Thursday 3 November 2011

Well, we're back together, in France!

Firstly, thank you to everyone for all your kind comments.  I did manage to answer a few, but with one thing and another, I'm sorry that I didn't have time to get to you all.......


My drive back to the UK house went well, and I stopped off en route to say au revoir to four ex Rhodesian friends, who all live  in the English counties to the south of London.


I managed a couple a days of packing before I went down with the worst cold/flu that I can ever remember having! I felt terrible, but the packing had to continue, albeit much more slowly than before!  Nigel was also unwell, but maybe his winter flu jab  helped him avoid the full effects.   I  had my flu shot a few days later, so I hoped that would be the end of it all.  No such luck and I still have a really bad cough!


Nigel completed his last day at work on Friday 21 October and the day of moving (29 October) arrived quicker than we could bat an eyelid! Keith, our France-based "man and van" turned up as arranged, and with a neighbour's help, we had the van loaded quite quickly and on its way to France.


Keith and his capacious van provide a service we highly recommend to anyone moving to or from the UK to Europe.  He is friendly, reliable, reasonably priced and can pack like a magician; we never thought that it was possible to get all our bits into the van but manage it, he did.  He does deliveries, removals and collections, full and part loads,  works throughout UK, France and Europe including islands. and has  storage facilities in both UK and France.  For quotes and enquires, email keith232@hotmail.com

This is the back half of the van when the doors were opened! Up front was the fridge, the freezer, the tumble dryer, innumerable cardboard boxes, not to mention the euonymous plant in its barrel!!!

It had just passed mid-day when the van left and we were also ready to depart on the trip south ourselves, when we detected a binding front brake problem on the Clio. Luck has to be on your side occasionally, and on this Saturday lunchtime, it was!  One mechanic was still at our local garage and he sorted out the problem in double quick time. When Nigel asked how much he owed, the mechanic said his reward would be for us to have a safe trip to France! Exceptional (and all too rare) service!


At the moment we are in total chaos  dealing with a van-load of boxes, but the most important thing is we are both here at last. There is much sorting out to do but I will be back blogging when I have more time/ feel better.  A bientôt!

110 comments:

  1. Welcome home to both of you. Now you can let the good times roll :-). Have a great weekend. Blessings...Mary

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  2. Thanks so much Mary, it will be great when we can relax and enjoy retirement. Take care. Diane

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  3. Welcome back Diane, to both France and to Blogsphere.
    Very best wishes to you both as you continue your lives together in France.
    Bonne chance!

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  4. Merci beaucoup Gaynor. Next year we may be sorted out enough to enjoy! Diane

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  5. Welcome back Diane. Glad all was moved safely and that the settling in is proceeding apace. Hope you enjoy living here f/t as much as we do :-)
    We had 64m3 in a huge artic when we moved August '10. Some boxes are still in the barn waiting to be unpacked

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  6. Niall and Antoinette, thanks for the welcome. Our problem is over the past 5 years we have moved most things here already but we still had to have 2 houses habitable. We now have just too much 'stuff'. The other snag is we are using our neighbour's barn so we need to get everything out ASAP........ We will get there eventually :) Diane

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  7. Welcome back!!!!
    Do they not say that moving is 2nd most stressful thing we can do? I am sure that is true.
    How lucky was it with your mechanic - not many like that around!!!
    Hope you have managed to settle in now and can spend some time relaxing.
    Take care!!!

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  8. Hello Diane:
    Well, you made it and now the adventure can really begin. The worst is surely behind you and you now have the rest of your lives to get everything as you would wish. Time to just look after yourselves for a while, the boxes can surely wait as long as you have a kettle to hand!

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  9. Welcome back HOME! Home, just imagine...I'm sure you have, lol. Your new home where both of you are at last together. I'm so glad for you both.

    Please do take care with that cold and take your time. Your home isn't going anywhere and you will enjoy it more.

