Le Ségala - 15 October 2019

15 October

Managed to download The Apprentice using the last of our data, we think - unless it uses up the start of our new data? Always good to watch whilst cringing - but Tom Allen on the follow on program is really funny. Needed a laugh.

Really peaceful night. We were actually up on chocks to level us out last night - it certainly makes everything easier - like cooking, shower water actually draining - that sort of thing!

Tintin spoke with Comfort insurance this morning. We wanted to know if they could tell us how much would be the expected premium increase if we made one claim, or two (from 12 September - just after the Gorges de Verdon). A chatty lady said a lot depends on Brexit (doesn’t everything!), and also rates change all the time - but think we currently pay £250pa (which we think is really good in comparison with our car insurance - as we know repairing a moho is a whole new mega expensive ball game!). This would go up to £300-£350 with one claim, and very approximately £500 with two. Excess is £200 per claim - so we’re sticking with just the one claim. We may change our minds once Dave has been assessed in Guernsey.

Tintin drove today - 1-3/4 hours - and parked up alongside - perhaps Canal du Midi at Le Ségala.

The drive was very pretty. Drove through another fairly narrow gorge from Saint-Martin-Lys through Belvianes-et-Cavirac.

On one stretch of road, dead straight for about 10 miles, we passed a big truck coming fast and close the other way - Dave was totally buffeted!

Went for a brief walk here, considering there are about 10 mohos here - don’t rightly understand why it’s so busy, no services, not even a boulangerie anywhere close, bar and cafe shut! There’s a big place that Google maps says is a builders merchant - looks like they actually manufacture terra-cotta tiles!

A sad looking dog stared at us for a while behind his fence - but then barked! A woman was sweeping the front of her house - everywhere has a coating of terra-cotta dust - really not a nice place to live. However, parked up looking at the canal and the boats passing occasionally is fine!

Well, we’ve got data again - so been FaceTiming again today!

Now using up food in the freezer - so eggs and chips tonight. Also cooked another batch of granola.

We were just finishing eating when we heard a generator from the French moho next door. Decided we weren’t going to put up with that all evening (why can’t they just have solar like the rest of us?!) - luckily there was one more space a little further down.

Between yesterday and today, there has been a 10° drop in temperature! I’m quite liking it cooler, but Tintin is back in his long trousers.

Our new best pal, Miles from Aviva emailed - amongst other things, he said their French speaking lady had phoned the Mairie as asked - ha - they didn’t even know anything about it.

Tintin has just read a book, which I’m now reading called A Year In The Merde by Stephen Clarke - about an English person going to live in France for a year - it’s just so funny - the French really don’t give a merde!

Some more photos of the drive today -