Sunday 1 September 2024
We
have been away 244 days and so far have been fairly happy with the budget. Our daily
allowance, based on the net available from pensions less holding costs back
home, is €113. This is for basic food and beverages, getting around and
entertainment. The rest, such as clothing, major travel, doctors, medicines and
any accommodation, air travel, major road trips, the car lease and the
expensive La Chaine and birthday celebrations, comes from savings.
The
review has been prompted by the planned expenses and travel in the next four
months that don’t involve pet sitting or free accommodation and possibly some
serious F&B research involving Andrew and Christopher. So, where are we at?
The daily living is running at €103 and the rest at €90. Given all we have
done, this is pretty good and only possible by 82% of the time being free
accommodation through home exchange and pet sitting.
Monday
2 September 2024
More
planning and booking for the October to December end of our year away and it is
amazing to us finding airlines like Wizz Air and trusting bookings made through
some strange websites. Thank goodness for “The Man in Seat 61”. As you can
imagine, Flashy has had little input into all this, preferring to add all the
info into his marvelous spreadsheet, once Lady P has done all the research and
bookings.
After
some many hours screen time today, and no rain, we decided to get sweaty outside and
move some more of the dirt that had been delivered. We have now levelled off around
the pool deck, filled in numerous holes in the lawn and pinched a big load of
straw from the neighbouring farmer’s paddock. It was one of the circular bales,
harvested in June that fell off the truck and rolled into an inaccessible corner
of the paddock, right next to our fence line. Well, it’s abandoned surely? Not
really stealing, is it? Good for the garden though!
France
is not known for its spicy food. There are no chillies in the markets or
supermarkets and very little Asian herbs and spices. There are practically no
Asian restaurants anywhere, despite once having Vietnam as a colony. I guess
they don’t like to be reminded of Dien Bein Phu. For us multicultural Aussies,
we do miss a good curry, some spicy Indian or Thai or fragrant Vietnamese. Even
their garlic seems to be dumbed down. Flashy used a whole knob the other day
and barely tasted it. However, the fruit and vegetables are magnificent - and
oh my goodness, their potatoes are to die for.
Where
is this little rant leading, you ask? Well, tonight Flashy is making chicken with
satay sauce and rice. Using Jacki’s mum’s cook’s recipe, reluctantly given to
Flashy as a divorce settlement (she got the lawnmower), it’s been marinating
all day. We discovered a tiny corner of the isle that was “international
cuisine” and got a jar of satay sauce. Spice at last!!
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