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!

Posted in Uncategorised | No Comments »

24/05/2008 by Bob and Di.

The regrading of the entrance to the drive has produced many positive comments from returning visitors, so we are pleased with this improvement to Parc Verger.

We have been very fortunate with weather here this year, until recently, when the local lakes and reservoirs are getting their Spring top-up! We were able to have a Champagne Reception at Christmas outside in the warm sunshine, and then BBQ bacon butties for those here on New Years Day, when we sat outside over a few glasses until around 4pm again in the warm sunshine. Then for two or three weeks in February we enjoyed more warm days, when we were all spending time outdoors in T-shirts and shorts, lulling us into a false sense that summer really is on its way!

Throughout the first three months of 2008 we have welcomed many visitors, and have had very few pitches available. During February we welcomed one couple with four wonderfully well-behaved dogs, three of which won accolades at the recent Crufts Show! In fact we have been full for several nights in March, and have already taken many bookings for the summer which we find very encouraging.

At the beginning of March, the contractors moved onto the additional piece of land in order to remove the tree stumps and the enormous amount of tree roots which had  been left after we cleared all the trees and bushes.

We now await the visit of a local farmer who will till the land, enabling us to put down fertilizer and plant grass seed, after which he will return to roll the land. When the grass has grown and the land settled we will be able to cater for additional visitors in the summer months (not necessarily this year, because the ground needs time to settle). Following completion of the work on this land we will turn back to the installation of sanitary facilities in the chalet which, when completed, will enable us to welcome ‘Tent’ campers as well as more Caravanners.

For those planning visits to this area we have added an “Events Calendar” to our “Things to do” page, and we recommend that you book early if you are considering joining us for some of these activities, especially for those involving meals. The August 15^th evening, with fireworks and dancing after the meal, is likely to be very popular, and having been full for it in 2007, we expect there to be a big demand again for the Cidre et Cochonaille (Pork and Cider) day, which is always on the third Sunday in October, this year the 19^th .

Wherever you may be travelling, go safely!

Posted in Uncategorised | No Comments »

29/01/2008 by Bob and Di.

So 2008 started with the usual good resolutions…we MUST get on and DO THINGS! And here’s proof that we have! Yes, the entrance to the drive to Parc Verger has been regraded to give a smoother transfer from the road to the drive.

Now we are moving on preparations for the sanitary facilities, which we plan to complete during the Spring. At the beginning of March we have booked the contractor who is to clear the additional land we have here of the old tree-stumps, after which a local farmer will till the land so that we can plant grass seed. Then it will be rolled and we’ll watch the grass grow, or so we hope.

We have been delighted to welcome so many guests during the winter months, and it is gratifying to see bookings for this summer increasing steadily. At present some of our visitors are seeking to purchase property in this area, and it is fascinating to share in their experiences. We can understand their desire to live in this beautiful part of France, after all, this is one of the reasons we live here!

Our greetings to you - we will post more news as time goes on and developments occur.

Bob and Di

Posted in Uncategorised | No Comments »

23/12/2007 by Bob and Di.

It is wonderful to be able, at any time of year but especially at this Christmas season, to greet those whom we have met since launching the Parc Verger project, and others who have been watching our progress, and say how much we appreciate all of the support we have been given.

2007 has been a good year for us. We were able to open officially after the inspection by the sous-prefecture on 31^st January, and we have been delighted to welcome so many over the period since then who have come to see what Parc Verger is all about.

During the year we have continued the development of the site, and are now awaiting the start of the current project, re-grading the entrance of the site. This involves digging out the first five metres of the drive, and replacing it with concrete, but at a much lower gradient. Next to that a drain is being inserted, and the lower half of the drive will then be re-graded, which involves taking away some half-a-metre of earth at the deepest point.

Hot-foot after this comes the installation of sanitary facilities in the existing chalet, and here we are fortunate to have Mike Lockett on site, as he has had experience of such work before, and is very happy to be involved in this development.

Slightly later in the scheme of things is the clearance of the additional land adjacent to the site, where we plan to have pitches for caravans, tents and light motor-homes. It was too late in the year to grass this area, so we have delayed the land clearance until the beginning of March, with the idea that we can get grass seed sewn fairly soon after that. Whether this will be available for visitors in 2008 we do not know, but we live in hope.

