For all good news I believe there is bad news, so let’s get my weeks bad news out of the way first.
The last couple of days I have been suffering from the world’s worst headache (in my humble opinion) that not even a 1000 mg dose of paracetamol or sleep will cure and I daren’t take anything else or too much paracetamol because of being pregnant.
I managed to identify part of the cause of the headache as originating from my braces. I had noticed that part of the wire’s had popped out on the bottom set of braces, thus causing a major tightening of the wire and pulling my teeth. I got that sorted and my head feels less like it’s on fire but I’m still suffering and cannot bear to lie down or watch TV. Any suggestions to remedy this would be most welcome!
Bloody TomTom GPS broke down again, just 5 days after I picked it back up from Darty after they supposedly repaired it. This will mean another trip to the huge shopping centre which makes me faint (I nearly passed out there last Friday) to take it back again. I am not a happy bunny and am going to be making some enquiries into French law and things being fit for purpose before going back. Navigating in the dark through the French countryside is not funny or easy and as many of you will know, the French aren’t too hot on signposts!
Anyway, enough moaning. Or maybe not…
In the time it took me to go food shopping the other day, I returned to the house to notice that our wheelie bin had been nicked. Mr Piglet, usually quite the pessimist, tried to convince me that someone had borrowed it and was more than likely to return it and tried to coax me back inside. I think my hissy fit and the scene I was creating by marching up and down the street inspecting everyone’s bins was maybe a bit too much and he wanted to get me indoors before I started insulting people or worse, throwing things!
So I realize my bad news pales in comparison to some people’s and it’s not really bad news at all, but the pregnancy hormones are wreaking havoc in my body and I have spent most of the week on a rollercoaster rolling around in joyous laughter or in hysterical tears of despair.
Now, on to the good news:
The Compromis de Vente for our city pad will be signed this coming Tuesday. I will finally be able to sleep at night, especially now that we also have possible second and third offers on the table. This means a lot to me as the stress of keeping this place going with the mortgage once mini-Piglet arrives was giving me nightmares (you can figure that I have been getting a lot of nightmares lately).
YAY!!!!!
I am finally beginning to look like I’m pregnant rather than like someone who ate all the pies.
YAY!!!!!
Baby Bloat or Baby Bump? 17 weeks + 2 days
I had my fourth month pregnancy follow up visit with my nice midwife on Wednesday and was supposed to have heard mini-Piglet’s heartbeat. I cannot honestly say that I heard anything and after five minutes of trying to get me to hear it, I told the midwife that I believed her and to leave it at that. It was stressing me out more trying to hear it than than the re-assurance it should have been giving me!
YAY!!!!
Finally, yesterday, we spent the day viewing houses and after seeing a lot of RUBBISH (Twitter followers would have sent my rants yesterday) have quite possibly found “The One”. It is almost perfect for what we are looking for in every way other than price and the fact that it is missing that outside wow factor, but even so, it ticks enough boxes to make me think that I’d be happy to live there. We’re not making any rash decisions yet and are going to continue visiting but it is nice to know and be reassured that good properties that meet our criteria do exist and only slightly over budget.
Master Bedroom
With some softening this could be THE place
YAY!!!!
Now, it should be my old fave time of the day, Wine O’Clock but tonight I think I’ll treat myself to an Orangina!
Bon weekend!
I used to get awful headaches during my 4th and 5th month of pregnancy. I took doliprane which sometimes worked, sometimes didn’t. what finally helped me was taking some holiday, getting some rest, and massages! In my 7th month I started seeing an acupuncturist who told me that he could have helped me in the beginning with the nausea and the headaches, so that might be something worth trying.
Have they made any guesses about the sex of the baby? I think I remember my doctor telling me she was pretty sure he was a boy around 4 months, and it becoming really obvious around 5. Just wait, before you know it you won’t be able to see your feet anymore and you’ll wish you still looked like you’d just eaten a second helping of cake
Also, the house looks nice! Love the floors and the beams. I think the front just needs some plants, some flowers.. a bit of cheer. At least it’s a step in the right direction!!
Thanks Amber! I will defo start making enquiries to find myself an acupuncturist. I recently read that medical research has just shown that paracetemol is not so good finally, so I’m now trying to avoid taking anything if I can! But the migranes are blinding so any alternative way of getting rid of them is most welcome! Unfortunately my nausea has come back but this may be linked to my migraines as I’m not being sick anymore… I am going to find out about this ASAP!
The intern at the hospital guessed a girl at my 12 week scan, she didn’t tell us we asked as we had a pre-sentiment that it is a girl. She laughed and said that for her it is a girl but of course it is very early! I haven’t had any more scans since (apart from an emergency one at the hospital at 14 weeks but it was the middle of the night so they didn’t check gender and I didn’t get any pics) so I won’t know for sure until my next scan just before Christmas.
LOL ref tummy, I will bare that in mind when I’m wishing it would show more faster!
