Breezy was out the door before breakfast on cat feeding duty.

Stevie was baking a breadstick for a packed lunch.

Hans and I were on the back roof ripping slates off.

The weather, though not wall to wall blue was looking rather more promising than it had for the last week or so. Stevie has been desperate to explore up the Mai Valley directly opposite the barn and on up to the border. With lunch and a sack of stuff he set out just after 9am.

Hans and I decided to profit from the weather break and fit the 1st Velux. A slow start and lots of looking at pictures followed by a cautious cutting of the roof and window fitting. When Breezy got back she helped massively by just being around to pass tools up and down at 5 minute intervals as Has and I slowly got our heads around what needed to happen in what order.

By Lunch the frame for the Velux was attached to the roof and we were ready to start putting slates back on.

Stevie arrived back mid afternoon full of joy and soaked through up to his tits. He had achieved the border and dangled his feet into Spain after fighting though dense vegetation and treacherously steep slopes. He came down via the path to Mont Rouche and was definitely ready for beer. So we got him to help hand the window up onto the scaffold to fit into the frame.

A celebratory glass of wine and smoked duck, sauté potatoes and salad for sups.