2010 is past, now for 2011

23/02/2011 by Bob and Di.

Sanitaire improvements

 

During the last four months we have managed to bring some of our plans to fruition, though some had to be put on hold.  The new ceiling was installed in the sanitaire, and the heating element for the water supply to the washing-up area was put in place; this has kept that hot water supply largely free of frost during this winter.  We will work further on this during the coming year.

 

Other developments

 

There are no major developments planned for this year, although the early bookings for the mobile home on site has led to the thought that there could be a demand for more.  We are also looking at better signage for Parc Verger on the main road, and are seeking permission for this.  One aspect we have been working on for a while is improvement of the wifi coverage at Parc Verger, and to this end a new router and new aerial have been installed.  The initial reports have been positive, but we will report on how these changes have affected the coverage in a future addition of this blog.

 

The Christmas period 2010/11

 

Christmas and New Year were happy occasions here, as we were able to welcome all our guests to our Champagne/Bucks Fizz reception on Christmas morning, this year held in the lounge of the mobile home.  We were surprised to have a visit from Father Christmas, who added to the hilarity by offering reindeer poo around.  After tentative nibbling at this, the realisation that it was actually a tasty snack dawned, and it disappeared quickly.  Then on New Years Day everyone joined us for our traditional Beer and BBQ lunch.

 

Guests

 

From the start Parc Verger has been used as a springboard for those seeking property in the area, and is also now housing entrepreneurs, with two businesses being established currently.  It really excites us to see visitors falling in love with this beautiful region, and moving here either just to live here or to discover a new way of life. 

 

As usual, we are looking forward to welcoming a number of previous guests as well as new ones this year.  There are the customary attractions locally, with carnivals, fairs and great meals, as well as the markets that are so popular.  So if you fancy a good break at a tranquil rural site, yet with plenty of attractions within reach, come on down!  You will be made very welcome.

 

Taxe de sejour

 

There is some good and some bad news on this.  The bad news is that it is being introduced by all of the communes in the region.  The good news is that instead of applying all year, it is limited to the period from 1 May to 30 September.  The amount as projected is 20 centimes per person, and is payable by all guests from age 13 upwards.

 

Personnel

 

Our activity was limited before Christmas as Bob was found to have a health problem.  A routine operation led to the discovery of another problem, resulting in the installation of a heart pacemaker.  Since then a further problem has been identified, and a further stay in hospital will be necessary, which has been scheduled for April, and he will be away for most of that month.  Fortunately Mike and Carol will be here to work with Di during this period, so all our guests can be assured of our usual warm welcome.

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02/09/2010 by Bob and Di.

This has been an interesting period, with our busiest ever June and a quiet August.  Earlier this year we decided to vacate the pitch we were on and move to a better location adjacent to the drive.  This turned out to be inspired planning because, for quite a few nights in June, our full service pitches on one of which we had been based, were well occupied.  Mike and Carol sold their RV and purchased a mobile home, so we made space for them besides our RV, and we now share the duties that are required on site with them week and week about.  The new position gives us excellent control as we can see those arriving and departing, which is important for the security of all at Parc Verger.

The second mobile home to arrive has been named “Chataignier”, which is French for Chestnut Tree, and is tucked away at the top of the Upper Lawn.  It is for rent, and all those who have stayed in it so far have sung its praises.  We have added decking so sitting outside on the pleasant days we enjoy here is a big plus factor.  There are several pictures and details of Chataignier on our website, and we can pick up and return guests to the airport….fancy a flying week?

 

The sanitaire is undergoing improvements at present.  We have already replaced the roof, and will shortly be replacing the ceiling.  Externally the veg prep/washing-up area has been re-tiled, and soon we will be installing an awning over the sinks.  The shutters have been repainted a very light green, as painting these white is now not permitted in this area.  Yes, really!  The idea is to increase the pastel coloration in the area as white tends to be glaring in the sunshine, so much of which is enjoyed here. 

