Laying of parquet flooring is the order of the day. Having started yesterday; today we got across the room and under the stairs. That is over half way. Unfortunately to continue would mean moving everything that is currently stacked in the pantry area onto the floor we have just laid in order to lay some more battens and floor boards. As we only have enough boards left to do a third of the remaining area we decided to varnish what we had already put down.

While waiting for the varnish to dry between coats we took the frame for the large patio doors outside onto the terrace (a brief window in the weather) and make sure it all worked. It is a good job we did as I thought the top of the frame was the bottom and it did take us quite a while to figure out how it all goes together.

Second coat of varnish after a light sanding and we are done for the day. Outside shower, game of Bezique and Pork Curry for supper.

Woke up to the sun shining again but forecast was to change in the pm so we decided to do some small outdoor jobs before the rain arrived.

We swept down all the terraces from saw dust and then I gave the new terrace sawn ends a colour to match the brown wood rather than seeing yellow from the piste. We then made some bean poles for our beans to grow up from some small saplings.

It was then time for a quick sweep up inside very dust job before we had lunch in the sun delicious salad with loads of goodies in it and just in time as the rain arrived pretty soon afterwards.

Stage 1 for the floor was to lay some batons so we can then attach floorboards to them. Lining the batons up, marking holes, drilling wood, drilling the cement floor and then attaching the batons to the floor. All pretty easy but a bit of a fiddle.

Quick cuppa in the sun again and then we started to lay the floor boards, sadly the clamps don’t work as batons not deep enough so Al made some make shift pieces of wood to do the trick. They work well but just takes a bit longer to do. Anyway, we have made a start and have done 6 strips of wood down as a start to our new floor. Still a way to go….

We were both filthy so big showers and extra watering can full of water to make sure we got rid of all the dust!!!! and now having a cook fest. Roast chicken cooking, beef in beer and pork cuzza cooking too. Going to be wet and miserable so they say for next few days so good warming, comfort food on the go for the next few days.

At last the sun has shone itself and we knew at 745am as it shone through our tiny window.

Breakfast on our new terrace which was lovely. There had been a hevay frost overnight but in the sun it was warm. It has, however killed the courgette and cucumber plants hey ho.

Well we were in overdrive amazing what the weather can do.

We needed to fix the stove pipe in the outbuidling as the baked bean can has fallen to pieces so we dismantled the flue and used another baked bean can to cover the hole in the pipe. A bit faffy but does the trick.

So we had as usual a long list of things to do primarily to get the floor cleared downstairs to lay the wood floor. Lots of heave hooing with the chevrons and decking out on to the terrace, lifting on to top terrace and then shifting to under the tree a few hours of shifting and it was done. We then cracked on with clearing 2/3rds of the floor space which will be wood flooring so we can start work in a days time or so.

Just as we were finishing that and planning doors for the inner porches Olivier (donkey man) arrived so we had a catch up with him before having a delicious smoked slamon salad on the terrace. Although the sun was out, air temp with the wind was chilly so after lunch we opted for warming up work!!!

We had to get all the floor boarding up from the van and also attack the last bit of strimming plus change Al’s bike tyres so we have rideable bikes for Spain.

On a roll….a load of wood chain sawed for the fire as we are going through it rapidly at the moment. Muppet moi put oil in the petrol bit….luckily I realised before we kicked it into action, so we drained the machine and it seems fine….phew!

Al suggested a glass of wine in the sun before solar showers which was a great way to end the work day. Showers and rummikub in the sun and then BBQed duck with salads for supper inside with fire on though as now chilly.

Just so lovely to see the mountains again let’s hope it lasts but forecast is not good we will see.

As the weather was much the same we spent the first part of the day on the internet sorting out emails for Ski Breezy and web site stuff for Chamonix in the winter.

At about 11 o’clock Peter turned up from the village for a visit. Having jumped up and down on the new deck to test it we showed him around where we are at with the barn and what the plans are.  It is always a surprise when someone comae along and stares in wonder or says WOW.  We live with the renovations from day to day and only see small changes but someone who sees the place less regularly notices the differences more.

Peter had a lunch meet in the village at noon so took his dog off down the valley just before and we got a couple of little jobs done before lunch. We had bought some glass for the front window of the outhouse so we fitted that. Then sorted out outdoor furniture for the terrace including a new slate table. I say new, actually it is a roofing slate, on a stump, with an off cut of roof joist to keep it stable. It is new to us as we never had one before.

Lunch was fried fish, fresh bread and baked asparagus. Simple but lovely and fittingly warm for the weather.

In the afternoon we spent some time sorting through some of the stuff on the ground floor of the main barn. Peter volunteered some muscle tomorrow to shift the big bits of wood up the back out the way for flooring.

As the weather eased we unloaded some of the materials from the van which included some lettuce plugs. They went straight into the raised beds and the mange tout frame got restrung with garden chord.

Before showers we made up a picture frame for a poster of Chamonix. My father made the frame for us in the UK and we bought the glass in St Girons so it was just a case of putting it together.

Showers then off to the Baker clan for supper.

The alarm went at 7am today as shopping down the valley was on the agenda. The big surprise was that it was snowing outside. Not settling outside the door but all the trees only 100m above us had a fresh dusting of the white stuff.

Undeterred we set off after breakfast with list in hand. First stop, La Forgue for floorboards, battens, screws and some waste pipe brackets. Then Mr Brico for some glass and gardening gloves. Next Gamme Vert for lettuce plugs and garden twine. The laundrette had a machine idle so that was filled and commissioned while we walked across town with a brolly to checkout gas cookers. No luck on that score so we had a coffee while the laundry finished.