If you have visited us already, then we look forward to your next visit, and hope that you will enjoy seeing the on-going development of Parc Verger in 2008. If you have not yet been here, then come and see us soon! This year there will be four RVs on site (including us) over Christmas - how about joining us next year? OK, it may not be as warm as it can be in Spain, but today is a perfect day, wall to wall sunshine from a blue sky, and even though it is winter the countryside is beautiful. One of our current guests said “I never thought I could fall in love with a place on a first visit, but I have here”. That’s how we felt about it when we arrived, and we’ve not lost that sheer pleasure in living here.

A very happy Christmas to you, and may your travelling in 2008 be enjoyable and safe.

Posted in Uncategorised | No Comments »

30/10/2007 by Bob and Di.

So the trek to the UK started with our run to Ouistreham, which was uncomplicated, thank goodness. The ferry crossing went without incident and, as usual, the Customs at Portsmouth wanted to come on board to check that we had no illegal immigrants – although really I suspect they just like to see the inside of these vehicles! Once clear of the port we made our way to Gloucester where the new roof was to be fitted. We were able to park up in one of the sheds there overnight in readiness for work to start on the Monday morning.

Whilst we were away from our home we enjoyed time at Somerford Keynes, near Cirecester (some visitors to Parc Verger will have met Brian and Sue with whom we stayed), London, where we visited the London Canal Museum, this being another of our keen interests, and Bristol, where we stayed with one of our daughters for the last few days, as we were hoping to pick Columbus up on the Friday, and had a ferry booked for the Saturday evening. Having spoken to the repairer on Thursday and been told that they were hoping to have the work finished on Friday arranged that daughter Julia would drive over from Chepstow that day to pick us up, have lunch, and then drive us to Gloucester. We agreed to ring the repairer lunchtime on Friday, but when we did so we learned that the work would not be completed until Monday, so James and Julia had unexpected guests for the weekend! This actually worked out well, as it was grand-daughter Sarah’s last weekend before going up to Southampton University. They were having a houseful of guests on the Sunday, so Di was able to help Julia with the preparation of the food, and a great time was had by us and all of the other guests.

On Monday afternoon we collected Columbus, and it was off down the motorway to do some shopping, which included a new mattress from Dreams. Frustratingly they could not dispose of the old one, so we travelled to France with both – not really a problem as we had a cabin on the overnight ferry to St Malo, and we were able to cart it off to the local dechetterie (where we can take almost anything we want to get rid of) as soon as we reached home.

Within a couple of days of getting home, however, Bob went down with a bug that laid him low, gave him a chesty cough, and almost inevitably, Di went down with it a few days later. Three weeks later it just about cleared up. Thank goodness that Mike and Carol who had looked after Parc Verger for us were still there to lend support! Brian and Sue, who preceded us back to Parc Verger also lent a hand to keep Parc Verger in superb condition, so we were able to suffer in the background without worrying!

Our activities at Parc Verger at present are concentrated on clearing the land for the extension. We took time out of that for the electricity upgrade – vital as we prepared for the Cider and Pork (Cidre et cochonaille) fete in our local village on the third Sunday in October, this year the 21^st, when the site was full, and this year 28 RVers shared in the day. Those fortunate enough to be present descended on the village, which was closed to traffic for the day to allow stalls and amusements to take over. The village bar was doing a roaring trade, with tables spread across half of the street, and chairs at a premium. OK, so there was plenty of space on walls or just leaning against the bar!

The mix of stalls ranged from typical car-boot stalls (vide grenier in France) to those of local farmers offering cheeses, wine, honey, meats and the like. Oh, and the cider-producing machine was working overtime to produce sufficient for those that thronged around, fascinated by the wonderful old system of production. RVers had been warned in advance that this was not cider to keep – drink it promptly and (if you had a taste for it) it was fine, but keeping it for any length of time could have explosive – and sticky – consequences.

