tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203718422024-03-13T14:02:13.477+00:00Running a French Holiday Gite in Rural BrittanyOur diary of running a French Holiday Gite in beautiful rural Brittany.<br>
We bought our home in France in January 2004 as a holiday home, retirement fund and maybe a bit of rental as well - find out about our renovation, rental and holiday adventures since then by reading this Blog.<br>
Now in our fifteenth year (2019), we've escaped the 'credit crunch' and are still booking over 100 nights a year. We enjoying holidaying there ourselves and are working on renovating the second house ..Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.comBlogger568125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-58642494937648930512019-01-09T18:53:00.002+00:002019-01-09T18:53:52.206+00:00Eating like a king It amused me the way that this tin of mushy peas left the can for my tea tonight. <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vr2F7zGlGrI/XDZC6L_CXuI/AAAAAAAAmVA/QoXB7Zvb6xUl6uAuVnXsuA7vxODfzpTGwCLcBGAs/s1600/06CFAF08-BA90-4364-9CA5-9A52AEB308CE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vr2F7zGlGrI/XDZC6L_CXuI/AAAAAAAAmVA/QoXB7Zvb6xUl6uAuVnXsuA7vxODfzpTGwCLcBGAs/s400/06CFAF08-BA90-4364-9CA5-9A52AEB308CE.jpeg" width="300" height="400" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
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Oh how exciting my meal is!<br />
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Mind you, there could be red wine involved later on...Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-67501469389965773992019-01-07T22:09:00.000+00:002019-01-07T22:09:33.168+00:00Roller blind funLast time I was over at the Gite I replaced the pull cord mechanism on the roller blind for the French windows that lead to the patio. <br />
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We have roller blinds on all the windows of our Gite and they're not little lightweight blinds, they're almost more of a security shutter, they're heavy plastic with lead weights in the bottom so if you let them drop quickly they come down with a bang. <br />
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Since the pull cord was fraying I replaced the whole mechanism with a new one which is easier said than done, not least because getting the cover off the blind mechanism at the top is really difficult as it all clips solidly together, and then you have to deal with the considerable weight of the entire roller blind as you thread the new pull cord into position. <br />
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Anyway that one was done last time and I bought a couple of spare new mechanisms (good old eBay) and brought them over with me this time. <br />
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Good job I did because the roller blind pull part of the blind next to the toy box had also failed and needed to be replaced as well. And so the fun began, took me perhaps an hour to prise the box containing the roller mechanism apart with several screwdrivers, flat bladed knives and a considerable amount of banging with a hammer. <br />
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Finally got the box opened so I could wedge the roller blind into position, unwind the old pull cord and replace it with a new one. <br />
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Here's a photo of it work in progress, the new mechanism in place and the old frayed pull cord shown in the bottom right. Wouldn't have wanted that to snap. <br />
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All finished now, box clipped back together and new pull cord works fine. Until the next one wears out of course...<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c8PpPitqqo8/XDPND3NF2xI/AAAAAAAAmUs/wSpxEZN07SE8wzIYyPasIxZkg5RoFoxlwCLcBGAs/s1600/614302F5-E83C-445D-A2D8-CC786DADD01D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c8PpPitqqo8/XDPND3NF2xI/AAAAAAAAmUs/wSpxEZN07SE8wzIYyPasIxZkg5RoFoxlwCLcBGAs/s400/614302F5-E83C-445D-A2D8-CC786DADD01D.jpeg" width="300" height="400" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yl_9dNZFPLo/XDPND3nPk6I/AAAAAAAAmUw/jwavnlrYwHoSBT4q7BxxluU9qDpVbDVkwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/E1E9495E-4F42-4CF8-B6F4-D2AFE892DB08.jpeg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yl_9dNZFPLo/XDPND3nPk6I/AAAAAAAAmUw/jwavnlrYwHoSBT4q7BxxluU9qDpVbDVkwCPcBGAYYCw/s400/E1E9495E-4F42-4CF8-B6F4-D2AFE892DB08.jpeg" width="300" height="400" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a><br />
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Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-82445907461750347992019-01-04T22:28:00.001+00:002019-01-04T22:29:08.150+00:00First sight of the newly decorated Gite Back in May I wrote about the green flocked wallpaper in our Gite being removed and the lounge, stairs and upstairs hallways all being redecorated. <div>The work was all finished that month, but despite having had perhaps 10 sets of guests staying since then, we hadn't seen the results ourselves. </div><div>So when I arrived at the Gite I was excited to see the results of the decorators labours, and not disappointed, it all look really great and a big improvement. Very clean and fresh. </div><div><img id="id_b634_f39b_2d9d_2a26" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2GGcQaasT6g/XC_d7phkH7I/AAAAAAAAmT8/E9Nk7Mj1YG033xSzzWoynzTxCSOTRUunwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_844_dc9e_d2e0_e9cc" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DaL3ndaaEWs/XC_d77Cu6KI/AAAAAAAAmUI/7wuzufDqvqcC3Qfls6IsnAZnmxyc2FFnQCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1ba0_5528_27a1_e735" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-46Sv0rBFAew/XC_d7rIqEbI/AAAAAAAAmUE/TYOWAdnd9sYBENViNdRY-TUsQpEN-NGxACHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_eb8a_f9e6_b004_4bb1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TH31FDN8zxM/XC_d7g4NS2I/AAAAAAAAmUA/Co4UszkBZbc2rKks69XdXkC_cKsqN5-xwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2e20_c506_d00a_ee75" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lkV45WnlPKs/XC_d80HiufI/AAAAAAAAmUM/ZJaFT1fbuYcyuec2bO-DFcyw_Y-Ui5s1QCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-65086620984373142582019-01-02T23:44:00.001+00:002019-01-02T23:49:23.254+00:00Lots to pack in the car can only mean one thingThere's a large pile of things next to the car, so yes, I'm off to our Gite again for a mixture of break and renovations. <div><br></div><div>Since I last went I've been busy buying :</div><div><ul><li>New pillows for all beds</li><li>Pillow protectors and bed protectors for all beds</li><li>New toilet seat to replace the cheap one supplied with the toilet </li><li>Lampshade </li><li>Pull cords for the window blinds</li><li>Repaired velex blind </li><li>Repaired ladder and swing for the climbing frame </li><li>Chlorine and flocculant for the pool</li><li>New pool pipework </li><li>Fire blankets</li><li>Cushion covers </li><li>Tea towels </li><li>More glasses for the kitchen </li><li>New bath mat</li></ul><div>Plus a spare mattress, wardrobe, some light fittings and plumbing bits for the other house, and the list goes on. </div></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_cebe_bc69_ddae_6c8c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a73gidfWnOo/XC1M23rVbRI/AAAAAAAAmSo/d5YY0iECLbEU0Ly7fCWZu174MItvuySUwCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_806d_3321_293f_3cf5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DimaA6O70aY/XC1M7PgnvZI/AAAAAAAAmSs/zWL9NC_ZmxoWDRZsJuQnYI9QdH6UaJ4UgCHMYCw/s5000/%255BUNSET%255D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-60183953763342615032018-05-09T08:00:00.001+01:002018-05-09T08:00:25.745+01:00Goodbye green flocked wallpaper Time to say goodbye to the green flocked wallpaper in our Gite.<br />
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<div>Decorating tastes of course vary around the world (witness the enthusiasm for Scandinavian minimalistic for example), but to my knowledge there hasn't ever been a fashion craze for French decorating. </div><div><br />
