Berdoulet

When you arrive (more details on each point in the alphabetical list)

• We will give you the padlock combination before you arrive.
• Keys are in Key box behind a post in the chai (to left of house). We will give you the keybox combination before you arrive
• The hot water works on a timer. We switch off when not there so when you arrive you need to switch on. It is an electrical switch on the switch board to the right of the front door. If you want it on manually then switch away from the timer setting ( see below under “hot water”). Check the other switches in case any off. On is up.
• Turn on the hot water for the kitchen by plugging in the heater. You can find this behind the kitchen, to the left of the fridge. When you plug it in, a red light comes on below the water tank.
• Open the shutters if they are closed and decide whether to shut any windows left in ventilation position (to do this push closed and move handle through 180 degrees to the down shut position (or 90 degrees if you want to properly open)
• Put a sachet down the toilet for the fosse septic. These are in a red box above the washing machine. At least one per week.
• Make your beds: Bed linen is in the cupboard in the bathroom. Please use bedlinen for guests.
• And relax!

Bedding	The spare bedding is in the cupboard in the downstairs bathroom. There are 4 double sets and lots of single sheets. There are two types of pillows: square ones and rectangular ones, and each has different pillow cases.
Bed rooms	There are three bedrooms in the main house and one in the Gite. The two front bedrooms have double beds. The back bedroom can be either two singles or a double bed if you put the beds together. The Gite bedroom is a double.
Bikes	There are two bikes for you to use. They are kept in the shed nearest the house (left hand side). Keys for the lock are kept on the key ring for the main house with spares in the draw in the hall.
Bins and rubbish	The bins for rubbish are down the road. Go down the drive and turn left and they are on the right. The rubbish bins are brown. Black bin bags are kept in the kitchen drawer.
Bird feed	There is bird feed in the smaller of the stables. It should be high on the wall on the right. You can buy bird feed in any of the garden centres and most of the supermarkets. They love fat balls! We try and leave left over bread for the birds but even they cannot get through very tough crusts! There is a bird house and a container on the ground with a cage that you can leave bread in.
Bottle banks	The bottle banks are either off the Route de Goux on the road parallel to our road or in Riscle. You will need to drive. For Route de Goux, go out of the drive, turn right, then left and first left at the first cross roads. The bottle bank is on the left. We often use the bottle bank in Riscle outside the school or in the rubbish dump.
Chai	The Chai is where the old wine barrels are. There is a light but you need to switch the chai light on. You need to switch on the Chai light in the main house (bottom left hand switch on the fuse box marked “chai light” on the left when you come in))
Cleaning products	Everything you need to clean will either be below the sink, or in the utility area behind the kitchen. If something runs out please replace it with similar.
Codes	The code for the gate is 142. The code for the key box is 1967. If you need access via the front to Janvier (aka the shack), that code is 753.
Compost	We try and compost as much as possible to feed the garden. There is a small compost bin in the kitchen. You can compost vegetable waste, bread, and we quite often compost other food but not meat or fish. The compost bins are outside down the drive towards the end stables, through the arch way and on the left. The far left is for weeds, and you can put food compost in the middle or right bin.
Duvets	Any spare duvets are in the cupboard in the downstairs bathroom. When it is hot, we just sleep with a sheet or duvet cover.
Electricity	Panel in on RHS as you enter main door of house. If switch is tripped (eg if bulb goes in one of the lights) the switch will be in down position and just needs to be switched back up.
Electric fence	The electric fence will be off. If we ask you to put it on, please leave it on for just one night (we put it on for a night every 2 weeks or so). The control is in the avenue of trees on the left just beyond the compost bins. A light comes on when it is on. Don’t forget to switch off the next day!
Food	If you use our food, please can you replace it.
Gas	Cooker is gas and the bottle is under the sink. It lasts several months so shouldn’t need to be changed but if it does then spare in Chai. Replacements can be bought in Carrefour. You need to take the bottle into the store and go to a payment desk.
Gite	The door to the Gite is in the middle of the stable block. The Gite key is in the drawer to the left of the main door. Hot water for the Gite is in the smaller of the two sheds (it is labelled on the left hand wall when you walk in from the main courtyard.
Glass recycling	Glass recycling is separate from other rubbish either in Riscle (in rubbish dump on right as you go past Vivedor before you cross the railway line, or car park by the school) or one of the other road side bottle bins.
Hot water	Shower/bath: Hot water for baths/showers should come on automatically or you can manually over ride if more needed. It isn’t terribly clear but manually “on” is when the switch is all the way up and timed is in the middle. (note we think this is case but it’s a new switch we haven’t ever seen ourselves! Kitchen: Turn on the hot water for the kitchen by plugging in the heater. You can find this behind the kitchen, to the left of the fridge. When you plug it in, a red light comes on below the water tank. It just heats water as you use it Please switch off/unplug both when you leave unless there is someone immediately coming to the house.
Key box	The key box is on the pillar in the covered area to the left of the house (when you are looking at the house). It is behind the pillar about 5 foot up. The code is 1967. It has two sets of keys – for the main house plus Janvier the pool shack.
Locking doors	The doors are tricky to look. The trick is to really push the handle up until the key will turn to lock the door.
