Who Moved The Stone?? Wednesday 13th August

Now That's a level rock

We did! You might have started to realise by now that if we sit and look at something which needs doing for more than three days, it usually gets done. Every time we sat at the table underneath the platane tree, we eye the sloping slab of rock and tossed around suggestions as to how we could improve it.

Our day had begun with a very cheery phone call from the technician at France Telecom. Yes he knew where the problem was, Yes he knew how to fix it, and Yes he would be around to the house by the middle of the day. Meantime, we should stand by to hear the sound of the phone ringing.

The sun was shining once more and there was a lovely light cooling breeze, so we charged into action. I went into the kitchen to wash up the dishes from last night and finished up washing the floors throughout the house. Jean went out onto the terrace which was covered in muddy footprints after the rain, and not only did he wash it, but he also cleared every single leaf and muddy mark from the courtyard. From there we moved into the garden, and I got in a row of spinach seed and another one of onions.

Meantime Jean was gluing the corner back on the memorial grave tablet for Robert which had been knocked off at some stage. For an awful moment, thinking that superglue wasn’t doing the trick, he suddenly found that it was and the stone tablet was securely glued to the wooden plank that he was working on. I went and busied myself elsewhere while he went to work with a hammer and a chisel, but thank heavens he managed to part the two without doing further damage.

And all this time, no tinkling of phone bells and no encouraging visits from the technician. Our morning was sent on something of a downhill slide when we got a call from the shippers in UK. They now had the paperwork they needed to clear our shipment, but the first truck that they had coming down to our neck of the woods was only going to get here by mid September. Five more weeks in these clothes! Never mind, at least we aren’t living in a tent in Darfur or homeless after an earthquake in China.

And so to the slab of stone. Knowing that nothing else was going to happen, we set about levelling it. I am afraid that the method used must remain a deep dark secret. As I am sure you are aware, the Masons keep their inner workings hidden from view and we would hate to give away any magic, but suffice it to say, that the stone is now level and has been turned into a rather nice feature in the courtyard. In the couple of hours that it took us to do the job, we learned a great deal about Stonehenge, Hadrian’s Wall and the Great Wall of China and were rather glad that we weren’t around for any of them. All I am prepared to say is that there was no third party present but that is all I can divulge for the time being.

We are planning a surprise birthday party lunch for Jean’s mother. She will be turning 87 in the middle of October, and if all goes well, she should get here in time for us to have a telephone that is working, a houseful of personal effects and a new great grandson. Not bad for a surprise birthday I reckon! I would love for her to see the house and garden looking at its best. Each week when we go to visit, I take the laptop with the latest photos of our progress, and she takes great delight in seeing what we are doing to bring her house back to life.

3pm came but no technician came, so Jean got back on the phone for his daily call to the Customer Service people. They must be used to us by now, but at least everything that is being done appears on their computer screen, and they tell us that they now know where the problem is, what the problem is and they have the part that they need to fix it. They will be phoning us early tomorrow morning and if all goes well ……….. well you know the rest.