"you alright mate? Not broken down or anything are you?" Startled I looked up from my task of adjusting the sat nav. I was so engrossed I had not noticed Gary stop his van on the road and walk across to where we had neatly reversed into a conveniant track among the trees.
We were stopped for breakfast after having woken up to another cold and wet morning at Lac Vasiviere. It had been a disturbed night with wild and 'let's not go there,' thoughts and dreams. That's what you get for eating too much French hill billy concocted cheese. Who the hell needs mind inducing drugs when you've got legally produced stuff like that. I'd love to know what they put in it. Oh no! Wait a minute. That was cheese from the farm of pig butchery fame wasn't it Maybe best NOT to ask what went in the cheese!
Anyway. An instant decision was made. "Let's get the hell outa here Tanya." For as well as a cheese drug induced night of wild mind mischief. ( some of it quite unsavoury may I add and certainly not belonging in this blog!) I also had a warning light flash on in the night indicating the main vehicle battery was low. This was not suprising after having the airblown central heating on for most of the day before. I did not want to risk not being able to start Sadie as we were at the end of a downhill narrow track with the lake just in front of us. Ten metres down a gently sloping forest track into a lake was, I figured, not the best place to attempt to jump start a three and a half ton motorhome that, as far as I know, does not have amphibious capabilities.
So; it was out of sweaty pit, into yesterdays clothes, stow everything away, climb into drivers seat, cross fingers, touch wood for a moment and turn ignition key.
Phew! What a relief. Sadie fired into life no problem at all. All I had to do now was to reverse about four hundred metres to the nearest safe turning space. With big mirrors and a slow and steady reverse gear Sadie once again made easy work of it. She really is a delight to drive be it backwards or forwards.
Three quarters of an hour later and into this handy forest track on the side of the D69 for a quick shower, some breakfast and a plan of what and where to go now.
Gary, it turned out, was from Manchester and a few years ago he, Emma and their two children had swopped their suburban estate living life and work for a remote old farmhouse plus a small area of land in Remplant, Haute Vienne, France. Now when I say remote I mean 'remote like nowhere, like it's even outside of Remplant, like which is small small really small! I know this because Tanya and I having no firm plan in mind jumped at the chance to follow Gary back to his home to meet Emma and the children.
"It's only just down the road, follow me". Says Gary. So I do and in my haste do the usual of not checking everything is firmly stowed away and shut. "sh*t" I shout as the first deluge of items come spilling out of the food cupboard above the sink. Never mind thinks me, it's only just down the road. Gary disapears round the next bend and I follow only to discover that such a bend is fine for a little white Renault van but requires brute force and taking on alarming angles of repose for a well laden motorhome. Especially one where cupboards were by now enacting a scene out of a Harry Potter movie by flying open and shut while flinging goods all over the van.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Sadie was brought to a halt and cupboards and goods were quickly sorted out. We set off again meeting Gary a little further on reversing to see where we had got to.
We did then very quickly arrive at Gary and Emmas old and 'in progress' remote rural home. I admired this yoing couple and their children for making such a leap of faith from the safety of a secure job and suburban living in England to this huge task of making a new home and life in the deepest depths of rural France. Gary was a worker and had secured a job with the local commune (council) but he outlined to me some of the many and considerable difficulties they faced in establishing themselves here in France.
Emma meanwhile was delighted her husband had brought home this English speaking waif and stray. She also chatted away as Gary busied himself with preparing a quick lunch of beefburger and salad (like beefburger and salad UK style with tomato sauce! Ohhhh heaven!) They were both OK with French as a language with Gary being the more fluent. He had chance to show me round and outline the formiddable 'to do list' before he had to return to work after his one and a half hour lunch break. I left as Emma returned to busying herself preparing for Leightons eigth birthday party later in the afternoon. Morgan his eleven year old sister, is top of her class at school, I was informed as I said goodbye.
As we set off I had a firm plan in mind. I reckon it is too early yet to be heading into the mountains. Hang it all I'm down here for the warmer weather. So Sadie was pointed in a southerly direction and Dordogne area here we come.
It is actually a couple days later now and the plan was a good one. It is warmer but with thundery rain. It is the Dordogne cos the area is heaving with motorhomes and tourists and I notice prices have risen somewhat. The plus side is it's a beautiful area and full of twee 'done up' villages, houses and quaint cottages. Many of them all shuttered up still and awaiting their owners to turn up in the holiday season.
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