Ne Paniquez Pas!!!

We had an unexpected phone call from the buyer of our house a few days ago informing us that the date of completion of the sale of our house had been set for the 12th November.  We had expected to be moving at the end of the month because our Notaire was struggling to get all the relevant parties for our sale and the buying of our new house together at the same time.  The Notaire's assistant was surprised, for some reason, that we wanted to complete on the new house the same day as selling our present one but having explained that we didn't fancy wandering homeless through the streets of Cognac with two dogs, three cats and four chickens she got straight on to it.

Oscar and Jake visiting their new home and backyard for the first time -
Jake looks happy but Oscar is not as easily impressed!

So this last week we've had to get ourselves into gear and have been yo-yoing between a lock up in Cognac (the owners of our new house have kindly allowed us to put our things in the garage) and home with Piggy (our new van) packed to the rafters.

After having completed about seven or eight trips we realised that as useful as Piggy is a Renault Trafic isn't really big enough to move some of the larger lumps of furniture we have acquired over the years. So we have decided to hire a large box van with a tail-lift for two days including the day of the big move.

I have been tossing and turning in bed trying to work out the logistics of the move and mulling over the best way to make the move as painless and hopefully drama free as possible for our menagerie of animals.  We decided that on the day of the move the dogs will stay with us and wait in Piggy and the cats will be shut in the kitchen until we have sold the house and then be picked up before buying the new one.  The three of them are used to being pampered (it's like a cat hotel here) are very vocal so I am dreading the chorus of cross pussy cats I will have to endure as I drive Piggy the short (but very noisy) journey to Cognac.  

Leama relaxing in the grounds!

Raoul trying out the hot tub for size!

Primrose taking advantage of the warm stone therapy on offer!

As for the chickens we are hoping the owners of the house we are buying will allow us to move them the day before the sale (by then we should have managed, with a lot of swearing I'm guessing, to erect their new flat pack home).

The ducks climbed the property ladder this morning when they were taken to their new home, the Jardin Public in Cognac, today.  They have a lovely duck pond and we were particularly keen on them being re-homed there as we love the idea that we will be able to walk the dogs and go and visit Claude and Jacques whenever we want.  They are small ornamental ducks but they are also a couple of bruisers so I'm sure they will adapt to their new pond mates in no time and be running the show after a couple of weeks.  

Big ducks in a small pond this morning!

Claude and Jacques making friends in their new elegant town pond!

So with all things considered I have decided to take a couple of weeks off from posting on my blog to settle in with our little family of furry and feathered friends.   I look forward to sharing with you over the coming year the trials and tribulations of renovating our new home and the planned expansion of my brocante business (watch this space).