For those thinking of coming here for a period during the winter (or even the whole of it), we are winterizing everything we can.  Pascal the electrician will be installing warmers in the pillars supplying water to the pitches, and a warming coil around the pipes supplying the washing up area, so that there will be no interruption of supply during the cold periods.  After what was a harsh winter in the UK and throughout Europe last time, certainly the worst that we have experienced in our five years here, we are hoping for a “normal” winter this time round.  To guarantee this we have laid in a stock of salt, so we should be OK!  Fortunately the local councils here are geared up for snow, as if it comes they have the “main” road salted that morning, and the road to Champagnac La Riviere salted later the same day.  There’s none of this business of roads being unusable for days on end here.

 

The picture below is just one of many taken by Di at the fete in the village on the August Bank Holiday (15^th).  We had a great time watching the carnival – the youngsters had decorated their bikes with paper flowers, and there were several floats all similarly decorated.  The majorettes - well, they were something special!  One family arrived here the following day, and they also missed the big fete in Oradour sur Vayres this year, so they’ve asked us to pencil in a booking for them from the start of the Oradour fete (last weekend in July) next year for a stay that includes the Champagnac La Riviere fete on the 15^th August 2011.  If you fancy doing the same, do not leave your booking too late! 

 

 

 

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03/03/2010 by Bob and Di.

Exercise – if you want it!

 

 

For walkers, there is not only an excellent tarmac-surface walk just 100m from the entrance of Parc Verger, and three very enjoyable circular walks of varying lengths centred on the village, but following the success of organized walks in 2009, more are being included in the program of events for future years, covering a wider area.  Walkers include local English and French residents, so visitors to Parc Verger who would like to participate need not fear that their French is limited!  In any event, there is a lot of fun to be had conversing in “franglais” as many French people are as keen to pick up some English as is the case vice versa.

 

An ancient bridge on one of the walks 

 

Plans for 2010 include an Easter walk, which will start after breakfast, cooked in a traditional bread-oven (bread, pâtes, meats and tarts available at cost).  Children will be welcome on this walk, which will end on return to the village with an Easter Egg hunt.  May’s walk is at night, the first such walk here, whilst in June an afternoon walk ends with a bbq and lighting of a fire as night falls to commemorate Joan of Arc.  In July there is an all-day walk, with a picnic at the source of the Charente.  The autumn walks (September to November) are based on three local villages, St Mathieu, St Laurent sur Gorre and St Auvent. 

 

Golfers will be pleased to know that a new golf course is to be constructed at Oradour sur Vayres, just 5km from Parc Verger.  Construction is scheduled to start later this year, and the course is expected to open during 2011.  We will provide further information as soon as we have it.

 

Cyclists have a wide range of options, though the favourite by far to date is the old railway line running from Chalus to Oradout sur Vayres.  This has a good tarmac surface and runs just 100m from our entrance.  No motorized vehicles are permitted, and the trees lining the route offer shade on hot days.  It is a thoroughly pleasant experience.

 

Music

 

For those who like to experience a variety of music on their travels, there is an annual concert towards the end of August, which this year includes traditional chants, dance music and instrumentalists, some from as far as Corsica. 

 

Mobile Home

 

We are pleased to say that following comments from visitors who wanted to meet up with family, we are installing a mobile home on site that is available to rent.  One double bed, two singles and a pull-out bed in the large comfortable lounge offers good quality accommodation for up to six people.  There are flights into Limoges airport (30 min from Parc Verger) from many UK airports, so a family holiday is really practicable without everyone having to travel in your RV. Pictures will be added to our website shortly.

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Stars ahead?

09/11/2009 by Bob and Di.

On the 29th October we had another visit from the sub-committee of the Prefecture, which is responsible for authorising camping parks.  With work in progress when they first visited us (31st January 2007) they gave us the classification of “Aire naturelle Grande confort caravanes”, the latter part reflecting the fact that all nine pitches had on-pitch facilities.