</div><div>When we were house hunting to buy our Gite in September 2003 we saw a number of "interesting" wallpaper styles in the properties we viewed, and fortunately the Gite we eventually did buy was relatively "normal".</div><div>Except for the little girl's bedroom in pink and purple that is, but several costs of paint and it's all neutral cream now. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The lounge, stairway and upstairs hallway were all wallpapered in what I can only describe as a flocked like material. The paper must have been expensive at the time and in a green colour was liveable with. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Over the 14 years we've had the Gite there have of course been minor accidents, a few places where a drink has been spilled, and being a fabric you can't easily wash it off the wall. Also I think the flock is slowly starting to come off, it's not visible, but we do get dust in the lounge quite a lot and we think its from the wallpaper. </div><div><br />
</div><div>And so now it's time to say goodbye to the green flocked wallpaper. Tomorrow Simon the decorator starts and all the wallpaper will be stripped off and the walls painted a neutral colour. </div><div><br />
</div><div>So for old times sake, here's a couple of photos of the lounge as it currently looks before the green all goes. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhNRVrCIFCo/WvKcPqRljQI/AAAAAAAAeoA/wH_1WjGbG8ojxiSJowdWpPrRgOEfGzqoQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhNRVrCIFCo/WvKcPqRljQI/AAAAAAAAeoA/wH_1WjGbG8ojxiSJowdWpPrRgOEfGzqoQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5418.JPG" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DvsDfATVPz4/WvKcPg6djvI/AAAAAAAAeoA/QI47Yw2ou7wo6YiDmzUibh4BTF3hV3b3ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DvsDfATVPz4/WvKcPg6djvI/AAAAAAAAeoA/QI47Yw2ou7wo6YiDmzUibh4BTF3hV3b3ACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_5422.JPG" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-2627712776828117352018-04-28T23:09:00.003+01:002018-04-28T23:09:58.914+01:00Stepping up without sliding downI had to look it up, but it was back in August 2010 that we had a new set of railway sleeper steps built from the pool up to the garden and climbing frame. <br />
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For some reason I never took any photos of the construction of the steps, so at the bottom of this posting I’ll correct that and share what I do have. <br />
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But the topic in hand was improving those steps. The steps were made of used railway sleepers so they were as tough as anything and certainly not going to rot anytime soon. <br />
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However what I had noticed was that they could collect grease, wet leaves and moss and become slippery, particularly in the winter or autumn times. <br />
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To fix the problem I bought a load of non-slip treads that could be simply screwed down onto the oak steps, and job done. <br />
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Unfortunately not quite job done as I didn’t buy enough of the non-slip treads for two on each of the steps, so had to buy some more from the UK and fit them next time I went to the Gite. So here’s the final non-slip treads being screwed down. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MWT9_efuMfw/WuS3JgYKE3I/AAAAAAAAaFY/Gy34gcEtWzsk_1IvPaICYXrLjFdzTBo9wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_2646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MWT9_efuMfw/WuS3JgYKE3I/AAAAAAAAaFY/Gy34gcEtWzsk_1IvPaICYXrLjFdzTBo9wCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_2646.JPG" width="400" height="525" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iWi4AFOEScw/WuS3JlMLKJI/AAAAAAAAaFY/UY_Y3Lmn6HgD0U_hOaSQ_WRiAu-h962DQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_2647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iWi4AFOEScw/WuS3JlMLKJI/AAAAAAAAaFY/UY_Y3Lmn6HgD0U_hOaSQ_WRiAu-h962DQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_2647.JPG" width="400" height="525" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><br />
And here are some photos from August 2010 of the steps being built. Originally there were wooden steps set into the slope but they were badly decomposing and were sliding down the hill so we decided to have them rebuilt properly from scratch.<br />
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Alan proved to be better than Geoffrey and Liz at using the digger, and it was a good job we had a digger as all of the stones that now line the up the side steps were dug out of the small area of ground when the steps were built !<br />
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Photo taken in August 2009 from the roof with the old steps in the background behind Alan's van:<br />
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And from April 2010, a few of the completed steps (the bushes at the side are a <u>lot</u> smaller):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7_BMahHScKo/WuTwJWEsLmI/AAAAAAAAbRc/cZRTHQX0JrQx_4lS6u1a0usPAHo0NNexgCKgBGAs/s1600/SN155154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7_BMahHScKo/WuTwJWEsLmI/AAAAAAAAbRc/cZRTHQX0JrQx_4lS6u1a0usPAHo0NNexgCKgBGAs/s400/SN155154.JPG" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URc_im3jqLs/WuTwJZi5rUI/AAAAAAAAbRc/naeW_bnU2gM2q4biIW68-q1dKjETgf1nwCKgBGAs/s1600/SN155122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URc_im3jqLs/WuTwJZi5rUI/AAAAAAAAbRc/naeW_bnU2gM2q4biIW68-q1dKjETgf1nwCKgBGAs/s400/SN155122.JPG" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WXvbCYSHQRk/WuTwJZtCmYI/AAAAAAAAbRc/D-JumOHIWA4J0nIrzvnN7JABSK1qnRs6QCKgBGAs/s1600/SN155156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WXvbCYSHQRk/WuTwJZtCmYI/AAAAAAAAbRc/D-JumOHIWA4J0nIrzvnN7JABSK1qnRs6QCKgBGAs/s400/SN155156.JPG" width="400" height="525" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><br />
Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-52045747748302923832018-04-24T08:12:00.000+01:002018-04-24T09:26:27.360+01:00Tiling the downstairs bathroom (part two)Following on from <a href=http://giteinbrittany.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/completed-new-shower-cubicle.html>fitting the new shower cubicle</a>, the next job in the downstairs bathroom was to tile the other walls to match those of the shower cubicle. Here’s how it looked at the start, on the opposite wall is the toilet, vanity unit and washing machine, with tiling part way up the wall beside the toilet and behind the basin. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a-YXhM2dIyg/Wt5dOmB0AkI/AAAAAAAAZ0E/Kz1UOor_GDARGEhWCVzB_Mrni_124BFUwCHMYCw/Toilet%2Band%2Bhalf-tiled%2Bwall"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Toilet and half-tiled wall" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a-YXhM2dIyg/Wt5dOmB0AkI/AAAAAAAAZ0E/Kz1UOor_GDARGEhWCVzB_Mrni_124BFUwCHMYCw/Toilet%2Band%2Bhalf-tiled%2Bwall" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NNS_bYiQV4c/Wt5dQEBevtI/AAAAAAAAZ0I/nQ-IgM_ZMaAQDX3tt6c7b-lHpxgVKHXFACHMYCw/Toilet%2Band%2Bvanity%2Bunit%2Bopposite%2Bthe%2Bshower"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Toilet and vanity unit opposite the shower" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NNS_bYiQV4c/Wt5dQEBevtI/AAAAAAAAZ0I/nQ-IgM_ZMaAQDX3tt6c7b-lHpxgVKHXFACHMYCw/Toilet%2Band%2Bvanity%2Bunit%2Bopposite%2Bthe%2Bshower" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First job was to cut the silicon sealant off from around the sink, disconnect the taps, and carefully remove the sink. If I had of dropped it then I’d be in the do-do for sure:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4w_piYC2T9Y/Wt5d5fjp2LI/AAAAAAAAZ0U/m1XCMwrqpEYbiWbVTUq8Ge2nKwt5VUfBQCHMYCw/Sink%2Bremoved"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Sink removed" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4w_piYC2T9Y/Wt5d5fjp2LI/AAAAAAAAZ0U/m1XCMwrqpEYbiWbVTUq8Ge2nKwt5VUfBQCHMYCw/Sink%2Bremoved" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In France, unlike in the UK, they don’t fit isolating valves underneath the sink. So when I’d removed the vanity unit and wanted to turn the water back on, I had to then re-connect the tap to the pipework, tie the tap handle down to stop the water coming on, and work around it as I continued work in the bathroom. What a pain.