Long weekend and appointment with surgeon.

Nigel was "let out" this weekend. Lionel finished his stay at Cambo so he was able to bring Nigel home on Friday. They got here about 1pm and we had a long, lazy lunch outside helped down with a bottle of St Emilion that Lionel gave us. He's a nice chap and am sure we will keep in touch with him.
On Saturday we drove over to Marciac to have lunch on the boat with Kate and Peter. It has become a favourite meeting place for the four of us as it is about half way between our respective abodes. It will probably be the last meeting this year as they are off down to Spain for the winter before long.
Sunday was a day at home with Nigel back to "pottering" around, cutting grass, pruning the cherry tree and generally enjoying his freedom!
We left after lunch on Monday for Bayonne and his appointment with Dr Clerc at the clinic. We had a brief stop, en route, to visit the beach at Ondres. It was a beautiful day, bright sun and 25C. There were quite a few people sunbathing and a few paddling in the shallows. The sea was quite rough though and not safe for swimming.
Nigel's appointment was for 4pm but by 4.45 we were still waiting. I was getting quite worried as I didn't want to be late leaving Cambo for the journey back home. Anyway then a lady came into the waiting room who Nigel recognised as being another of the patients at Cambo. I went and asked her if she had come in by ambulance and if so did she think that Nigel could go back with them. I went off with her to find the driver and after explaining the position to her she rang her boss and said that she would be able to take Nigel back as well. Sigh of relief! I went back to the waiting room and found that Nigel had finally gone in to see the Dr so I tapped on the door and went in. He seems pleased with Nigel's progress and has decided to operate next Tuesday. He will be taken there on Monday afternoon from Cambo. It's a possibility that he will go back to Cambo after the op for a period of convalesence We then had another wait to see the anaethetist. I went and got Nigel's belongings from the car and then did all the paperwork for his admission. By now the ambulance driver was chomping at the bit and ready to be off as it was fast approaching 6pm. Luckily, when I went back to the waiting room Nigel had gone in to see the anaethetist so all was well. I said goodbye to him and made my way back home. I shall go and spend the day with him next Sunday. I can't say that he is looking forward to the op but of course he will be glad when it is behind him.

The last visitors of 2008?

Last but not least!!!!!!!
Sunday the 12th October saw the arrival of my old hunting mates, Dave, Sheila and Jan at Bordeaux airport. I was so excited that they were finally arriving in France after 11 years.
The flight was on time and we shrieked and hugged as they came into the arrival area. They couldn't believe that they had finally made it and neither could I. We got back here about 5.30 and after I had shown them their accommodation and they had met the dogs we sat outside and had an aperitif. Lots of chatting, laughter and a meal before bedtime.
Monday dawned damp and grey and after a leisurely start to the day we decided to go to Pau for the afternoon. En route to Pau we had lunch at the hotel du Parc in Garlin. I had never been before but it had been highly recommended to me and it turned out to be excellent value and good food. On to Pau and the sun came out and by the time we had parked the car it was pretty hot for the time of year. We went and visited the chateau and had a guided tour and then walked on the boulevard des Pyrenees and had a drink at a pavement cafe. Sadly the mountains were not in view today. Walked through the town centre where we went into Galeries Lafayette so that Sheila could buy a comb and Jan and I tried out different expensive perfumes!
Back home where we all sat out and nibbled bread, cheese and pate washed down with wine by Jan and I and whiskey for Dave and Sheila until it was time for bed.
Tuesday moning we visited the market in Aire sur l'Adour and then went on to Eugenie les Bains for lunch followed by a walk around the gardens. We came back via Grenade sur l'Adour for a small shop in Leclerc.
Another pleasant evening sitting and nibbling around the table outside, so lucky that the weather is mild and we were able to do that. The tree frogs were croaking away most of the evening.
Wednesday we had planned to drive over to Cambo to see Nigel. We got there about 11.30 and had a quick look around the town before going to pick him up. My idea was to go to the sea at St Jean de Luz but due to lack of route planning (OK it was my fault!) we ended up going in the wrong direction. By the time we had realised this we were in St Jean de Pied de Port which, after a quick look at the map, was too far to turn round and go back. Anyway it was a happy mistake as it is a beautiful, old town with an amazing old citadel and is on the pilgrims route for St Jean de Compostella. We had a very good lunch in the citadel and then walked along the wall of the citadel before walking back to the car through the beautiful old streets of the town. It was soon time to take Nigel back to Cambo and for the rest of us to continue on back here.
Another evening sitting outside and chatting but we were all early to bed as we have an early start in the morning .
The train to take them back to Bordeaux from Mont de Marsan is at 8am so I was up at 6.30, a great shock to the system, much to the amusement of my guests. I had said that we needn't leave until 20 to 8 but the general opinion was that we should leave earlier. Just as well as I hadn't realised that most people and schools start at 8am. I have never seen so much traffic in town, it's not often that I am up and about so early in the day!
So back home again it seemed very quiet after a wonderful 4 days. So much laughter and chatting. So much reminiscing, so much fun. Thank you, my friends, for finally coming to visit and thank you for being such wonderful guests.
Heres to the next time!!

