We had got used to the lovely autumnal/summer weather and waking to rain was not amusing especially as we had Hans and Clare due for lunch. Anyway, nothing we could do about it.

We managed to get some work on Ski Breezy done first and then we prepped lunch.

We had the fire going and squeezed us all in to have lunch in our little shack!!!

Lemon chicken with rice and courgettes, cheeses and rhubarb from the garden.

We spoke French for the vast majority of the day which was good and Clare politely corrected us on our French which was great, we need every bit of help about!!!

As they left the sun tried to appear very briefly. Temperatures have dropped dramatically and it is chilly. Brr. Not much needed for food tonight, books, warmth and bed ready for a full on day tomorrow of yes you guessed it POINTING!!!!

It started off being a glorious day but by lunch time it had turned and we could see that rain was on its way.

Never the less we have decided we want to finish one more wall before we leave this time so after the normal Ski Breezy malarkey we set too at full steam ahead and we managed to get nearly half the wall done hoorah. The second half of the wall has some HUGE rocks in it which is great news,  less holes to point.

We had hot courgette and hummus soup, with the continued theme of how many different things can we do with courgettes!!! for lunch ideal as it was a chilly afternoon.

The wall went off quite slowly so Al filled a few holes while we waited and I cleared and prepared the second half of the wall for the final bonanza. Brushed half the wall off before retiring to meet Peter for a drink. Half the village were there so it was very social. We still find it very difficult to understand half of what they say with the really southern twangy French and all the slang they use. Quite a lot of nodding and aaaah oui…..aaaah non!!!!

Back to the barn in the rain. Al did half an hour brush off while I made a Thai meal and a curry for the next night too. Fire on and we were toasty warm very quickly.

Another week goes by when shopping day comes around. Headed off to Seix to get a recorded delivery pick up and then trundled on down to St Girons. We have this shopping day sorted with dropping laundry, doing a 30 minute shop elsewhere, back to collect laundry, into a few more shops and back asap, we hate shopping!!!

Sun shining so washing on the line and lunch outside after we had shifted all the shopping up the hill as well as some reclaimed cupboards that Clive had saved for us. Some home made chilled courgette and mint soup and cheese for lunch which was delicious and a nice change. What to do with lots of courgettes uum plenty more ideas ahead!!!

Afternoon wise we sorted out the cupboards by stripping off anything that was hideous plus old nails etc so we did not injure ourselves.

Load of sand up for the pointing skills to continue for bad weather days which are forecast, moving of wood for wall to be cleaned before pointing.

We then set to with sorting out the last balustrade which went very quickly. We had already found a suitable old manger so just needed some fettling. We are now awaiting for Mat to arrive with our little sander before we can progress any further with that but we think it will look good and do the trick.

I prepped the lower gable wall whilst the storm passed by. It dried up enough so we could get our usual bramble picking session in for brekky and then showers and supper with the fire on.

Today was a great day. Another tick off the list. Phenomenal!

After the normal internet session (you would not believe how much work goes into an internet business like Ski Breezy), we set to pointing. Now I thought that “pointing” would be a taboo word by now but no, Breezy is still keen.

We have finished the front wall!!!

And we managed to cut up the rest of the dead tree after lunch, BONUS.

Today we had Rene & Anouk up for a spot of lunch. They are really great to us, looking after computers when we go away, collecting post for us etc.

We rose early and set about a list of things that needed preparing. Then had breakfast and headed down the valley to Seix. Breezy has some paperwork that had to go in the post for a course to do with running Ski Breezy in Chamonix. I had run out of tobacco and we needed some bread and chick peas for lunch.

Back up at the barn in time for guests to arrive about 12.30. Lunch on the top deck under the parasol. Smoked duck salad, cheese & stewed rhubarb. Having said that they could only stay until 3pm, they left at 4 so I hope they enjoyed.

The rest of the afternoon we cleared up and read our books which was great.