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ciplHHE0xlc/Wt5eOFwZFoI/AAAAAAAAZ0c/n5vYwUbSm1EGhDbjWuBjZNWF0XRmtoMlQCHMYCw/Vanity%2Bunit%2Bremoved%252C%2Band%2Bbodge%2Bjob%2Bto%2Bstop%2Bwater%2Bcoming%2Bout%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bpipes"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Vanity unit removed, and bodge job to stop water coming out of the pipes" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ciplHHE0xlc/Wt5eOFwZFoI/AAAAAAAAZ0c/n5vYwUbSm1EGhDbjWuBjZNWF0XRmtoMlQCHMYCw/Vanity%2Bunit%2Bremoved%252C%2Band%2Bbodge%2Bjob%2Bto%2Bstop%2Bwater%2Bcoming%2Bout%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bpipes" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Stripped all the old tiles off the wall using my SDS hammer drill, great fun and quite quick and easy to do:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YMIkWZXme9k/Wt5fBApDTCI/AAAAAAAAZ0k/kIKm9avE2MgnpKELpXXAx8y9u-dMG8P3ACHMYCw/Old%2Btiles%2Ball%2Bstripped%2Boff%2Bthe%2Bwall"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Old tiles all stripped off the wall" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YMIkWZXme9k/Wt5fBApDTCI/AAAAAAAAZ0k/kIKm9avE2MgnpKELpXXAx8y9u-dMG8P3ACHMYCw/Old%2Btiles%2Ball%2Bstripped%2Boff%2Bthe%2Bwall" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And then on with tiling the wall, using the bottom of the existing mirror as the reference point and ensuring that the tiles line up horizontally with the others in the shower cubicle.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Its a bit fiddly but basically you count the number of whole tiles required down the wall, and allowing for the tile gaps and grouting, cut a part-tile to go in as the bottom row. Lots of use of the spirit level and repeated measuring to make sure everything is square and true so that as you tile up the wall it all lines up with the required height.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XzpFxcIYOn8/Wt5f17zIyQI/AAAAAAAAZ0w/QS6Lh-bGBrULl16RmYSIY0zgvb_bdVKQQCHMYCw/Tiled%2Bthe%2Bleft%2Bhand%2Bwall"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Tiled the left hand wall" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XzpFxcIYOn8/Wt5f17zIyQI/AAAAAAAAZ0w/QS6Lh-bGBrULl16RmYSIY0zgvb_bdVKQQCHMYCw/Tiled%2Bthe%2Bleft%2Bhand%2Bwall" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8kVRs72xfFg/Wt5f3tNyYoI/AAAAAAAAZ00/J0tVhAw2028t0KZpv7Tjqj7KYAYXNIF2ACHMYCw/Tiled%2Bthe%2Brear%2Bwall%2Bbehind%2Bthe%2Btoilet%2Band%2Bvanity%2Bunit"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Tiled the rear wall behind the toilet and vanity unit" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8kVRs72xfFg/Wt5f3tNyYoI/AAAAAAAAZ00/J0tVhAw2028t0KZpv7Tjqj7KYAYXNIF2ACHMYCw/Tiled%2Bthe%2Brear%2Bwall%2Bbehind%2Bthe%2Btoilet%2Band%2Bvanity%2Bunit" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WevcQclKkoI/Wt5f5NELG6I/AAAAAAAAZ04/W-LpqVNeY7gQoTGGgumMKgN5R9FPa-HOwCHMYCw/Tiled%2Bround%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bdoorway"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Tiled round to the doorway" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WevcQclKkoI/Wt5f5NELG6I/AAAAAAAAZ04/W-LpqVNeY7gQoTGGgumMKgN5R9FPa-HOwCHMYCw/Tiled%2Bround%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bdoorway" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
Grouting, lots of grouting, and then I could put everything back into the bathroom.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7vxCMKrj3v0/Wt5gm0OpjbI/AAAAAAAAZ1E/OzrBXpGAJPwmQE0Ref1P7skTlZ5DoWpxACHMYCw/Tiled%2Band%2Bgrouted%2Bup%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bdoorway"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Tiled and grouted up to the doorway" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7vxCMKrj3v0/Wt5gm0OpjbI/AAAAAAAAZ1E/OzrBXpGAJPwmQE0Ref1P7skTlZ5DoWpxACHMYCw/Tiled%2Band%2Bgrouted%2Bup%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bdoorway" alt="" width="400" height="533" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Putting the sink vanity unit back in place proved to be troublesome because I moved the vanity unit a few cm to the left as I’d originally installed it too close to the washing machine which meant that it was really difficult to jiggle the washing machine out from the gap if you ever needed to get to the back of the machine. <br />
<br />
Moving the vanity unit slightly to the side meant I had a bigger gap for the washing machine, but then when I had fitted and silicone’d the sink in I found that the flexi tails on the taps weren’t long enough to reach the pipework. Grr, another trip to Mr Bricolage to buy some longer tails for the taps ...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Nrt4f0RhHCM/Wt5hKqO6WCI/AAAAAAAAZ1Y/lPh8RZtgM3AHi1p0L5JUxg7eVbmPYkmvwCHMYCw/Tiled%2Balongside%2Band%2Bbehind%2Bthe%2Btoilet"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Tiled alongside and behind the toilet" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Nrt4f0RhHCM/Wt5hKqO6WCI/AAAAAAAAZ1Y/lPh8RZtgM3AHi1p0L5JUxg7eVbmPYkmvwCHMYCw/Tiled%2Balongside%2Band%2Bbehind%2Bthe%2Btoilet" alt="" width="400" height="533" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0l6jB3onfhc/Wt5biSx1UII/AAAAAAAAZz4/T9bVrbOCzgof_1tto7-CLFBKx42gL5ZbwCHMYCw/All%2Bfinished%252C%2Btoilet%252C%2Bvanity%2Band%2Bwashing%2Bmachine%2Bfitted"><img class=" aligncenter" title="All finished, toilet, vanity and washing machine fitted" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0l6jB3onfhc/Wt5biSx1UII/AAAAAAAAZz4/T9bVrbOCzgof_1tto7-CLFBKx42gL5ZbwCHMYCw/All%2Bfinished%252C%2Btoilet%252C%2Bvanity%2Band%2Bwashing%2Bmachine%2Bfitted" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although I’ve written this as one continual sequence of activities, it actually took me about 4 days of solid work over a week to do all this. It does look a lot better though.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-79138767060171016372018-04-05T22:06:00.001+01:002018-04-28T17:48:06.585+01:00Off to the Gite for late Easter 10pm Thursday night and I'm sitting on the fairly deserted DFDS Delft Seaways ferry, just about to leave Dover for Dunkirk. <div><br />
</div><div>I'm off for a week's holiday at the Gite, bringing more things over,and doubtless my week will include repairing <a href=“http://giteinbrittany.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/hole-in-fence.html”>the broken fence that someone drove through</a>.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XUKeo318Me4/Wt7paj_VBWI/AAAAAAAAZ3A/viMoSNBatfwrpfFpDretYpRsYOBaLEQFACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XUKeo318Me4/Wt7paj_VBWI/AAAAAAAAZ3A/viMoSNBatfwrpfFpDretYpRsYOBaLEQFACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_5389.JPG" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jktW45nMkt4/Wt7pagJQfgI/AAAAAAAAZ3A/Ynrc4Nhf7mEP-5DoMg8-M_SlgYdNgvFlgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_5391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jktW45nMkt4/Wt7pagJQfgI/AAAAAAAAZ3A/Ynrc4Nhf7mEP-5DoMg8-M_SlgYdNgvFlgCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_5391.JPG" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-67771402057106752402018-03-30T10:00:00.000+01:002018-03-30T10:00:48.834+01:00Hole in the fenceThe garden of our Gite is (or rather, was) fully fenced in. Here's a photo taken from the country lane that passes by the Gite in 2016 after Toby and I had spent a week cutting down the pine trees at the end of the garden: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L3QlQf4zDZQ/Wr350Uvh7II/AAAAAAAAZMc/LHtxNX53gD0-E7vXAY7SmuyIPjRWmBEHACLcBGAs/s1600/DSC_1050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L3QlQf4zDZQ/Wr350Uvh7II/AAAAAAAAZMc/LHtxNX53gD0-E7vXAY7SmuyIPjRWmBEHACLcBGAs/s320/DSC_1050.JPG" width="400" height="225" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="900" /></a></div><br />
