Bon anniversaire!!

Yes - incredibly we have been here for one year now! So time to reflect on the year and our new life in France. Has it lived up to our expectations? Well I would have to say yes although we didn't have too many expectations because in a lot of ways we just came here with open minds and an open agenda - if we hated it we would have only stayed until the house had been done and moved on. It became pretty clear early on that visa allowing, we weren't planning on going anywhere else anytime soon! We have met some really great people - had some great times and are really looking forward to lots more of the same. We love our little place here - it really is very peaceful and the living is easy in many ways. Do I think we would have been further along in the renovations after a year here - well I would have to say yes but realistically it really is basically like building a house from scratch - and Paul has pretty much done all the work himself so it is a very good effort I have to say. We have also had lots of distractions like horses and motorbikes to enjoy and I would prefer to have a bit of a life outside of the house and it take longer anyway. Hopefully this time in another year we will be close to having everything done. Mind you we have met a few people here still renovating their houses after more then 5 years at it! So we are in the early days yet! I have been trying not to think too much about the fact we are meant to be in Chicago this week for Chelsea's college graduation - this is what we missed out on :) Never mind - we couldn't be prouder of her! The past couple of weeks have been spent working on the two rooms we want to have close to finished when our friends Mark & Narelle and their two teenage girls arrive in a week or so. And Paul has also been doing the huge job of breaking though a very thick stone wall to put in a new door. We were fortunate to be able to get some stone and lintel for it from our friends Don and Anne who had bought them many years ago but had not had to use them so had been sitting in their garden. This huge job culminated in Paul borrowing a tractor with a forklift attachment from another Dutch friend and finally being able to put the big lintel in today. Here are some pics. The tractor was also useful as we have a very heavy claw foot bath going into the spare bathroom - I have spent the last few days painting it white. Should look good eventually! And a very old cupboard - also from Don and Anne's barn! I am feeling pretty good now after my accident. Still can't do too much as I get pretty tired quite quick. Here's me in action yesterday! And finished window.. I have a scan next week to see how I am healing - hopefully will get the ok to ride again. I have had Hans from the equestrian centre come and ride him a few times a week so he doesn't get too fat as I hate leaving him in one of the smaller paddocks on his own so he can't graze as much. It's much nicer for him to stay with the other two and help out with the fly chasing! Here is a pic of Ambre tonight doing her trick of reaching as far as she can under the electric fence. She is turning out to be a lovely little girl - very well mannered and friendly and she learns very quickly. And here is the little man Will having a lovely little break on the citern in the evening warmth... A bientot!!!

Quel dommage...

Well the best laid plans and all that... I should be getting organised to travel to London with Gabbi at the end of the week, then on to Chicago for Chelsea's college graduation. Unfortunately I am virtually on bed rest after spending 12 days in hospital and not going anywhere! The drama all happened two weeks ago when I agreed to help a neighbor with one of her young horses. Long story short but as I got on, the horse bucked and threw me against her side quite violently. I didn't actually fall down - landed on my feet and initially thought I had just been winded. I even got on again and rode for about 10 minutes until the owner agreed it had been enough for the day. When I got off I felt more pain and started to think I may have broken a rib or something. So I made my apologies and drove home - then struggled to get up to the attic to where Paul was - the pain at this stage was very strong and I couldn't sit in any position and be comfortable. We called our friend Kathleen who is a nurse and she said she would come and take me to the emergency department. After getting x-rayed at Gourdon and no broken anything the doctors then called the ambulance to take me to the bigger hospital at Cahor with suspected internal injuries. So it all got very dramatic very quickly - two very large catheters put in for the trip which was in case I started to bleed out on the way which very thankfully didn't happen. Anyway after the 40 min ride and an MRI they told me I had a ruptured spleen and they were going to try and save it by not operating but monitoring the bleeding over the next 48 hrs. It was at this stage they told me if they didn't operate I would have to stay in hospital for 15 days. Well thankfully it turned out it was 3 days in intensive care and 'only' another 9 days in the surgical ward. But I guess I should be happy as I still have a spleen. Although I was very upset when the surgeon told me it would not be advisable to fly any time soon. The only good thing was Chelsea was able to fly out from Chicago and meet Gab in Paris and they both came down on the train together. So I have had the two of them here with me at home since leaving hospital a few days ago. I am still not really able to do much yet and I am trying very hard to do very little but we are all going a little stir crazy from watching too much crappy tv and not being able to get out and about much. Poor Paul has also had an awful couple of weeks too, traveling to and from Cahors most days to visit me - consequently not getting much done to the house! Although we did have the plasterer come and finish off the plastering on the second floor.

Paul has also started doing the big job of constructing a stone door opening from what was the window in the kitchen.

Well I won't be riding anytime soon. My boy is getting fatter by the minute. Hopefully in a week or so I will be able to do some groundwork with him but for now he is enjoying a little holiday. The day before my accident the same neighbor dropped off a yearling to keep Ambre company and settle her when I took Tolsan out riding. So we now have three horses to look after. Lucky Paul likes animals! Although he loves complaining about them equally as much ha. Ambre has filled out nicely from the skinny gangly little thing only a few weeks ago - all our lovely grass has done wonders.

Here is a shot from yesterday of my gorgeous girls in the market at Sarlat. Lovely weather at the moment - not too hot but not cold either.

And here is me and Chels - she is going back to school for her finally exam and then is starting her post grad studies in the summer before her hockey season starts in August. We have postponed our trip until the end of August so it won't be long before we see her again. Gab is due to start her big trip through Europe in a week so we will take her to Bergerac for her flight to London on Friday. Has been lovely to all be together for the first time in over 18 months but it's a shame it had to be under these circumstances!

Ok - hopefully next blog I will have more positive news! With luck I will be back 'en forme' and we will have got further along with the renos..Nearly a year since we got here - still can't comprehend where the time has gone - so fast it's ridiculous!