Sunday, June 27, 2021

OMG I BOUGHT A CAR


 Here I am behind the wheel of my new to me used  automatic Toyota Aygo 2014.

It came with only 24,000 kilometers. I am still getting used to driving it, but it is really easy to manoeuver. Thankfully, its small size makes parking a breeze.

I did not arrive in France intending to buy a car, but it makes sense financially. Authentic Garage  which sold me the car is even willing to let me keep it on their lot after I go home. Also, a very kind friend has offered me her barn out in the country.

It is wonderful to no longer worry about the scratchy rental car. Europcar refunded me the money I had paid for the rest of the summer. Apparently, the repair of the scratch which I paid out of my own pocket met their approval.

 I am still learning something new about the car every day. I caused quite a scene at the gas station  Saturday when I couldn't figure out how to open the gas tank. We pump our own gas here. Luckily, my friend accompanying me thought to pull out the manual and located the correct button.   The driver behind me also helped.  I must say whenever I encounter a problem here, and I have encountered many this summer,  a patient kindly person appears to give me a hand for which I am truly grateful.



Sunday, June 20, 2021

Trouble in Paradise

Not the normal blog post pictures.  Wednesday morning, I returned to my car parked in the car park close to my house to find someone had keyed both doors on the passenger side.  My first response was shock and disbelief. Who would do this in my little French village? Why?  Over the years, we would occasionally have trouble from bored teenagers.  In my former home here, a group of teenagers broke into our courtyard storage or "cave" as we call it,  fitted it with a bench they stole from the village, and used our little storage area as a smoking lounge. Clueless we wondered why we kept smelling cigarette smoke in our living room. It all  took a while to sort out, and finally we put a big padlock on the "cave."

After discovering the nasty scratch, I spent an hour and a half at the Gendarmerie. Three gendarmes came out to survey the damage. Nothing much ever happens in Monflanquin.  It was decided I should report this incident and fill out an official report.  The gendarme who took down all the information was very kind and dreamy looking. I emerged with a ton of papers. This seems to be the norm in France.

 Would my insurance cover this damage? Yes,  I did call and check, but I knew from a past rental car mishap, I would need to fill out a million forms, and provide all kinds of documents. Instead, I went to the local garage with its stellar reputation. The body work guy quoted me 250 euros for the repair. 

It seemed reasonable to me, and I knew the rental car agency would charge at least double. So be it. I did get the nasty scratch repaired at the local garage. It looks as good as new, and tomorrow I will return the car to the rental car agency in Bergerac.

However, my relationship with this garage named Authentic Garage (I don't know why) did not stop there.  Since each time I come to Monflanquin, my rental car bill totals at least $3000 due to my need for an automatic car hire which costs a lot more in Europe, Bill and I discussed the possibility of buying a used car to keep here. I asked Authentic Garage if they could find me a used automatic. Thinking, this would be highly unlikely and could take months, I was shocked to learn they had two automatic cars for sale on their lot. I set up an appointment to meet with Philippe, the designated used car salesman. Whatever you think about used car salesmen,  forget it. Philippe was so kind, patient, informative, and tuned in to what I need in a car, I dubbed him my professeur de voiture. As my car teacher, he showed me all the car features etc etc. As competent as I am in French, I don't do much car vocabulary.  I test drove the car and found it easy to drive.  And ???? To be continued in my next blog post.

Sunday, June 6, 2021

Two Homelands

I am so pleased to be writing outdoors on our terrace. Last weekend, a special device (don't ask me the name, please) was installed to enable access to the Internet on the third floor of the house including the terrace. This changes everything. I can work from up here, regard Netflix, talk to friends and family on What's App, etc. 
It's been over a week now since Bill returned home to Beaverton.  Honestly, it has been rough without him.
He arrived here in Monflanquin with me so it is only now that I am finding my Monflanquin  rhythm again. I think living through a pandemic makes me more sensitive than usual to the absence of my safety net, i.e. Bill.  Right after he left, I knocked over a little lamp. The  light bulb broke but left its base stuck inside the lamp socket ,if you know what I mean.  When I posted this on the family What's App, the immediate reaction was unplug the lamp before doing anything else.  I felt torn: comforted that  nobody wanted me electrocuted and  miffed that of course, I know at least to unplug.  I needed pliers to get the remains of the light bulb out. Bill's  heavy tool box lives in a cupboard I can't even reach. So I found an accessible screw driver and proceeded to mangle the base in which the light bulb was stuck. Urgh!!!  Enough, I thought!  I need my own lightweight tool box. My best friend Amazon France provided me with a few options.





I chose this one because I  actually understand the use of what's in it , and part of the purchase money goes to breast cancer research. It is  truly portable and easy to store within arm's reach. During the week, I reached for it to make a highly important repair. My mask adjustment piece had fallen off leaving my mask too loose. To get the piece back on, I would have normally used a crochet hook which I do not own here.  One of the pointy screwdrivers made for an excellent substitute. My ladies' tool kit  came to the rescue and was worth the money!

I am also missing someone with whom to share dilemmas.  Those who live alone can perhaps offer advice. I am fortunate to have  many wonderful friends in the village, but it is not quite the same as having an inhouse resident with whom to bounce off ideas, doubts, fears, and reflections. Luckily, texts and phone calls help alleviate this problem with the US/France time difference taken into consideration.
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I promised to write more about Cafe Philo.  David, a retired  American philosophy professor opened this combination book shop/coffee shop in 2020.  His wife Margaret gives him a hand  when she is not  teaching online.  The shop is filled with philosophy books as well as novels, cook books, and really  books of all genres. Most books are in English, but one section is devoted to French books. My favorite bit of the shop is a display table with philosophy books for children.   Augie, David and Margaret's dog plays a big part in the Cafe Philo experience. He is just as friendly and welcoming as the shops owners.  David and Margaret kindly displayed  my book, MY LITTLE FRENCH VILLAGE in both French and English, in
the  Cafe Philo front window.

Appropriately, I will leave you with a  philosophy question.  If anyone out there has two homes or two homelands, two places that call to the heart,  have part of your heart in two places, how do you reconcile the two home experience?
   It is very tricky as Bill and my dog are in Beaverton, and I am here  by myself in my beautiful French village. Thoughts?