Unfortunately that's what things used to look like. This morning I received a text and series of photos of the garden today. <br />
<br />
Looks like someone has come down the hill, lost it on the bend, perhaps due to ice, then straight through the fence, across the lawn, and finishing up with taking out one of the apple trees. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QJXA5qNAQPI/Wr1m1jIeNOI/AAAAAAAAZLA/nQqLAn_-X70EOCjQGpDlJkhWMw51KoU5QCHMYCw/Road%2Band%2Bbroken%2Bfence"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Road and broken fence" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QJXA5qNAQPI/Wr1m1jIeNOI/AAAAAAAAZLA/nQqLAn_-X70EOCjQGpDlJkhWMw51KoU5QCHMYCw/Road%2Band%2Bbroken%2Bfence" alt="" width="400" height="400" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a><br />
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3nH4lEFaSNM/Wr1m4nvpl1I/AAAAAAAAZLE/8aQ4SBv1QVo5n9s9ceMM01ZhH0l9AbxzQCHMYCw/Fence%2Bsmashed%2Bdown"><img title="Fence smashed down" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3nH4lEFaSNM/Wr1m4nvpl1I/AAAAAAAAZLE/8aQ4SBv1QVo5n9s9ceMM01ZhH0l9AbxzQCHMYCw/Fence%2Bsmashed%2Bdown" alt="" width="400" height="400" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a><br />
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xJ7pioXJ8yc/Wr1m7Edru9I/AAAAAAAAZLI/NWU5uNUP_LUCMB89EFCaZjhIyK22_tFsgCHMYCw/Fence%2Band%2Btracks"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Fence and tracks" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xJ7pioXJ8yc/Wr1m7Edru9I/AAAAAAAAZLI/NWU5uNUP_LUCMB89EFCaZjhIyK22_tFsgCHMYCw/Fence%2Band%2Btracks" alt="" width="400" height="400" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a><br />
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HA1z5kM9HwY/Wr1m-WOaJaI/AAAAAAAAZLM/-pYZplGadYUJ-48VoPaIE7MOmTIJVYA5wCHMYCw/Tracks%2Bacross%2Bthe%2Bgarden"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Tracks across the garden" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HA1z5kM9HwY/Wr1m-WOaJaI/AAAAAAAAZLM/-pYZplGadYUJ-48VoPaIE7MOmTIJVYA5wCHMYCw/Tracks%2Bacross%2Bthe%2Bgarden" alt="" width="400" height="400" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a> <br />
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7y__gAxgEpQ/Wr1nB8aXqkI/AAAAAAAAZLQ/RCrW5CIf0f0BrJnk8pJY4_X4cfZUcqQXQCHMYCw/Smashed%2Bdown%2Bapple%2Btree"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Smashed down apple tree" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7y__gAxgEpQ/Wr1nB8aXqkI/AAAAAAAAZLQ/RCrW5CIf0f0BrJnk8pJY4_X4cfZUcqQXQCHMYCw/Smashed%2Bdown%2Bapple%2Btree" alt="" width="400" height="400" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All very upsetting, and more repair work for me next time I go to the Gite. Grr.<br />
<br />
Rather than wooden posts which are liable to rot I intend to replace the fence with green metal posts and fencing which will match the <a href="http://giteinbrittany.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/new-fence-and-gates-at-last.html">new fencing</a> along the front of the Gite:<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A4ac51MZtb4/Wr37adoBHSI/AAAAAAAAZMo/xe374QwbO7IhCHrM4fA8wls1UHnAJNdBwCLcBGAs/s1600/DSC_1048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A4ac51MZtb4/Wr37adoBHSI/AAAAAAAAZMo/xe374QwbO7IhCHrM4fA8wls1UHnAJNdBwCLcBGAs/s400/DSC_1048.JPG" width="400" height="225" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="900" /></a></div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-84951742954014123362018-03-03T18:21:00.000+00:002018-03-03T19:02:26.636+00:00Church buys controversial statue in nearby Ploërmel<p dir="auto">I was amused to read a news article on Connexion France about a dispute over a statue of Pope John Paul II in the town of Ploërmel - which is only 20 miles from our Brittany Gite.</p><p dir="auto">According to the <a href="https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Church-buys-Brittany-town-s-controversial-statue" target="_blank" title="Church buys controversial statue of Pope John Paul II">Connexion article</a>, a dispute had arose because the statue of the Pope had a cross on the top - a symbol that broke France’s 1905 law of separation between Church and State.</p><p dir="auto">The town council has agreed to sell the statue to the Catholic Church for €20,000. <br><br />
By selling the statue and the church moving it from a public carpark to a nearby Catholic private college, the dispute that would have required the cross on the top to be removed appears to have been resolved.</p><p dir="auto"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ahe7mj8E5X0/WprnL8XxDMI/AAAAAAAAY5g/Zqgumd2pCgowVt0lgUCAj1AFclUXihYiwCLcBGAs/s1600/Ploermel-statue.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ahe7mj8E5X0/WprnL8XxDMI/AAAAAAAAY5g/Zqgumd2pCgowVt0lgUCAj1AFclUXihYiwCLcBGAs/s320/Ploermel-statue.jpg" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="666" data-original-height="888" /></a></div></p><br />
Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-23694324724706628362018-02-28T22:28:00.001+00:002018-02-28T22:30:07.778+00:00Getting organised to go to France<p dir="auto">The garage is definitely getting fuller as I start to get myself ready and organised for some more ‘holiday' time in our Brittany Gite.</p><p dir="auto">As we don’t live close to the Gite, each trip I have to make sure that I’ve got everything I need to take with me. For the last few years I’ve been using <a href="http://wunderlist.com/" target="_blank">Wunderlist</a> which is a cross-platform ‘to-do’ list. I used to write down what I needed to take with me on a piece of paper but inevitably the paper would get lost, mangled or whatever, and so I moved with the times to Wunderlist (actually I first used a to-do service called Astrid but then Yahoo bought them and promptly closed it down :-( )</p><p>So I’ve been with Wunderlist since 2013 and what I particularly like is that you can create a list, share it with other people, and it automatically synchronises whenever you make changes. I have Wunderlist on my iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the Android app all work seamlessly together.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lN78EAW8DNs/WpcrMvmKaaI/AAAAAAAAY4c/tr0Quka9mmguqlpkkpYjEUNu0HcpcEbegCHMYCw/s9999/Screen-Shot-2018-02-28-at-10.19.14.png" width="224" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">Because I have been known to forget to take things I need to France, or vice versa, leaving some tools over there - which is really annoying, I’ve now got super-organised in Wunderlist with folders for what I need to buy ready for France, what I have got and need to take, things I need to buy in France, and then a to-do list and a longer term rennovation plan (where things can languish for years!).</p><p dir="ltr">Since I wasn’t able to get to the Gite in the back end of last year, the ‘bringing to France’ list on Wunderlist now stands at 42 items, a mixture of things to be replaced in the Gite itself, and things for the ‘project’ that is rennovating the other half of the property. Here’s a subset:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HKbK0wHMT5U/WpctEHzyBOI/AAAAAAAAY4o/Q4VOaV9NHfMWi5N8mq4ANWssJJbkoRwYwCHMYCw/s9999/Screen-Shot-2018-02-28-at-10.25.08.png" width="300" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p>All I need now is to get the time away from work to actually take a break and go over there.</p>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-54760260804843210532018-01-26T22:24:00.000+00:002018-01-26T22:25:34.856+00:00Cheap foreign currency transfers, 2018 updateBack in 2013 I last wrote about <a href="http://giteinbrittany.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/were-talking-about-money-money.html">using peer to peer providers to transfer money from the UK to France</a>, and in particular I looked at Transferwise and CurrencyFair in comparison to Moneybookers (now Skrill) that I had used up to then.<br />
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I concluded that the peer to peer services provided a better rate of return, and that I would be using them going forward.<br />
