Sunday 26 February 2017

Mosaic Monday # 29 - did you ever have one of those days?

Did you ever have one of those days when anything that could go wrong did go wrong?
Last Thursday was such a day for the SP and me here at the Presbytère.
The TV weather forecast mentioned that Storm Doris was already battering the United Kingdom. Normandy is just a skip and a jump across the English Channel from the south coast of England so we weren't surprised that it was cold and very blustery outside.
We needed to run some errands so headed to Bayeux to shop followed by lunch at a Brasserie on the Market square.
We arrived home to find this.


We walked inside the house and it was cold.
The central heating wasn't working.


The damson tree, on the left, 10 years ago.

The plumber who had installed a new pressure control whatchamacallit to the boiler the previous day was called back.
Whilst we waited for him I checked emails only to find my Facebook profile had been hacked and my friends were receiving friend requests from some unknown hacker.
After answering emails I posted a message on FB to let everyone know not to accept any friend requests from me.
The SP lit the wood burning stoves in rooms at opposite ends of the house, between them they did a good job of keeping us warm.
Late afternoon the plumber arrived to take a look at the problem.
The boiler's pump promptly blew a gasket and sprayed very hot water all over the plumber, the SP and everything else in the laundry/store room within spraying distance, including the fuse box and internet router.
The plumber went off promising to order a replacement pump and to come back the next day.
Meanwhile. we mopped and mopped.
Then the electricity went off throughout the house, garage and store rooms but was restored after fuse boxes were checked and appliances unplugged and plugged in again.
Next we lost the internet.
At least we had hot water and log fires.
By this time we were both reeling so, after a light supper, we went to bed.
Still no internet.
Friday dawned with brilliant sunshine and blue skies.
We had the internet and hot water still, what a great start to the day.
A friend had reported the hack of my FB page to Facebook, they investigated and closed the fake page down.
I changed my FB password.
The chainsaw came out and the poor old damson tree was dispatched painlessly.
Logs were cut and stacked.


The plumber arrived in the afternoon and fitted the new pump, heating was restored.
Happy Days.
Here's a house we passed on our walk on Friday,
 another fixer-upper for you to consider.


A fairly dilapidated three room cottage, needs a lot of work to make it habitable.
Last known occupants - a family of ducks.
Comes with extensive outbuildings, big garden with large pond.
Best feature - this amazing mimosa tree positively flourishing in the courtyard in front of the house.
It's perfume, although delicate, was wonderful.


Acacia Dealbata - a native of Australia
was introduced into France in the 19th century
by wealthy English residents on the Côte d’Azur.
The Magical Mimosa Festivals of the South of France.
Click on the link above to immerse yourself in the
festivals and carnivals of the Côte d’Azur.

A different type of Mimosa altogether is a delicious cocktail to be enjoyed at anytime but which goes especially well with brunch.
Equal parts orange juice and champagne the Mimosa cocktail is said to have been invented in 1925 by one Frank Meier a bartender at the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
But did you know that a cocktail called Buck's Fizz was created four years earlier by bartender McGarry at Buck's Club a London gentleman's club still in existence today?

A Buck's Fizz also pairs orange juice and champagne together, combining two parts fizz to one part juice, some variations exchange sparkling wine for the champagne and can include gin or cherry brandy.



28 comments:

  1. You are not kidding about a bad day, Maggie! I'm so, so sorry about everything. You seemed to find a little silver lining after each issue...great positivity. And just when we think the damage is irreparable, the sun comes out. So happy for you!

    Gorgeous home...I'd love it just for the pnd!

    Love mimosa's. My kids tend to add just a splash of orange juice to the bubbly!! Just found a peach flavored champagne to mix with orange juice...it is delicious! Saving it for company at the lakehouse. Just a little sunshine with brunch!! ;)

    Jane x

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  2. Dear Maggie
    What a week you've had - an unfortunate visit from Doris causing so much havoc.
    You were lucky with the speedy response from your local tradesmen.
    My daughter in Burgundy tells us many funny stories of waiting for tradesmen to complete jobs. They are currently doing major alterations. While they do most of the work themselves - they need help for the electrical changes.

    The Mimosas are beautiful.
    One summer we all had a wonderful holiday at Le Lavandou on the Côte d'Azur.
    We visited a beautiful village in the hills Bormes les Mimosas - one of my favourite villages in France. I can't remember the Mimosas in flower though!

    Thank you for hosting.
    Shane

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  3. Happy Mosaic Monday, sorry about your tree, I remember a car crashed my wall one time and damaged one of my bougainvillea, the garden told me it would not catch back, after about 2-3 years I saw a shoot and jumped for joy. Its came alive and flowered I took after photo like it was the first time I ever saw a bougainvillea

    much love...

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  4. Gosh, I think I might have needed a mimosa or two (the Bucks Fizz kind) after a day like you had! I loved the way your post brightened up in words and pictures as it went along ... in spite of the no-good terrible day, you never did whine and you definitely ended on a bubbly note. I am really sorry you lost your Damson tree. Thank you for hosting and for smiling in spite of it all.

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  5. As they say it never rains it pours. So glad it all got sorted out in the end. Too bad about the damson tree. Did the Buck's fizz get you through all the challenges?

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  6. Sorry to hear about your damson tree, Maggie. Always difficult when one loses favourite plants in the garden. Glad to see our yellow flowering wattle is doing well in your part of the world! Thanks for hosting.

