Sunday 23 September 2012

Renovation project - french class, Ikea and new drains - Tuesday 18th September 2012


Renovation project - french class, Ikea and new drains - Tuesday 18th September
Yesterday was spent shopping in Brest, it was also meant to be sightseeing but as the weather was awful we decided not to bother.
We found the IKEA (I know, not the shop you expect us to be visiting but they do have nice metal frame beds!). My French is improving further as I was able to speak to the assistant and explain what we wanted, this was after spending half an hour deciding which 2 beds we wanted, unfortunately they only had one in stock, the other would have to be delivered at a cost of 130 Euros!, the bed itself only cost 125 Euros, so we decide to only buy one. The staff are really helpful and bring in another staff member form a different department who can speak reasonable English, I only said my French was improving, it’s not perfect yet! We leave IKEA with a new bed frame and mattress, but no slats for the bed (again the cost of these is ridiculous) so we decide to buy some wood and make our own, this saves approx 150 euro’s.
On Tuesday morning we wake up fresh and ready to start a new day, we have a big chat in the morning about all the things that are getting to us, the stress levels have been quite high lately, we both feel a lot better after a chat, or I do anyway and as I’m writing it........
John continues on the plumbing and I have yet another car load to fill for the tip.
As I open the door there is a little surprise outside the door, and this time it’s a nice one, there is a little box of vegetables, they have been left by Sheila with a note stating that BABBLE is on today, this is the group for French and English to help each other with the language. I’m really looking forward to it, I’m also looking forward to getting showered and dressed and going to somewhere other than the shops!
organic vegetables in france

At half past one I’m still sweeping muck from the floors, so it’s a very quick shower and off to Sheila’s.
Sheila explains that the group splits into a number of smaller groups, so after introducing me to some people we join a group of 5, me and Sheila (who is already quite fluent) a French woman, a French man and an English man who has been here so long he sounds more French than some of the French people I have met.
My brain is hurting when we finish and I’m not sure if I have learnt anymore but I’m going to give it a few weeks before I decide.
I was also introduced to a young English woman who lives further up the road from us, and when I said where we lived, she asked if I had a website about our house, I was so excited I have met my first fan! She explained that she had stumbled across the blog whilst on Google and really enjoyed it, I was in my element.
Back to Sheila’s for a brew (it is still nice to sit in a real, well not just real but also clean kitchen). Then back to the grind, Johns been really busy all day and the plumbing is getting there, he has replaced some of the original soil pipe and dug a trench through the concrete in the back patio, he also realigned the internal soil pipes which meant changing the holes through the walls (I’m glad I wasn’t here to hear him cursing about that!).
John has been working hard on the waste pipes and has managed to dig out a channel in the back patio, this means that the pipes will be hidden well outside. Luckily the house has only had mains drains for a few years, so do not require replacing. The rain pipes were not so new, so this was replaced at the same time. But it does mean we now have more bags of rubble to clear.
renovation prject france fitting new soil pipes

renovation prject france fitting new soil pipes

renovation prject france fitting new soil pipes

renovation prject france fitting new soil pipes

renovation prject france fitting new soil pipes

renovation prject france fitting new soil pipes


Another trip to the tip and then it’s time to make dinner, roasted fresh home-grown vegetables with fresh salmon (we were going to have chicken, but it was far too expensive, which is why we had to settle for fresh salmon!!!!!!!!! The prices of food are crazy when you compare to England)
Top Tips
1.       When buying a bed in France consider making your own slats for the base, it will save you a lot of money for very little effort.
2.       Shop around for food and it will cost far less to eat in France than it does in England

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