Shop till you drop!

Plan B is nearly ready for the all important installation of bathrooms and kitchen... I had looked everywhere close at hand for inspiration, but have felt half-hearted about what was available locally. So yesterday, El and I decided to head back to Bordeaux... our main aim was to visit Ikea, hoping it might offer more options and idea's for both our projects.

This was my first attempt at driving in to the 'Big City', and I was incredibly nervous about it... especially the 130km roads... so I plodded along at around 100km behind the trucks... So our 90 minute journey became 2hours! We made it though, and found much more than we bargained for!

We had arrived at a commercial complex full of enormous buildings.... that included Ikea (our purpose for the day) as well as a shopping mall (first one I have seen over here) another building that is literally a big brother to Bunnings... in fact about 4 times the size... and just about everything you can think of in-between! It was overwhelming after living with country shopping for the last 15 months, but it was large even by Aussie standards!

We started at Ikea, but it is currently under renovation to triple its' size (so double Richmond's Ikea in Melbourne and you'll have an idea)... but sadly, didn't find all that we were looking for... After a very ordinary lunch at Alice (similar to the old Boarders) where we were blatantly ripped off for our meal... we explored some more.... We found some of what we needed in the mega hardware store, and will have to bring our hubby's out to order the goods... but the one thing we couldn't find... and seems to be very difficult to find in France in general... is window furnishings!

Curtains here are more often than not purely for decorative purposes only... their functionality, as we would use them in Aus, is non existent here. Therefore, most are either very sheer and flimsy, or just hang, halfway, to pretty a window! I think this is because almost every building has shutters... If it's cold, the French shut their shutters, If it's hot the French shut their shutters...  personally, I prefer the natural light and leave mine open, but I would like to block out the 6am sunshine, without having to close the shutters... all I want is to whip across a curtain and sleep tight! I might have to learn how to sew now instead! Yeah, ok, anyone who knows me will know that will never happen! So I'll just keep looking...

Shopping in Bordeaux is a full day excursion... and as El said on the way home, we haven't even seen an inch of Bordeaux yet!.... looking forward to exploring some more!

La Forêt des Singes (Barbary Macaques sanctuary)

This gorgeous guy with Ami is 82 years old!

This morning we were all wondering what to do with another of the very many public holidays provided here in France at this time of year; after a very short discussion, we all decided it was time to hit the road again and embark on another exploration further East... It has been a long time between road trips... and since the weather was fairly reasonable, for a change, we all agreed to travel to Rocamadour and visit the infamous Barbary Macaques Sanctuary La Forêt des Singes (The Monkey Forest). * Today's public holiday, 8th May, is VE day in Europe (Victory in Europe day) celebrating the end of WW2)


With the handy GPS at the ready, we set off, all very excited, at 11am... hoping to make it to the Sanctuary by 1pm... but along the way we became hungry. I had thought we'd be able to pick up something from a supermarket or bakery, but I had forgotten that just about everything closes on Public holidays... including most major supermarkets, by 12pm, for the rest of the day!!... so we were forced (due to constant 'I'm hungry' nagging) to stop, about 30min from our destination at a Pizzeria we spotted open. (Usually I would pack food prior.. but house food had run short also!)

We walked in to a completely empty restaurant... except for a very bouncy, and overjoyed to greet us black Labrador!! Followed by his less excited, but gruffly polite, master and 'head chef'! He shuffled us to a table... plonked down some cutlery, napkins and menu's (for us to organise ourselves) and gruffly said he'd give us a few minutes to decide what we wanted.

Our Immi... always the worrier of the family, decided she wanted to leave.. she was certain we would all get food poisoning and was totally disgusted by the whole environment... including the owners washing drying in the corner of the dining room.. the dog food bowl by the bar and the smell of cigarette smoke coming from the back room. G and I thought about her concerns for a few seconds, then turned our attention to the gorgeous black lab doting on us with as much love as our own dogs bestow on us, and decided we felt right at home... after all, our clothes are often drying in the dining room, our dogs have free run of the house... so apart from a slight smell of cigarette smoke in the room... we felt quite happy to stay put and give the guy a chance... much to Immi's horror!!! Some might disagree with our choice.. as it is not what you would expect from a restaurant... but we thought it was very unique, and quirky and just had to see it through, just for the sake of it!!