Their second visit was all about the allocation of stars, and we still await their decision on how many we will be given.  We hope and expect two stars - our understanding is that for three we need a childrens’ play area, something we neither need nor want, as the majority of our visitors seek the tranquillity that Parc Verger offers.  We do not want to close our doors to children, however, as we have enjoyed seeing some very well-behaved children here with their parents and grand-parents.

There seems to be a modicum of hope, however, as the sub-committee quizzed us and the locals present over the attractions in the locality for children - the voie vert (the cycle/walking path just down the road that is so appreciated byvisitors), the river in the valley, the beach at Lac St Mathieu and so on.  So we wait for the outcome, in the meantime enjoying the company of the RVers, motorhomers and caravanners who are staying here.  Next month (December) we will have the largest number here for Christmas and New Year that we have welcomed to date, but we still have some room if you would like to join us.

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Sad news of Brian

09/11/2009 by Bob and Di.

Bob and Di regret to say that Brian Kirk lost his long battle with cancer, and died on the 3^rd November 2009.  His wife, Sue and other members of his family were at his bedside.

 

Brian and Sue have played a significant role in the development of Parc Verger, and regarded it as almost a second home..  Brian’s woodwork is to be seen around, with the construction of the doors to the sanitaire and the cool-room, and the cupboards on the side of the bureau being some of the most obvious.  Sue is an expert gardener, and worked with Di on the development of our gardens, and we hope that Sue will soon be back to continue this work.

 

Many of our visitors will have met Brian, and will want to join with us in offering our condolences to Sue and the family at this time.

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We’re getting there

10/09/2009 by Bob and Di.

Yes, we’re into the final stages of the development of Parc Verger, this time with the installation of a motorhome and a caravan dump point.  Centrally placed in the Upper Lawn area, these offer a drive-over facility for motorhomers, easy access for those with cassettes, and are accompanied by an easily accessible water supply.

 

There is a second gully in the roadway for motorhomes to drive over and dump.  It will all look better when the grass grows again!

 

We have taken the opportunity of extending the fresh and waste water facilities to the top of the upper lawn, so that those who like to be on grass can enjoy full service pitches.  This gives us the opportunity of installing mobile homes, if we find that there is a demand for these – we can install mobile homes of up to 35m² “habitable space” (which excludes kitchens and bathrooms) without requiring detailed planning permission.  Anyone considering the purchase of such an holiday or live-in property in France should speak to us!  Being just half-an-hour from Limoges airport, with its direct flights to the UK means that it is easy to get to and from here, and our wifi facility enables those on site to use Skype to talk face to face with loved ones anywhere in the World.

 

Specially designed dump point for mobile homes or RVs on our lawn pitches

 

 So what’s next?  We will be installing an awning over the vegetable preparation/washing up area within the next few weeks, and after that undertaking all of the routine maintenance tasks that help to keep Parc Verger looking good.  The bureau, pool, pergola and picnic tables will all be treated, there is some painting required, and then?  Some relaxation! 

 

The meet organised by Motorhomefun website went well, with every hard standing occupied, and motorhomes, caravans and tents all around the upper lawn.  We learned a great deal, and there were aspects of satisfaction, too.  The electricity supply was more than adequate to cope with a full site including much use of air conditioning, as temperatures were HOT!  The hot water supply mainly produced by our solar panels was also more than adequate, and the new motorhome dump point was brought into use with no problems.

 

We are now looking forward to the Christmas and New Year period, when we will have the largest number on site at that time since Parc Verger opened.  Weather permitting we will have our usual champagne/bucks fizz reception on Christmas morning, and then a BBQ on New Years Day.  Before that, during December, we will be taking some time off for a holiday, and Mike and Carol will be looking after Parc Verger for us.  Wherever and whenever you are travelling, you will be sure of a warm welcome at Parc Verger.

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June 2009 Update

21/06/2009 by Bob and Di.

