BFG

Bet you're wondering what BFG means ..... well, I decided on three goals for my new life in France: Bike, Fish and Garden! Although I learned to ride a bike as a boy I have never been very confident. Vendee is as flat as East Anglia and EVERYBODY rides a bike, so last week Loulou took me to La Roche-sur-Yon to buy a brand new bike and here's the evidence. Yes, I am cheating a bit as this shot was taken on the patio at the back of the house but we have just returned from a cycle trip to the beach. Still not very confident, but once all the holidaymakers go home just watch this space!!

Many of you know I'm not a great fish lover. They're great to watch in a tank at the aquarium but on a plate is a different matter. As you can imagine living by the sea and not liking fish can cause problems so I am trying very hard. Apparently you should eat something 13 times and you will accustom yourself to the taste. I'm not quite there yet but ....

I mentioned the garden in an earlier post. We are really keen to get our garden sorted and plan on borrowing a rotavator pretty soon as the ground is very uneven and we have a lot of 'horse tail weed' which is hard to get rid of apparently. A neighbour has already advised us what to do (NO, not go back to England!) Steve S doesn't believe I'll garden but the proof will be here soon!

Back to the plot: K& P have had a lovely week so far, lots of sunshine and opportunities to swim in the sea. We took them to the 'wavy' beach and it was as flat as a pancake, and yesterday we drove up to Jard-sur-Mer as there is a picturesque pleasure port there. My siblings sampled chichi for the first time - like fat strips of doughnut - no wonder K didn't want her tea!

Later on we 'camp-sat' for cousins J&M while they took the staff out for an end-of-season meal. We watched Treasure Hunt on TV, beautifully shot in the Alps. I didn't realise the series was still running in France.

Thanks for all the emails saying you're enjoying the blog. It's a shame you have to become a Google member to comment online. Keep the emails coming!!

Return of good weather

Back to La Rochelle airport on Saturday to pick up sister K and brother P. After all the poor weather it was great to welcome K on her first visit to Vendée under a beautiful blue sky. They texted just as they boarded the plane in Manchester and we set off at the same time, arriving about 10 minutes before their plane. What organisation! We took K&P down into La Rochelle to wander on the waterfront and along some of the walls before stopping for a drink in one of bars. We wanted to show K the Marie (Town Hall) which is beautiful. It was bedlam when we got there. K and M went into the courtyard and counted five wedding parties; there were at least three more outside. I'm sure some folk ended up at the wrong reception!

On arrival back in La Tranche we took sis & bro to the appartment that son M had arranged for them. It's situated in l'Ocean complex which overlooks and has direct access to the main beach of La Tranche, and views across the bay to the Isle de Ré. Their rooms have the four windows at the top of the tower, complete with spiral staircase! Once sorted we went for a drink in M's bar, then back to ours to show off our new home. Once again we got 'thumbs up' for our choice! Barbecued pork chops, new potatoes and green beans soon filled empty stomachs (even though it was pretty dark by now!) before we accompanied K&P back to their appartment.

House warming and goodbyes

A funny day today as we have had to say au revoir to P&B this morning when we took them to La Rochelle airport for their flight to Gatwick, then to N&S after lunch as they set off on their long, long journey to Boulogne. It's been lovely to have them here in their new La Tranche home, and despite the weather none of them wanted to leave. Hopefully they will be able to make it to cousin R's wedding in October.

Then this afternoon Yorkshire friends L&M came to say goodbye too as we'll be busy tomorrow and they are leaving the area on Sunday. L& M were our landlord and landlady in July and we will never forget their kindness in taking a homeless family in!! Last night they joined the rest of us for a drink in son M's bar after our meal at Sierra Torride (what a great name!). Loulou & S and the kids came along too to say goodbye to our youngsters.