We had to wait a while for our order to be ready.. he needed to turn on the Pizza oven just for us... but his trusty little pup kept us well entertained... When our meal finally arrived, I can honestly say, it is the best Pizza I have had in France so far!!!! Without exception!!!! Normally the toppings here are sparse to say the least... these were loaded like the Pizzas from Aus!! Even Immi had to agree it wasn't all so bad! As we were finishing up, an English couple dropped in... and received the same welcome as us... as we were leaving, they too were enjoying the dog's affection whilst waiting for their meal... They were smiling from ear to ear when they waved us goodbye!! So if ever passing through Gourdon... and you don't mind sharing your lunch with the house dog, and enjoy a more 'visiting your uncle' feel, rather than a more traditional restaurant meal... drop in to La Maison de la Madeleine!!! It was a fantastic experience and an even better Pizza!!! I will definately be going back!!! (and 8 hours later, I am happy to report Immi's fears were unfounded...no food poisoning!!!)

Finally we arrived at La Forêt des Singes... We didn't know quite what to expect, or much about the endangered Barbary Macaques before we arrived, but we all fell completely in love with these beautiful primates very quickly. On admission, each person is given a handful of popcorn to share with the monkey's.. with the instruction to simply hold out your hand and let them come to you... as going too close to them may make them feel afraid and become agressive. The only agression we witnessed was when Ami, forgetting the instructions, went too close, too quickly, and received a very smart smack on her hand from the monkey she was cornering!!! Ami was back in her place very quickly and respected them a whole lot more after that!!

All of the information around the Sanctuary is in both French & English, so we were able to learn a lot about the plight of these poor primates... and apart from the obvious threat of deforestation... the baby's are being stolen at an alarming rate and sold as pets around the world... which is as bad as killing one, as it is taking another breeding member from the 10 thousand that are left. I wont start a rant on this, although I'd love to... but one would have to be living in a hole, 20 feet underground, for the last 50 years, to not realise what humans have been doing to the planet, and the destruction and abuse of the critical habitat of other species. Not going to rant though....

Rocamadour

So after a long, long drive home... we unanimously agreed we need to explore the region more... but next time, rather than try and fit it all in to a day, we will spend a few days, and stay in a hotel... especially to explore Rocamadour... From the view we caught on the way out of the Sanctuary... all I can say is WOW!!!!

Happy birthday G xx

Tomorrow is G's birthday... G dislikes celebrating his birthday...but we are going to celebrate it anyway!! He has already received his very generous presents from his parents and Ad & El... from me he is getting a coffee in bed!! We don't really do presents with each other... instead, we treat each other to something different... coffee in bed... and a lunch somewhere special, or a road trip somewhere different... this year it is coffee in bed, followed by our Aussie friends joining in for cake after school... he will still think this is too much fuss... but he deserves to feel special.. like it or not!!!!

On the subject of my hubby, he is full steam ahead in renovation mode!!! Not only is he re-creating Plan B... but he has now started in our attic at home to create a rumpus room, two more bedrooms and a bathroom in his 'down time'!!! The man is a powerhouse!!! Our H is also starting to get the renovation bug... and, being almost as big and strong as his Dad, has become very helpful and useful for the bigger jobs (great pocket money too)... Personally, I can't do much until painting/decorating time... that's when I'll get my time to participate :) I can't wait!!! I'm getting frustrated watching the men at work all the time.. but as much as I believe in equality between men and women... this is one exception where I admit my Hubby is far better!!! Not that I want to challenge it either... it's way too complicated and difficult for me!! I'm so proud of G's work... and so proud of his determination and effort!! I hope he thinks the same of me when it comes to creating a comfortable, relaxing space for our visitors :) We are a tag team, but for the moment the team is very much under his lead!

Kid update:

On a very proud note: Imi received 16/20 for her French test in the mainstream French class!! We are all very proud of her.. she has put in a lot of effort, and it is paying off!! Apparently, her score was higher than some of the French kids in her class! Plus, we now know of a circus school close by, so hopefully she can continue with her circus skills again soon! Slowly things are falling in to place for her, it has been harder for her to adjust than the rest of us... but I can see that her confidence is growing, and she is beginning to enjoy life here... but joining a circus class will be the 'cherry on top' for her!!
 
