Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Early December we were wracked with coughing, vomiting and fevers. I could barely
drag myself out of bed to attend to Sean and our sick daughters. There was a mountain of
washing and we didn't have a tumble dryer. Phil Collins' lyrics about the roof leaking and
the wind howling kept rolling around in my head. After doing another round of nursing I
went to see our local doctor in desperation. I needed to be well to care for everyone.
'There is a mild chest infection but you can fight it off yourself with a week of rest,' he
said.
'I want an antibiotic. Someone has to look after the sick children.'
'Isn't there someone who can help you? Your belle-mère ?'
I explained that there was no mother-in-law and there would be no rest.
Minutes later I walked into the pharmacy armed with my prescription. With two young
children, I was already well known to them. A large promotion stand at the entrance an-
nounced the launch of a new deodorant with 48-hour effectiveness. I giggled despite my
throbbing headache. Who would advertise not washing every day? To my 'cleanliness next
to Godliness' upbringing it was incomprehensible. Little did I know that a week later, when
the real cold of winter set in, I would be back for some of my own. Our erratic heating sys-
tem couldn't match the deep freeze. Bathing every two days was as much as I could stand.
I left the pharmacy armed with my medicine and returned to my sick household.
Just when it seemed it would never end, we woke up feeling well, the sun was shining
and a huge rainbow hung over the Dordogne valley. We ate our favourite lunch of baguette
and Brie and stared at the view. Ellie smiled benevolently from her high chair and Sophia
tucked in with relish. Food never tasted so good and we revelled in the magic of feeling
well.
I could not fault our new community. People were generous and warm. Bernard Barse did
the electrical work for our new kitchen as a gift. Even the notorious French civil servants
were friendly and helpful. Sophia started singing in French, proving our worries about her
settling in unfounded. I agonised about our precarious financial future but the success of
the Christmas offer filled me with hope. Ellie started crawling and putting her tiny hands
into my paint and other undesirable substances. Meanwhile Sean's thoughts turned in earn-
est to the vineyard: a place bristling with unknown danger.
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