Trip to Ariege.

With Nigel tucked away at Cambo I decided to go over to see friends in Ariege for a few days and the dogs went with me as well. I left after lunch on the Sunday and had an uneventful trip, the dogs sleeping most of the time. I arrived at Martin and Meike's about 5 o clock and the dogs were able to have a good run around. Martin has 2 dogs, Chai a border collie and Ramsey a large, soppy dog of mixed breeding. Rambo and Chai hated each other at first sight and had several disputes whereas Rambo and Ramsey got on like a house on fire. Rambo and Ramsey stayed out all night "guarding" the property and Luna slept in the car. We sat outside and had a couple of beers and chatted a lot before going in for a meal.
Next morning I tried to contact Dominique, at Carol, but got no reply so I was unable to pop in and see them. Martin tells me that they have made a "road" to the left of the house around to the back of the house and barn. Dominique is now working on the ambulance service for Foix/Pamiers and is expecting a baby in January. What a wonderful place to bring up a family, I am so pleased for them.
After leaving Martin and Meike I went to visit Corry in Artigat and catch up with the village gossip before going to have lunch with Mike. Jik is in Holland at the moment so I was disappointed not to see her as well. Still it was good to see Mike again. Next stop was to see Leonoor and Sjef at St Martin d'Oydes. It was a beautiful day and it was like old times, sitting on the terrace chatting and laughing with Leonoor, and looking out across the valley to the beautiful view of the mountains which were incredibly clear. Sjef and Nico had been over to Lezat to pick up a couple of 25 year old olive trees which Sjef is going to plant in front of the house. It was good to watch him and Nico unloading them from the trailer and then of course we all sat and had a gossip over a beer.
Last stop for the day was at Nellekes in Le Fossat. Nelleke is living at Caoutelle which belongs to our English friends Jez and Caroline. They only rarely visit the house so Nelleke is living there most of the time and moves out on the rare occasions that they visit. Nelleke wasn't home when I arrived but she had left the house open for me and there was a bottle of red and a glass ready for me!!The dogs had been in and out of the car all day and were a little bewildered but soon settled down for the evening. Nelleke arrived home and we sat outside for a while until it was time to go in and have dinner.
Next day we left the dogs at Caoutelle and set off for Andorra. We left at about 10.15 and got there about noon. It was quite mild for Andorra with no snow on the mountains. After filling up the car with cheaper diesel, lunch and a shop we were ready to leave. We always go to Pas de la Casa which is the first town over the border, a very unattractive place, apart from the stunning mountain views. The whole place is one huge shopping centre with hotels and restaurants situated over the shops. In the summer the horses and cattle, that are taken up to the mountains for the summer, can often be seen wandering and grazing in and on the edge of the town.
This trip, for the first time ever, I met a smiling French customs man! There is a large drive through customs area just below the border and of course they are always on the lookout for people who have bought too much duty free goods. I'm the sort of person who always feels guilty on these occasions, even though I have no need to! Sometimes one gets waved through and other times, like this time, one is stopped. They only have to say what do you have to declare and I go to pieces! This chap, though, soon twigged that I was British and asked me where I came from, he then told me that his wife was from West Sussex and we had a jolly little chat before he waved me on.
Nelleke was enjoying being a passenger but offered to take over if I felt tired. I did a deal and said that I would carry on driving if she would not expect any help in preparing dinner. When we got back we had a rapturous welcome from the dogs and I relaxed whilst Nelleke made dinner. I think you could say that I was shattered but happy. Happy to be back, happy to have dinner prepared and happy to see the dogs again.
Next day I returned home. I left Ariege and called at Kate and Peters for lunch. They live near Lannemazan, just off the motorway and conveniently situated about equidistant from Artigat and Castandet. After a lovely lunch and lots of chat it was time to drive the last lap home. I think both the dogs and myself had had a great time but were glad to be back home again. It's good to go away and it's good to get home.

!st October - Off to Cambo.

After a visit to Nigel's specialist in Mont de Marsan, last week, we received a phone call saying that Nigel had to be at Cambo at 11am the next day. A busy couple of hours ensued sorting out what he would need to take with him. Next day we were off at just after 9am. It takes about an hour and forty minutes to get there as it is about 15kms south east of Bayonne. Cambo is a very pretty little town in the heard of Basque country. There appear to be many medical centres there so as well as being a very touristy town it is also a very busy place with all the "inmates" of these places. The centre was very easy to locate and the booking in process proceeded very efficiently. We were shown to what was to be Nigel's home from home for at least 3 weeks. He has a lovely room on the first floor overlooking the gardens with an en suite shower room and telephone by the bed. All the staff were very polite and welcoming. We asked if I could stay for lunch and they said that his meal was already in his room and that another one would be taken up for me. After lunch we said our good byes and I came on back home.
His routine there was soon established after an initial consultation with the doctor in charge of him. In the morning he has breakfast in his room and then has 3 hours exercise and physiotherapy in the gym where his oxygen levels are monitored. Lunch is taken in the dining room as is the evening meal. The afternoons are free but activities are provided. Nigel is doing art and pottery workshops 4 afternoons a week! Another of the "inmates", Lionel is from Mont de Marsan. He speaks a little English so he and Nigel get on well and share a table at meal times. They are allowed out for a day at the weekend so, as Lionel has his car there and was coming back to Mont de Marsan, Nigel was able to have a lift with him on the first two Saturdays that he was there. It was good to have him home even for such a short while and of course it saved me driving down there to see him.
The medical centre has a web site at www.centre-medical-annie-enia.fr
Once that they think that he is in top form he will have an appointment with the surgeon to decide when he is to have the operation.