    Hugs. xx

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  10. Ellie we were so lucky with that mechanic. We would have had a hard time getting here to France before the van arrived without him!!! Hopefully we will soon sort things out. Diane

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  11. My dear friend Diane,
    Welcome to your home!
    Glad they went all good!
    I hope the FLU to leave quickly:)
    I wish you every convenience to your work and a happy life!
    Best regards

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  12. Hi Diane, I'm so glad to hear you made it safely home. I'm sure you feel thoroughly swamped at the moment, by all those boxes but just take it easy and get yourselves better then it will all sort out in good time.

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  13. Jane and Lance the problem is we had two houses on the go before and now we are trying to put everything into one! The boxes though have to be cleared as most of them are in a neighbour's barn at the moment and if he wants to get anything out he can't. We have to sort them somehow!!! Nevertheless it is good for all to be sort of in one place. Diane

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  14. Thanks Joyful we are both very happy to be HOME. The biggest problem is with my cough I am sleeping in the spare room so we are still not really together!!!! Take care. Diane xx

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  15. Magda thank you for your good wishes, I also hope I get well very soon! Take care, Diane

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  16. Gosh, Diane, that takes us back! When we packed to leave the UK I had just had an operation on my shoulder and like you, we wondered how on earth we would manage to pack etc...

    Then, when the fuel crisis prevented us not only from getting to the shops to stock up on food but also from returning to England to complete the packing, our Man with a Van came up trumps and finished off the packing for us! When he arrived in Braye with our furniture and food for a cooked breakfast, we thought we were in heaven!!

    Good luck to you both and may you have a long and happy future together in the place you love.

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  17. Thanks Jean, it would be really good if we felt better, it would make everything so much easier. I just feel lousy and Nigel has his usual problems which I hope will improve when he realises he is now retired!! A bientôt j'espère. Diane x

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  18. Thanks so much Colin and Elizabeth, at least my shoulder worked even if my head did not!! It is amazing how these things seem to work out well in the end. We just need to be able to relax a bit then maybe good health will return with it :) Take care Diane

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  19. Wow, that's a lot of efforts to live in two different places! Do you move everything like this each time?

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  20. I am so pleased for you both. You have waited a long time for this. Hope your cough goes soon.

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  21. Diane, I was so sure I commented, but I do not find it. I wish you Nigel and the best wishes and happiness and health and wealth in your new, permanent home. Take your time unpacking......ugh.....and we will all be waiting here to see how you both are adjusting to permanent residency in France. Susan

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  22. COngrats for making the move... I know you will be deliriously happy... nice to be together again!!

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  23. Welcome home Diane, glad you're back. I miss you honestly lol.

    We're on the same page, I got the flu bad. Take care!

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  24. Such a lot of stress and organization! I am still so envious of your position to be in the Charente. All of this is worth the effort, I am sure you agree. And, after all, there really is no rush!

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  25. Welcome back! Hope you feel better and get everything settled with your move.

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  26. Welcome back, Diane! Oh dear, hope you're well now. The weather is changing cold over here too. Great to hear that your sifting went well too. Take care & have fun!
    Blessings, Kristy

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  27. Rosaria we DID live in two different places. Now we are trying to fit everything from the two into the one in Charente where we plan on living for the remaining days of our life. Diane

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  28. Vera we are both happy the move is over now waiting for my cough to vanish so we can be in the same bedroom as well!! Just hope the UK house sells soon! Diane

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  29. Susan because so much of our 'stuff' is in our neighbour's barn we have not really got a lot of time for unpacking. He can't get in there at the moment!! Diane

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  30. Thanks lostpastremembered, just have to get sorted!!!!! Diane

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  31. Thanks chubskulit, I am now in week four of feeling like this so I have had more than enough!!!! Diane

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  32. Sarah there is a lot of stress and still will be for a while but hopefully next year we will be in a position to enjoy it all :) Diane

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  33. Words Of Deliciousness thanks so much, I also hope everything gets sorted including my health very quickly. Diane

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  34. Thanks Kristy, hope all gets sorted here quickly and we can enjoy life in the Charente in full. Be back soon. Diane

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  35. Hurray!! Put the flag out!!!! I am so very pleased for you both. x

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  36. Diane I will put the flag out when I can find it :))) Thanks Diane x

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  37. Bienvenue Diane...make sure you unpack the teapot first.

