The story continues…

Is Max terminated or not? The story continues…

Hello to you all

This week we went to our rendez-vous at the local CPAM (health insurance) office to discuss the state of termination Max is suffering from. (See last week’s post: ‘Sometimes you just have to dance‘ for more information). To recap briefly, the saga of getting into the French health system continues. For Max it should have been easy but NON! After security clearance, hand sanitising and wondering why so many people can’t manage to wear masks properly (I’m becoming quite grumpy), we were called into Boite B (cubicle B) on Tuesday morning. Max is learning French at the moment so he took me along to act as spokesperson. Having re-explained the situation we established that the start date issue was a mistake – excellent. But… there was further missing information, the UK issuing organisation’s official identity number. Without this we could not unblock or unterminate Max. We made no progress other than to find the date mistake was just that – and not our mistake. The purchase of a couple of almond croissants, 2 pretty hydrangeas and more lavender plants made us feel better. Next on Max’s job list, contacting the UK to sort this out.

Returning home, via the vet for this month’s shopping for the 5 rescue animals (flea treatment – wow 5 animals are expensive!), we received a call from the CPAM office we had visited. As it turns out, whilst it would be ideal to have the official identity number it appears it is not, after all, essential (especially as it is on last year’s paper anyway). Max, it seems, may be unterminated. With promises of unblocking his case and the eventual arrival of the carte vitale, the very helpful lady wished us ‘une bonne journée’ and left us to our day. Fingers crossed. Could this be the end of this road – finally?

I mentioned we had bought some more plants. Well, the weather has been quite dry this week – cold but OK, so we have been working on the garden again. I feel for the house – progress is slow. I have had a lot of work to do for a client so little time to do much else, but promised myself 30 mins a day in the garden to sort out weeding beds, seed planting, etc. We also carried on fine-tuning our (or my) planting plans. I love lavender so for me the more plants the better. Last year I bought a load at the Leclerc supermarket in Gaillac – very cheap. They all settled in to the garden beautifully, so I am on a quest to buy more this year – 11 so far, it’s a big garden.

We have mapped out the remaining beds in the potager and Max is getting some wood (recycled from the roof) sorted out to complete the raised beds around the edge. We need to take a trip to our local déchèterie (rubbish tip) to see if the fabulous free compost has arrived yet – as we were told it would be sometime in March, as it does each year. The spinach plants are in, broad bean seeds sown and I have started tidying up the fruit beds to make space for my rhubarb which cannot spend another year in the pot it was put in to travel from the UK!

In the rest of garden, aside from the grass (or lawn weeds) growing literally by the second, the fruit trees are beginning to bud or flower, self-seeded plants are appearing – sweet peas, cosmos, and also the lovely anemones I planted last year with no success have now found their feet and are flowering. The London Pride (Saxifraga x urbium I have just learned) from my Mother’s garden loves it here, less so the Alchemilla (Ladies Mantle) although it is trying to hang on. I think London Pride was probably one of the plants I first put in my tiny patch when I was child, so it holds special memories and might have been the start of my interest in and love of gardening. I sadly left a load of wild garlic bulbs at Mum’s last time I was there – who knows if I will be able to bring them over now (when eventually I get to visit the UK). I would love to have wild garlic in the copse at some point.

In other news Bear (the ‘tiny’ dog we have) is on a strict training régime – making patchy progress. He has finally found an interest in treats which definitely helps with training, as before treats were not motivating him. We battle with him barking and lunging at cars, tractors and in fact any vehicle that passes us out in the countryside. Sometimes we succeed but we are not at the consistent response stage yet. I wonder if we ever will be! When he arrived he was not that interested in food. Not at all like our last dog, Bess, who literally inhaled her food. With Bear this has now changed a bit – this is the face of a dog with eyes on the cheeseboard today. On all fours he is the height of the kitchen table!

The kittens are all fine, although beginning to hog the bed completely at night. We are getting quite squashed as they have the knack of taking over the middle of the bed, so we both wake up hanging onto the edge. Max is optimistic this is only temporary! Little does he know… Six in a bed is a little overcrowded, although the kittens are on the bed rather than in – for now!

I am gearing up for their first foray into the garden, once Max has put the cover back on the well. I am not sure the kittens would survive an 8 metre drop into icy water, but am sure they will be curious to have a look in the well if they can! He also has to cover something in the garden that is a bit like a pond but isn’t and make a cover for the water mains pit that he put his foot through last summer (another story to tell). The pond type thing is in the tower garden above what was apparently some sort of outdoor washing place (for people). I need to do a bit of research on that. The foundations are all that remain now sadly but it would be interesting to find out more.

Letting the kittens out for the first time is a little like waving goodbye to your child on their first day at school. It’s definitely time, for them and us, but nerve wracking nonetheless. Will they get lost, disappear, will next door’s cat attack them? I need to get a grip and open those doors. They definitely come when I call them so hopefully all will be fine. The old-fashioned buttering of paws is next on the list and then the big adventure begins.

Another week has flown by. I am off to contemplate the very bright green paint we have bought for our postbox, so that we can get that set up at the top of the drive.

Have a fabulous weekend whatever you are doing and enjoy the week ahead.