Pretty though our fireplace may have been, the fire itself was ineffective and so we have decided to have a wood stove installed.

Our trip to Leroy Merlin was disappointing as the only fires they had in stock were ultra modern and not at all to our taste, but there was at least a two week delay on anything else they could order and I would have to choose it from the catalogue without seeing it 'in the flesh'.

All the same, we decided to go for an estimate and an artisan came round to have a look. He reckoned he'd have to wreck the marble fireplace to get the 'insert' out unless we were prepared to have a pipe coming down from the top of the wall. Yuk! No thank you!

It looked as though we were stuck with the fire as it was.

Fortunately Bear saw an advert for stoves on offer at the Deville factory, in town and so off we went. There was 40% off everything and we could see exactly what they looked like.

Great! We bought one and the chap agreed to come and fit it for us. He came this morning and took out the old 'insert' without too much trouble or too many swear words.

It seems the bricks it was standing on were not right and had been damaged by the heat. The former owner has a lot to answer for. He was supposed to be an electrician and builder but it seems he was more of a cowboy.

Anyway, after less than three hours our new stove was in place and working. It sticks out a bit fiurther forward than we had expected. Bear was cross but I discovered he had left just enough room for the vacuum cleaner to pass behind and I'll be able to reach the marble to polish it without having to perform to many contortions - or lose too much weight. . . . .

He lit it for us and the heat output was fantastic. However, we had to shut all the cats in the the conservatory and throw open the doors and windows to get rid of the smell of new paint until the stove was 'burnt in'.

It will take some getting used to but I think we'll be warm at last!

Although I will sometimes publish a post here, this blog has moved to a new site HERE.

All previous posts remain here for you to browse.

  This was the idyllic setting for a barbeque. The hedge has grown since our last visit to this house so you can no longer see the Meuse but the towering hills of the Ardennes are a wonderful sight to enjoy as you have an al fresco meal.

We were invited for Sunday lunch because they had a favour to ask; would we help their younger son with his English during August?

After a champagne aperitif and plenty of food and friendly conversation it was impossible to say no. But when I realised they meant Quentin to stay with us for several days at a time I began to see a few problems.

As far as I'm concerned it would be a pleasure. This young man, now 17, was the tiny baby we looked after when his uncle had a heart attack almost at the same time as we arrived in the village to stay in the holiday home belonging to another of his aunts.

The whole family went into shock. People rushed hither and thither and his mum pushed the baby into my arms  with breathless instructions for finding bottles and nappies etc. and disappeared in the car.

Sadly the uncle died and we went to stay in our friends'  'real' house in Charleville, leaving the family to grieve and organise the funeral in the village.

So now, we are going to be left 'holding the baby' again, so to speak. Bear is a bit grumpy about it, especially as I don't know how long he's going to be with us. We kind of arranged that they would bring him next Sunday evening and we'd 'see how it goes'. . . . . .

CC and Jay are sympathetic as they realise the poor lad probably doesn't want to come and live with an English family whom he doesn't know very well but they do feel it is a bit of an imposition.

As far as I'm concerned, I enjoy having visitors but am aware that some of the work will fall on CC and Jay's shoulders if my knee doesn't improve soon. We are all looking forward to meeting Sophie with Chris and Chaddy on Friday and some more friends are coming to stay at the end of August. Trouble is, I can't be sure what will happen with Quentin in between.

It looks as though next month is going to be 'interesting'.

Some time ago we noticed that the 'second telly' -

the one I use to watch French TV - was behaving badly. The colour came and went and sometimes the picture narrowed. 

This week we decided to take it to be repaired. The man put it on his bench and connected it while we were there.

"Strange," he mused, "ir's not a fault I've seen before. Leave it with me and I'll ring you within 48 hours."

Yesterday he telephoned to say he could repair it for 75 euros. It was not as bad as he had feared but 'did we have a cat because they had found evidence of liquid. . . .?'

"You mean a cat has done a pee in the television?" I asked.

"Erm, yes. It's quite possible."

"Well we do have six of them so it's highly likely."

We collected it today and the man explained how he had cleaned it all inside.

"Our repairs are guaranteed for three months," he announced as we left.

"Even against cats?"

"No, sorry!"

So who's the guilty party I wonder.

                            Parsley likes sitting on the computer monitor,

or in the laundry basket.

The twins prefer to share an armchair.

Chloe likes a radiator.

Toby patrols to keep all the girls in order,

but suspect number one is Holly, as she spends quite a lot of time on the boxes behind the television.

Yesterday, Michel Fourniret, already serving a life sentence without remission, was before the court again to answer allegations concerning Joanna Parrish.

This 20 year old English girl was found raped and strangled in May 1990. Monique Olivier had accused her husband of the murder but she later retracted her accusation.

Fourniret, himself was more co-operative about answering questions but denied the crime, although he admitted it did have his hallmark.

Lawyers for Joanna's family asked how it was that Monique Olivier knew certain details about the crime and had originally accused him of being the perpetrator.

Fourniret couldn't explain it but said perhaps the police had told her.