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Earlier in the month I needed to transfer £500 to my French bank account in order to pay the property insurance. In the last few years both Transferwise and CurrencyFair have introduced mobile apps to make it even easier to convert and send your money, and when I found that the Transferwise app on my iPad wasn't working I uninstalled it and reinstalled it to fix the problem.<br />
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Once working I thought I'd look to see what other iPad money transfer apps were available, I'd give them a spin, and see whether any of them offered me a better rate or transfer amount.<br />
<br />
So here's my experience of this very limited test.<br />
<br />
Remember, the requirement was to transfer £500 into Euros. I decided that if there were any fees on top to be paid then I'd reduce the amount I was transferring as needed, so in all cases I would be spending exactly £500.<br />
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First up <a href="https://transferwise.com/">Transferwise</a>, their iPad app is easy to use, for my £500 I was offered a rate of 1.251 and £3.54 of fees, meaning I'd end up with <b>€558.57</b> in my French account.<br />
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Next, <a href="https://www.currencyfair.com">CurrencyFair</a>. They don't have an iPad app, only an iPhone app, so on my iPad it has to be stretched and I have to tilt the screen 90 degrees to be able to use it (I have a cover with integrated keyboard on my iPad so this is a pain to use). They offered a rate of 1.1198 inclusive of fees, resulting in <b>€559.90</b>.<br />
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Then I looked for some other companies to try and found 3 more:<br />
<a href="https://www.worldremit.com/">WorldRemit</a>. Their iPad app enabled me to check the rate before I created an account (nice, not everyone did this), and their rate was 1.1162 with £2.99 fee on top meaning my £500 gave me <b>€555.88</b> into my French account.<br />
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<a href="https://azimo.com/en/">Azimo</a>. I couldn't do anything with their iPad app until I had firstly registered with them (boo), but they did offer me the first transfer fee-free. Their rate was 1.11307, the transfer fee would have been £1 (but first one free remember), so I'd have ended up with <b>€556.54</b>.<br />
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And finally, <a href="https://www.smallworldfs.com/">Small World</a>. They have a proper iPad app (hurrah), but it's stuck in portrait mode. As my iPad in its cover is permanently in landscape this means a cricked neck when you use it - Grr.<br />
Anyway, next to one side, I didn't need to register first to get a quote (good), and it was a healthy 1.12 exchange rate, the best so far, mind you there was a £5 fee on top of that which would have evened things up if they too hadn't had a first-transfer-free policy as well.<br />
So with them I was getting <b>€561.84</b>, the best overall.<br />
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And so tempted by this offer I registered with Small World and made my transfer through them. Of course for money laundering requirements I had to upload a photo of my passport which was easily done through the app, and I waited. Next day they verified my documents, the transfer went ahead, and 2 days later the money was in France.<br />
<br />
In summary for £500 to €:<br />
<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td>Transferwise</td><td> €558.90</td></tr>
<tr><td>CurrencyFair</td><td> €559.90</td></tr>
<tr><td>WorldRemit</td><td> €555.88</td></tr>
<tr><td>Azimo</td><td> €556.54</td></tr>
<tr><td>Small World</td><td> €561.84</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So not a massively scientific test, but it does show that there is value in shopping around.<br />
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Two weeks later as I write this Blog post, I've just been through all the apps again to see what they now suggest I would get. Here's the second set of results, again for a £500 transfer:<br />
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<table><tbody>
<tr><td>Transferwise</td><td> €565.62</td></tr>
<tr><td>CurrencyFair</td><td> Couldn't give me a quote as the markets close at 8pm Irish time on Friday's</td></tr>
<tr><td>WorldRemit</td><td> €561.45</td></tr>
<tr><td>Azimo</td><td> €559.27</td></tr>
<tr><td>Small World</td><td> €563.20</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
My conclusion is to probably remain with TransferWise and CurrencyFair as my preferred options, although I have used TransferWise the most over the last few years. I will try the others maybe one or two times more and might keep Small World as a 3rd transfer option.Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-84822230716102457812017-05-13T07:07:00.000+01:002018-01-09T07:09:24.423+00:00Completed new shower cubicleWhite silicone around the edges of the shower tray, transparent silicone around the outside edges of the frame (so if water gets behind the frame edges it will run back into the shower area), check adjustment of the doors, put the shower bar and shower outlet back up, and we’re there. <br />
<br />
One lovely new shower cubicle. <br />
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I’m really pleased with this, compared to the previous shower cubicle which was showing its age, this is much more spacious to use and looks really smart, modern and is perfect. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LGtYg83vfNo/WlRpu4MiK8I/AAAAAAAAYLs/3C2aRPo6BdEBKaxKb4i8uZS_3ChcSGhNACHMYCw/Finished%2Bnew%2Bshower%2Bcubicle"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Finished new shower cubicle" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LGtYg83vfNo/WlRpu4MiK8I/AAAAAAAAYLs/3C2aRPo6BdEBKaxKb4i8uZS_3ChcSGhNACHMYCw/Finished%2Bnew%2Bshower%2Bcubicle" alt="" width="450" height="600" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b9BJ65B4a-A/WlRpwwVnD6I/AAAAAAAAYLw/InU4pj38vFgXKPAyQaKyK_78veyHqf93wCHMYCw/End%2Bon%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bnew%2Bshower%252C%2Bshowing%2Bshower%2Bbar%2Band%2Briser"><img class=" aligncenter" title="End on to the new shower, showing shower bar and riser" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b9BJ65B4a-A/WlRpwwVnD6I/AAAAAAAAYLw/InU4pj38vFgXKPAyQaKyK_78veyHqf93wCHMYCw/End%2Bon%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bnew%2Bshower%252C%2Bshowing%2Bshower%2Bbar%2Band%2Briser" alt="" width="450" height="600" data-json="{\"requiresResize\":true}" /></a></div><br />
From start to finish took 3 days to install.Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-36866227474712477032017-05-12T06:34:00.000+01:002018-01-09T06:43:07.293+00:00Fitting the new shower cubicle“Fitting the new shower cubicle”, sounds innocuous doesn’t it. I mean, how hard can it be to fit a new shower cubicle, its just a matter of carefully following the instructions and assembling everything isn’t it? <br />
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As I mentioned earlier, I’d bought the new shower cubicle from an eBay seller, nothing wrong with that in terms of quality of what I’d bought, but when it came to installing the cubicle I think this particular seller had bought the instructions from China and quite possibly the Chinaman had never seen the cubicle he was drawing the plans for!! <br />
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Of all the work I did on the shower following the instructions proved to be the most difficult part. I like to be logical, lay the parts out, identify what is what, and then start at step 1. <br />
<br />
IKEA must love me as a customer. Laid all the parts out, compared the parts to the pictures, and they don’t match. <br />
<br />
Yes I have mostly the same number of parts as in the plans, but some of them bear no resemblance to the installation instructions.<br />