I agree the house needs some cheer, the photo is quite bleak! Glad you like it though – it is really growing on me and I can totally see myself living there
Breton Blue Shutters, some trellis work and some window boxes and it’ll have the Wow factor.
All the best
Keith
P.S. Nice bump!
I totally agree! Now I have to keep trying to convince Mr Piglet – he’s not a gardener and doesn’t come from a family that gardens either so he doesn’t know the magic a good garden and greenery can work!
I second Keith on the Breton Blue – it can really make the stonework pop! And congrats on finding a ‘maybe’ house – like you said, it gives you hope that THE house is out there!
thanks Ksam! I agree that breton blue shutterw will definitely make the house pop! The shutter colours in the area we’re looking at are often quite bland unlike other areas of France – I’m trying to discover why this is…
The house is built from pise which is like earth and is then rendered with chaux (which I don’t have a clue what that is but here it is in French http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaux_(mati%C3%A8re) ). Apparently the chaux lets the pise breathe and a lot of the old farm houses in the Dauphinois region are built like this.
Congrats on selling your place. I like the place you think just migth be the one. The outside looks like it needs a garden, but the masterbedroom is light and airy. Be careful of salt because that can cause headaches. If they continue I would call your midwife. She might have some natural remedies.
Thanks Kelleyn, I will definitely keep an eye on salt as I was craving salty things last week so maybe without knowing it I ate too much of it and that’s why I got the headaches.
I told my midwife about my headaches and she said it was normal so long as I don’t pass out which is re-assuring!! They have calmed down since Friday night so Amber is right about holidays making hers feel better!
The house has a large garden to the back and just the courtyard to the front but there is no passage on the road outside, so I’ve suggested to Mr Piglet that we make the front of the house a courtyard garden and then keep the back rather simple. It has lots of land and even has cows on it!
Hi,
Can’t believe anyone would want to nick a wheelie bin!! Are there any marks on it to identify it?
Are you sure there was not a hidden camera recording Piglet’s ranting reaction and you are going to appear on some comedy show on French TV?
PigletinPortugal
yep, our name and address are on that bin (quite sad I know) and I’ve been up and down the road several times now without any luck. Its obviously an organised theft as it must have been taken out of area.
Funny thought ref the hidden camera! I HOPE NOT though!
I agree with Keith too. A little loving care and the manoir will be sublime.
Hope your headaches go away soon.
Thanks Dedene!
Oh the memories of my 2 pregnancies and the migraines that came with them ! My good news is that it suddenly stops, I was told they were caused by hormones gone wild and they do settle down. You will suddenly find yourself “fat” and contented and peaceful, the first few months are always full of a bit of turmoil ..inner turmoil, hormones etc.
You get bored if you don’t have something to renovate after a while lol.
Sugar and salt bothered me .. but later, I ate everything in sight and gained over 40 lbs .. the good news is I lost it all.
There are jerks all over the world who will steal something rather than just go buy one of their town. I hope you find your bin. Or put large cow bells on the gate/bin etc so no one gets away with it again.
I am in love with that house ! The possibilities !!
Gardening and charming up are the fun parts of renovations ! believe me, I have moved house and renovated 3 times in the last 6 years
besitos , C~
When did your migraines suddenly stop? I’m four months tomorrow and the sickness only stopped 10 days ago but has come back this week with the migraines which are new. I would have hoped that my hormones had settled but apparently not so!
wow! that’s a lot to gain and loose (over 18 kilos?)! I am worried about my weight as I wasn’t very skinny to start with (slightly overweight) and they’re really strict in France.
Its already been recommended that I gain no more than 7 – 9 kilos maximum, and I’ve already gained 1 so it doesn’t leave a whole lot of room left!!
What’s more, the last week I have gained an ENORMOUS appetite, I just can’t eat enough!
You are very brave renovating houses 3 times in 6 years! That’s a lot of renovations!
I always proofread After I post .. that should be .
We had our wheelie bin stolen a few years back. Very inconvenient and we had to go to the council and ask for another one and fill in forms etc. And a bit later our paper bin was also stolen. I couldn’t be bothered to go through the whole rigamole again so paper gets dumped in ordinary bin, bad boy that I am.
Bonne chance with the new house!
Why do people do it? We had the paper one nicked two years ago but it was during 14 juillet so I assumed it was because someone was being a idiot with it.
I didn’t know that the council can replace it though, I’ll have to look into that but with the list of French admin places I need to call it will be a while!
Looks a lovely house, Piglet. Lots of potential, anyway, not that I’d have a clue about what to do. I’m hopeless like that. Gimme a clé en main so I can just move in and put the oven on lol.
Your bins should be safer too!
yes the bins definitely should be safer, but I may just get a bin alarm if they exist – may this is a new idea for Dragons Den?
[...] Friday saw Mr Piglet and I embark on yet another day of house hunting. We still have the farmhouse in mind as a practical choice, but we are keen to find a property that sweeps our heart [...]