What a busy few weeks we’ve had this Spring, with every pitch being occupied many nights.  So much so that we called in the big diggers again, and installed five more hardstandings, with a net gain of four as we have had to lose one to gain access to the others.  Nevertheless, we now have ten fully serviced hardstandings, plus three that for the time being have electricity only, fresh water and waste water disposal being dealt with centrally.

 

 

 

Below is a picture of Pascal, our electrician, finishing installation of one of the two central electricity pillars on the Upper Lawn, with one of the seven smaller pillars that are around the exterior of the Upper Lawn in the background

 

 

There is plenty of room still for those who want lawn pitches, useful as for several nights recently we had five tents on the Upper Lawn, four of these being occupied by visitors from Belgium who are taking time each year to walk part of the route to Santiago de Compostela.  This is clearly a popular activity, as we have enjoyed visits previously from those making this pilgrimage, and we have a party of twelve calling here in July.

We have also been putting finishing touches to the facilities at Parc Verger.  OK, there’s still some painting to do, but we now have a ramp up to the door of the sanitary unit - our thanks to Roger Sault (kneeling in photograph below) for his help in this and in preparing the cement bases for the electricity pillars on the Upper Lawn.

 

 

and a vegetable preparation and washing up area. 

 

 

 

The gardens here are gradually maturing, and we have enjoyed a fine show of colour this year.  We have deliberately left several areas with uncut grass and as a result have seen wild flowers developing.  This has applied to areas within the long hedge next to Gilbert’s property, and the combination of more flowers on the main beds and the wild areas has meant a major increase in the number of butterflies everywhere here.

 

We want to send our greetings at this time to Brian and Sue Kirk.  Many visitors have met Brian and Sue, both of whom have helped us in many ways over the past three years, and are aware that Brian is unwell and thus has been unable to be with us this summer.  We wish you a full recovery soon, Brian, and hope that you will be able to come to Parc Verger for a visit this autumn.

 

 

 

 

 

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Developments continue

13/12/2008 by Bob and Di.

The last week has been a good one, not least because we have finished the partitioning of the sanitary facilities on site.  There remains some painting to do, which we will be completing in the next week or so – though the painting of the shutters outside does depend upon the weather. 

We could not order the partitions until all of the equipment was installed, and it is a good job that we did not chance it, as the equipment for the solar heating of the water for the showers and sinks took up more space than originally anticipated.

 

We are very pleased with the quality of the equipment and partitions, though we were less than happy with the delivery of the partitions.  Those of you who have visited Parc Verger know the space we have built in to give plenty of manoeuvring room, but the delivery arrived at 7.30 pm when it was dark, and the driver would not bring his lorry up the drive.  In addition, he had no means of taking the pallet off of the lorry, so we ended up unpacking it on the lorry, and piling the partitions at the side of the road.  We were helped to get the pieces up the drive by our neighbours Andrée and Jean-Claude, but we were not happy people!

 

The next stage for us is the installation of the electrical hook-ups around the land being prepared for the extension to the site.  The ducting is in place, and we have arranged for the electricians to be here at the beginning of March, before which we have to cement nine hook-up points into the ground.  Oh well, it will give us the opportunity of working off all of the excess weight we will have put on over Christmas and the New Year.

 

We will need the additional pitches for sure in 2009, as in August we will be hosting a rally organized for those participating on the excellent website www.motorhomefun.com.  We have a number of bookings at other times in 2009, including one couple who we had the opportunity of getting to know this Autumn, and who will be with us for six months.  We are looking forward to seeing them again.

 

Now in the run-up to the New Year we are seeing those en route to Spain calling in for one or more nights, and it is pleasing that a number of these will also be calling in on the return journey.  It gives us the opportunity of meeting again some of those who make the journey annually, as well as those trying it for the first time.  We both see these as being happy occasions for us, as we enjoy the times with these visitors, many of whom are now numbered among our dear friends.

