After the storm...

The dust has settled, the power is back on, the roads are being cleared.

But things have changed.

There are images indelibly printed on our memories. Key moments. This is one.

The power unleashed in that moment was ferocious. Despite the awful intense force, our local farmers were still firing their puny anti-hail canons in a surprising exhibition of man’s vain optimism.

This photo was taken by a neighbour of our new soon-to-be home:

The funnel of that enormous tornado pictured above is directly over our home.

The signs of the resulting destruction are still everywhere. Stands of trees stand no more, broken like so many matchsticks.

And so, after the storm comes… bureaucracy. Annick has spent the last week gathering estimates and headaches. We are nearly there. One last piece of paper and our claim goes in. That last piece of paper must come from the local tax office proving our existence. Hopefully this will be easier than proving the existence of the tax office, as no one seems to know where it is! It may well be true that the French don’t pay their taxes….

The claim is one thing, getting the repairs to our damaged home will take considerably longer. Workers have invaded this area from all over France, yet it is still not enough. We are lucky in that we already have builders working on the farm. We have decided to keep them there and accelerate our move. We now plan on moving the 24/25 October, so if any of you are free…

Once ensconced in our new home, we will begin reparations, and hopefully then move forward in selling It.

We will miss the view, which has been dramatically enlarged by the destruction of our neighbours giant poplar tree.

Every cloud has a silver lining.