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  7. What a day! Sorry about the loss of your tree. Losing a tree is almost like losing a good friend. We lost a tree last week, a bit shocking but thankful it missed our house. You live in such a lovely spot.

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  8. Oh my, Maggie! You have certainly survived a day of dismal disasters! Sorry about your damson tree. Have you considered planting another in its place?

    Both types of Mimosas are a relief to upset senses! Heraklion is full of beautiful, pink Mimosa trees. We had one flopping onto our balcony every spring and its scent was sweet and fresh.

    Again, another very intriguing home that, with a strong dose of TLC, could shine. Are these homes being advertised?

    Thanks for hosting! Happy Mosaic Monday!

    Poppy

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  9. It does seem like when one thing goes wrong....al h... breaks loose! I hate to see a beautiful old tree come down though! We have a pink Mimosa in the Southern states with a STRONG scent. It sure is beautiful in the early summer! Happy MM!

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    1. I guess you have to fill in lots of blanks there. ALL H E double L is what I was trying to say! haha!

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  10. It is SO disappointing to lose a tree! It sounds like a day you don't want to repeat any time soon! I'm glad you had back-up heat from your wood burning stoves. Thank you so much for hosting Mosaic Monday!

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  11. What a day you had. So glad the next day was better. You'll see a downed tree in my post ... at our Central Park. We've had some rather violent storms ... at least considered violent here in Southern California. Have a great week.

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    1. Correction, I thought I'd posted my pix from Central Park but I haven't.

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  12. Oh no, Maggie, you did indeed have a terrible week full of disasters. I'm glad all is straightened out and I hope this will be a better week with good heat, no flooding, a well working internet and your facebook back and running. I know so many people who have been hacked on facebook--it sadly seems so easy to do.
    I do like mimosas but I never heard of a Buck's Fizz--that sounds good with the addition of cherry brandy!
    Have a good week!
    Pat

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  13. Oh my Goodness!! How awful---maybe you could go back to bed and start the week over with no mad consequences---you wish. You seem to have a good sense of humor though and you survived it all!!
    MB

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  14. This will be a week to talk about when you are burning the Damson wood. Such a huge series of happenings in such a short time. Good that you have wood burning heat. Hugs. Thank you for Mosaic Monday today Maggie.
    Joy

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  15. Oh my - everything piled right on top of you. Glad you had the wood fires to keep you warm - hope this is the end of your excitement.

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  16. Oh no, sorry about your Damson tree. I could use a mimosa right about now. Hope your week goes well. I'm not participating this week since I'm at our son's and can't get around to visit properly.

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  17. Wow, you had quite a day! It would be funny if you hadn't been cold and deprived of the internet. I'll bet you could have enjoyed one of those cocktails!
    Please go into your FB privacy settings and make it so people can't see your friends' list so that next time the imposter won't be able to contact your friends.

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  18. oh gosh, you have had some terrible troubles at home. I hope that things are back on an even keel now. I was thrilled to see the wattle tree Acacia Dealbata in your front garden. I hope the rest of your week goes smoothly.

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  19. Oh dear, what a day you had! You were lucky that no more ordeal turned out and you survived without injure. Of course it is sad that the storm cut your beloved tree...

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  20. Dearest Maggie; OMG, so sorry that I must have caused more trouble for your hectic week. I'm not sure why my link is connected to the picture of the 'wind chime' which I might have opened as I checked the instrument. I just tried to link again, haha happy to be succeeded.
    And Thank you so much for your comment♪ My weeks recently have been busy ones as well(^^;) Next week I'm away from PC on Monday, but wish to link for your wonderful meme some days later.
    Wishing you better week for you and Night Night from Japan. Miyako*

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  21. You had the week that no one wants to suffer. One event is enough to challenge our patience. Looks, though, that you survived. Missed Mosaic Monday. Just not enough time this week and nothing is happening around here any way. February is rather drab.

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  22. You HAVE been having the worst all time week. I'm so sorry, Maggie. Sorry for the tree, the mess, the hacker (I've had one of those, too.) I hope next week (or this, I guess) is much, much better because believe me, you deserve it!

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  23. I heard about that terrible storm from friends in East Yorkshire. What a swathe it cut across the miles! I'm glad to read that things are back to normal. Thanks for the info on the house - we won't be picking up that little fixer-upper....there's enough to do right here!

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  24. Did you mention "One of those days" oh yes, in fact one of those weeks for me. I am just now sitting at my computer doing blogging for first time all week. We also had storms that put some power out, fortunately not ours. We had a huge tree branch hanging from a weakened limb of another tree above our garage. My husband braved it and climbed up to try and rope it and then land it more easily then if it had dropped further on it's own. It broke the gutter off, but thankfully not going through the garage, it saved the garage roof as well as my husband's car parked inside. Then we had more severe storms from 11:00 PM until 9:00 AM on Wednesday. My two and a half acres is strewn with limbs, branches and one large Cedar tree. It looks like you lost a favorite tree, are't they all just wonderful...I am sorry that yours went down. You take care and maybe this week shall be better for all~

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  25. Oh my goodness! That is quite the horrible day. So sorry about your tree. That made me sad. We lost 4 trees in our yard from a June snowstorm one year. I cried and cried. Glad everything worked out. :) Kit

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Thanks for stopping by, your visit just made my day!