Day: July 12, 2021

Up to now, it’s been difficult to actually distinguish the land I’ve acquired in Fleurac from that surrounding it, but that all changed on Friday when I drove (yes drove) my ride-on mower around on the road from Malbec where I’ve been temporarily keeping it and mowed all of it, tight to its boundaries. Afterwards I shot some footage with my Fimi X8 2020 drone from which I lifted the following photographs.

This shot was taken looking down from the south-east.

The next shot below was taken looking down from the south and shows the little encampment I’ve made comprising my caravan and my two trailers with my ride-on mower and generator between them and gives a good impression of the land’s dimensions.

The following shot was taken from the south-west and gives another perspective of the width and length of the land and also a glimpse of the fine view I enjoy of the small valley to the east.

The next shot was taken looking down from the due east and as well as showing the length of the land in perspective also shows the proximity of Chateau Malbec where I have my two ULMs. The runway itself isn’t quite visible.

And finally a closer shot of my caravan’s position close to the trees in the north-western corner.

But then the fun stopped. I’d temporarily switched my generator off while I was cutting the grass and when I restarted it all was not well. Somehow a switch on the front panel had become damaged and had shattered causing a major short of the generator itself. The damage was terminal and although the engine was still running perfectly, the machine itself was scrap.

Luckily the financial loss was not that great as I’d acquired it very cheaply years ago back in the UK when I needed power to work on MYRO, my elderly and now departed AX3. The main problem was one of convenience. Losing the machine on Friday afternoon meant that acquiring a replacement in a reasonable amount of time, let alone over a week-end, would be difficult if not impossible, and in the meantime I’d be without any electrical power for my fridge especially and for lighting.

But I resolved to give it a go and turned to Le Bon Coin, the trusty free-ads site that has served me so well in the past to see if anything suitable was available. Various local ‘brico’ stores were offering a range of modest machines at what I regarded as inflated prices but as I needed something with enough power to run my fridge, microwave, kettle and even my heating if necessary, I wanted something a bit more beefy. So Le Bon Coin was a good place to start, especially as it offered the chance of acquiring something from a private seller over the week-end when the shops were closed.

And I soon found what I thought was an ideal machine, almost new condition, 6000 watts continuous power and at a very attractive price. The only problem was it was located in the Correze, to the north in a beautiful part of the country but 2 1/2 hours drive away. But that wouldn’t matter if the machine was a good ‘un.

But sadly it turned out not to be, for me anyway. It was as described by the seller, in excellent condition and very little used. And sure, it had a rating of 6000 watts – but in 3-phase mode only. In single phase its rating was a mere 1600 watts, totally useless for my purposes, so there was nothing more for me to do other than head off for another 2 1/2 hour drive back home again.

This left me with a dilemma when I got back. With the forecast of continuing hot weather, I was in desperate need of a generator, but I couldn’t see anything else suitable on Le Bon Coin. So I decided that I’d have to buy a ‘cheapie’ low-power machine from one of the ‘brico’ retailers which I hoped would see me through my time in my caravan and which I could then dispose of afterwards.

An internet search revealed that the most suitable options were two machines in the Castorama sale but there was a fly in the ointment. The closest store was in Limoges to the north, not that far from where I’d been earlier in the day but after phoning and checking availability I gritted my teeth and headed off back north again for yet another 2 1/2 – 3 hour drive.

The store was due to close at 8.00 pm this being Saturday but even though I had to ask a passer-by for directions, I got there with time to spare. However, after arriving I was treated to the most gob-smacking experience that could only ever happen in France. The store was plastered with sale (‘soldes’) banners but when I located the generators the prices shown were 20-25% higher than shown on their web site. And when I pointed this out I was told that yes, that was correct as the sale prices only applied to items purchased on line.

So there I was, a guaranteed customer ready to buy with money in my hand but they refused to sell to me, preferring to lose a sale there-and-then and a customer for ever, as I refused on principle to pay the higher in-store price and will never set foot in Castorama ever again. So with empty hands I set off on the 2 1/2 – 3 hour drive back home again.

By now my situation was becoming desperate. I’d borrowed a small generator which I’d hoped would be able to run my fridge, give me some light and charge my smartphone and laptop. However, it fried my phone charger so I was reluctant to use it on equipment of value such as my fridge and laptop, but they seemed to be unaffected so I had no choice. In a last-gasp attempt before my laptop battery ran out I looked again at Le Bon Coin and lo-and-behold came across a suitable machine in Bordeaux.

I sent the seller a message on Saturday night before turning in and phoned him on Sunday morning and luckily he agreed to do a deal when I could get there by mid-day, or a bit later. To cut a long story short, the seller turned out to be a very pleasant chap from Georgia in eastern Europe. The machine was OK, we agreed a price and because he was very fond of Brits he even threw in a bottle of Cotes de Bordeaux red wine! So quite a day to remember!

The machine is running as I type this and has been faultless. It’s a bit noisier than my old generator but that’s hardly surprising as it’s considerably more powerful with a bigger motor. That will hardly please my obnoxious neighbour who lives in the house on the opposite side of the road who had the cheek to insist that I turned my old one off within 24 hours of my arriving on my land because he valued ‘his solitude’.

I told him in no uncertain terms that I had no intention of doing so and I’m afraid that his solitude is the least of my considerations and not a reason for having food rotting and milk turning sour in my inoperative fridge. For goodness sake, some people 😕