The uprights in particular have a completely different profile and I spend perhaps 3 hours dry assembling various parts of the shower trying to work out whether I have a door part, a glass surround part, or a frame part ! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZZWqN4HgTKg/WlRhH4sMPjI/AAAAAAAAYLY/j95LvRmaTygCTMB2c9dsR5MMoSd9y2FDwCHMYCw/Confusing%2Bshower%2Binstallation%2Binstructions"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Confusing shower installation instructions" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZZWqN4HgTKg/WlRhH4sMPjI/AAAAAAAAYLY/j95LvRmaTygCTMB2c9dsR5MMoSd9y2FDwCHMYCw/Confusing%2Bshower%2Binstallation%2Binstructions" alt="" width="400" height="400" data-json="" /></a></div><br />
Eventually I conclude mhy deliberations and can actually assemble the cubicle in situ. I then find that I’m missing some of the self tapping screws and silver screw cover caps - not enough to seriously jeopardise the installation, but enough to mean that some corners of the cubicle have to be screwed together with my own screws that will need replacement parts from the eBay seller. Take photo of offending missing parts, and carry on ...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2JU3axQMYVk/WlRhI8ImOnI/AAAAAAAAYLc/doUCDmiCesEchHgTxselrC1rXpU7AFxiwCHMYCw/Photograph%2Bmissing%2Bparts%2Bso%2BI%2Bcan%2Bbuy%2Breplacements%2Bback%2Bhome%2Boff%2BeBay%2B%2521"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Photograph missing parts so I can buy replacements back home off eBay !" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2JU3axQMYVk/WlRhI8ImOnI/AAAAAAAAYLc/doUCDmiCesEchHgTxselrC1rXpU7AFxiwCHMYCw/Photograph%2Bmissing%2Bparts%2Bso%2BI%2Bcan%2Bbuy%2Breplacements%2Bback%2Bhome%2Boff%2BeBay%2B%2521" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="" /></a></div> Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-72780957916181243182017-05-11T01:07:00.000+01:002018-01-09T06:42:07.985+00:00Tiled and grouted the remainder of the shower cubicleTiling the rest of the shower cubicle was a fairly straight forward job. Checking all the time that the tiles were level and true, it was made easier by the choice of large wall tiles and 10mm right angle tile trim to finish the edges off neatly. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SLvn5-t8qOw/WlQYR7dtqWI/AAAAAAAAYK8/eO2zsyW6yisaE9x8btDWXnvbke2KjFc7ACHMYCw/Tiled%2Bboth%2Bwalls%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bshower%2Bcubicle"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Tiled both walls of the shower cubicle" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SLvn5-t8qOw/WlQYR7dtqWI/AAAAAAAAYK8/eO2zsyW6yisaE9x8btDWXnvbke2KjFc7ACHMYCw/Tiled%2Bboth%2Bwalls%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bshower%2Bcubicle" alt="" width="400" height="533" data-json="" /></a></div><br />
I originally planned to just tile the shower cubicle area, but having seen how quickly it took me to tile this section and how much better it looked with tiles on the wall I decided to continue tiling along the wall up to the doorway. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q2PTsKJlq_Q/WlQYS661SjI/AAAAAAAAYLA/0tLV4e_3LuwXeq7Nq8p3VFdCTX3exi7AQCHMYCw/Tiling%2Bthe%2Bshower%2Barea%2Bcomplete"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Tiling the shower area complete" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q2PTsKJlq_Q/WlQYS661SjI/AAAAAAAAYLA/0tLV4e_3LuwXeq7Nq8p3VFdCTX3exi7AQCHMYCw/Tiling%2Bthe%2Bshower%2Barea%2Bcomplete" alt="" width="400" height="533" data-json="" /></a></div><br />
Waited a couple of hours for the adhesive to dry, then cleaned any adhesive off the tile surfaces and from the cracks (found that if you leave this job to the next morning then the adhesive sets rock solid and is a lot harder to do), and then grouted the lot. <br />
Top tip, buy a proper rubber grout float and use power-mix grout. The ready-mix may be easier to use but its too lumpy and with the powder mix you can get a much better grout result. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qXqnwyWi8xw/WlQYTjoPf4I/AAAAAAAAYLE/m3arLAglh1gBfo326JYWJKjeAzOkfdkNwCHMYCw/Shower%2Bcubicle%2Bgrouted"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Shower cubicle grouted" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qXqnwyWi8xw/WlQYTjoPf4I/AAAAAAAAYLE/m3arLAglh1gBfo326JYWJKjeAzOkfdkNwCHMYCw/Shower%2Bcubicle%2Bgrouted" alt="" width="400" height="400" data-json="" /></a></div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-80531999737277676132017-05-09T21:45:00.000+01:002018-01-09T06:07:30.514+00:00New shower tray and starting to tile the showerHaving stripped out the old shower, next job was to start fitting the new shower tray.<br />
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As I mentioned in the previous post, the original shower tray and cubicle was quite restrictive as it was a standard 800mm square size. Measuring carefully I worked out that I could fit a 900mm deep tray with enough clearance before the existing wall radiator, and looking around I could get 1200mm wide tray, so 1200x900mm wide it was. <br />
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Slight aside, I have discovered that you can buy most bathroom things like shower trays, glass screens, toilets, sinks and bathroom cupboards at very reasonable prices on eBay. Plenty of suppliers so the prices are keen and the quality is fine. So eBay it was for this shower tray and cubicle and I brought it all over to France in Liz's Ford Galaxy. <br />
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As a result of putting in a larger tray this meant that the floor tiles had to be cut back to accommodate the new tray size, so out with the angle grinder - made a lot of dust in the process ! <br />
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Of course the trap on the new tray was in a different position to the old one, so more cutting with the angle grinder and chiselling out with my big SDS hammer drill. And yet more dust. <br />
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I made several dry runs at assembling the waste and trap before applying pipe solvent glue to the pipework. The trap was then screwed on, a bed of mortar under the tray, and silicone around the trap to seal it to the tray. Fitted the tray and left it all overnight to set.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NMSL7Wiuq24/WRHvrN0NZVI/AAAAAAAARVg/fA4-a6TJgTAjYDJKYk1yvagYSxgnlFwwgCHM/Floor%2Bcut%252C%2Bdrain%2Bin%2Bplace%252C%2Bready%2Bto%2Binstall%2Bthe%2Btray"><img title="Floor cut, drain in place, ready to install the tray" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NMSL7Wiuq24/WRHvrN0NZVI/AAAAAAAARVg/fA4-a6TJgTAjYDJKYk1yvagYSxgnlFwwgCHM/Floor%2Bcut%252C%2Bdrain%2Bin%2Bplace%252C%2Bready%2Bto%2Binstall%2Bthe%2Btray" alt="" width="400" height="533" data-json="" /></a></div><br />
Then I started on tiling the walls. The tiles again came from the UK, B&Q in fact, as I had some left over from tiling our utility room at home! I did have buy several boxes more and bring them over to France, but as we liked them already it was easier to keep with this style. <br />
