French Deal

Bit of a disappointment when I reached the house in Oraas. I snuck in early on my own on my way down from staying with three mad lads in Gers. Plenty of late night drinking and much laughing and some gardening were done, but now was the time to get a grip of my house. So on my way in from Marsiac, I went to the house on my own at 6 pm as the sun was still hot and the air still, and it looked like something out of the Clampits. Clearly there was not much evidence of work having been done over the previous three weeks, there was wood and tools everywhere, covering the garden and spilling out of the sheds and garage. Time to get a grip here.

A RV (rendezvous to you and me) was to take place at 10 am the morning after I arrived. I said nothing to Rick and Mol and dutifully, we went to the house for the10 am RV to meet Monsieur Larressat and his sidekick Guillhaume and Monsieur Gain. Overnight there had been a transition – everything was really neat, though no building had taken place sadly.

The site visit sorted out a few wrinkles when it came to door replacements and wiring issues and there was a slightly stern reminder from me that the house was supposed to be finished by the end of May. Monsieur Larressat’s face fell and he recognised that he was caught with his pants, if not down, at least unfashionably low from the waist for a man of his age.

“What we need to do it to get on with it. We will start back on Tuesday. We’ve been waiting for the plasterer in my team to finish another job”. Lots of ‘aaaah Oui….. aaaah Oui’ followed. He then suggested that it would be a very good idea if he took the three of us to lunch the next day and after that, I could go with Guillhaume to Bayonne to order the kitchen which had failed to happen, even though the job was marked down for two months earlier. “No worries” we chorused “lunch it is and yes, we’ll come and see your mate’s handmade tile factory beforehand” with me thinking to myself, fat chance on that front – handmade tiles indeed.

posted by French Deal @ 8:06 pm