Started the day in the normal internet way sorting emails and web stuff for the chalet in Chamonix. After breakfast and before the sun hit us (currently not getting the sun until 10.30), we went down to the river to retrieve the logs / tree trunks that we left there yesterday. We left one down by the bridge which we could not lift into the Muck Truck. The rest are now on the terrace at the back of the barn.

I was tired after felling the day before so light duties making part of the banister for the stair well.

Between us we got one side finished and awaiting assembly. Old pieces of wood for the posts and manger parts for the horizontals.

A slightly overcast day which was great news for felling the tree as it was not too hot. Peter and Steve turned up at 930am with chain saw in hand.

It was a really hard morning’s work for Al especially as he was the only one with the skill to be able to hold the chain saw up high and cut. It was a big tree!!! so it took it’s time to drop.

We got the tree under tension with chain hoists and ropes and then finally it fell and landed exactly where Al wanted it too and not on the bridge…phew!!!!

The hard work then began for the rest of us. Peter worked hard chain sawing down at the river, Steve was lugging wood up to the van. I was chain sawing into pieces with Al and loading into the van. 2 trips to Peter’s pad to drop the wood. All the girls unloading at the other end and stacking. I don’t think Peter will volunteer help again!!!

It was 1.30pm before they headed off down the valley for a much needed lunch me thinks!!! Thanks masses Peter and Steve, we hope all the good firewood lasts you the winter, it was a HUGE help and would have been a nightmare on our own. Just need to lug the large stumps up the hill tomorrow.

Al was pooped so we had hot showers and then for once the afternoon off after a 3.30pm lunch.

We sorted boxes, trunks and food up in the main barn. Then I had time to start on sorting out the overflowing inbox of paperwork well overdue.

We tried to see Jean Claude again our neighbour but he was out so we could relax Chez Nous with a light fish supper and a film.

Some drizzle tonight but forecast now good all week which is great news.

Another glorious day, temperatures around 90 degrees so parasols were essential.

Al and I had a full on morning, preparing salads, marinading meats etc for Alison and Peter and the gang. Alison had her brother over from Aussie so we were 9 altogether.

We managed to get all 9 of us on the top terrace under the shade.

Guided tours and dips in the river before we had delicious spicey chicken and BBQ marinaded pork which was excellent. An abundance of salads and then the famous Breezy Banana cake was a winner!!! with some home grown rhubarb too, not to mention the cheeses. No need for supper at all.

A really relaxed lunch then the girls wanted to go up to the tree platform so we roped them up and got them all up and down safely which I think they enjoyed in hindsight!

They offered to come and help fell the dead tree tomorrow which will be great and then they can take the wood back down for firewood for the winter.

They all trundled off around 6pm ish so Al and I had a speedy tidy up before sitting up on the top terrace playing cards till it was dark and then to sleep.

A really fun day, well we enjoyed it anyway.

Fi had a late flight so Breezy and I decided that we may as well tie in shopping in St Girons with dropping her off at the bus.So an afternoon of chores in town after a morning of small jobs in the barn for me.

I drove Breezy and Fi up to the old mines from where they planned to walk down into Salau and then headed back to the barn. Managed to wire in another lighting circuit so that you can see into the fridge, fitted 3 wall lights into holes in the front wall and start making 3 posts for the balustrade round the stair well before the ladies returned for lunch.

They got down to Salau without incident where they seem to have bumped into the entire village. They managed to avoid aperos with Adam on the way to the church to see the exhibition before trundling back up the valley to the barn.

Pate salad on the top terrace.

After lunch we hitched up the trailer and set off down the valley. First stop was La Forgue to take back the balustrade posts that we bought last week. Pretty simple 3″ square posts but at 30€ each we decided that we would make our own out of spare wood. Clothes into the washing machine and off to fill up the trailer with sand for pointing; back to collect the washing and drop off Fi; then food shop.

Back to the barn for 6pm to hang clothes on a line inside the main barn. Salad and cake making in preparation for BBQ Saturday. Simple prawns, bread and aioli for sups before reading and bed.