Travel Reference
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were working towards a new life that despite our current circumstances was full of hope.
We shared a bottle of wine in front of the newly installed woodstove. With the lights off,
the fire bathed the room in a warm, romantic glow. It felt like years since we had sat quietly
together.
Sean's shoulder-length curls gleamed golden. He was fitter and stronger than ever. The
magic of candlelight made me feel twenty-something again. We made love in front of the
fire with the abandon that we had known when we first met. It was like a tsunami crashing
through all the hurt of the previous six months.
'That stove was a great investment,' said Sean.
As the new year got underway Sean continued to heat the red wines for malolactic ferment-
ation but there was no sign of progress. We decided to stop heating all except one. It was
better for the wine to develop at its own natural pace.
The house boiler stopped working. It was a while since I had called Jean-Marc and it was
good to hear his upbeat voice on the phone.
'A simple restart may be all that's needed. Press the red restart button on the boiler.'
I pressed but nothing happened, then I realised I was pressing the emergency light instead
of the large red restart button. Lucky I was mostly just the housewife and not operating
wine-related machinery. I pressed the correct button and the boiler leapt into life.
'Ça fonctionne?'
asked Jean-Marc patiently.
'Oui.'
'Ça fonctionne! A demain?'
(Until tomorrow?)
Three days later the boiler stopped and the restart would not work. Jean-Marc blamed our
fuel provider for giving us dirty fuel and suggested his brother-in-law as a supplier. After
he had fixed the boiler I showed him the ruin Helen and Derek had uncovered and asked if
he could give me a quote for solar power and a bathroom.
'Quelle vue!'
enthused Jean-Marc as we walked around the winery to the newly uncovered
building, facing south up the valley of Saussignac. On our side, the peaceful winter vines
were white with frost; on the opposite side a stark winter forest clung to the hillside. To the
south Saussignac Castle rose like a giant keeping watch over the village.
'We could get water here no problem. I'm not an expert on solar panels but I think we
could get good exposure on the roof that's facing due south.'
He promised to send his patron, the good-looking Monsieur Lambert, around to get the
details so they could provide a
devis
. In true Lambert fashion I heard nothing for months.
