Last Tango in Toulouse by Mary Moody Page B

individual on the planet. People whose houses are in more isolated situations do havesecurity problems when the houses are left empty for long periods. Another couple I know, who generally only visit their converted barn for one month a year, close it up securely with heavy timber shutters and hefty metal hinges. They have planted a tall hedge along the road front; this has the advantage of screening the traffic noise and visual pollution, but also blocks the view of the house from the neighbouring farms and thus makes it more vulnerable to robbery. Last summer a neighbouring farmer noticed a van parked outside the front door. Knowing that the house was not meant to be occupied for at least the next three months, he walked over to investigate. As he approached, two men leapt into the van and took off at high speed. The contents of the van – electronic bits and pieces and furniture from the house – were later found dumped in a field and restored to their rightful owners, who were lucky that their neighbours were so vigilant.
    The little house in the woods, where I lived for four months in the year 2000, was also targeted because of its isolation and the fact that the owners only visit once or twice every year. Like a lot of holiday houses, there was nothing much of value inside, but the outside barn was raided and tools, both garden and workshop, were removed. In the end the owners strung chains to the chestnut trees to prevent cars or vans being driven on site, and paid a local man to make random visits to keep an eye on things.
    During winter in this region temperatures sink well below zero, sometimes as low as minus fifteen degrees, and home owners experience terrible plumbing problems with frozen toilets and pipes that seize up, expand and burst, even inside the thick stone walls. Part-time residents must be careful to turn offtheir water at the mains and drain hot water tanks and kitchen and bathroom taps to make sure there is no water left in the pipes that might create havoc while they are not in residence. During my first winter I dutifully turned off the water and drained the tank, but neglected to drain the tap to the bathroom sink, leaving a residue of water in the pipe. During January it froze and split the pipe under the sink. Because the water was off there was no damage and the problem was detected as soon as Ethan switched on the water when he and Lynne arrived. I have been told horror stories about burst pipes that have cascaded water inside bathrooms and down into cellars for weeks or even months before the owners returned for their holiday to find total devastation (not to mention a mind-boggling water bill).
    Australia has various native animals, possums in particular, that drive home owners to distraction by taking up residence in the roof cavity and clumping around all night in mating, nesting and child-rearing rituals. In France the equivalent ceiling-dwelling beast is larger and more unpleasant. The pine marten (
Martes
spp.) is a mammal about the size of a domestic cat with dense, chocolate-brown or grey-brown fur that is highly prized for making fashionable coats, which is why their numbers have dwindled across the northern hemisphere over the centuries. Some species are commonly known as sable, and their fur is as valuable as mink. They are all members of the weasel family and are very shy, rarely moving into open spaces and most likely to be seen at night. Their natural habitat is woodland areas, although they are very attracted to quiet, deserted houses. If they can find a way into the dry, protected space between ceiling and roof, they will certainly set up a nest. Unlike possums, who are herbivorous, martens are mostly carnivores, eating small birds andother mammals such as mice and rats as well as berries, birds’ eggs, fungi, insects and carrion. They hunt over a wide territory but invariably return to the place of their birth with their prey. They have three or four offspring a