Final stop was the supermarket for food supplies. The only bonus about shopping day is that we get fresh prawns and fish for either sups or lunch. This time it is supper.

On route to the barn we caught Clive in Couflens and got invited to eat with them tomorrow. Also saw Akouk & Renne at the Auberge in Salau to get our smart clothes hung up in their wardrobe. We have a couple of weddings to go to over the summer so smart clothes came out. As we are deficient in the wardrobe department they said they would look after them for us.

After a snack lunch we set about finishing the terrace. Fortunately it was dry enough with an occasional glimpse of blue sky.

Not that we have had the weather to use it but the terrace immediately outside the outbuilding is somewhat lacking in grass. In wet weather it turns to mud. The moles continually dig it up leaving piles of soil on it and the legs of chairs and tables frequently disappear into the unseen tunnels spilling the occupants and food onto the ground.

The time has come to create a decked area so after attaching yesterdays table top to its legs we set about creating the framework for a deck.

All done and concreted into the front wall all it needs to finish it off is the boards. That is for tomorrow after shopping down the valley for food and supplies.

Supper tonight is a hot sausage and potato salad with some greenary to boot.

As we are awaiting a weather window to go on a road trip to Spain we have not got our teeth into any large projects. Partly out of lack of materials but also the large projects are on the ground floor and to start them would mean clearing the space (moving everything) until the job was complete (long time).

In the meantime we are planning materials required for the summer to get a delivery in and tackling smaller jobs, which are still important but not as satisfying. Some of the jobs are from the “must do” list and some are from the “nice to” list.

A job from the “must do” list is plumbing the sink upstairs in so that the waste goes outside the building. At first we started by scoping what materials we needed in order to put them on the shopping list, but we found that we had enough in stock from last year.

That completed we, started making a desk area upstairs using an old worktop and the base of an old table, both salvage from Chamonix. In between varnish coats drying we wired in some lighting downstairs.

The weather was wet all day… no change there.

Sun shone through the front window of the outhouse this morning and we were optimistic enough to fill the solar shower bag with water. Breakfast included stewed rhubarb from the garden; our first home grown produce of the year (if you exclude the mint in yesterdays soup).

Outdoor chores while the weather permits included chainsawing wood to restock the log store by the outhouse followed by Breezy strimming while I repaired the outbuilding roof where we had lost a couple of slates over the winter.

By lunchtime the sky was once again obscured by low cloud so our chicken salad was taken indoors.

After lunch we strolled down the piste to drop off a bag of rubbish in the bin by the car park. On the way back we stopped off to look at the avalanche debris where Olivier kept the donkeys. The slide got within a metre or so of the piste which is slightly alarming and there is still plenty of snow there.

The mizzle then started so we made a frame for the mange tout peas to climb up. Currently they are a mere inch tall but it is another tick off the list. Finished off raking up some of the grass out the back before sitting down with a cuppa and planning walls terraces and decking.

Outdoor shower in the drizzle.

Last nights Asian supper was fantastic though the plan for a BBQ tonight is going to change to bangers and mash indoors me thinks.

So, another damp overcast day in the mountains. The healthy streak continues with a fruit breakfast.

Definitely indoor work for the day so we started by emptying more boxes of books, fabrics and table cloths. Then onto cutting down some roofing slats for the indoor dryer. Charlie and Becks bought us the cast iron ends for one of those dryers that hoists up into the ceiling with space for 4 bars, then kindly brought them out skiing in Chamonix with them (along with all manner of other stuff).

Once cut down to size, planed off and routered the woodwork was then given a couple of coats of floor varnish before being hoisted into place.

Lunch was courgette and mint soup.

The afternoon was spent fettling odd jobs and cutting down an aluminium picture (salvaged from a skip at the builder’s merchant) frame to fit a relief map of the Chamonix valley. A bit of planning for the ground floor layout before hot showers and internet bashing.

Supper is going to be an Asian Trout dish with whatever Breezy can find.

It was dry first thing we finished the final bit of weeding in the veggie patch just in time before the mizzle arrived. Picked some rhubarb and got that cooking on the wood burning stove which is on all day.  Plenty of indoor jobs to do though so not too fussed.

Scotty had very kindly given us some curtains she had replaced so very luckily they fitted perfectly to the large main window and by chance the colour matches the sofa!!! We made a quick curtain rail before hanging the curtains. They look great, thanks Scotty.

Next thing to do before lunch was to try and make the coffee table we had snaffled from Chamonix look presentable so we can use it. It just need a sand and a varnish from me and Al made 2 more slats to go beneath the main table to house magazines, books, games etc.

Looking like a home

It really is spring weather at the moment, all seasons in one day and the sun was kind enough to show it’s head again for us to have lunch in the sun, which was a bonus.

Something had decided to eat the mesh in the window frame in the outbuilding which we needed to replace before the bugs arrive with the warm weather!!! We managed just to get this done in time before the rain began again and back to indoor jobs.

One thing we have been putting off was a good clean of the outbuilding but we now have a hoover which works with the generator so while the generator was working we attacked it for a complete spring clean, not much fun but much cleaner and better to live in.

Final jobs for the day were to blacken the stove again as the water had come through the chimney opening over the winter. A messy job but well worth doing. Al made some hanging space downstairs for baskets and veg etc since the thing we were using before is now our curtain pole!!!!

Not a bad day. Al and I are both on a big detox after the winter and 2 weeks in the UK with lots of lovely food too much drink and the usual over indulging so healthy food and no booze till we head to Spain is the challenge. We had a lovely roast chicken, veggies and marmite spuds before watching an episode of Silent Witness which we are reallty enjoying.