Doggy update;

Well, after the tick episode with Rusty last week, we quickly applied the new tick deterrent the Vet suggested to us... so as not to have to deal with the nasty little creepies again. Too easy... squirt it on, and let it do its' work (reminding the kids not to pat the dogs for a while to let it set in).

At first it seemed just like the one we had used prior... but then I noticed a very strong smell... similar to tea tree oil.. but stronger. So I insisted the kids keep their distance (very hard, we all enjoy cuddling the dogs)... The smell was so strong my eyes began to water... This was strong stuff!!! When bedtime came, I unsuccesfully tried to keep the little dog Harry out of H's bedroom, which is where he prefers to sleep... which may or may not be a good thing... At 4am, Harry had a seizure!!! He began to howl and flop about, then peed everywhere!!! Poor H woke up thinking his dog was dead and ran to us with a floppy pooch in his arms and covered in wee!! Considering Harry is 12 this year, and never before had a seizure, we can only assume it was caused by the new tick treatment. Needless to say, we've called the vet to inform them... and congratulated H on his clear mind and composure dealing with such a traumatic experience!

It took Harry a day or two to get back to his happy, bouncy self... and I'm happy to say he is in fine spirits again... but I will think twice before accepting any new medication available... sometimes it's better the devil you know (as they say)... even if it means we have to check for ticks more often.

So that's it.. for now... I want to sit in the garden and enjoy the first bit of sun we have had in a month... or perhaps I could think about feeding the kids their dinner... hard choice!!

tick tracking

I had a dream the other night... well a nightmare really, where ticks (those horrid, blood sucking, spidery type critters) had taken over our garden and were attacking us in droves... and nothing I did or used could kill these beastly little pests... I woke up feeling squirmish, and realised that I have developed an intense fear of these tiny creepy crawlies! Up until now, my greatest fear was Leeches... I think they have well and truly been pushed in to second place now!

Until I came to France, I had heard of ticks, and had always used Advantage or a similar treatment on our dogs to ensure they were tick free... but I had never, ever, encountered a tick in Melbourne... and used to question the need for the $30 monthly application costs on the dogs to prevent the attachment of such an elusive creature.

Soon after we arrived in France however, a new friend we had met, had just lost one of his dogs to a tick bite... He informed us that ticks were quite prevelent here and to keep up the dogs treatment program... which we have been doing. Even so, after 6 weeks, Rusty managed to collect a tick... right between his eyes!!

At first, we didn't know what it was... we poked it, pushed it, and pulled at it... then we saw tiny legs wiggling and we realised.... we had met our first tick!!! We rushed Rusty to the vet... having no clue how to safely remove this parasite from our gorgeous dog... the Vet quickly removed it, gave us a tick 'fork' type removal device and explained what to do for future attachments.... Plus gave us more 'tick repellent' for both dogs.

All was quiet for a while... but now Spring is here... the tick 'fork' has been getting well used on both dogs!!! The repellent has been ineffective.... Then today, I was patting Rusty again and felt a large bump on his neck... I seperated his hair to find he had scratched off the body of a tick, yet the head was still inside him!!! This can be potentially fatal to the dog... so back to the Vet's again!! Thankfully she was able to get it out... but has warned us to watch him closely for fatigue. She also gave us a new repellent... apparently stronger than the previous applications... time will tell!

The Vet also kindly increased my fear, by explaining the possible effects to humans if one should attach to us... I am now well and truly freaked out!! I can only hope this doesn't happen, and also hope they don't enter my dreams again tonight!!

On a brighter note, we had the pleasure of sharing in the celebrations of BL's 2nd birthday today! Our Aussie friends put on a lovely feast... including... to our absolute delight... home made party pies!!!! We have all been craving a meat pie lately, and EL made them to perfection! It was a wonderful afternoon, and so lovely to watch BL enjoy his day and all of his new 'fixing tools' he received so he can be just like his Daddy! Two is such a gorgeous age... so full of energy and excitement for each new discovery!

We are hoping for some nicer weather (has been raining constantly) so that tomorrow both our families can visit La Forêt des singes