It had been a hot, sunny day, was a warm, sultry night and the mood was joyful indeed.

football fever

Temperatures and excitement rose as the quarter-finals approached.  The typical weather pattern seemed to be shaping up – increasingly hotter days and sweltering nights building up to a massive thunderstorm.

We wandered down to the PreHisto early evening yesterday to find the place full of hopeful football fans.

Germany scored just as the thunderstorm arrived.  Forlorn faces watched the TV in dismay as the rain poured down outside.  We drifted back up the hill to chez nous between the heavy showers and the sky cleared enough for us to eat outdoors on the terrace as usual.  The village square was eerily silent by 9pm.

We have spent the week cleaning and tidying the little cottage and making endless lists of houses we would like to see.  I had an overwhelming desire to be clean and uncluttered for the first time in months before I could contemplate looking at other people’s houses (and their mess).  Sweeping away my old life perhaps?

The search begins in earnest this coming week, although we have already seen one which is a strong possibility – the wild card, we think.  Unfortunately English weather seems to be very much on the cards for the next few days!

12 comments:

  1. I'd love to see your search on the International Househunters TV program!

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  2. Settled in England, settling and hunting in France. You have a busy life.

    And yes, I suspect the French are pretty avid footballers.

    Blessings and Bear hugs!

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  3. Good luck with the house-hunting...J&P

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  4. Strange...
    a "PreHisto"ric sort of deja-vu...
    same bar...
    same view...
    similar seats...
    but bicycling...
    "Le Tour" from Yorkshire...
    Glad this weather held off until after Les Barroudeurs!!
    Happy hunting.... you'll find the one....
    but beware the banana skins and lemons...
    but I think you'll tread carefully....
    ....
    .....
    ......
    anyhowz Lulu will find it for you!!

    Omen warning: the prove-it number just came up 3762...
    Where is 3762[0]?
    Or will it be the soixante-deuxieme house you look at....
    hope not... I hope it is more like house six, house two or house eight!!

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  5. Yes we got home just in time to see France beaten, very sad! C'est la vie.
    The weather is horrible, this rain could have happened while we were on holiday, our garden was very dry on our return despite our neighbour watering!
    We had a great time despite a fall from my bike in Salamanca, Spain. The hospital was great, quick and very efficient and free! No bones broken other than a tooth, black and blue all over and 3 stitches in my lip!!
    Happy house hunting, hope you find just what you are looking for.
    Keep well, Diane

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    1. Diane, you poor thing!
      Stitches in a lip do not sound very nice. I hope the bruises are soon gone.

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  6. I hope the English weather brings you much more pleasure in France. Wishing you success on the house hunt.

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  7. I would love some English weather. It is only July and I am 'done' with "Arizona weather".

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    1. Spo, I remember the exhausting and relentless heat on our visit to Arizona some years ago. And that was late September/early October!
      The weather is one of the things we love about the Loire Valley. It gets hot but it rarely stays too hot for too long. A spell of "English weather" will come along and cool things down, so that everything is refreshed and ready for some more warmth.

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  8. Happy house-hunting, Jean. We're having English weather here in Normandy. Unfortunately it's the kind that belongs to April, not July. Brrr!

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    1. Perpetua, the Loire is just that bit warmer, being further south, so it's not quite so chilly here.
      But it's still not the summer weather we were hoping for.
      Having said that, cooler is probably better for house hunting.

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  9. Hope the house hunting is going well. I've had enough of the grey chillier weather! Thankfully signs are it will be getting better ... if slowly.

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