The chief activity of the day though was the lunch prepared and served by ladies of the village to well over 200 diners. Not haute cuisine, maybe, but the courses just kept coming. Soup, cold meats, pie, gammon and beans – some diners already starting to wilt – on to cheese and salad, then apple tart, coffee, all accompanied by wine or water. Can you wonder why so many RVers were actually glad of the 1km walk back to Parc Verger? Everyone voted the day a success, and enjoyed the atmosphere of a rural village fete, though it was not long before the inevitable drift of people getting together for a beer or more wine under awnings started, and lasted into a clear blue evening. There was even a sense of relief among RVers present that the piglet (the cochonaille of the day’s title, and the subject of a guess the weight and length of tail competition) was not won by one of our number!

The following day everyone gathered for aperitifs on the lawn to finish the weekend on the right note, and enjoy a top-up to the indulgencies of the previous day. If you’ve never been to a French “répas” you should not lose the opportunity – judging by the reaction of those this year for whom it was a first, you would miss out on one of life’s worthwhile experiences!

Posted in Uncategorised | No Comments »

20/08/2007 by Bob and Di.

Some websites for RVers/motorhomers that we have found helpful/interesting are http://www.rvfulltiming.com

http://www.motorhomefun.com

The above are both free sites - the following site has a charge for membership

http://www.motorhomefacts.com

Saw a comment that gave us a good laugh on www.motorhomefun.com this morning - If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you!

We’ll inform you of other sites that may be of interest as we hear of them.

Posted in Uncategorised | No Comments »

19/08/2007 by Bob and Di.

Its the 18^th August and we have enjoyed a lovely lunchtime BBQ with the 8 people currently staying on site. The weather was perfect and our guests spent the afternoon exchanging travel experiences while sipping their wine or beers! We’re now enjoying a warm sunny evening, a good opportunity to sit and write this addition to our blog.

Since our last entry, we have received authorisation for the changes to the chalet to turn it into a sanitary block, and we are preparing to go out for estimates for the building work needed – a new wall with windows and door to the front, and renewal of the roof. We are planning to do at least some of the work ourselves during the winter, but some aspects, not least the electrical side of things will need to be signed off by a professional.

Erecting the internal partitions is something we can do though, and we’re looking forward to putting up a new ceiling – one of those lovely dirty jobs especially as we’ll hopefully be putting in the lighting at the same time. The plan is to have the block ready for next summer, and that’s going to mean a lot of hard work. Timing will be important, as we really do not want this to be delayed.

In the meantime there is plenty more to do. The electrician starts work on the upgrading of the power supply at the beginning of September (after the French 2-month holiday period), and hopefully EDF will do their bit soon after. And we’re hoping that clearing the tree-stumps from the area into which we are extending the campsite will take place in time for us to sow the area with grass seed before the winter. Whilst no two years are the same, we were outside in shorts and T-shirts well into November last year, so at present we have time in hand.

We have enjoyed some great times with our neighbours

We are delighted to have enjoyed the company of so many visitors this year, our first since the visit of the sub-committee on 31^st January was the official authorisation that we needed. At present we have three RVs, one couple here for the first time, one for the second and one on their fifth visit - and they have delighted us by saying that they will be back in December for a stopover en route to Spain.

Tomorrow (Sunday 19^th August) we will be welcoming back the very first visitors to Parc Verger. They are heading south for the winter and Parc Verger is a convenient ‘stop-over’ for those going to such warmer climes as Spain and Portugal, not least because we are just a days drive from most of the channel ports, and just off the free motorway towards Toulouse and the border with Spain.

At the start of September we are to welcome back Mike and Carol, who spent last winter with us here, and who will be looking after Parc Verger for us whilst we go to the UK to have our new roof fitted. We’re booked onto the ferry on 9^th September, and hope to be returning two weeks later. More on our life at Parc Verger in due course.

Posted in Uncategorised | No Comments »

13/07/2007 by Bob and Di.

 One of our local chateaux - at Montbrun - for sale for a cool 20M Euros

The long and the short of it… 

These two visited Parc Verger at the same time recently, one 6m and the other 12 m!  Both couples were great company.

Posted in Uncategorised | No Comments »

13/07/2007 by Bob and Di.

