Visits, offers and the last Last Kingdom of the year

Thursday 10 December 2015

Sunny and chilly with thick mist early morning

4 rising to 15 degrees

Mist lay thick on the ground this morning, like cotton wool insulation over the earth. The trees were dark masses in the early dawn light.  Ten days until we go to the UK, see the boys and the family and the madness of a UK Christmas.  Ten days to get all my resin stuff sold online?  Must, must finish off the whole flower pendant.  Must also do photos and post my sparkly buttons.

Did a quick update with OH who declared that today was the day he would start looking for buy to let property areas.  The morning disappeared before I managed to get down to the market so it was down to the mountains instead for a property viewing.  

Listened to Michel Thomas Spanish Language CD 6.  Imperative is a real pain.  He introduced lots of new verbs at the same time and my head was pounding by the time I arrived in the town.

The couple were on time.  English.  Very reserved and delicate handshakes.  We went into a bar for a coffee and I showed them the local area on the Tablette and discussed what the area had to offer.  Took some time to break through their reserve and eventually, on the subject of gardening, found their enthusiasm and they started to smile and look relaxed.   They currently live SW of Bordeaux and are looking to downsize.

The house was looking lovely and the sun was sparkling on the slate roof.  Decoration in the house is in very muted tones of clerical and dove grey and cream; lots of hearts and toile de jouy and beautiful lined curtains on ornate metal rails.  I love it but it is very small.  The garden is sizable and has a large gravel area for parking and two small barns.  The couple seemed quite taken with it and went off to see other properties in areas which I hoped they would not like as much.

Back to my town to help the English couple who are still having phone problems.  Spent an hour on the phone to SFR, plugging and unplugging various parts of the system and spiking the reset button with a bent hair clip, before they finally cracked and said they would have to send out a technician.  Sat and had a cup of tea in their shiny red high backed kitchen chairs amongst the chaos of Christmas cards half written.  Apparently it had been easier to get a visa for the lady's aunt from Harare than it had been to get a working telephone connection.

Back home and wolfed down salmon sandwich and two nectarines.  Weight loss campaign is not going well and am still over 57 kilos.  How annoying!!!  Had got down to 55.  The phone rang and it was the local bar owners who wanted to revisit the large stone village house with barn.

They were late and the sun was sinking behind the far trees and the house was absolutely freezing.  They arrived with their daughter and poked around for half an hour before saying they would think about it.  I asked if they had seen any other properties and they said they had just missed out on one by offering too low.  I had a very bad feeling that I was about to suffer the same experience as the other agent and indeed it was the case as they made an offer of 90k on a house which is currently up for 170k.  Drove home, fuming, in the fading light.  Had trouble seeing where I was going.  Eyesight terrible at night.

OH had made lovely dinner of roast chicken and roasted vegetables.  Crisp white wine. Noticed he had been looking at properties in Ulverston in Cumbria.  He said that he was now thinking of buying a buy to let holiday home in a popular area.  Watched a TV programme called a Year on Scafell Pike.  I don't want to go back to the mountains, their looming masses and crags and sheep and grass and the incessant rain.  They oppress me. They close in the horizon.  Their mass sucks in energy.  Here, we can see the landscape, undulating and unimpeded; we see clouds and the coming weather, stunning sunsets, flocks of birds and solitary circling raptors.  

Watched the final episode of the Last Kingdom.  Iseult and Leofritch did not survive but Utred did and was heading north for blood feuds and a further series next year.  Cant wait!