Are the Indians all stupid, or what?

For weeks now, the fixed phone rings about twice a day and the following conversation begins ' Good morning, do you speak English' (bear in mind this is a French phone) 'yes'. My name is ....... And I am speaking from the Windows office. I am sorry to say that we have detected that your computer has a virus' ( my computer is an Apple.) no doubt he would continue to offer to fix it if I provided my access code and Bank details but at this point I am rude to him or put the phone down.
Even if you imagine that I am one of the few innocents on line that have never heard of this hoary old scam, it would be truly incredible if I fell for it more than once, let alone dozens of times!

 So, two points spring to mind. Why ring French phones, if you can't speak French, it must limit your audience severely, even if you confine yourself to English-sounding names. And why ever continue to ring when you have had no takers for weeks.
  I can  only envisage that there exists a scam in India/ Pakistan where for a few Rupees ignorant  and credulous peasants are sold a sure-fire scheme to fleece the capitalists and these scammers are themselves victims? Or is my title question apposite?

  Bye for now, got to answer the phone....

I Love My Lawnmower

   Here it is, a portrait of my love. I know that in your eyes, it may appear somewhat dingy and worn but it has several redeeming features-- it cuts grass, it collects it in its grass box and above all, IT IS  EASY TO START !
  We have been using a petrol mower for a couple of years, cheaply acquired and reconditioned by a local firm, and very good  it has been, too. But it must be said, it has never been easy to start and this year  needing more and more desperate pulls on the starter cord, and often refusing altogether. My routine ended up by giving it a few pulls to see if it was in the mood and if so immediately cutting the grass while it was going. I didn't dare to stop the motor to empty the grass box, clearing the mower with a stick to avoid the still rotating blades... Not ideal from a safety standpoint
   We had reverted to using the electric Flymow but besides the problem of avoiding the long flex, there was no grass box and cuttings would invade the house on our feet for a couple of days after each cut. We asked our friends Alan and Elaine at the Field Emporium to keep a look out for a cheap mower and Alan phone recently to say he had one taken in with odds and ends which we could have. It was a bit battered but, hey, it cuts grass, has a box to collect the cuttings and starts first pull! What more could one ask? I would like to be able to recommend its make but there is no discernible maker's name on it.

     Bye for now, drinking Panaché aftercutting the cour, it's baking hot today!

Laika--Suspected virgin Birth

   This morning, I had to ring to make an appointment at the vets for two of the dogs. Jill's appt was for her annual  rabies jab for which we have just had a reminder, but Laika's problem was a suspected pregnancy! The other evening Kim noticed that her mammaries were swollen as if she was soon to give birth. Nothing particularly strange about that, you might say, a female dog on heat is endowed with a Machiavellian cunning when it comes to arranging a rendezvous with a male. However, Laika is never walked off the leash as she is such a game-chaser. I was beginning to imagine a new star overhead ( Sirius, the Dog Star perhaps ) or a horde of canine angels coming down. However, Francois, or vet was able to reassure us that she was NOT in an interesting condition and that there was no need to change her name to Mary. We heaved a sigh of relief.
  Jilly's jab went ok, and we bought two new flea collars, as the Frontline Spot-ons seem to be less efficacious than they were. A satisfactory, if expensive visit...

   Bye for now, dinner calls

A busy day at table!

Yesterday, Sunday, was a busy day for Noah and Mrs Noah! We went to Church at Matha as usual, but arrived rather late due to lack of organisation in the morning. Our friends Christine and Clive Charlton have had the inspiration of holding a shared lunch at their spacious house throughout July for everyone in the congregation who wish to attend. All bring a dish or two to share and any not so equipped are welcome to come as there is invariably too much on the table. This weekly party has helped everyone to get to know each other better, chatting around the table, although the weather has not been suitable for dining al fresco.
  However, this Sundays little feast coincided with Loubille's celebration of the storming of the Bastille, the French national day. You may remark that the 14th is the day in question...however for reasons of extracting the maximum of pleasure from the occasion Loubille celebrates it with a dinner at the Salle de Fête on thé 13th. This enables the population  to attend the fetes of our main town, Chef Bouton, or our neighbouring villages on the 14th, thus getting two meals in, clever, eh?
  However, this eccentricity led to us having two copious meals on the same day, both well supplied with beverages, so this morning we are feeling a little liverish... Still, all in all, a very happy Sunday!

 Bye for now, coffee calls!

It's our birthday!

ReYes, fifteen years ago we were in   France to sign the Acte de Vente  which made us the proud owners of this house in La Mort Limouzin. We had been here in April to carry out the preliminaries, but we had arrived in our VW camper to sign re the act of sale and pay the purchase price at the Notaire's.

When we arrived back at the house with the enormous iron keys to open the shutters and the front door, we decided straightaway to spend the night in our new home before returning to the UK next day as I had no leave left.There were no services connected, but we had water in the camper's tank and a Tilley lamp for light. We carried up the cushions from the van to form a bed on the floor of the bedroom and spent the night in our sleeping bags. We had taken siezin of a piece of France!

Of course, the house has changed a lot since then, but we both remember the feeling of pride which filled us that night.