    SP

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  38. SP we never use a teapot!!! We both hate tea (as in tea) and only drink herbal :) Lucky we both have the same tastes. Diane

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  39. Diane, nice to see you back! looking more nice post from you.

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  40. Welcome back Diane. At least for today. Take your time, get yourself well installed and then....and then....you can sit back and reconnect with us all. Welcome back to France!

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  41. hi diane, nice to hear you're back home safely. You take a good rest, shall catch up with you on your next post!

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  42. I am so HAPPY FOR YOU BOTH ... Nigel has finally moved to France .. but I am sorry that you were both under a lot of stress and both not feeling well either. Hope you have both finally got some very well earned rest .. I am sure that you will get it all under control and your boxeds sorted before you know it :-) xoxo

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  43. sorry to hear about the flu, it's a flu season:(

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  44. Glad you are back in France, together, and "all" that's left is to get everything sorted. We'll see you back when everything's under control!

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  45. Welcome again Diane, happy to see you again!!Im pleased for you both!
    Hope you both have a nice and more relax time!! gloria

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  46. Hi Sonia, I hope that I will feel better very soon and then I will get back to blogging properly! Diane

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  47. Thanks Delana, the more I look at what needs to be done the more scary it gets as there is nowhere to put everything. Guess I have to get rid of some things but it is hard as most things are all memories of great times!! Diane

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  48. Thanks Lena, I will get there in the end and eventually back to blogging!!! Diane

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  49. Anne at the moment I am thinking that next year will be better. Think it is going to take that long to get everything straight!!! Diane oxo

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  50. Ola I am not sure what I have got, saw the Dr again yesterday. I have been coughing really badly now for almost four weeks and it gives me a permanent headache. I am just hoping that the new treatment may help. Diane

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  51. Marjie how I wish that 'all' was a bit smaller. Once I am feeling better I will get there in the end :) Diane

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  52. Gloria thanks for the comment. I will be back as soon as I can get my life in order here!! Diane

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  53. Good grief!
    Removal time is a nightmare!
    You'll soon be over it all and happy again.
    I never want to a flu shot I am too wary
    of what it can contain!!
    Since I started taking 2 table spoons of honey every morning with Spirulina, (touch wood!), I have never had flu nor a cold any more!...
    Don't worry.... I have other problems, but totally unrelated! LOL!
    good luck with everything to the both of U!
    Love
    XXXXXXXX

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  54. Noushka I have not had a cold/flue like this for as long as I can remember. I take Vit C and multi vit and no problems. I suspect that this was something I caught on the ferry, I had said to N that there were some very sick people there! I have only had flu vaccines for the past 3 years because my Dr convinced me at 'my age' I needed them!!! I was also very anti!!!
    I thought when we moved from S.A to the UK it was a major move, but this is worse as we are now trying to fit two homes into one !!!!! Diane xx

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  55. Good evening,Diane!
    Welcome Back!

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  56. I did laugh when I saw the photo of the removal van - only people like us would find it necessary to bring barrels to France - and all those special things you cant bear to leave behind, and I bet you know exactly where in the garden it will go!! I would love a euro for every time Neil looked at me in that exasperated way he has wondering why I really 'needed' candle holders and plant pots and the like...it's called making a home - and I hope you enjoy them!!xx

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  57. Roz I was lucky where the barrels were concerned, Nigel is also quite fond of them! As for the euonymous, that nearly did not make it, the nursery said if we cut it back or removed it from the pot without planting it straight into the ground it had no chance!! There are still many things though that I suppose I should have parted with but..... Many have good memories attached to them. Diane

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  58. Thanks Andrea. It is good to be back but I will be blogging slowly for a few weeks! Very busy still. Diane

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  59. Welcome back !! Greetings from Brussels

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  60. So glad all is well and welcome back!
    mary x

