After spending the last weeks fretting about money and where we were going to find the money to continue with the renovation of Le Farat, I decided drastic action was needed and organised a trip back to the UK to work, do some important networking to help promote Le Farat and meet up with friends and relatives of course.
I arrived back in the UK late Sunday night after another super efficient flight by squeezyjet (not)and my dad collected my daughter (as she had been with us for school half term) and I from the airport. I felt guilty that he had had to sit and wait in MacDonalds car park for over 2 hours in the dark and rain for our delayed flight to arrive, but we finally flopped into bed weary at 1.45am (or 2.45am for my body clock!)
On waking up Monday morning and taking a look outside the window made me realise that the Autumn in the UK was nicer than I remembered. The trees are probably about 1 week ahead of the ones in France and have turned a much deeper shade of Orange. I think it is because there is a lack of Beech and Maple trees where we are in France and they produce such vibrant colours it is hard to ignore them.
Having said all that and loving the countryside in my old home area, I immediately felt a yearning to get back to France. The traffic on the way to work yesterday was a nightmare and everything is just so much busier and stressful. Equally scruffier than I remember too. First impressions for visitors arriving at Gatwick airport is not good. The Olympics here in 2012 will create a lasting impression on the world for how old, outdated and rubbish the infrastructure for roads, rail and air all are. I predict a disaster!
Anyway, I arrived early (very unlike me!) for my meeting with work colleagues and spent a day in a sales meeting, training on new software and collecting a new laptop. For those of you that don't know, I work on a contract basis for Zebra Technologies who are the leading manufacturer of barcode label ,and card printers, and I am fortunate enough to be working part time remotely from my little office in deepest France account managing their vast list of UK resellers.
After work a team meal had been organised together with one of our distribution customers at a local Indian restaurant for a group of 21. For some reason my body cannot do Indian food, and despite taking the mild option and eating copious amounts of Naan and poppadoms with mango chutney, I still had to visit the loo more often than normal! Therefore at 10.30pm, and fading fast I bid my farewells and took to the road for the 45 minutes journey back to my sisters. Result, the motorway was almost empty, and made me feel like I was back home in France, apart from the regular speed cameras and roadworks everywhere.
Need get out and about promoting our holiday home today. Sometimes a bit of leg work and networking works wonders, and we need to try everything.
Keep your chin up. I too ventured back to UK, once a year is enough. I'm desperately trying to get some money together for my daughter's wedding. At present just selling (my) junk. Good luck.
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