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One challenge I had was the shower bar that was in the middle of the wall. Unlike in the UK, French regulations don't seem to require you to have shut-off valves before water outlets so I had to turn the whole house water off when I removed the shower bar. I didn't have any stop ends that would fit the pipe, so made an impromptu loop with a washing machine filler hose which did the job a treat!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LvUG1pQZEYY/WRHvrwRmyhI/AAAAAAAARVk/XAyyG8LQbTcVsWKhxj5j7c6E_wBefzO8QCHM/Shower%2Btiling%2Bstarted"><img title="Shower tiling started" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LvUG1pQZEYY/WRHvrwRmyhI/AAAAAAAARVk/XAyyG8LQbTcVsWKhxj5j7c6E_wBefzO8QCHM/Shower%2Btiling%2Bstarted" alt="" width="400" height="533" data-json="" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-87902092777563925462017-04-25T08:27:00.000+01:002018-01-09T06:07:46.941+00:00Removing the old shower cubicleDownstairs in the Gite is a large bathroom with toilet, washing machine and a not particularly large shower cubicle. In fact when I looked round the Gite prior to buying it, the previous owners had stored their daughter's toys in the cubicle, and whilst it has been used a lot more than the previous owners did, the shower cubicle was starting to show its age and so I planned to replace it with something bigger. The old cubicle prior to starting work: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V9w3bPxZEq0/WOoX0XBv7SI/AAAAAAAAQxg/30lHvVvnQWQ/Old%252520shower%252520cubicle.jpg"><img title="Old shower cubicle" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V9w3bPxZEq0/WOoX0XBv7SI/AAAAAAAAQxg/30lHvVvnQWQ/Old%252520shower%252520cubicle.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="600" data-json="" /> </a></div> First job was to strip out the old cubicle, tiles and tray. Smashing fun ! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MK0szibPpEg/WOoWLkRzObI/AAAAAAAAQxM/K8kYVp7crnU/Stripping%252520out%252520the%252520old%252520shower%252520cubicle.jpg"><img title="Stripping out the old shower cubicle" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MK0szibPpEg/WOoWLkRzObI/AAAAAAAAQxM/K8kYVp7crnU/Stripping%252520out%252520the%252520old%252520shower%252520cubicle.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="600" data-json="" /></a></div> Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-83982514242024691332017-04-10T22:27:00.000+01:002018-01-09T06:08:00.120+00:00Another little repair job to the patio door blindOn arriving at the Gite I found that unfortunately the roller blind above the doors onto the patio had been broken at some point. These blinds work really well but they are quite heavy and if you let them drop down at high speed they can get damaged which results in the blind coming apart. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YIh1aCGMuy4/WOoDsMjgHzI/AAAAAAAAQws/BmLULKVnxKc/Broken%252520patio%252520door%252520blind.jpg"> <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Broken patio door blind" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YIh1aCGMuy4/WOoDsMjgHzI/AAAAAAAAQws/BmLULKVnxKc/Broken%252520patio%252520door%252520blind.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="337" data-json="" /> </a>It is a bit of a pain to fix this as I have to take the cover off the roller blind on the inside, unscrew the bottom weight, and then manually feed the rolled blind back up through the slot at the top into the house, then when the blind is all inside, have to slide each blind slat out sideways and then you can slide them all back together. As I said, a bit of a pain. At least it gave the opportunity to wash all the blind slats as I put it back together again. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QsxLYasaF1o/WOoEBXjTunI/AAAAAAAAQw4/iSLYpmmQ-KM/Dismantling%252520the%252520roller%252520blind.jpg"><img title="Dismantling the roller blind" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QsxLYasaF1o/WOoEBXjTunI/AAAAAAAAQw4/iSLYpmmQ-KM/Dismantling%252520the%252520roller%252520blind.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="600" data-json="" /></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a2TlKQSlclQ/WOoEATVhWeI/AAAAAAAAQww/mEOp0yaNsNk/Slotting%252520the%252520roller%252520blind%252520back%252520together%25252C%252520slat%252520by%252520slat.jpg"><img title="Slotting the roller blind back together, slat by slat" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a2TlKQSlclQ/WOoEATVhWeI/AAAAAAAAQww/mEOp0yaNsNk/Slotting%252520the%252520roller%252520blind%252520back%252520together%25252C%252520slat%252520by%252520slat.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="600" data-json="" /></a></div><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QsxLYasaF1o/WOoEBXjTunI/AAAAAAAAQw4/iSLYpmmQ-KM/Dismantling%252520the%252520roller%252520blind.jpg"> </a></div> </div> Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-34087604242281792502017-04-09T10:11:00.000+01:002018-01-09T06:09:48.137+00:00Back to France for Easter weekI'm currently sitting on the harbourside at Dover, waiting for the 10:40 DFDS ferry to Calais. <br />
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Just me going for Easter week. Toby is off to grandparents and Jack is, well Jack. So Mum at home to keep Jack in check and feed the pets. <br />
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Good drive down to the port although I could see it will be hazy on the channel. Yesterday I flew my microlight to Damyns Hall near Dartford Crossing and it was very hazy until late afternoon so I expect the same today - not much fun flying when you can't see much in front of you. I'm sure the ferry captain will have GPS and Radar to ensure we don't run into anything on the way. <br />
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Despite thinking that there is not much to take to France the car is completely full ! <br />
Bringing over a new freezer, flatscreen TV, a big pile of laminate flooring and more tiles and trim to complete tiling the downstairs bathroom. <br />
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Not a quiet week ahead of me then ... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C8UK_tQRbE8/WOn53m4TALI/AAAAAAAAQuE/_yjQjNFwPaw/A20%252520down%252520to%252520Dover%25252C%252520definitely%252520foggy%252520on%252520the%252520channel.jpg"><img title="A20 down to Dover, definitely foggy on the channel" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C8UK_tQRbE8/WOn53m4TALI/AAAAAAAAQuE/_yjQjNFwPaw/A20%252520down%252520to%252520Dover%25252C%252520definitely%252520foggy%252520on%252520the%252520channel.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="333" data-json="" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_bNDZXjImNM/WOn58zT5TlI/AAAAAAAAQuI/luYFoWgs0iY/Queued%252520up%252520at%252520Dover%252520Ferryport.jpg"><img title="Queued up at Dover Ferryport" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_bNDZXjImNM/WOn58zT5TlI/AAAAAAAAQuI/luYFoWgs0iY/Queued%252520up%252520at%252520Dover%252520Ferryport.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="333" data-json="" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HWcaj3BY29Y/WOn6BDaD-mI/AAAAAAAAQuU/1Y9tenId6GU/Car%252520low%252520on%252520the%252520suspension.jpg"><img title="Car low on the suspension" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HWcaj3BY29Y/WOn6BDaD-mI/AAAAAAAAQuU/1Y9tenId6GU/Car%252520low%252520on%252520the%252520suspension.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="333" data-json="" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UY5X1ZwlvGg/WOn6j2xUGMI/AAAAAAAAQuo/2iFOGhfTat4/Just%252520room%252520for%252520the%252520driver.jpg"><img title="Just room for the driver" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UY5X1ZwlvGg/WOn6j2xUGMI/AAAAAAAAQuo/2iFOGhfTat4/Just%252520room%252520for%252520the%252520driver.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="333" data-json="" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y7Enlr1VK_4/WOn6Y2dqVvI/AAAAAAAAQuY/ZXrGvJX36dw/No%252520room%252520in%252520there%252520either%252520%252521.jpg"><img title="No room in there either !" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y7Enlr1VK_4/WOn6Y2dqVvI/AAAAAAAAQuY/ZXrGvJX36dw/No%252520room%252520in%252520there%252520either%252520%252521.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="333" data-json="" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">PS: Thanks for the free wifi Dover harbour, much appreciated</div></div></div> Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-65703941757034684082016-11-23T23:12:00.000+00:002018-01-09T06:10:20.278+00:00The Brittany folded baguetteJust read an amusing article on the Daily Mail website announcing that a <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3963720/Sacre-bleu-end-traditional-French-baguette-New-loaf-BENT-half-make-easier-fit-shopping-bag.html" target="_blank">Brittany bakery has invented the folded baguette that fits easier into your shopping bag</a>. <br />