Big thanks to N for her guest blog on Wenesday: what lovely things she said. They mean a lot to us. The housewarming party went really well. The photo shows just one part of the wonderful spread that M prepared for us. The family clubbed together to buy us a beer keg dispenser, sadly not for Timmy Taylor's (yes I do miss some things from home!) As predicted our guests didn't take long in getting into the swing of things and were soon singing and dancing (having eaten and drunk of course). Our last guests left at about 3 am so you can imagine there were quite a few hangovers next day (me included, it has to be said!) As Nadine said I'm sure this was only the first of many parties!

mon premier guest blog

Salut family and friends, Papa has been requesting I provide a guest blog so that you have a new voice to listen to, and so here I am. Tonight, Maman and Papa are holding a house warming to celebrate the new maison. It seems odd to be celebrating a new house and a new life without the hoards of people who came to the house cooling in Bingley, but I also keep thinking of the many many Bingley parties which came and went without so many of our French family. It's time to make things fair I think! I am currently sat with a HUGE table behind me, laden with food buffet style. If you are reading this I am sure you will have all experienced a buffet Maman style - like no other! There are contributions from various others and it looks magnificent, good enough to eat! Papa has made beautiful pear tarts with pears grown from the garden; a sign of a new lifestyle. Home grown fruit and eventually veg, having a bit more time for Papa to bake! (He's very good at it regardless of what he thinks.) All in all, tonight looks like it is going to be a really lovely, special evening. I'm predicting lots of wine, some french sing-alongs, and mine and Peep's other halves looking a little bemused!

I have been here for just under two weeks, and unfortunately my hols are coming to an end and tomorrow is my last full day. It has been great to show S around but I can never explain to him the significance of this town. I can never recount all the memories and experiences that this place holds. I can't quite believe that Maman and Papa now actually live here, really and truly. The weather has been pretty poor but it hasn't mattered too much, (we went for an icy cold dip in the sea today regardless, invigorating!) The house is stunning. Anyone who visits will agree, it is just amazing. It does need a little tweaking aesthetically but other than that it is perfect. It feels like home, due in no small part to the incredible super speedy unpacking skills!

So, as the clock ticks as we await our first guests, to this, the first La Tranche party, I know that it won't be the last. I also know there may be a couple of sore heads tomorrow!

x

Major omission

I am in major trouble as I have not documented son P and 'wife' B's arrival last Wednesday (15th August). Son M and Loulou flew to London on Tuesday to join P to watch Prince in concert at the 02 (Millenium) Stadium. They all met at Victoria Station, went to M's friend Joel's bar/restaurant for eats, wandered around the music shops in Denmark Street, then onto Docklands in readiness for the concert. Apparently the show was WICKED and I can't wait for my turn to fly to London for one of the September gigs!

The three boys plus 'wife' B flew into La Rochelle airport on Wednesday afternoon, then back to La Tranche in Loulou's car that he had left at the airport. It was great to see P&B's reaction to the house - yes, they liked it! Their tent was all ready for them in the garden - G had moved out into a smaller one alongside.

They arrived thinking that the firework display would take place later that evening but poor weather had meant a postponement until Friday. We went ahead with our traditional buffet 'tea' for our Bingley friends (hi L&C, and L&M plus K and baby L!) who are often in the area at this time of year. In the past we've been at the white house but this time we were in our very own house! Excellent grub and a good few drinks were consumed. I can tell this house is going to be a good party house like our Yorkshire home!

Market day

Each Tuesday and Saturday there is a huge market around the church in the centre of La Tranche. It's what most Brits would think of as a typical French market with lots of good quality fruit, veg, cheese and meat (all at a price though). There are also umpteen other stalls selling everything from tablecloths, to sweets, to CDs, to frying pans, etc. The trick is to get up early to avoid the queues. Above is what we found on the kitchen table this morning when we got up, having heard a few clues of cereal clunking into bowls earlier on! Yes P&B actually got up before us!!

Now N&S are preparing for their trip to the market (at 10.30 am) - little does S know that it will be HEAVING by now. I'm sure you could lift your feet off the ground and still be carried along. All I can say is good luck to 'em, and buy us something nice!!!

It is dry this morning and the sun is trying very hard to burn up the cloudcover. We've had a few disappointing and VERY wet days - we didn't leave Yorkshire for this!! I think the forecast is better for the next few days. I hope so as the kids all go back on Friday and we could do with a few more beachful days before then...