After the summer recession the Fourniret's will be back yet again.

I shall be posting

here from time to

time but, in effect,

this blog has moved

to:

http://sablonneuse.wordpress.com/

All past posts are still here so

feel free to browse.

The prison at Charleville will soon be back to normal. Alpha and Beta, the nicknames of Michel Fourniret and Monique Olivier, are on the point of leaving for other prisons.

He is being taken to Chalons-en-Champagne and she is going to Valencienne. They are still in 'temporary accommodation' until the files are completed for the cases still being investigated.

However, their departure will be a great relief for the local residents. They will have their parking places back and they won't be subjected to the convoys to and from court with sirens wailing.

As for the prison staff,  they can, at last get their breath back after 24 hour surveillance over the couple; 25 guards in shifts, checking them every fifteen minutes. 

 Some of the 'normal' detainees had been sent to other, already overcrowded establishments during the trial and those who remained noticed a difference in the routine with all staff on full alert for Alpha and Beta.

Before the arrival of the Fournirets the prison was already over full with 34 prisoners but only 23 places. However, those who were sent away hope to be returned to Charleville.

It could be said that everyone will breathe a huge sigh of relief to see the back of this couple.

We have managed to reduce our routine visits to the vet to just three times a year - two cats each time.

Last week it was the turn of Toby and Chloe and we knew that if anyone caught a glimpse of a catbasket they would all disappear under the bed or behind the computer. So I prepared the willow basket and a new cat carrier that the vet had given us last time in the garage and then went to find the victims.

Toby was curled up  on an armchair so it was easy to pick him up but when he saw the basket he became amazingly active and it was a bit of a fight to get him in. Chloe, bless her, was more trusting and quite curious about this new bag so she didn't protest too much when I zipped her in.

Toby made  loud cries all the way there but Chloe didn't make a sound. Maybe she was too scared. Toby was sick within a few minutes and also did a poo. We had to open the sunroof and the windows - just a bit.

In the waiting room I managed to clean Toby's basket (he's usually carsick so we were prepared) and the receptionist took the 'Carnets de Santé'. The vet invited us in and proceeded to examine her patients before administering the jabs. I remember her when she started, five years ago, and was a bit inexperienced but now she handles the cats with calm assurance and sticks the needle in without making them flinch.

She gave them both a clean bill of health, made sure they didn't have any 'habitants' (such as fleas) and then we went to the desk for her to add up the bill. She didn't have a large bag of cat biscuits in stock but promised to bring them to us this week. it was then we discovered she has lived in our village for the last three years.

The only time I've seen her is at the surgery when we were both waiting for the physio. It was the season for 'bronchiolite' in young children and her seven month old daughter was booked in for her first session of torture.

Yes - torture! From what I gather they squeeze the child's chest to make her cough and it must feel like choking or being asphyxiated. The poor little things cry with terror and as the treatment is on a daily basis most of them start screaming as soon as mum parks the car outside the surgery. I'm sure they don't do that to children in England.

Anyway, to return to the visit to the vet, we bought six phials of 'Advocate' which treats fleas, worms, ticks and earmites (I like to use this twice a year but it's more expensive than Frontline which only repels fleas and ticks) paid in advance for the biscuits and came out with our precious bundles of fur 221 euros worse off.  Veterinery charges are increasing but I think they still compare favourably with costs in Britain. All the same, it's definitely worth it to protect them from most diseases, including rabies.

Some time ago I discovered Susie Vereker's blog and was intrigued by the title of one of her books - 'Pond Lane and Paris'.

Yesterday the package from Amazon was delivered and I was hooked. In the first couple of pages I was immediately drawn to the heroine, Laura, and couldn't put the book down till it was finished.

If you like Joanna Trollope you'll like Susie Vereker but I'm not going to give away any more details about the story.

Having a book in English completely distracted me from my resolve to read in French. I've borrowed Gerald Durrell's "Ma Famille et Autres Animaux" from the library (in large print) but it's slow going. 

Yvette has lent me Caligula (Camus) and another play, Clerambard, by Marcel Aymé (whom I'd never heard of), so, you see, that's why I haven't had so much time to write or read blogs recently.

Meanwhile, I apologise for the lack of anything interesting to report regarding daily life chez-nous.

After a hearing lasting 35 days Monique Olivier and Michel Fourniret entered their box  surrounded by police.

For the first time since March 27th, the jurors appeared relieved.  All present held their breath as the verdict was read out.

Michel Fourniret was sentenced to life imprisonment with no remission or early release. Such a sentence has only been passed three times so far.

Monique Olivier also got life but may be eligible for release after 28 years.

It is pretty certain that neither of the accused will appeal.

However, the Fournirets were given this warning:

"N'imaginez surtout pas que la police et la justice belges et francaises vont vous laisser tranquilles"

"Don't imagine for a moment that the Belgian and French police and justice will leave you in peace."

They are gathering evidence implicating the couple in the disappearance of Marie-Angele Domece and the murder of Joanne Parrish.

There could be another Fourniret trial.