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What do you think, clever idea or not? <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ETZ3ddpW__I/WDYh_rEoCSI/AAAAAAAAOy8/wHtTmQVRLHQ/Baguette%252520du%252520Motard%252520%252528folded%252520baguette%252529.jpg"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Baguette du Motard (folded baguette)" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ETZ3ddpW__I/WDYh_rEoCSI/AAAAAAAAOy8/wHtTmQVRLHQ/Baguette%252520du%252520Motard%252520%252528folded%252520baguette%252529.jpg" alt="" width="306" height="544" data-json="" /></a></div> Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-10900524699241775922016-11-13T07:08:00.000+00:002018-01-09T06:08:28.156+00:00Port of St MaloArriving in at the port of St Malo. Slept on the floor of the recling chair lounge as there was more room than being in a reclining chair (that I paid £5 for the privilege of having), but actually slept quite well. Croissants and coffee for breakfast and now I'm here in France. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xXD-hGx_n7k/WCgRSPDWQdI/AAAAAAAAOwI/VUMaKJrOXVs/St%252520Malo%252520Citadel.jpg"><img class=" aligncenter" title="St Malo Citadel" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xXD-hGx_n7k/WCgRSPDWQdI/AAAAAAAAOwI/VUMaKJrOXVs/St%252520Malo%252520Citadel.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="336" data-json="" /></a></div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-9740444187541447202016-11-12T20:43:00.000+00:002018-01-09T06:05:53.745+00:00The scary bit, driving onboard the FerryI'm travelling over to Brittany with Brittany Ferries, Portsmouth to St Malo, so only an hour's drive to the Gite on the French side. <br />
<br />
This is the bit that Liz doesn't like, driving up the ramp onto the ferry: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qgq3y0xfMIE/WCd-YDnog2I/AAAAAAAAOvU/O4zLSB2vosQ/Driving%252520onboard%252520Bretagne.jpg"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Driving onboard Bretagne" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qgq3y0xfMIE/WCd-YDnog2I/AAAAAAAAOvU/O4zLSB2vosQ/Driving%252520onboard%252520Bretagne.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KxyahSrfCK0/WCd-xDdBZTI/AAAAAAAAOvY/FdlXcco0juU/Up%252520the%252520ramp%252520to%252520the%252520top%252520floor.jpg"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Up the ramp to the top floor" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KxyahSrfCK0/WCd-xDdBZTI/AAAAAAAAOvY/FdlXcco0juU/Up%252520the%252520ramp%252520to%252520the%252520top%252520floor.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" data-json="" /></a></div> Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-4880713293496326362016-11-12T20:36:00.000+00:002018-01-09T06:07:01.059+00:00Off to France for a week of holiday DIYI'm off to our Brittany Gite for a week of holiday DIY. <br />
<br />
Should have gone in September and then October but too much work on and so its ended up mid November by the time I've been able to get away. <br />
<br />
And its still not great time for work so suspect I will end up making a few conference calls from France during my week "off" :-( <br />
<br />
As its just me going (Liz is at home and the boys are at school and college) I've taken the opportunity to take as much stuff as I can do. <br />
<br />
In the very full car are two new single bed matresses, a dishwasher, washing machine, swimming pool sand filter, 12m of swimming pool pipes, lots of pipe joints, a shower tray, shower screen, boxes of tiles, tile cutter, and quite a lot of tools and bits and pieces. <br />
<br />
Plan for the week is to put a new shower cubicle in, fit an extractor fan to the bathroom and plumb in a new swimming pool. <br />
<br />
Hopefully I will get some rest ! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ztpUFPx1_Vk/WCd8wSJLQ_I/AAAAAAAAOvM/AV3nIePzgZs/Just%252520enough%252520room%252520for%252520me%252520to%252520sit%252520in%252520the%252520front.jpg"><img class=" aligncenter" title="Just enough room for me to sit in the front" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ztpUFPx1_Vk/WCd8wSJLQ_I/AAAAAAAAOvM/AV3nIePzgZs/Just%252520enough%252520room%252520for%252520me%252520to%252520sit%252520in%252520the%252520front.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="533" data-json="" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CJXPLY0jTuQ/WCd8zibbKGI/AAAAAAAAOvQ/pDF0lENjLB8/This%252520side%252520of%252520the%252520car%252520is%252520full%252520as%252520well.jpg"><img class="aligncenter" title="This side of the car is full as well" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CJXPLY0jTuQ/WCd8zibbKGI/AAAAAAAAOvQ/pDF0lENjLB8/This%252520side%252520of%252520the%252520car%252520is%252520full%252520as%252520well.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dAAlp71kmJY/WCd6TqjAnNI/AAAAAAAAOvA/evtxnz8ZZ1M/A%252520very%252520full%252520car%252520boot.jpg"><img class="aligncenter" title="A very full car boot" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dAAlp71kmJY/WCd6TqjAnNI/AAAAAAAAOvA/evtxnz8ZZ1M/A%252520very%252520full%252520car%252520boot.jpg" alt="" width="384" height="512" /></a></div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-49747522607133201822016-04-04T14:26:00.001+01:002016-05-24T10:48:23.548+01:00Boiler servicing <p dir="ltr">Some things are sometimes more of a challenge than they need to be. </p>
<p dir="ltr">About 5 years ago we had a new oil boiler installed at the Gite that runs the hot water and central heating. </p>
<p dir="ltr">All was fine until we accidentally ran out of oil and the muck in the bottom of the oil tank got pulled through into the boiler and it spat some black smoke out as a result. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The plumber who installed the boiler advised me of a local company in Rohan who could service it and so I logged a 'please contact me to come and clean the boiler' request on their website for when I was next coming to France. </p>
<p dir="ltr">They never phoned nor emailed me so the following time I came over to France I tried again via the website, but again no response. </p>
<p dir="ltr">This time when we arrived at the Gite I noticed that there the boiler was blowing out more black sooty smoke that was deposited all up the outside wall. </p>
<p dir="ltr">This time I avoided the electronic 'contact me' and drove over to their shop to book an engineer visit. <br>
Yes I was told, would be probably Thursday, but the technician would phone to confirm. </p>
<p dir="ltr">By the end of Wednesday after having had no phone call I went back to the shop to confirm the appointment. </p>
<p dir="ltr">No, not Thursday, but would be Friday at 2pm. Definitely. </p>
<p dir="ltr">And here he is, the technician arrived as promised on Friday, the boiler was very thoroughly cleaned out, a new nozzle fitted and it's all running perfectly. </p>
<p dir="ltr">What a hassle though. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MA3JsYocof4/VwJrcOLlIiI/AAAAAAAAL9o/XhzYCGHAr0Q/s1600/IMG_20160401_144417273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MA3JsYocof4/VwJrcOLlIiI/AAAAAAAAL9o/XhzYCGHAr0Q/s640/IMG_20160401_144417273.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9Ctv6dnIgXE/VwJrf8HcJyI/AAAAAAAAL9s/YbBO6g--gCo/s1600/IMG_20160401_144408510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9Ctv6dnIgXE/VwJrf8HcJyI/AAAAAAAAL9s/YbBO6g--gCo/s640/IMG_20160401_144408510.jpg"> </a> </div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20371842.post-62599663185651609322016-04-01T11:08:00.001+01:002016-04-01T11:08:44.568+01:00Misty still morning <p dir="ltr">Driving to Pontivy this morning we sped through misty lanes as the sun shone through. </p>
<p dir="ltr">It was an absolutely still morning, the windmills were static and the smoke from this industrial building was rising directly upwards. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Beautiful </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EAPp6siAkqY/Vv5Iqp-XH5I/AAAAAAAAL4E/AUqFohSyebs/s1600/IMG_20160401_091839528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EAPp6siAkqY/Vv5Iqp-XH5I/AAAAAAAAL4E/AUqFohSyebs/s640/IMG_20160401_091839528.jpg"> </a> </div>Geoffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981186264229176578noreply@blogger.com0