Saturday morning and only a few small wispy clouds in the sky. Quick breakfast of fruit and yoghurt then straight on to the web for the usual hour and a half of sorting Ski Breezy emails out and the website for the winter. It is definitely autumn now and the mornings are cold so we have started lighting the stove in the mornings as the sun does not reach our little cabin until gone half ten. Once the sun did hit us the mist slowly crept up the valley until it burnt off again.

I started by getting the strimmer out and clearing the slope immediately infront of the main barn which is gradually working it’s way towards the river. Each year the path around the front gets a little narrower as bits of wall tumble. Clive has offered to give us a quote to rebuild the wall next year if we can clear it so that he can see. Next I was on to mixing mortar in buckets and filling some of the larger cracks in the outside of the gable end wall. There were a few holes that were good placements for blocks of oak to screw vine eyes into for the Jasmine so they got fettled at the same time. Breezy set about hand sanding and varnishing the walnut we got from Ian and then moved on to painting the outside of all 3 windows with wood preserver. A couple of years ago someone in the village cleared out a garage or shed and threw out all part tins of paint and preserver which we are gradually working through as needs arrive.

Breezy also went through the dry stock of food working out what we have to use up before we leave and what will keep until next spring. Again time just seems to speed past.

After lunch we both weeded vegetable areas for an hour or so and cleared out a lot of alpine strawberries which seem to spread with abandon. Another bit of salvage from a couple of years ago was Raymond’s old front door; big, blue and very heavy. We have been working round it and shifting it about when in the way, and now we want it on the ground floor so it is another move. Slowly we managed to get it to the stair well and attach it to the chain hoist. I am so pleased we made space for the chain winch as it would be impossible to get it down between the 2 of us without it.

Before showering we armed ourselves with a bucket and trowel each and collected donkey muck and filled the Mucktruck. The Mucktruck of muck was then deposited on the last raised bed, to be dug in another day.

All in all that was a load of ticks off the list which is rapidly diminishing in size.

Iain got a cup of tea in bed after a sound nights sleep (or so he said). The usual fruit and yoghurt breakfast with tea and coffee before Breezy took him back to the village to collect his car and make his way over to Provence. I stayed at the barn and cleared up.

Breezy got back having done the rubbish, recycling and filled the water containers from the fountain. Then boot up the computers for a web session before tackling any other jobs.

I am now starting to feel a sense of urgency to get through the list of things that we want to get done. We have 3 weeks left and still not done any coppicing at all.

First off, an hour of sawing and chopping firewood. Next cleaning up and painting the fire plate that Lee kindly gave us plus making a wooden frame to hold it. Not got enough good wood to finish the frame so that is as far as we can go with it before the next shop down the valley. Then breezy got the power tools out to plane and sand the Walnut plank that Ian gave us to make a lighting feature out of. I got on with a few little jobs in the meantime. The walnut looks fantastic now that Breezy has put a coat of varnish on it.

Once cleared away we filled the Mucktruck with donkey shit and dumped it on the last raised bed. Still needs digging in but should provide a few nutrients for next year.

Forage for brambles, a shower and we have duck salad for supper. Also got to make a pork curry for tomorrow before the meat goes out of date.

All in all a very productive day.

It is such a shame the weather has not been so good for Iain’s visit. Today we collected Iain from the Auberge a little later after a quick check on emails and responding to some enquiries for Ski Breezy. We also made up a bed in the main barn as Iain is staying up with us for his last night. Headed up towards the Cirque de Cagateille to see a different area. It has suck a different feel to it than the Salat valley with open fields and far more agriculture. Stopped for a coffee at Gite L’Escolan before heading on up to Guzet Neige. As we got there a gap appeared in the clouds which gave us a view, although limited it was nice to see further than 200m. Iain and I sat in the front of the van and were fed pate and cheese on bread by Breezy in the back. After lunch we headed back to Salau and on up to the barn where the weather had improved enough to sit on the terrace and have a mug of tea.

A drink of fizz and a few hands of cards before lamb and salad for supper. Went to bed with a clear starry sky.

Sadly the forecast was right and we woke to low cloud and mizzle. Al and I cracked on with a bit of internet before picking Dad up. Change of plan due to weather. We decided on doing some collecting of things with a long French lunch in the middle. So we popped down to Lee’s to collect the fire plate for one of the wood burners. Lee was not in but we passed him on the way back for a quick hello. He heads back to the UK for a bit tomorrow.

Ian had recommended a new restaurant for us to try in Oust which we decided we would give a whirl. What a fun place. Le Garbet is just in Oust and full of locals. A set menu for 13€ was great fun and even better value. The starters just arrived a lovely terrine with beetroot and melon on the side which actually worked quite well.

Then we had lamb and steaks which were excellent, some local cheeses and ice creams, coffee and local plonk all was good!!!! Dad treated us which was very kind too.

We then swung by Ian’s on the way back to see his progress and also to see if he had any walnut we could use for a light fitting. He very kindly gave us a lovely plank which we think will make a cracking feature upstairs in the barn.

Back up the valley and dropped Dad at the auberge for a shower and read while we got back prepped some food, did some internet and caught up a bit before collecting Dad for the evening entertainment.

