Sunday, April 30, 2017

Back in Normandy

We call her Ducky.  She is very friendly and even enjoys being picked up and petted.
Bill and I are housesitting in St Pois, Normandy.  The house is large, actually divided into two houses, but we only have to live in and heat one.  (Although the dishwasher is in the side we don't use, so we visit often.) There is also a lovely sunroom, which heats up wonderfully on sunny days.

The rest of our charges, who stay in their yard.
We share our land with 3 ducks and 2 chickens.  The chickens are older, and only one of the ducks is laying eggs.  We get one egg every other day.

The owners, a British couple, are off to Germany to visit friends.  They left 3 hours after we arrived.  They will then go to the UK to spend Christmas with their children, ending up staying at their daughter's house while they go to Greece.  We are hoping to spend a bit more time getting to know them when they return.


For now, we are getting to know the quirks of the house. The water heater runs at night, so we have to be careful about using hot water during the day so we don't run out. The tumble dryer has to run completely through it's cycle before setting a new time. The red faced duck will follow us around the yard, even though she is supposed to stay in her pen, she flies over the fence.  The heaters in the rooms are on auto, so we don't have to worry about them.  We use the sink and toilet in one of the bathrooms, but shower in the other. They are both in the same hall upstairs, so it's not a problem.

Our main heating is a wood stove in the living area.  There is a good supply of logs in the wood barn and a wheel barrow to haul them in.  We have experience heating with wood, so no worries there.


Notre Dame; A Grand Old Lady

   
Since the last time we were in Paris, the outside of Notre Dame has been cleaned and new bells are in her towers.  She looks lovely!




Blackness Castle and Linlithgow Palace

Two castle built during the same period, but for completely different uses.  Blackness Castle was a military fort on the Forth of Firth, whi...