The town council has decided to bury the electricity cable that runs to the old widows house. This morning there are two teams of council employees at work. One team digs a trench for the cable. The other takes down the wooden poles that hold up the power lines. There are no less than twelve workmen. They have arrived with three trucks, two 'diggers' and some sort of cable laying device with caterpillar treads. It would have been better if the ditch had been dug before the poles were taken down - or vice versa. There certainly isn't enough space for two teams and their equipment to be working amicably alongside each other. The workmen manage to block the road into the village. They also seem unaware that they've blocked the road. We wait a full ten minutes for the ensuing traffic jam to resolve itself. There is much 'discussion' about who should move and who shouldn't.
This mornings croissant hot out of the oven. Angus gives it a score of 9/10. Sophie gets two curly ends and the slightly burnt pastry flap from the top. Her tail goes into overdrive. Clearly a 12/10.
On the way back to The Rickety Old Farmhouse we pull in for a walk on the grass verges that line the canal. This morning a pleasure boat comes tootling along. Sophie watches it with quizzical disdain.
It is 'The Fonts' birthday on the 20th. With lockdown officially over, restaurants re-opening and businesses desperate for custom I suggest we head off to a hotel on the coast for two or three nights. The hotel that we've chosen is remote, welcomes dogs and has a good wine list. This is the reply :
Dear Madame, Dear Monsieur, We've received your email, and thank you for writing. Please note it will be processed very soon, with all our best attention.
If this email requires an answer, we will reply within a few hours to 3 days, depending of the volume of mail we have received recently.
Thank you for patience ! The Reservation Team
Angus wonders what would happen to a hotel in the UK or US informed customers that it would take 3 days to confirm their reservation ?
8 comments:
It will be interesting to see how quickly the hotel actually responds. Sophie will probably have a fright when she spots the luggage and then a thrill when she realizes she is coming along.
Well Angus, you must admit that we've all moved this side of the Channel to enjoy a more relaxed life style! This of course, as we've all found out, means a very "relaxed" attitude to almost everything - including business. I would assume you'll be using the dog car, with the big car being unavailable? That's just one example of the relaxed attitudes, so why should the hotel be any different? At least you have received a polite reply!
This will be our first trip with the diva on her own to a hotel so it will almost certainly be a 'thrill'.
Sadly, after ten minutes of waiting for the municipal workforce to clear the road the pleasures of a more 'relaxed' lifestyle have worn thin. I'm betting that I'll know if the reservation is ok when the charge comes up on the credit card - prepayment of course being required.
Hari OM
I was interested to discover on my repatriation that council workers here in the Bonny Land are required to give way at all times to passing traffic - or provide clear instruction as to how they will progress if the works are large. Clearly that is not the case in deepest France profonde!
I wonder whether that response from the hotel may have something to do with staff availability post-COVID also? There have been reports here of hostelries suffering not quite the return they had hoped, due to such - but here it is also the Breakshit factor... (pardon my 'francaise'!) YAM xx
Even more peculiar is the non-reply. Not knowing if the reservation is made or not until you turn up with your bags and sunhat is very unnerving!
I am closely monitoring the credit card statement on line. When the pre-payment in full goes through I will know we're ok. I'm also assuming that the charge will go through before they confirm the booking !
Staff shortages coupled to a peculiar booking system will undoubtedly make our planned adventure into a Fawlty Towers experience. The presence of Sophie will add a further layer of excitement . The chef will need to be warned that she will try to make her way into the kitchen.
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