The Departure

28.8.2014 (Part 2)
On arrival in Sigoules I immediately visited the police and alerted them to the fact that I was about to reclaim my house. Allowing a reasonable amount of time to avoid waking whoever was in the household too early, accompanied by Michael, I rang the bell. Having no response, I opened the door, which was unlocked, and confronted some of the occupants. I was adamant that they should leave today. Leaving them to pack up, we visited Garry and Brigitte next door. I spent the morning with my neighbours while Michael went off to make some work phone calls. Brigitte cooked a splendid lunch which consisted of a piquant tomato salad; sausages with fried potatoes, onions, and haricot beans which Garry had topped and tailed; and strawberries. We drank rose wine and water.
An emergency locksmith reinforced the security of the front door.
My unwelcome guests did actually leave at the appointed time.
I began the task of reclaiming my rooms by making my bed which contained cheesy snacks similar to Quavers, between the mattress and the headboard. The bedroom itself had been taken over. My clothes had been removed from wardrobes, and an array of shoes were lined up on the floor. An enormous television stood on my chest of drawers.
This evening, although I hadn’t slept for more than 24 hours, I was still not tired, so I settled down to watch Prime Suspect 3. I got the gist of it, but some of the detail escaped me because I kept dropping off into deep slumber. I went to bed at midnight and slept soundly for six hours.
All is not over yet, because much furniture, many clothes, bedding, and personal effects belonging to the squatters remains to be collected.