Thursday 10th october (2002)

Wake at 6a.m. - still dark. Wait till 7.20 before getting up. Quick breakfast of tea and yoghurt before Michel and Marie whisk me off to Charleville to collect the keys to the house in town.

It was better looking than the village house but had THREE steps at the frontdoor, an inconveniently placed washbasin in the toilet and it stank of animal pee! Non - absolument pas!

Keys returned, we went to open a bank account at BNP. It took well over an hour but the advisor seemed very thorough and helpful and tried to explain things in simple French. A lens fell out of my glasses so I had to sign loads of papers with one eye closed. A huge pile of papers to take home. Hope Marie will go through them with me when/if there's time.

 Next stop the Caisse Primaire for health cover. No appointments till Monday, we were told, but Marie, who held quite a high position there until her retirement, pulled rank and strings and got us a rendzvous for tomorrow. She's a miracle worker!

Visit to the Prefecture was less succesful. Rather officious lady gave a list of required paperwork which included a 'Cerificate de Radiation'. What on earth's that?

Lunch was simple but delicious: melon,  choice of left-overs - carbonade or confit de canard - with the most absolutely scrumptious roast potatoes cooked in duckfat, salad with cheese, icecream and coffee.

Took Yaris for a walk then came back to work on THE letter (telling Bear I was leaving him for good) while Michel put a cupboard together.

Jay rang to say he has re-arranged the truck hire for the end of the month and is coming back by car on Sunday.

Lots of conversation during which they both corrected my French alot. It's very helpful but difficult to remember.

Lots more officialdom tomorrow. Life could get comp.licated

'Let me get up first tomorrow', said the Bear, 'and I'll bring you a cup of coffee in bed'.

Wow, what had I done to deserve that? The only problem was that this weekend I'm looking after the neighbour's house, dog and fish and that means taking Nino walkies before he pees on the kitchen floor. Sure enough, when the alarm went off Bear turned over and started snoring again while I got ready to venture out in the wind and rain. Even the cats took one sniff out of the window and refused to get their little paws wet or their fur ruffled.

Fortunately the little dog was not keen on the weather either and after a quick cock of leg up the nearest lampost he made a beeline for his front door. I settled him in with his breakfast, fed the fish and opened the shutters before coming home to do my own chores.

An hour later, Bear managed to wake up and 'pottered' in the attic till lunchtime. After we'd eaten he offered to make some coffee. 'Thanks. Do you know how to use the machine?' I inquired.

'No, I was gong to make instant' was the reply. 'How about another lesson then?' The Bear agreed and watched while I made the coffee. 'Seems simple enough' he decided. But will he remember for next time?

At least, he helped carry the dirty plates to the dishwasher but stacking them is not in his vocabulary. While I washed up the rest of the pots and pans, I watched in horror as he 'cleaned' the glass topped table with a grubby looking rag.

By the time I'd finished at the sink and cleaned the cooker he was settled in front of the telly watching yet another American cops programme, no doubt worn out by his unaccustomed domesticity.

At least he meant well. Or does he have an ulterior motive? He has been hinting that he'd like me to 'hold his hand'  when he visits his family in England but I was hoping for a little holiday apart from Bear.