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  61. Thanks Mary (Mum's Kitchen) but it is going to take me a while to get back in the flow!! Diane

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  62. So glad to hear you both have arrived safely in France and now really starting a "new life". Enjoy. x

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  63. So good to see you Diane, happy you made it safe and sound. Sorry it took me so long to comment, it's been hard for be to get much done on the computer. Work is so busy with a virus that went through our school and working with the Health department and parents of the sick kids and lucky that the school nurse and I didn't catch it. I've been crazy working overtime (without pay of course because the public schools keep getting budget cuts we had to take a pay cut, but we still love working with the kids) I don't mean to go on and on...just trying to distract you hehe! I know hou still have lots to do, good luck! and hang in there!

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  64. Karen it is good to be here but it is going to take a while to sort things out........ Diane

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  65. Lyndsey, I need distracting, I am fed up with not feeling well!! Diane

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  66. anni, thanks for the welcome back but it is going to be a slow return for the time being :) Diane

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  67. I'm glad that the process of your move has passed well, despite certain obstacles. All this packing and putting things away is time consuming and stressful.

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  68. Diane, nice to hear you have sucessfully consolidated and unpacked yourselves into one home. I am sorry to hear you had to endure a bout of flu but hope you are feeling better now.

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  69. Olga I cannot believe how many boxes there are. Problem is where to put it all!!! Diane

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  70. chcmichel it is really good to be here at last but I am still struggling with a really bad cough. We will get everything sorted soon I hope. Diane

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  71. At last I am here to welcome you and Nigel home at last. Do hope by now you are feeling better and settling in to full time living together in France. Take Care xx

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  72. Oh Diane, The dreaded flu. Poor girl, I know you felt horrible. Glad you had a safe trip. Take care of yourself and get well.

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  73. Linda quite honestly I am still feeling like rubbish. Very bad cough which each time I cough feels like someone is hammering a nail into my head!! Visit to the Dr has made little difference to date! Diane

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  74. kclily thanks for taking the time out to comment, you have much bigger problems than I do. Take care Diane

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  75. So pleased you and Nigel are together in France at last:) but sorry your feeling so ill. The worst chest infection I ever had developed on a ferry crossing and I swear it was caused by the air conditioning in the cabin.

    I am at the packing up boxes stage and deciding what comes to France with us and what won't - it's taking an absolute age!!!

    Anyway, glad you've made it eventually, Jacky x

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  76. Thanks Jacky for the comment. I have suddenly decided our house is simple not big enough or we have to get rid of a lot of things. We plan on 3 extra rooms upstairs at some stage but expense is holding everything up. One of the rooms will be Nigel's office which at the moment has taken over the whole house!!
    Looking forward to meeting you when you have made the move :) Diane

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  77. Happy all went well for you..My husband had the flu first week in Sept., then the cough came..I hope your cough is gone. It always seems to attack at night..
    Take care and rest..everything will get done in time.
    Carolyn

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  78. Carolyn the cough is no better at all and attacks day and night. Treatment does nothing for it and all our planning of being together is some what astray. I have been sleeping in the spare room not only while in the UK but here in France as well.....

    Thanks for the comment and good wishes. Diane

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  79. Heureuse de te savoir de retour.
    A très bientôt

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  80. Merci beaucoup Nadji. Diane

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  81. So glad to hear that the move went well. Moving can be so stressful. Only worse when you are feeling under the weather.

    Cheers!
    Velva

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  82. My husband retired and he loves just hanging around doing nothing:)
    Have fun! Hugs from Rome!

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  83. Hi Diane .. all safely done and with some magical moments - so pleased you're down south together at last .. enjoy the process to normality and peace for Christmas and New Year - a blissful and ill-free start to 2012 .. Have fun - cheers Hilary

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  84. Thanks Velva, stressful was an understatement; I am still struggling with a bad cough and headaches which the Dr can find no reason for! Take care Diane

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  85. Ciccia if my husband sits around and does nothing I will be very surprised! He is already helping me in the kitchen and the garden and I am sure he will be finding lots of thing to do for himself. Diane

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  86. Thanks Hilary for the kind comments. I certainly hope that I am going to be healthy by 2012 but it is taking a mighty long time so far!! Diane

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  87. Good for you, and managing to move over permanently at last. You bought in France the same year that we bought in Catalunya... but now you are ready for settling there properly and I am almost going back to live in the UK. It's a strange world!