 

 

 

 In our last blog we included a photo of the chalet looking all smart - thought you might like to see some of the work going on to get it like that!

 

 

 

 

 …and here’s Di working on the woodwork.

 

 

 

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Onward ever onward

12/10/2008 by Bob and Di.

At last the main work on the sanitary facilities is finished!  The interior of the chalet has been tiled, toilets and showers have been installed (these including a section for those who are disabled), the Solar Panels on the roof are providing hot water, and, of course, there is now a washing machine and dryer for the use of all on site.  The exterior of the Chalet has been painted a gentle cream colour and it now looks like a new building; within the next few days the shutters will be painted a pale green to finish the transition.  We are now waiting for the partitions, which could not be ordered until all of the facilities had been installed, and until these are received and installed the use of the facility is for individuals only.

The land developed for the site extension is looking good, with the grass that we planted having taken well.  The whole site looks so different now and we will be writing to the various clubs to encourage them to hold rallies here.

 

                        

                 Extension land- early stages….during the work……and now lawned

 

 

The gardens have looked good too even though it has taken time to keep them in good shape.  The vegetable garden has really done well and we have been able to give some of our produce to neighbours and those staying with us - tomatoes, various types of beans, lettuces, radishes rhubarb etc.  We have been able to freeze much of our produce for the winter and we have planted sprouts, Broccoli and Cabbage for the winter.

 The vegetable garden is Di’s pride and joy, justifiably as it has produced large quantities of fruit and veg throughout the summer and autumn.

 

The weather has been kind during the summer and we have had a steady stream of visitors. As we reported earlier, the 15^th August was a bank holiday and everyone enjoyed being part of a Limousin Fete!  17 of those staying at Parc Verger attended the evening meal and the day ended with a Fireworks display and dancing until the early hours!

 

The third Sunday in October (19^th this year) is the “Cidre et Cochonaille” (Pork and Cider) day locally, when the village enjoys a fete day.  We have a number of bookings for this period and like last year we look forward to a lovely time.  We hope the day will be sunny, as in previous years.

 

Whilst Parc Verger is and always will be designed around the needs of those touring, we have been asked whether we can accept statics, and we have received confirmation from the Mairie that we can put statics on site.  There is an area of the extension land that we are considering for this purpose, so this is a possible development for the future.

 

We have also been asked what the weather is like here over the Christmas period.  The answer is that it cannot be guaranteed but when the sun shines here it is beautifully warm!  Last year we had a champagne reception for those on site on a sunny Christmas morning.  On New Years Day we met for a lunch of bacon butties with beer or wine, and sat outside until 4pm.  So if you fancy a quiet but different Christmas, why not come and share it with us?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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More steps forward

29/06/2008 by Bob and Di.

The work involved in the extension of Parc Verger is continuing – the land is now looking great, with a good covering of grass.  The pipes that will carry the electrical cables are in place and we are now letting the ground settle after all of the work, with the objective of opening the extension next Spring (2009).  We will then be able to host rallies for caravan and motorhome clubs as there is plenty of room for such meets.

 

In the meantime work continues on providing sanitary facilities in the old chalet on site.  Tiling will be underway this week (30^th June onwards), and the installation of the solar panels and hot water tank will follow immediately.    At this stage we are not 100% sure of when everything will be finished, but it will not be long now.  We’ll publish some photographs of both aspects of these works soon, so keep a look out for these.

 

We now have a bakers van calling every day (ex Weds and Sundays), and a butcher calling twice a week, all part of providing the best of service for our clients.  On this aspect, do not forget to try to get here for

 

Ø      15^th August – festival, with stalls through the village, a seven-course meal in the evening (only 15€) followed by fireworks and dancing

Ø      19^th October – Cidre et cochonaille (Cider and piglet) – with again plenty of stalls during the day, and this time a seven-course lunch!  Come and win the piglet, all you have to do is guess its weight!

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