We played chequers and had nibbles upstairs and then Al cooked some marinaded chicken and BBQed courgettes on the BBQ and some cards to end the night. Not quite the same as sitting outside but upstairs worked quite well and was warm too.

Tuesday, and Iain arrives for lunch.

Early breakfast and a short internet session to get on top of enquiries for the Chalet in Chamonix for the winter then work clothes.

We want to tidy up the terrace area before he arrives so the Mucktruck is out and shovels in hand. Having built another raised bed out the back of the barn we can dig out the last of the compost from under the terrace and dump it in the bed. There is little head room so it’s a case of rake it to the front and shovel it up. All done and pin geotextile fabric over to keep the weeds down.

Also dug the Jasmine in the bed between the two terraces having soaked the pot for a couple of hours. Looks great; let’s hope it survives the winter?

Picked and cleaned some salad for lunch before Breezy headed off down to the Auberge to meet her Father.

An afternoon of inspecting the works and Paella on the terrace for supper before Iain headed off back to the Auberge for the night.

Early start as normal for a shopping day but hard to get out of bed!!!! Sun shining and we headed down to do the usual chores.

• Laundry in.
• Nursery to visit where we found a lovely climbing Jasmine for the barn wall.
• Collect laundry.
• Al sorted stove bits.
• Breezy huge food shop.
• Phone calls made.

Had time for coffee with Anouk on the way back up then an hour to get unpacked etc. Donkeys have all now landed on our side of the fence so we have given up trying to keep them out of our small area!

Usual prawns and garlic dip in the sun before attacking a few jobs in the afternoon.

• Big bramble pick.
• Varnished new table top for outside.
• HUGE tidy up inside.

Just in time before Chris arrived to have a look at the back wall and see if it is something he can help us with for chanvre chaux.

Al and I just had time for a quick bit of food prep before Ian turned up which was a lovely surprise to see where we were at with the DIY. Lee turned up shortly afterwards as we had invited him for supper. A few beers and nibbles before Ian left.

Al cracked on and made great chicken fajitas which we managed to eat outside by candlelight with the outside fire going. Great to catch up with Lee who we have not seen so much of as he is now more UK based. Next time hope we can get some hiking in together with him.

Left the washing up till the morning and hit the sack.

Alarm is back on and I started mixing lime mortar as soon as we finished breakfast while Breezy cleared up and did a quick email check. Unplug and move the fridge; then we are both attacking the walls with pointing trowels. The last little bits of pointing always take longer than expected. All those awkward angles and bits that have to be done left handed.

There were also a couple of fairly obvious cracks in the pointing upstairs above where the new window went in which needed filling. In hindsight we were pretty lucky that we did not loose more of the wall as the pointing inside seems to have stabilised the inside quite a lot.

That is it for pointing now as we have run out of white sand. Hurrah!!!

Odd jobs in the evening included sorting out a table top from a recycled piece of plywood, filling the new planting bed with compost from under the terrace and making up a 3rd raised bed for out the back.

Last chore for the day was to wire brush the pointing from the morning; taking excess mortar off to get the finish we wanted. All the mortar that was brushed off I quickly remixed to fill the big holes in the corners while Breezy jumped in the shower. My turn in the shower was cut short by visitors. Hans and Claire came up for a beer having walked their 3 dogs up to the waterfall.

Once they had taken a turn around the barn and the grounds we headed off to the bar to catch up with some locals. Alison and Peter were there as well as Jean Claude (our neighbour). Then Françoise and the Baker family turned up. A very social gathering and very varied conversation, mostly in French.

Omlette and salad supper as that is all we have left. Shopping day tomorrow.

No Alarm! Back in the land of donkeys with bells round their necks; we both slept soundly with only a couple of premature wakings due to the beasts outside. A leisurely breakfast before booting up the satellite internet and catching up with the blog and email enquiries for accommodation in the chalet this winter.

After lunch we went foraging for brambles which gave us an ice cream container full to supplement our fruit for breakfasts. There is something nice about free food.

The rest of the afternoon was devoted to getting organised again. Starting with a short list of things to be completed before Breezy’s Father arrives on Tuesday.

• Finish pointing the wall
• Finish cleaning the edges of the wooden floor upstairs
• Make a 3rd raised bed out the back
• Make a stable table top for outside (so that we don’t have to keep taking the trestle table in & out)
• Clear the compost from under the terrace & make good with geotextile fabric
• Strim the remaining bracken
• Food plan for the next week

Looks like tomorrow is back to pointing so in preparation we shifted everything away from the front wall of the barn to get access to the base of the wall which still needs filling. This also gave us access to the front window which once removed from the hole allowed Breezy to varnish the sill. The window went in last year and we never got round to it at the time. In doing it we also managed to finish a tin of varnish that was salvage from a skip giving us more room on the paint shelf in the workshop.

Last bit of finishing work before showering was to wire brush the woodwork around the new window in the gable end. A rotary brush on an old electric drill does a great job but does clart the user in fine dust. A couple of corks from Blanquette bottles screwed to the timber now stop the window opening too far onto the stone work and the window is complete.

Duck salad and an episode of All Creatures Great and Small before bed again.