Well, the signs are up on the road each side of us, the flags are flying at the entrance of Parc Verger, Di’s gardens are looking colourful, and the sky is blue.  In fact with temperatures in the 30s today it is much too hot to work outside, so here I am, sweltering inside to update the blog!  Not long and it will be into the pool for a refreshing dip.

We had a pleasant surprise just before lunch today when Mike (he with the Harley Davidson we had stay on site a while back)  turned up in a white van; he’s helping friends to move furniture to the south of France, and they were on their way back to the Channel for a ferry tomorrow lunchtime.  It was a delight, not least because he and Lynn confirmed that they will be with us for the Cidre et Cochonaille (Pork and Cider) day in October.

     Last evening we enjoyed a soiree with some of our neighbours to celebrate the second anniversary of our arrival here (yes, it really is two whole years since we moved to France).  We have received permission just this week to convert the small chalet on site into a sanitary block, and that is a job for the winter months.  By the time we have estimates for the building work, and booked time with the chosen mason, arranged for the digging of the drains and all of the other 101 aspects of the work it will be late autumn, so we will probably start work early November - late summer here of course, says he hopfully!

We now have a date for our trip to the UK to have our new roof fitted - we’re arriving in the UK on Sunday 9th September, and driving to Gloucester to deliver Columbus first thing Monday morning.  The repairers have promised to do all that they can to finish in two weeks, so we expect to collect Columbus by about Friday 21st, and we have a ferry crossing booked for the Saturday evening, so arriving home here late Sunday afternoon.  Our friends Mike and Carol will be welcoming our guests here whilst we are away, and will be staying on for the October festivities.

We hope that you are all enjoying life, and look forward to seeing you sometime. 

Posted in Uncategorised | No Comments »

18/06/2007 by Bob and Di.

So here we go.  No more individual emails with news of our activities - you can get the latest news by logging onto our blog - and you can let us have your comments too. So how are things progressing here?

We’ve had a succession of visitors, numbers ranging from one to five at any one time, but rarely none.  Everyone seems to have left happy with their experience here, and as a result we are seeing people arrive as a result of recommendations, always the best form of advertising.  Parc Verger is looking good, the light gravel on the pitches  contrasting with the grass and trees.  Like everywhere in Europe, it seems, we’ve had an unsettled spell of weather, generally warm or hot though with showers and some spectacular thunderstorms.  Fortunately this is a well-drained site, so even though the pitches are level, water drains off them vey speedily.

There are several items occurring in the near future.  The signs for the main road (which we had to pay for, of course) have been delivered to the local authority who have to install them, hopefully soon!  We are just about to accept the electrician’s quote for work needed to upgrade the power supply on site, and that should mean that the work can be done before the French holidays, which are normally interminable!  Third job is to clear the extension to the site of treestumps (and everything else).  This involves another estimate being prepared, this time by the groundwork contractor, and our aim is to get him on site, with all his heavy machinery, in early September, so that we can get grass sown later that month.  This should give it a fighting chance of growing before the winter, though whether the ground will be firm enough for caravans next summer we’ll have to see - should be OK for tents, though.  Whilst the machinery is on site we’ve a couple of other jobs for it, one of which is to change the slope of the bottom of the drive, as motorhomes with trailers are grounding due to the change of slope from the road to the drive.

The final major task, for this winter period, is to convert the small chalet we have here to a sanitary block.  We’re still awaiting the necessary permissions, but it seems hopeful that these will come through soon.  There will be some digging needed, for drainage trenches and a modest extension, so we’ll get this done when the contractor’s machinery is on site , and then we’ll get on with the internal work.  Should be fun!

It is fair to say that starting this enterprise was effectively an act of faith on our part.  We knew what we wanted to achieve, and there was a good rationale behind it, but how would it turn out in practice?  Well, we’re now 18 months (from the time the detailed planning permissions were received) into what we estimated as a three-year project, and we’re thoroughly enjoying every minute of it.  We have met many marvellous people, a number of whom have become firm friends.  We are looking forward to the next eighteen months with excitement as we move towards the completion of the work here.

Posted in Uncategorised | No Comments »