Regular Jobs
You need to have your chimney swept each year,which I understand is a requirement under insurance policies and if you have ever tried to give directions on a mobile phone to a chimney sweep who cannot speak English, it's an experience.
Spiders and mice go with the countryside so you need to consider appropriate preventative measures while the house is empty.
Maintain your fosse septic and make sure everyone knows what you can and cannot allow to flow into it.
Finally you could do with someone to keep an eye on the property and perhaps a key holder in case of an emergency.
Windfarm near Silfiac,a familiar sight now in Brittany
You need to find your local dechetterie because it is almost a certainty that you will be there often (which may be three or four times a week),not only to deposit true rubbish but for recycling green waste etc,the French being as keen as us.On our last trip I had accumulated some cardboard for recycling but the tip was closed on the last day so I took it it back with us on a 500 mile trip to recycle it in England;that's the time when you can tell that the recycling bug has bitten..
There will be a poubelle nearby for you to deposit your household waste on a day to day basis and be sure to use the correct one allocated for your little commune.
Local Sunday morning market at Bon Repos
Log Fires
As regards log fires,the locals acquire wood in cords ,about £100+ depending on the type of wood you buy,if you are there less often you can buy smaller quantities from the local D.I.Y store.It sounds really great,messing about with a fire all evening but after a while the novelty wears off because you are up and down every 20 minutes or so.On my last visit I collected a dustbin bag of twigs from the garden to be used(once they have dried out) as kindling rather than buy wood from the shops.Keep old newspapers for the same purpose ;in fact in France people do try and put to good use material that might end up in the bin. I am sure that there is a use for the cinders,I will look into this.
