Où sont les clés?...French Keys Please?

Oh where, oh where,

Have my sets of keys gone?

Oh where, oh where, can they be?

On a ring so large,

Keys rusted and worn,

Oh where, oh where can they be?

Despite having purchased My French Folly 10 months ago and completing the sale 7 months ago, I do not possess a set of house keys. The only set resides with a company whom I have engaged to project manage the connection of the essential services to the house.

4 months ago I requested 3 copies of les clefs de la maison to be made…. one set to be sent to me, one set to be sent to Switzerland and the other to be posted to Dijon, which is about 65 km away from mon résidence secondaire.

Apparently this was “no problem”, but no keys appeared. …. No replies to my emails inquiring to their whereabouts. Silence from their end. Concern at my end, and a dwindling lack of confidence in my appointed project mangers.

An urgent email was dispatched late May, stating that I needed the keys as soon as possible.  A French friend, Louis, had volunteered to video My French Folly - he was departing de Australie en France on 20 June. A delayed response. The keys has been copied but lost so further copies would be made and sent toute de suite!

Tenth of June and still no keys. Apparently they were lost in the French postal system. In transit to Australia, Switzerland and Dijon? This does not auger well for my future use of their postal system or for the project management team.

An olive branch…. Louis would be given a set of key prior to his departure from Dijon. Then a correction…. Louis would be met at my house and given the keys.

I received an explanatory email .…of sorts….

We were very sorry about the keys and had tried to pick up another set of keys but the shop closed Saturday, so the owner could go to a wedding and did not open again until Tuesday.

Unfortunately (this is) the French way of life, which is relaxed and laid-back and seems perfect for most of the time, but has its downfalls when you need them to work out side their comfort zone. If our job was easy dealing with these little “French ways” then we would be out of a job.

July and I still do not have a set of key for mon résidence secondaire …..but there is a set in Dijon. Enough said!