Mosquito nets	Most of the windows have integrated mosquito nets. If the net is not in place, you can pull it down with the cord. If you want to release the net you need to push the ends of the bottom bar and slide the catches towards the centre at the same time. You will develop the knack!
Neighbours	Our neighbours are lovely. Opposite the house is David, Emily and their son Leon. David and Emily both speak good English. In the other house (next to the pool) are Patrick and Isabelle and their son Maxin. They are also lovely but prefer to speak in French.
Oven	To light the oven, take out the bottom lowest tray. You should be able to see a hole in the base of the oven. Turn the gas for the oven on, and light it using the lighter (see kitchen drawer) or matches. Keep the dial pressed in until it stays lit when you release.
Pillows	Spare pillows are in the cupboard in the bathroom
Pool cover	The pool cover is automatic. To open it, unlock it with the swimming pool key. The key is kept in the drawer by the front door. The control for the cover is on the side of the house (it is black with two buttons). Turn it on with the key and press the “on” button once. To close it you need to press it down until it closes (this is a safety feature). In July and August we tend to leave open as otherwise the water gets too hot!
Pool robot	This only needs to be used if you are using the pool. First open the pool cover. Then plug in the extension lead inside the pool shack, with the control panel outside (within 3m of the pool) but the extension leads inside the shack (in case it rains). The blue cable untangled running to the pool and then lower the robot in. It will drop down to the bottom and then you simply press the single button on the control panel once. This then sets a programme running for 1.5 hours. When it has finished simply reverse the above but lift up the top cover on the robot and remove any leaves from the netting.  Do this at most every other day but at least once a week. There is a pool guy who comes every Friday so only need to use robot if lots of leaves.
Recycling	You can recycle cardboard, paper, tins and plastic at the bins on the road near the house. Go down the drive and turn left. The bins are on the right. The recycling bins are yellow and have a picture of what you can recycle Glass is separate either in Riscle (in rubbish dump on right as you go past Vivedor before you cross the railway line, or car park by the school) or one of the other road side bottle bins.
Septic Tank	The septic tank needs a little management and even doing all the right things, there is sometimes a powerful smell to remind you that you are in rural France. Please put a red sachet down the toilet at least once a week (if the house is full, consider twice a week). There is special loo cleaner that is compatible with a septic tank so if you need to replace it, please buy a similar type. There is also stuff under the sink in the kitchen for the drains which can help. Otherwise, light a candle, allow a breeze through the kitchen or don’t breathe through your nose.
Sheets	Spare sheets are in the cupboard in the bathroom downstairs. See bedding for details
Shutters	All the shutters work. When you open the shutters, pull the little lady up to hold them in place. To close the shutters, you can release them by pulling the ladies head up. When it is hot, we suggest you close the shutters and the windows after about 10:00 (if it is hotter outside the house than in). This helps keep the house cool.
Toilets	Please don’t put anything apart from loo roll down the toilets. Do not put tampons down any of the toilets (unless you fancy fishing them out of the septic tank). The upstairs toilet has a grinder which is difficult and expensive to repair. The downstairs toilet is normal flushing but they all go to a septic tank. See above (septic tank) for how to clean the toilets.
Towels	Spare towels are in the cupboard in the main bathroom. Dark blue are for guests. Light green are spare guest towels or swimming towels.
Water	The water is safe to drink. See “hot water” for info on how to heat the water.
Watering	If you are staying, we would be grateful if you could water the pots on days that it doesn’t rain and the large pots on either side of the house most days (whether it rains or not). There are various sources of water. There are pots holding rain water to the left of the raised area outside the house behind the hibiscus bush. This is best environmentally and the plants will prefer rain water but if you cant find it there is also an outside tap to the right of the kitchen window.
Wine	There are lots of places to buy wine: supermarkets and wine producers. Please don’t drink our wine as we have collected it carefully whilst we are here.
Wood burner	There is a wood burner in the sitting room. Logs and kindling will be in baskets near the burner. There is a lighter in the kitchen drawer. We use paper, kindling and logs but if you want lighters, there are some in the utility area. Leave the vents open until it catches.
Wood Chip burner	Wood chips for the chip burner are in the bucket near the burner. You need to slide the top of the burner into the kitchen and you will find the hole to feed the burner. The control to turn it on is kept on the kitchen shelf. You will need to get quite close to the burner to get it to work.

When you leave

1. Cleaning: Please clean the house before you leave. We vacuum and mop the floors. Please clean both bathrooms, and toilet.
2. Beds: please wash and iron the bed linen that you use, and put it away in the cupboard in the downstairs bathroom (the labels should help you see where to put things).
3. Empty fridge, freezer of your food.
4. Empty bins and take rubbish to roadside bins, bottles to bottle bank
5. Please close the house shutters. This is for all windows and doors apart from the front door
6. Set light with timer as you found it in the kitchen
7. Make sure the hot water is off (see above). Please turn off switch on fuse box and unplug the water for the kitchen.
8. Switch off the Chai light (bottom left hand switch on the fuse box marked “chai light” on the left when you come in).
9. Make sure pool cover is closed unless pool guy has said otherwise
10. Shut shed doors
11. Make sure Gite, Main house, and pool shack are locked. All keys in the draw by front door apart from the keys you found in the key safe (one set each for main house and pool shack)
12. Put lock on the main gate (combination 142).