LA ROCHE HUEThe morning finally arrived and we gathered ourselves, Mum, the animals , baggages and guns and headed for the boat.
I cannot begin to tell you how we felt as we saw the french coastline looming up! Here we were , after burning all our bridges back in England, leaving behind four daughters , one married , two courting and the other one a petty Officer on the QE2 working her way around the world! We were facing a new era, totally unknown to us. Admittedly we had a smattering of french , learnt at school and on camping holidays in the south of France, but that was it! The prospect of running a business in France apparently did not seem to daunt us at all! AH- the confidence of the young!
It was a long slow drive down to the Loire Valley region, Paris was manic ( as always), and Mum needed to stop for loo breaks as did the dogs. Pickfords were making their own way and the arrangement was that we would be meeting them that afternoon at the Chateau.
We finally arrived, and were grateful to see that the tree which had been blocking the drive had been removed, so we drove majestically up the drive to our NEW HOME and what a home! We were bursting with pride as you can imagine until Mum looked up at this vast building and said " What on earth have you bought this old thing for?" Bless her! I mean that sincerely, I am an only child and she was the most beautiful person for me.Her name was Celia ( short for Priscilla)and she had been living with us since Dad died in 1986. She died sadly in 2006. In 1989 she was fit and seemed strong, just a little forgetful, but still ' quite a girl'!
Back to the story--- We entered the cold interior and found that the electricity had not been turned on!! Pickfords ( the removal firm) hadn't arrived, there was no running water, and no kitchen in the Chateau.
Everywhere was dirty and we had nowhere to sleep and darkness was beginning to fall...... to be continued.....
I cannot begin to tell you how we felt as we saw the french coastline looming up! Here we were , after burning all our bridges back in England, leaving behind four daughters , one married , two courting and the other one a petty Officer on the QE2 working her way around the world! We were facing a new era, totally unknown to us. Admittedly we had a smattering of french , learnt at school and on camping holidays in the south of France, but that was it! The prospect of running a business in France apparently did not seem to daunt us at all! AH- the confidence of the young!
It was a long slow drive down to the Loire Valley region, Paris was manic ( as always), and Mum needed to stop for loo breaks as did the dogs. Pickfords were making their own way and the arrangement was that we would be meeting them that afternoon at the Chateau.
We finally arrived, and were grateful to see that the tree which had been blocking the drive had been removed, so we drove majestically up the drive to our NEW HOME and what a home! We were bursting with pride as you can imagine until Mum looked up at this vast building and said " What on earth have you bought this old thing for?" Bless her! I mean that sincerely, I am an only child and she was the most beautiful person for me.Her name was Celia ( short for Priscilla)and she had been living with us since Dad died in 1986. She died sadly in 2006. In 1989 she was fit and seemed strong, just a little forgetful, but still ' quite a girl'!
Back to the story--- We entered the cold interior and found that the electricity had not been turned on!! Pickfords ( the removal firm) hadn't arrived, there was no running water, and no kitchen in the Chateau.
Everywhere was dirty and we had nowhere to sleep and darkness was beginning to fall...... to be continued.....
I can just imagine the cold feeling. Your feelings must have been so mixed, elation and dread?
ReplyDeleteYou're so right Ruth, I remember tummy was churning either with excitement or panic.We were tired as well, soon forgot it though and got on with things.
ReplyDeleteWe moved from a tiny 3 bedroom to a large 5 bedroom across town and I remember feeling so overwhelmed with emotions. It sure must of been something. Can't wait to hear more!
ReplyDeleteMy mom lives with us.
welcome Anet, I am delighted to receive your comments. Mum's are precious aren't they, I so miss mine. She was 99 years old when she died. Enjoy your mum,it isn't always easy living together I know, but so worth it!
ReplyDelete