A stone in the shoe

We have some friends staying with us at the moment. A Dutch brother and his adorable family.

Yesterday as we were walking through the big Parc Bourgailh I felt a stone in my shoe. I didn't want to stop and get it out so I ploughed on, and after a little while I didn't notice it any longer.

Then our friend said, "We've run out of hot water."

I explained that in France many houses have an electric water tank, a ballon d'eau, that heats the water overnight. Once you use it all up you just have to wait. Our tank is big, and the water is hot, but you can still get to the end of it.

It made me think of our early days in France. We had been used to instantaneous electric showers. Friends had combo boilers that gave unlimited hot water.

We missed our old electric shower back then.
Now we don't notice.

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