Page 59 - IT'S A RUM LIFE BOOK FOUR Volume 1 "Northcote 1984 to 1998"

husband with all their workforce for a “glass of something” before departing for home.
Just as we all joined together in the family office, a small Renault van sped into the yard
with chimney sweep brushes seeming to poke from every aperture, there was a chimney
sweeping logo on the van and the family name proudly displayed. An essential side
entreprise for the local coal merchant!
Knowing we came from England, the questions flew thick and fast, “How many TV
channels do you have?” ....” What do you think of having a lady “President”? They meant
Prime Minister, but we said that we thought that Mrs Margaret Thatcher sometimes
thought she was our “President”!
“What do you think of the Channel Tunnel (which was under construction at the time)?”

A note of interest is that in the Picardy area, they are not far from France’s concentration of
coalfields and mines. In most of France, coal is not available at all and because wood is
plentiful it is the main source of heating in most French homes.

Back at the Bamiére family home the evening developed into a haze of talking, eating and
drinking. The family dog was provided with a “Louis quatorze” “chaise longue” propped
against a convenient radiator and we slept in an elegant largely proportioned room with
period furnishings.
After a superb breakfast with Madame, the men having long since departed for work, we
said our farewells and continued on our journey south west. We never did get back to that
region and another 30 years have since passed!

THE SECOND BREAKDOWN
It was in Saumur itself where we had our second incident. Isn’t life strange, we live close to
this lovely town now, permanently, but in 1990 had no idea what life had in store for us?

We had found a nice “modest” hotel to stay in at Gennes, just west of Saumur and close to
the river Loire. The rooms were sumptuous and the food even more so, they even had a
sommelier who explained all about the local wines with great patience.

He told us where to go and taste a good selection and we duly visited “Le Domain de la
Croix” located above the town and from what we now know, close to the local Hospital
(which had not been built in 1990)!
It was on our way down the into the town that the gear “stick” of the little Visa came
unstuck!
Quite literally, one minute I was changing gear, fortunately selecting a lower ratio to
descend “the very steep goat road” and the next minute it just flopped around in my
hand ...unconnected.
We found the local Citroen dealer but it was five minutes to midday. We were told to come
back at 2 o’ clock.

In stalwart fashion and second gear we moved off to find a parking place outside the town
hall and walked into the town for a snack and coffee at one of the many street side bars
and restaurants in “Place St. Pierre”.

2 o’clock on the dot found us back at the garage and the little car was promptly whisked