Blue sky Sunday so decision was made to go for Mont Rouche. Head up to the Cabin Leziou in the afternoon, stay there over night and then go up and descend on Monday. After a bit of a late start chores and getting sorted took us to lunch time.

Clothes all dried and folded, double the solar panels attached to the battery in the outhouse. Another flash of brilliance from Breezy. This morning the battery controller was showing that the battery was down to 38%. That means that it has lost 12% overnight with absolutely nothing connected to it. All very strange, so anyway Breezy had the idea of connecting up the double panels from the main barn to boost it. Maybe it is the controller that is at fault, as it seems as fickle as the weather forecast.

A spot of lunch and we are off up the path by the cascade on the way up. Mont Rouche is litterally directly opposite the barn on the other side of the piste. Well when I say directly; the stream is about 40m down and 100m away and Mont Rouche is about 2000m up and 4km the other side of the stream.

The path is steep virtually all the way. Up through the woods the leaf litter on wet stone made for slippery footing. We did however find a Trumpet du Mort (Horn of Plenty) mushroom so made a note to search more thoroughly on the way down.

  Breezy modelling a mushroom

Out of the woods and the angle of ascent did not ease off at all. 2hrs up and we arrived at the Cabin. Stone walls, grass roof and a little Godin stove inside in a corrie at about 2000m.

Our barn  The Cabin Cabin Leziou

We enjoyed the last of the suns rays before heating up a sausage and rice stir fry Breezy had prepared back at the barn, a game of cards and a crossword. I managed to get the stove lit which took the chill off the place before we snuggled into our sleeping bags.

Saturday and the weather is lousy. Forecast is much better for the next couple of days and as Breezy is hatching a plan to get up Mont Rouche we decided to bring shopping forward.

Off to St Girons for provisions and clothes washing.

Bumped into Clive who has had his satellite delivered from Nordnet so will get up to see him one evening in the week to help set it up.

A disappointing afternoon trying to use a router to make window frames. Generator playing up again and the router not exactly cutting but burning uts way through the wood. A small bench saw would be perfect. As usual mine is sat doing nothing in the UK.

Had a slow morning as from the window we could only just see the bridge and knew the mizzle was settling in.

After brekky we were just pondering what to do when Rene and Anuk popped up to see the place which was great to see them up here and to show them around. Not the best weather to view the place but they got some idea of what we have been up to. Coffee and teas etc and they left about midday to see their new guests in.

We then had a couple of hours before lunch when we set to with the terrace to be area outside the main door. We made good progress and seem to have come up with a vsgue sort of plan for creating a pathway which will allow the muck truck access to the main barn which we will use some of the large slabs for and then a couple of raised terraces. We spent the 2 hours attacking the large compost pile and beginning to make a level for  a deck next year. If we can have it all levelled before we leave that would be fab but this also means getting a retaining wall in as well which will take a fair bit of time.

A late lunch of cheese on toast. The rain really set in so we lit the fire to keep us warm for later before starting on making the windows in the main barn.

Quick progress and by end of play we had 4 windows made. We were hoping to have mossie mesh in place too but we had run out so need to get some in St Girons on next shopping day.

Clive popped in with a quote for the pointing and a glass of wine.

Then Al and I had Judith's special chicken for supper with veg and cous cous. So glad we have the fire here makes the evenings much more enjoyable.

Hoping we either have no return visit from Mr Mouse or we catch him this time!!!!

An overcast day but great for outdoor work.

I did a quick bit of strimming around the outbuilding whilst Al fettled the chain saw, the chain was a bit too slack.

We headed off to fell the last tree which was still standing after we were rained off a few days ago and decided to continue for the morning. We made good progress and we can see the old terraces re appearing which is great. It will be an ongoing process but it will be well worth it. The fire got rid of most of it and we have more piles of firework seasoning for later use.

Lunch outsidebefore starting on the terrace just outside the main barn door. We made a little progress but got rained off which was a shame. A quick shower in the rain to get rid of smokey smell and then indoors for home baking bramble and nectarine tart. Beef curry with potato casserole was delicious and then to sleep, but not for long….

