French version

The invasion of the English

Don Somner

 

In 1989 two strange English families appeared in La Garnie, and proceeded to buy a crumbling house in the centre of the village.

Were they football hooligans, arrived early for the World Cup?, Were they rich?, Were they mad?

Well, nine years later, some of the answers to these questions are becoming clearer.

They don't seem to be football hooligans, though they were terribly upset that England failed to win the World Cup.

They don't seem to be rich, and even if they were rich once, they certainly aren't now!

But are they mad?

Well, there is some debate regarding this possibility. The majority opinion is that, yes, they are mad. The reasoning is fairly clear. Who, in their right minds, would drive a 1500 km round trip three of four times a year and then spend almost all their "holiday" working?

Yes, they are certainly mad !

So, what have the English got to show for their efforts?

After the passing of M. Gubert, the house fell into dis-repair and the garden became overgrown. When the English arrived you could barely see the house for the weeds and nettles in the garden. Inside the house it was exactly how M. Gubert had left it - including all his possessions. It took over a year just to sort it all out.

Having cleared the house, and eventually the garden, what did they discover? Well the first thing they discovered was that the garden grew again, and very rapidly. It was a struggle to keep it under control.

The second thing was the state inside the house. The electrical wiring was lethal, there was just one cold water tap, no bathroom and no toilet. The plaster was falling off the walls, the shutters had fallen off, the floors were collapsing and the roof had collapsed.

But they found something else, far more important than an overgrown garden and a collapsing house. They found a welcome, and they found a huge number of new friends.

The village of La Garnie is, for many English, a kind of dream, an impossible dream, but for these English it was a dream coming true.

After a year or two it became evident that there was far more work required on the house than had first been thought, and far greater expenditure was needed!

Little by little the major jobs were completed, the floors made safe, the walls repaired and the roof replaced. The decaying interior walls were removed and new ones built, and throughout it all so many friends from the village helped in so many ways or gave shouts of "bonne courage" when the tasks seemed impossible.

The gardens gradually took shape, new windows and shutters appeared, lighting and plumbing were installed and bedrooms and bathrooms fitted.

The "English" have two questions frequently in their minds.

The first, what would M. Gubert have thought of it all?

Well, he may have been horrified at some of the changes. But, he may have been pleased that the house was being restored and his garden was being cared for.

The second, when would the job be complete?

Their many friends in England thought they had bought a huge luxury "chateau". Everyone expected it all to be finished within a year or two. The answer is now clear, it will never be finished. There will always be a plan for next year, and without a "plan" for next year where would we be?

We live in a time when the world changes more rapidly than ever before, so much has changed even in the last nine years. Our pounds and francs may be euros before long, our pens have turned into computers and our transport is ever faster. But, increasingly, people seek a more traditional way of life and an escape from the rush of the city and the onward march of technology.

Recently there were some discussions regarding the state of the road through La Garnie. An Englishman said to a Frenchman, "La Garnie must be one of the most beautiful villages in Correze". The Frenchman said, "no, in France".

The Englishman said, "No, in the world!"

But, let's keep it a secret for just a little longer.

Don