A working holiday!

Though we are on holidays, at the end of the day we are pretty tired. We knew that we had lots of things to sort out here and as the days go by, there is a time to relax and a time to work physically. We enjoyed the company of our friends who came to visit us all the way from Limoges and Bordeaux! Also, we managed to have a break most days sitting down at the terrace of a cafe in the center of Civray, meeting up with our expat friends and basking in the autumnal sun. We love walking by the Charente river and biking to the house and back to the campsite. Time to work physically, I must confess that Steven did all the hard work, mowing the lawn seemed to be a Herculean task, then trimming the palm tree seemed dangerous, finally treating the wood was messy. I battled with ivy and wasps that we find in the kitchen. We can't figure out where they come from! We had an appointment with the Edf engineer to sort out our outdated French electricity meter and he gave us another appointment as there was so much to do. As we can't be there, our neighbour kindly agreed to be around. Choosing a cooker was easier once we found But in Ruffec, the equivalent of |Comet. Finally, we spend another hour with 'our' chosen electrician double checking the details of the 'earth wiring' renovation..

Tuesdays and Fridays are market days and we bought some pink garlic, pink pears and goat cheese. 

Here are more photos. Have a blessed evening. 

Walking by the Charente at dusk

Goats by the edge of the campsite of Civray

Un grand creme s'il vous plait!

St Nicholas Church in Civray

Do you like biking?

Sponsored Bike Ride - Le Tour de France comes to Hixon - Staffordshire Saturday 29 August 2015
At the Airfield. first entrance on the right as you are going down New Road to the A50
2.30 to 4.30 pm
Family friendly - Refreshments - Fun for the whole family.
Sponsorship forms

Fundraising fun!

    The 'Tour de France' comes to Hixon! I am not very confident in my drawing skills, so I thought I'd find a few pictures inspiring me and others. However there is no French reference there. Well we'll have to add a flag!

Have a blessed week!

All good things come from our heavenly Father

He is the one who knows our heart's desires.

Thank you Jesus for your abundant love

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5 8

Saturday bike ride

 I was wondering why I haven't gone on my bike more often this month, the answer being simple, the weather hasn't been that good! At lunch time, I went out but the wind was very cold and bitter, it started to rain so I came back home twenty minutes later. I went on reading a beautiful book called Faith stories by John Sentamu. At about 2 the idea of biking came back so off I went again. Not far, to the next village called Great Haywood. If you cross the first bridge (for the canal) and then the second bridge (for the river Trent) you find yourself in Shugborough Estate. Well on the path that surrounds it as you have to pay to get in. There weren't many people around. The sun was in and out; it hailed for three minutes. I had a great time relaxing in a beautiful environment. Here are a few photos. Have a blessed Saturday.

From the bridge in Great Haywood, Staffs.

Two ducks by Great Haywood bridge,  too busy to pose!

Shugborough estate

Shugborough mansion

Barges on the canal in front of Shugborough house

10 reasons to go biking

These are 1) it helps you sleep more deeply, 2) it gives you a younger look, 3) boost your bowels, 4) increase your brain power 5) avoid pollution 6) it means guilt- free snacks 7) get fit without trying too hard 8) burn more fat 9) spend quality time with your spouse/kid/friend  10) feeling tired, go for a ride. I will add another bonus: admiring the beauty of nature. I saw a hawk by the road outside Hixon, when I arrived on the bridge, a magnificent heron flew over my head, and there were many ducks and swans, without counting sheep and horses.
This afternoon, I decided to go for a ride up to Great Haywood. My reasons were mainly 5, 7 and 10 I came back riding on the canal bank and this added another mile. However it was rather bumpy and muddy in places. I' m so glad I was able to do it since there was no snow (the weather forecast was not quite accurate - for once)
Did you do any sport today?
Have a blessed evening. N.