Amazon! Glad I have saved his number so I know who it is, he also now just says ‘la poste’ so it’s not exactly difficult but it works. Looks as though our new kitchen tap has arrived.

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Short nap and a day off, time to focus on the house. Oh, maybe not, few emails I need to deal with first. And, before you know it, it’s lunchtime. First job of the day – measure the windows in the ‘salon’ so we can get some quotes for double glazing. Not sure whether they will need to replace the whole door or can put double glazing into the existing door so have taken all the measurements.

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We know there is a place by the Intermarche that does windows but Matt is in charge of research so leaving it with him for now. That’s taken me the best part of half an hour so I can use big power tools again. Back to the kitchen to tackle the tiles on the back wall.

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Pretty pleased with that and preserved a few of the patterned tiles. They’re increasingly growing on me and part of the history of the house. Not 100% sure what I am going to do with them just yet but I have a number of ideas.

Call with Matt.

Having an ongoing battle with the fire and the flue working backwards trying its best to put it out. Half an hour later and it finally appears to be alight.

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One of the things we are going to have to sort out is the heating of the salon and dining room (sorry but ‘salle a manger’ just doesn’t slip off the tongue so easily). These fireplaces clearly haven’t been used for over 10 years and may be cheaper/better to replace them with something better. Also need to decide what we are going to do about the bedroom and whether it would be better for the fireplace to be ornamental?! [I’m not sure we want to be lugging wood up and ashes down or – in the long term – have guests with open fires; doesn’t seem like a good idea.]

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Matt has done some research and sent me links to three local chauffeurs (chimney people), so have contacted all of them in the hope that they might come and have a look. Expat knowledge, via various Facebook groups, says we have to get at least 8 quotes to get 1 person to come and do the work. So we shall see. Hopefully Haute-Garonne is better than most..

Dinner time and another French classic – Moules Marinieres!

Random messages with Peter following our previous work call. I wish we were having some drinks together in one of the campuses together.

Blog writing time.

Rang Mum.

Rang Matt, more discussion about heating and house priorities and long-term thinking. Upfront investment is definitely the right way to go. New fires and windows will be a significant investment but they will make all the difference to retaining heat in this place and preventing money dripping away on additional oil etc.

I’m getting more bored of being and isolated now, I wish Matt could just have his appointment and come home!