Drainage pipes arrive

After weeks of deliberation… action!

7.45 am: a lorry from Point P (builders merchants) arrives with ten, 10-metre drainage pipes.

When we bought the small ruin next to our house we also ‘had’ to buy the small field adjacent to our garden.
This field, together with the bottom third of our garden, is permanently wet as it is the lowest point in Reminiac and all water drains into our back garden together with the contents of our neighbour’s dodgy fosse!

This weekend we will tackle the drainage… let the groundwork commence…

We also need to ’smarten’ up the area around the ruin. So, 23 tonnes of gravel from the local quarry have been delivered: two huge lorry loads!

Gravel Delivery

After the driver delivered the first load, he knocked on the door.

‘I’m not quite sure how much the two loads will be, but if you give me a signed blank cheque I can fill it in after we have weighed the second load.’
‘OK,’ I replied and gave him the signed cheque.

He returned an hour later with the second load and a copy of my cheque which had been duly completed with the same amount as the invoice.

Whilst I was living in London I would never have handed someone whom I didn’t know a blank cheque.
Am I becoming soft and gullible, or am I living in an environment where there is more trust?

Tomorrow the JCB arrives, for lots of ground-moving fun!

Editor’s Note:

In France, using digital and card payments such as credit and debit cards has become common practice, but cheques are still widely used, especially for larger purchases or payments like furniture or renovation work. The practice of paying by cheque, though less frequent for everyday transactions in smaller shops, remains part of the payment landscape for certain services and larger transactions. It’s important to note that writing a cheque without sufficient funds in the account is illegal in France, and there are strict rules and penalties associated with bounced cheques.

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