he will be out for the count on Friday and I can catch up.

As certain expats, who really do not want to be expat badged we find ourselves propelled away from the clubs and classes, web sites and chat rooms that are all around us. Why, we have no idea it just seems weird to go abroad then be English but we are learning with a little apprehension that although we live in France we will never be French and so the magnetic pull to anything easy and comfortable like just being able to hold a conversation is taking place.

Mike has had problems with the orange tractor and has taken the gang mower off and brought the tractor to the house to fiddle and ponder. He explained the problem to me with all the things he has tried so far and I went onto the Anglo info website and placed a free ad to see if any one out there had an opinion on our symptoms. Within four hours the e-mail lit up like a Christmas tree with people coming forward with suggestions and ideas about what could be wrong. A couple of guys gave us links to sites with manuals and Mike has downloaded many millions of bites of information. I took the trouble of replying to everyone who mailed us and now I have the beginnings of a data base of nice people.

We have cleared out the little spare room and put the gym equipment in. I e-mailed all my mates to see if any one wanted the bed but no luck there, so I put an ad on Anglo info, free to whoever collects, type of Ad and I got an immediate response and three people racing to get here first. I played first come first served and a very bright and interesting lady came to load up. We got chatting like you do and it turns out they have been here for 7 years and are fitting out a gite for income. We chatted about each other and then Mike asked if she had horses because she wore the same boots Sam wears and then we got talking about horses and manure.......We have now organised a manure pick up at the weekend to include aperitif and meet the hubby. They live in St Jean de Daye and we have already swapped pickle for cider and she is talking in terms of veg for meat as she rears pigs and sheep for the freezer. A little advert on a site I have been avoiding like the plague came good, and Mike and I will now keep our eye on it for people asking for, and offering to.

Tomorrow we on the the road looking for a drive belt for the big mower, it broke and although we thought we had found the solution it turns out that it was too big and has broken the control spring, we have now spent 100 Euros on two belts which don't fit so I am getting a little fed up. We know we can recoup 50 euros tomorrow on a try and return deal from the local tractor shop but we will need to go to St Lo and that is time out of my schedule and I am getting behind. Mike is at the dentist on Thursday and that means he will be out for the count on Friday so I guess and I can catch up then.