Mr Mouse got caught in the trap at last or so we thought but just as Al was about to remove the trap the cheeky blighter managed to escape from the trap…will re re visit tomorrow we ask???!!!!

After brekky Lee arrived with his mate Ben who has aplace over near Foix off for a big day on Mt Rouch ridge so a quick coffee stop before they headed off.

We were all prepped from the day before for the floor so it was just a matter of mixing and levelling, been here before.

Pretty easy work as we managed to use up all the ballast from outside the main barn and only needed a couple of trips up from the pile by the river.

Al was mixing, I was a shovelling and levelling and in a couple of hours we were done.

Lunch in the sun before quick showers and we then headed off to Seix.

I had to print out some docs for the taxman and get them in the post. Rene kindly let me use his printer so I could print them out sign and date and get them in the post. Nearly had a heart attack as I thought will guarantee delivery for 2 days time, they said it was 44 euros!!!! So I opted for prioritaire and should arrive in a few days…what a rip off!!!

Back to the barn and Lee arrived on his own a few minutes later, he had not felt well so had returned early adn let Ben finish the ridge on his own.

We had a few beers and nibbles and Ben arrived back after a great day out sounds like it was quite an adventure on the ridge more like climbing. Perfect weather for is though and he had fun.

Al cooked a good cuzza with the beef and we have plenty for tomorrow too.

Both quite tired and to bed early.

Just when you thought we had finished digging, we set about building number 3.

Thankfully the last and only 3m x 3m inside but the plan is to put a concrete floor in before putting the roof on. The walls are so low (derelict) and the roof non existant that we can mix concrete and pour it over the wall. Fantastic!! It did however mean excavating what was inside and finding a new home for it all outside. That was our morning.

At one stage I actually heard Breezy say "Nice rock". I was so amazed I stepped back and hit my head on the lintel above the door. The doorway is only about 1.5m at the moment and not held in place by a lot so it was a very dangerous manoeuvre as it could of brought the whole wall down on top of me. Last year the 4 letter word begining in , ending in K with an OC in the middle was strickly tabboo.

The after noon was spent preparing for pouring concrete over the wall.

Aerial view 

Beautiful day started with brambles on cerial. Out of food so had to shop in St Girons. As ever shopping also meant doing the washin', and rushin' around to get DIY supplies in for the week ahead.

All done by midday and then off to see Ian and what he had managed to churn out from the lump of wood we left him. Very promising results though it is a present for someone else so cannot go into details. Anywa, if they don't like it we will keep it for ourselves it is so nice.

After a couple of hours gassin' with Ian and Nina we left to get back to the barn and stash the food, hang up the washin' etc.

Breezy got on with internet stuff and emails for Ski Breezy and I took advantage of the few clouds around and strimmed the bracken which was starting to grow back. The hope is that if we keep it down it will decide to go somewhere else.

Trout for supper. Mmm…

We woke up to another glorious day not a cloud in the sky but quite chilly.

Had our first brambles this season with brekky which are delicious. Hope they last as long as they did last year.

We gave the shelf we had made for the outbuilding a quick sand and first varnish so that we could give it the second coat and get it fitted before lunchtime.

Alison and Peter arrived to collect some firewood which was great as it has diminished the size of the pile by the outbuilding which we want to clear before we leave. Coffee before they loaded up the car and Vinnie.

Al and I meanwhile measured up for the windows in the main barn and we will see if we can get these made and fitted before be go.

Managed to get the shelf fitted which looks fab and makes a better use of the space and finally got the large wine rack out and the smaller wine rack in and off the floor. Been meaning to do this for ages but never got around to it.

A mackerel salad in the sun.

Lots of bits and pieces in the pm. Checked that the studding fits around the next tree we have marked for another platform which it did, just!!!

We are getting hacked off with the few bats which are left as they p*ss and sh*t over everything and we are concerned the floor is going to get really marked. So we cleared the junk and have laid DPC over the floor to protect it until we get the place pointed and the bats leave for good.

A quick tidy up both upstairs and downstairs before calling it a day and setting to with e mails, work, translation stuff etc etc.