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  88. So glad your move was a blessed one! We moved to a new location in Florida a few months ago and felt very fortunate to have made it here with everything pretty much intact, including our sanity:)

    I noticed you said something on Hilary's blog about being a massage therapist and using essential oils. How interesting. I'm in training right now for licensure and love incorporating aromatherapy. Small world indeed.

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  89. Popping in for a glass of cognac & to see how you are both getting along! I have lost count of the times I have moved cities/countries & across oceans/seas & know how tiring it can be. I hope by now you and Nigel are in better health and settling into your new life. I am delighted for you.

    Eventually when I move back to London I may well need your man & his van so thanks for the recommendation.
    X

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  90. I don't know how I could have missed your come back..but welcome back:)

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  91. J I am really sorry that you are going back to the UK. As you say its a funny old world. Hope you keep your blog going though as I would like to follow what you are up to. Diane

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  92. walk2write thanks for your visit and your comment. I did a massage course in S.Africa with essential oils, but now I only use them with friends and family. In fact at the moment my massage bed is in the upstairs part of the barn which we need to sort out so I can use it again!
    Good luck with your aromatherapy. Diane

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  93. Hi Joanna, cheers :) We have also done more than our fair share of moving and this, as far as I am concerned, is definitely the final move. I have now had enough.
    Nigel has not really had time to relax yet and I am still not feeling wonderful despite seeing the Dr here as well as in the UK.
    Kieth has done two trips for us in the past year and both times we were very impressed.
    Take care. Diane xx

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  94. Dzoli, thanks for the welcome. I hope that I will soon be back to normal! Take care Diane

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  95. Je suis contete de vous savoir de retour avec votre mari! Je vous souhaite à tous deux une meilleure santé ( mais cela va être rapide) et une bonne retraite à votre mari!
    Bien amicalement.

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  96. WELCOME BACK! Miss you. Sorry to hear that you are not well and hope you feel better now. I believe when you are too tired, your resistance become weak. Take good care. Hope you settle in and begin to have relaxing and enjoyable time soon. HUGS!

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  97. Welcome back, Diane. The new header is just fantastic! Well done.

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  98. lejardindelucie, merci beaucoup. Diane & Nigel

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  99. Quay Po Cooks, thanks, I am still not really feeling well as the cough continues and nothing seems to control it! Posts will be a bit slow for a while until I am back to full health. Diane

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  100. Thanks JM. Glad you like the header. Diane

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  101. Very best wishes for your life...finally together...in France.

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  102. Thanks fly, now if we can both get our health back to normal life will be fantastic. Diane

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  103. You know Diane, my husband is still coughing too..One of my daughters said, this seems to be going around..a touch of flu and then the cough sets in..I do hope you will be better soon. Take care..Carolyn

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  104. Hi Diane, sorry you are still coughing :( Silly question, but have you tried Buttercup cough mixture before bed? Of all the things I have ever used this one seems to work for me x

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  105. Just came by to thank you for the visit and to wish you a great week ahead! Take care!

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  106. Carolyn my cough seems to be getting worse and this is now 5 weeks, the Dr does not seem to have any answers. Diane

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  107. Jacky I have never heard of buttercup cough mixture, everything the Dr's have given me seem to make me cough!!! I am going to have to go and see him again this afternoon I cannot carry on like I am at the moment. Doubt if you can get buttercup here in France but..... Diane

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  108. Thanks chubskulit once I feel better I will be back blogging properly! Take care Diane

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  109. Christine's Pantry, thank you I hope I will soon be back properly soon just have to get my health back. The trip to the UK did me no good health wise at all!! Diane

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