Weekend

It's funny when every day feels like weekend. We are on our own at the moment as the kids have gone into La Rochelle to have an early moules/frites before getting G to the airport for her flight home. G has been such good fun and we will miss her. Still not so sure if she drank me under the table as threatened, though.....

Last night we watched the postponed firework display from Wednesday (poor weather stopped play). We arrived at our prime spot in front of the white house just as the lights went down and were treated to an astonishing display set to rock'n'roll. It really was one of the best displays ever and 15th August firework displays are reknown and hard to beat from year to year! We were treated earlier to a lovely pizza at Pizza Rico (always reliable and very popular) - big thanks to N, P, S, B & G! Even earlier we had a cheeky pint (well 'un demi') at M's bar.

On Thursday we went to La Plage des Pignons which is just along from Les Conches, a short car journey from La Tranche. Unlike at La Tranche the coast here has the full brunt of the Atlantic and the waves are often very impressive - Thursday was no exception and we had a wonderful time fighting the strong waves and current. Although it was a bit windy we still sunbathed for a while before heading back for barbecued pork chops, mogettes and 'Mousline'. Mogettes is a Vendee dish made from haricot-like beans, and 'Mousline' is an instant mash preparation which is SOOO tasty. Not exactly haute cuisine but we have simple tastes!

Wake up to rain!

This is the truck that delivered all our belongings on 1st August. We couldn't believe how the driver manoeuvred the truck into position, narrowly missing a wall and just touching a telegraph pole. The way he pirouetted the truck on the central wheels was amazing (and the scrunched up tarmac is still there as evidence!) It got us to meet the neighbours who all came out to watch the attraction (and who were all very welcoming). The driver and his young helper did a sterling job, along with our son M and cousin C. Three hours later 52 cardboard cartons, about 20 plastic boxes and numerous items of furniture/equipment were unloaded into the house and garage. Thanks to Mick, Josh, M&C for all their hard work.

Yes it rained in the night after a lovely day yesterday and a glorious evening with fantastic clarity. It is overcast so far today but La Tranche has a wonderful micro-climate where the weather can improve very quickly! There is still potential for the day ....

N&S and their friend G have settled in well. Daughter N was quite emotional on arrival (Sunday night at midnight) to see our lovely house full of all the things she grew up with. After a good night's sleep we made it to the beach at low tide to try shrimping, but it's either a poor season or too late in the day as our haul was minimal. M and G shared the harvest between them at lunchtime (14 in total!) After a leisurely lunch the three youngsters went to experience Super U (more about this La Tranche tradition another day) and later we all returned to the beach at high tide for a swim. After a BBQ tea (new BBQ bought by our young guests) we let G go to bed in the tent and left her home alone to venture to son M's bar in town.

Lazy Sunday

Well it took us four days to unpack (you know M can only work at 100 mph!) but the house is already a home - yes it will need decorating throughout but that will wait until Autumn when the visitors have gone home and the temperature drops a bit!

Yesterday was overcast so we set to in the back garden which had grown massively in the 10 days we had been here. We borrowed a strimmer from cousin J which worked a treat, and the garden looks much bigger. There are quite a few fruit trees: apple, pear, plum, peach plus grapes and redcurrants. (Methinks M will be making some jam in a few weeks.) We're already thinking where we'll have our vegetable plot so that it won't get in the way of future plans for a swimming pool. We have definitely designated one rectangle as our herb/salad plot. Once we've borrowed a rotavator from cousins J&C in the Autumn we'll get all this underway!

For the time being there is a tent in the middle of the garden in readiness for daughter N&S's visit: they should arrive around midnight tonight if there's not too much traffic. It's a long way from Calais.

nb. I hope using initials for people doesn't confuse readers but we think it is only fair to keep their anonymity

Another blue-sky day

Watch this space! Coming soon: the random ramblings of D & M's move to La Tranche-sur-Mer in Vendée, France. That's when I get used to this blog business!