at julien's uncle's house

Now that I am back in france it’s easy to start writing again.  My last postings will have explained my plan and so far everything is going swimmingly, except, that is, for the weather.  

The weather has been appalling since I arrived, cold and rather wet, though thankfully I managed to get to my destination the first afternoon in glorious sunshine.  It hasn’t mattered that much as we have busied ourselves with planning the summer and discussing possible projects in more detail.  

There are still three interested parties which we have decided is sufficient as too many different ideas and needs could well make it impossible to decide anything.

On reflection, everyone wants to be close to the mountains, so the plan is to head south and start our search in earnest next month.  Julien and Vivien both have plans until then and need time to get other things sorted in the north of france.  I shall stay in the region for now and see what tempts me in the way of helpX or wwoofing sites in the mean time.  There are plenty of interesting hosts but they are taking time to respond.

We have already visited an Eco Centre not that far from here and explored straw, adobe, hempcrete, wood and canvas structures.  It’s interesting to get a real feeling of all the different types of building in close succession as it makes comparisons much easier.  More in a later post. We’ve BBQ’d with friends, sneaked a rather wet tour of a wonderful permaculture garden complete with “Belier Hydraulic” a water powered pump that can lift water far higher than its source. Once plumbed in, it works all on its own, day and night for ages without attention. Dined out with a lovely couple in the village and hosted most of the folks that we have visited for dinner last night.  It’s wonderful to be on holiday without work obligations getting to know folk that I may well be spending a lot of time with in the future.  

After shopping at the local town yesterday, we managed a walk in the afternoon sun round Brantome, before the heavens opened again.  It feels odd to be so far south and still be lighting a fire at night to feel warm.  My shorts haven’t seen the light of day yet and I have embraced the foul habit of wearing socks and flip flops indoors for the sole purpose of keeping my feet warm.  Meteo France promises warmer sunnier weather for the end of the week, but no promises thereafter. 

The pool is getting plenty of use.  I must say that it is odd to swim outside in the rain in very smart swimming pool on an overgrown plot of land.  The house is still under renovation and very little attention has been given to the outside areas for several years, except that is for the instillation of the pool.  I imagine a natural swimming pond for the future if space and budget allow.