We were hoping for a nice sunny day as we had asked Lee and Peter for lunch. So we got a few bits and pieces done before they arrived at 1pm.

We mainly tidied up the outbuilding brushing down walls, cleaning the floor etc so we were ready to attack flooring tomorrow.

The rest of the morning we prepped food and moved the table upstairs to the back terrace. Al had put a few brackets on to the legs to make it more sturdy which seemed to work well.

Lunch was a few nibbles and Peter had brought up some of Raymond’s Foie Gras which was delicious, beef goulash and dumplings with broccoli and melon and cheese, we were stuffed!!! Peter disappeared back to Salau and we had a wander with Lee to see if we could find any mushrooms but no luck there. We did manage to see a small baby deer which was good.

Lee left just before 6pm and we went down to Salau to get some water, check internet, make a few calls and before heading back up to the barn for a couple of glasses of wine and a game before bed, no need for food we were still both really full.

Lunch with Lee and Peter  The table serving a purpose

Rain early morning gave way to sunny spells and showers.

Intention was to get to the market at St Girons before dropping Stevie off at the bus which connects to the train to Toulouse where he starts work with Bambooco on Sunday. Peter showed up as we were sorting breakfast so he stopped for a coffee. The we set off down the valley with the rubbish and recycling. We checked bus times and there are far fewer trains and buses over the weekend – seemed more sensible to drop Stevie at the train rather than go to the market. Next week perhaps.

Mc D’s on the way back to update the blog, sort pictures and mail.

 

Drizzle in the morning gave way to patchy cloud and sun so the three of us set off to explore up the Mai Valley opposite the barn with the intention to get a route through to where Stevie explored the previous morning on the track up to Mont Rouche. A steep climb up through the beach forest gave way to boulder fields and the base of a waterfall and snowcone. We explored a number of options to scale round the falls without success so used a rope to retrace our steps. As we set foot on the snowcone again the heavens opened so it was probably a good job we did not find a way up as we would have been well and truly committed as the weather closed in around us.

We had lunch at a sheltered rock as we descended back towards the forest then on to the barn again.

As we still had some of the day left I mixed a load of mortar and Breezy and I fitted the last two windows in the out building while Stevie got the huge slabs of rock out of the barn (uncovered when we dug the place out).

More beer at the Bar and collecting our solar panel and kit which had been delivered to the Auberge. Stew and dumplings followed by scrabble. Breezy won again, she has always kept score and always won. Mmm…

              

 

After breakfast Stevie went off exploring for a couple of hours while Breezy and I set about a bit of coppicing. Having been surrounded by chainsaw contractors for the last couple of weeks we realised that if we don’t do some maintenance on our land then the forest will slowly take over all the pasture. Two hours of felling trees and saplings generates a lot of wood and leafage.

When Stevie got back we made a packed lunch, drove up to the old mine and walked up to Cirque D’Anglade. Avalanche snowcones made it feel semi glacial. Found a perfect lunch rock and then had a walk up to the waterfall over the snow.

When we got back to the barn it was time to build a big fire and clear up the mess that Breezy and I made in the morning.

A couple of beers in the Myrtille bar and then Roast Chicken supper.

    Vegie Patch   

As we were due to pick up Stevie from the train station early afternoon we set about some small jobs at the grange. First off we made another window to fit into the outhouse and then packed out both remaining frames with odd noggins of wood so that we could mortar them in place later.

Before showering to go down the valley we finished digging over the patch at the back for veg. all the weeds gone now so just digging in compost to do.

A shop and Mc Ds for internet on the way and then off to get Stevie.

Alder smoked Salmon for supper was great.

Finished Table

Three loads of mortar saw the end, yes the end of pointing up the walls of the out building. Yippee.

A late lunch and then we finished assembling the table legs so that we completed the table too.

Right side with window    Back wall done!

Decision was made to crack on with the joints so I mixed up a load and we did just that. Dug over some more of the veg plot while waiting for the mortar to go off before brushing it off. Just finished brushing as Annie and Jean turned up. A bottle of white and a good chat with them before lunch. Then back to mixing and pointing. Two loads later and we have certainly broken the back of the job. Another three mixes and we should be done.

Then it’s just floors, windows, stove, la, la, la…

Evening fire and blog writing, pasta surprise and scrabble I hope.

As we were invited to lunch at Alison and Peter’s we decided to potter about for a couple of hours in the morning. Fairly bright with a few clouds and odd showers.

Had a bit of a sort out of kitchen stuff and food. Graded the last of the slate from the back of the main barn. Stripped some more box for the table legs. Then off down to Salau to do some chores before lunch. Caught up with Annie and Jean on route to arrange for them to come up to the barn for a drink.

The bridge in Salau was like our office with Breezy on emails and me on the phone. Sorted out payment for a load of solar kit for electricity, so hopefully that should arrive soon. Spoke to Stevie who is coming out to visit this week. Spoke to Lee who is going to do Mont Valier tomorrow. We bailed on that one as we only have clothes for working and eating, not winter kit, and inadequate footwear for Mont Valier. Arranged to do a day walk with Lee Thursday or Friday.

Gathered some more drinking water from the spring then off to A & P’s to charge up drills and phones as well as eat.

Eleven of us in total with a couple of faces we had not met before. All predominantly French, fab food and managed to get away by 5pm

Had a visit from Adam and Patrick from the village. Patrick builds walls for a living and said that he would point up about 30 square meters in a couple of days. Mmm… maybe we get him in for the main barn?

Started making table legs; a bite to eat and bed.

A hot day which clouded over later and we had a small storm which cleared the air.

The morning was spent; guess what? Pointing up joints in walls. After a couple of mixes we finished the second wall (fortunately out of four) and it now feels like we will get it done.

After a beef steak sandwich for lunch we set about a table for Breezy. She is right in that eating at a table is far nicer than eating off your lap. First attempt failed when I had a go at cutting planks out of some of the old roof timber. I never realised how hard it is to cut even planks from a log using a chainsaw. Clive has a small spirit level taped to the handle for such a purpose. Plan B was to use some of the off cuts of poplar from the roof to make the table top. Having attached them together and chainsawed the ends off to make them square we set to planning the top smooth. An hour or so later we have a pretty cool table top. Next, the legs. With an abundance of Box wood we set about gathering the right thicknesses and lengths and taking the bark off.

Goulash and cous cous for supper and a game of scrabble by oil lamp.

A real scorcher of a day and so much so that the water we heat in the solar bags was almost too hot and we nearly needed to add cold water!!!

The morning was spent again with the dreaded pointing fiasco which we are both looking forward to finishing. That took all morning before having a late lunch and then doing some outdoor stuff.

We still have a huge pile of wood to make into logs and we said we would take a trailer load to Alison and Peter so chopped a load for them before starting a fence for the veggie patch area in a hope to keep out the donkeys and wild boar from eating anything we plant. Trial and error I think on that front, firstly seeing if what we plants actually grows and if it does, will it survive the grazing animals???

Shower with a view 

Disaster of a dinner, roast chicken that was inedible, a real scrawny thing which any meat we could get off was so tough that I did not bother attempting to try and eat it, roast potatoes were good though!!!! Looking forward to a meat fest tomorrow!!!!