Bye for now, lunch calls

Telephone scam

At nine this morning, the phone rang and a voice with an Indian accent asked me if  I spoke English, not a common phenomenon on a French phone. When I said I did he began the usual spiel that his firm had detected a dangerous virus on my computer, and he would no doubt have offered to fix it if I would tell him my codes and bank details! I did not allow him to proceed called him a liar and a thief and put the phone down...

I expect you are all familiar with this hoary old scam, but I supposes it must still gather some innocent victims, so I will state that you should not believe him, NEVER give such details to a phone caller and put the phone down. However, it is the sheer incompetence of the caller which is astonishing. Why ask for English speakers on French telephone numbers, can't he be bothered to lean some French? Most subscribers must be French, after all. Why not call UK numbers, do they think migrants are more credulous? Kim had a similar call a few days ago, and when she stated in French that she could not speak English, the phone was put down. Perhaps it is an Indian cottage industry....

Bye for now and stay safe!

Paint Job

I have to confess a slight case of misleading my audience, if they have been following the Ark for some time,-- the above header photo of the front of the Ark was taken a long time ago and the paintwork no longer looks QUITE like this... In fact it is now somewhat faded and even blistered off
 in  places, high time for a piece of maintenance. As we had bought the new paint in the UK ages ago, I have no further excuse, and finally set out to repaint the shutters, window-frames and any other painted areas.

   I have been making progress, one shutter already painted and re-hung, and the next one three-quarter done. But it's a long task and I shall have to discipline myself to do a bit each day. Un-hanging the upstairs ones will NOT be easy. I'll let you know how I get on.

  Bye for now, lunch calls, must keep up my strength!

Charlotte, the Apple of our eye

   I told you in my last blog but one, how a tiny kitten had managed to persuade us to bring her back to the Ark. I thought I should formally introduce her, so here she is. Meet Charlotte, new Ark crew.
Arlette's cat, Yoda, had a litter of four kittens, all adorable, but somehow, Charlotte was the one who caught our eye, or rather, our hearts. Against our will, almost, we decided at the last minute to bring her back. Mind you, she wasn't the only one of the kits to try for a place on the Ark. As we were packing the car to leave Arlette's and Laurent's house, I noticed a pair of bright eyes peering out from behind the grill at the very front of the Berlingo covering the radiator! The kitten, I think it was the one we called Lion, had squeezed in somehow and was almost impossible to dislodge. However, Arlette was way ahead of her and a quick spray with the garden hose soon saw a hasty exit. Just as well, 500 k in this  exposed  position would have been very dangerous.
Charlotte has settled in well, though I think she missed her sisters for a few days. We had thought that she and Mounette would play together but we had not realised how much Mounette has grown, she's not really a kitten any more. Besides, her nose was put out of joint by the new arrival,and she has been a bit jealous. We are bringing her round with extra cuddles. Charlotte has compensated by attaching herself to Kim and me and spends much time riding round on our shoulders. And she has the largest purr for her small size that you ever heard!

  Bye for now, nearly time to feed the passengers!

Oh, no!

   I told you yesterday that our long drive back from the mountains had passed uneventfully, but in fact, yesterday an unpleasant shock awaited in the post. A thick envelope contained the news that I had been recorded driving at 9kpm over the 70 limit near Angouleme, and a fine of 45Eur was to be levied, together with a point deducted from my licence... This is the first time this has happened to me after many years of driving but it was a bit of a shock nevertheless.
  I was organising things to send a cheque, when I noticed that you could pay on line by bank card, so I decided to do this--I didn't fancy sending off by letter with the risk that it might go astray. I signed on to the French government site, which was very easy to use and was even in English, without my
asking! The site thanked me for paying on line and gave me a receipt to print, avoiding any future argument. A painless( well, nearly) process to put this thing behind me but will be paying even more heed in future, they are not catching me again, I hope!

  Bye for now, going to mourn my missing Euros!

Home again, home again.....

Laika looking at the Lac de Soum

At the top of the Mont de Gez

   It`s been a fantastic holiday in the Pyrernees and subsequently at Orthez. A complete change of life-style and surroundings, from the plains of Poitou-Charentes to the cooler climes and high peaks around Argeles Gazoste . We had climbed to the top of the Mont de Gez, clambered up to the Lac de Soum as well as strolled around the more gentle paths around the Lac d`Estaigne. You can read more about our stay in the Cente de Vacanceś Vers les Cimeś in my previous  blog ' Mountain Air'
  After taking our leave of old and new friends, we set off to spend a few days with our friends Laurent and Arlette at their farm near Orthez. Although only 100k north of Argeles, it was much hotter at the lower altitude and shorts had to be unpacked! But a new temptation was to await us there, Arlette`s cat had a litter of four kittens, that immediately started to cultivate us. We held out til the last morning when we succumbed to temptation and packed a small tri-coloured kitten in a cardboard box for transport to Deux Sevres....

  After church on Sunday, we set out for home stopping on the way at St Sever, near Mont de Marsan, to have lunch with our old friend Roseline, who was one of the immobiliers who sold us this house and has remained firm friends ever since.

 After a long but uneventful journey, we arrived back home rather tired but glad to be back. in fact, the journey did have one surprise to be discovered but I`ll tell you about that next time,

Bye for now, going to see where that kitten has got to!