Mary and Davids visit.

Mary and David, friends and neighbours from Dalwood, East Devon (where we used to live) came for a weekend at the end of September. David is now retired but they still have a busy life-style running a B and B as well as successfully breeding and showing a small flock of Jacob sheep. Mary had been to France many years ago but it was a first time for David. David is very interested in wine so they visited the Loire and Bordeaux areas on the way down. They arrived on the Saturday afternoon and we had a pleasant evening sitting over a meal and catching up on all their news. On the Sunday morning we went down to a boot sale in Eugenie-les-Bains and then went down to a small farmers market in Pimbo and had lunch there. The afternoon was spent relaxing and chatting in the garden. They left on Monday morning after an all too brief visit.

Heating

The house has oil fired central heating which was installed many years ago. We found, last year, that the spare bedroom, sitting room and dining room did not get very warm at all. The dining room has an open fireplace which looks very good when it is burning but of course most of the heat goes up the chimney. For this winter, partly due to the rise in price of oil and partly because of the above problem, we decided to change the heating in the house.Wood supplies seem to be plentiful and cheap in this part of the world so we are going to have an "insert" fitted in the dining room fireplace. We shall be able to heat the whole of the house with this as the heat will be taken from the chimney into the attic and from there, with the help of a small motor and insulated piping, taken to the rest of the house. It seems that we are not the only people taking this step as all the installers are incredibly busy and we can't have the insert fitted until early January. Hopefully it won't get too cold before then. Another advantage of this is that we will get a 50% tax refund on the price of the insert which is very helpful.

Scrabble

I have found a new Scrabble club which is vastly different to the one I played at last year. Last years one was one of a large club with many activities but it was only the Scrabble part of it which attracted me. The ladies I played with were very nice but it was oh so slow. Sometimes I almost fell asleep with the boredom of it! The new one is a whole different ball game, very serious and well organised. At last years club we played "normal" scrabble but at the new club we play duplicate Scrabble which is very popular in most French speaking countries. It is all very sophisticated with letters and top scoring words coming from a pre-set game on the computer.A duplicate set includes two boards: one regular board of the type we are familiar with, and another board on which to place all the letters face-up in an easy to use order (instead of a bag). Each player sits at a table by himself with his own board. There are no racks. Each tile has four pegs descending from its corners to anchor them in each of the boards, which are perforated with appropriate holes to in order to hold the tiles steady

An arbiter takes the first 7 letters from the computer and announces them and hangs them on a big board which is suspended at the front of the room; the players draw the same seven tiles and the arbiter starts the clock. After the allotted time period, (I think it is 2 minutes) the arbiter stops the clock and the players must submit their solutions to the arbiter.The highest scoring word (known as the top) is announced and place on the display board by the arbiter, and the players do the same. At the end of the game, the arbiter announces the top - the total score of all the moves, which is the theoretical high score which cannot be beaten. The winner of the game can be expressed in three different ways. Points scored, points dropped compared to the top, or percentage.

Rules of duplicate:

• The highest scoring word must be placed on the board after each move. However if there is more than one word which have the same score, the arbiter chooses the word which is most apt for opening the board up.
• It is possible to score more than 100% by benefitting from a solo top. A solo top is when only one player finds the top play, and is awarded a bonus of 10 points which is added to his total score at the end of the game.
• Any invalid word is known as a zéro and means what it implies - the player gets zero points for that move

I have to say that it seriously stretches my brain but is nevertheless a very challenging couple of hours. The most difficult part is gauging the time needed to fill in the piece of paper, after each word is found, with the position of the word on the board and the score achieved. Of course I have been bottom of the rankings each time I have played. I'm not there to ever be at the top of the rankings but it would be nice one day if I wasn't at the bottom!!

Check up.

Back to Bayonne again for another visit to the surgeon. No problems this time, getting to know my way around the place now. Dr Clerc was pleased with Nigel's progress but noted that he was still quite tired. The good news is that he doesn't have BOOP. What he does have, though, is a permanent infection at the base of his left lung which is not responding to antibiotic therapy. The solution to this is to remove the diseased part of the lung. As the surgeon says it will not make any difference to his lung capacity as it is not doing anything at the moment. Each time he gets an infection it seems that the diseased part gets bigger so it makes sense to have it taken out. Once he is feeling stronger the surgeon wants him to go, for 2.3 weeks, to a medical centre in Cambo les Bains which specialises in respiratory problems. There he will have physiotherapy to get his lungs in top form prior to the operation. So the next step is to visit Dr Lheureux in Mont de Marsan when he feels less tired and she will then set the wheels in motion for his stay at Cambo.