Steadily climbing the mountain, enjoying the view along the way

KajiKita

We are returned! 😊

Very late night - got in at 2am after a slow exit from the boat and a lot of roadworks which didn’t cause queues but long stretches of 50mph. The house was ROASTING when we got in, even at that time. It’s convincing me more and more that we either need to get rid of the conservatory or do something to insulate it from the heat more - it travelled all through the house - I deliberately left the door open otherwise everything in there would have cooked, but boy was it stuffy when we got in. Every tap in the house was fetid and smelly, so I deliberately used the cleaning down a neglected shower protocol this morning before either of us got in it to reduce the risk of legionella. 😳 The filter jug was GREEN (delightful! 😂) so the first job this morning was to strip that down, clean it and then set up a new filter - all done 😊

The garden has GROWN in our absence - the greenhouse is like a jungle, I have opium poppies everywhere ❤️, my patio pots are looking good and most of my seedlings have survived 😊 The neighbour I asked to water for me has done a fantastic job so I’m really pleased I have got a nice present for her 😊

I have not gained much in weight (0.3kg) and some of that might be hot weather water retention, and my waist is the same. I am delighted with that 😊

First load of washing is on the line, second one is in, Mr KK has rescued Chloe and we are just waiting for the Toscos delivery 😊

KK

KajiKita

It was an interesting albeit not restful holiday. Highlights included roadside picnics almost daily, finding almost the exact spot where Grandpa got shot by the church next to Hill 112 before being invalided out, a little museum in Suisse-Normandie entirely focused on what was found as remnants and leftovers of WW2 just in that village, the food!! and on the way back to the boat yesterday, gate crashing a 1681 reenactment event that was being held in a random chateau - we didn’t understand a lot of it (our French was nowhere near good enough to keep up) but some of the humour (a servant gurning and impersonating an obnoxious employer behind their back and the dire digestive effects of the French first meeting Indian curry 😂) completely came over. They were so kind to us, it was really lovely.

Food was interesting.

Vegetarian options were very limited. I defined a restaurant guideline that if it had escargot on the menu, then the only veggie options would be the desserts! 😂😂 I ate a LOT of HB eggs and goat’s cheese! I don’t think I saw any pulses offered as a food option anywhere, all week, apart from one pre-made lentil salad in a big supermarket. I had taken two tins of pulses with me, which got tipped into soups, mixed into cottage cheese etc .

However, overall the standard and quality of food was outstanding. Fresh, high quality, minimal additives etc. And this was across the board from the ferry, cafes, high stakes restaurants, big supermarkets, 7-11s etc. There was junk food, with additives of course, but overall, the food was just better quality with little boulangerie, butchers, veg shops repeated every mile or so across town. There was a big open air market on Saturday morning that we just caught, that was 80% fabulous food and people were buying armfuls of it. I appreciate Bayeaux is probably relatively wealthy, but even so, I was impressed. Oh and gluten free bread is available in supermarkets 😊

The other thing I noticed was that the portions are smaller. You can comfortably eat three courses there and not feel absolutely stuffed. That’s probably how the French, by and large, stay slimmer?

One thing I realised this holiday, is that Mr KK is a very dominant personality. When he wants something (to go somewhere or see something for example) he literally doesn’t hear me. This personality trait is useful as he is very driven and achieves a great deal, and tbh I suspect I wouldn’t do well with someone who isn’t as strong as I am, but it was interesting to observe. I did drop the odd hint that, yes, for example, I was struggling to find gardens to visit because I had been looking for gardens around Bayeux, not Caen. Our day out to Caen (which in the end didn’t happen because there is a complex and needs to done before you travel, process to get a carbon permit to go into the city) was the day he had in mind we would combine with a garden visit, and there was nothing open in the area that day … His sense of fair play kicked in and on the next to last day, we found a garden I wanted to go to, that WAS open on the right day. This isn’t a criticism of Mr KK, but I am just noting it as I think this might be why I often feel ‘thwarted’ around here. I will continue to observe …

KK

daisy_1571

is it something he has observed too or is this just your quiet observation just now? Are you thinking its a 24 Hours together holiday thing or also a general life thing now you've spotted ? V interesting, either its always been like that and you've only subconsciously clocked it, its got worse over the years (I often think we get more like ourselves as we age) to the point its now more noticeable ie he's changed a bi or you've changed in some way making it more noticeable?

KajiKita

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82042701#Comment_82042701

All good questions, thanks Daisy.

I think he’s always been a bit that way (he’s always been driven) but it is getting more so as he is aging - he’s 61 now. I think that doing the counselling has made me more aware of how people treat me, how I feel about it (good as well as bad) and less willing to ‘take on other people’s stuff’, which is what my mother had fundamentally trained me to do.

KK

PennysIntoPounds

Happy return! Glad you had a good time, and got some relationship/self insights

Well done on the cleaning and pressie for neighbour and weight maintenance 👏

edinburgher

Does the conservatory have a proper roof or is it polycarbonate or glass? I believe a full insulated roof might be cooler in summer. We looked at a nearby house (nominally bigger than ours but not for us) that had a lovely conservatory. My first comment to Mrs E was that it would be like a freezer in winter and an oven in summer. Mrs E spoke to one of the new owners (same school as our daughters). It was October and they'd already had to abandon the use of the conservatory! ❄️

KajiKita

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82042828#Comment_82042828

It’s glass. And the door fits badly so it’s freeeeeezing in winter too! 🥶

KK

edinburgher

Understood. Might want to do some research/get quotes from some of those companies/firms that replace/upgrade roofs with insulation, plasterwork etc.?

KajiKita

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82042834#Comment_82042834

That was the kind of thing I had in mind, but wouldn’t really know where to start. I do know a good chippy though … 🤔😉

KK

edinburgher

"how to insulate glass conservatory roof" returns a plausible sounding AI summary on Google, but I am not a DIY guy!