Again, breakfast of fruit and yoghurt then straight to the mixing mortar. Had to disconnect the fridge and move it out the way as we are approaching the last section of wall requiring pointing. 2 mixes later and that is the lot.

I then mixed up some normal mortar and set about filling a couple of large holes in the small remaining section of wall with rocks while Breezy booted up the satellite internet to sort out Ski Breezy stuff for the coming winter in Chamonix.

After lunch we both finished a few odd jobs before brushing off the mortar from the morning.

The exciting bit was getting packs ready for our adventure tomorrow. We are setting an early alarm and heading for Cirque de Cagateille for a walk into Spain to Refugi de Certascan. An overnight there and then back via Tuc de Certascan and Etang Alet.

The pointing after breakfast seems to be working. 2 mixes and then find something else to do. Again we hit the internet to sort out Ski Breezy stuff and blogging etc.

Got hungry about 1pm so Breezy knocked up a fantastic chicken sandwich for us before we started clearing the terrace of rocks and building a small wall area between the 2 terraces. Once completed we then relocated the spare rocks around the back of the main barn.

Breezy spotted a rather nasty growth on the belly of one of the donkeys which caused us some alarm. We took a couple of photos of it to send to Olivier. Seems a little crazy that we communicate with Olivier through Anouk and Rene at the Auberge in Salau so we went down the valley to do some chores and get an email address off them so that we can send any concerns we have direct.

Back at the barn after coffee with Anouk and the pointing is ready to brush off. Showers for both and a shave for me before a quick email session and a hand of cards before sups.

Having learnt from experience, we started pointing straight after breakfast. Two mixes of mortar and all cleaned up by 11.30am.

Cup of tea, fire lit and internet booted up for some desk work. About an hour in some of the lights went off in the outhouse and something started beeping. Further investigation revealed that the inverter (12v to 230v) was making the noise and the solar controller had shut down the lights and the display had started flashing. There followed another hour of finding the manuals and trouble shooting.

It transpires that both the inverter and the solar controller have built in protection from the battery discharging too much. The battery is at 11.6v which seems to have triggered the noise and the flashing. I know that the weather has not been great recently and so not much charge gone into the battery but it surprises me that there has been such a voltage drop.

Remedy:

• Move an 85w solar panel from the main barn to supplement the 100w it currently has
• Run a long extension from the inverter in the main barn down to run the internet
• Make a candle holder out of an off cut of wood for some atmospheric lighting in the outhouse

Back on the internet and Breezy’s  touchpad on her computer is misbehaving. It is dragging stuff about and randomly opening things as the mouse passes over icons. Another hour of using system restore and messing about with computer settings before Breezy once again is smiling.

A couple of hours of chopping and sawing logs for the fire and a spot of gardening before wire brushing the mortar back to the stonework.

Showers, roast chicken and left over salads and another episode of Spooks before bed.

A quick breakfast and then on with the list of chores before the Baker clan arrive. Unfortunately it is overcast and not at all warm so we are gonna have to entertain indoors.

• Marinate the chicken and the pork
• Sort out the bulgar salad and the green salad
• Make up the sweet potato and beetroot salad
• Charge the fridge with drinks
• Move chairs around
• Cheese out of the fridge
• Sort out crockery and cutlery
• Clean the BBQ
• etc etc etc

Just enough time left over to check emails and have a cup of tea before they arrive. Everyone was on good form and the weather did not deter anyone from having nibbles and dips on the terrace only going inside once the meat was cooked.

The kids entertained themselves throwing pine cones for the dog and rolling down the hill.

Good food and company then a monster clear up before an episode of Spooks in the outhouse in the evening.

An early start to get down the valley for shopping. Brambles supplemented the normal fruit and yoghurt breakfast.

First call was the laundrette at 0830hrs then found the hairdressers that Anouk recommended. They don’t open ’til 9 so a quick sprint around the market to find a duvet cover. Breezy then headed off for a haircut while I went to the hardware shop and sorted out the laundry. Found Breezy in the hairdressers still waiting. Apparently there was a gaggle of old biddies queuing outside at five to 9 so Breezy had to wait half an hour. So I headed off to La Forgue for some more materials on my own then back to collect Breezy before starting the food shop.

Fresh prawns with garlic mayonnaise for lunch then fitting the sink to worktops and worktops to kitchen units.

Massive food preparations for Sunday as Clive, Giselle and the kids are coming over for lunch. Marinates, salads and dips.

Oven roast pollock and salad for sups.

After another internet session for Ski Breezy stuff I got a mix of lime mortar going for Breezy to start pointing up the last remaining wall around the new window. I then started to fettle the other wood burning stove to go on the top floor. It has a rather alarming gap in one of the seams but I think that we can plug it with heat resistant silicon.

Another wheelbarrow full of mortar mixed and I joined Breezy shoving goo in the wall.

After lunch we teamed up to clean the edges of the wooden floor upstairs where the plastic did not reach the walls before brushing back the pointing downstairs. At 4pm the mortar was still not quite dry enough to brush off so we went foraging for brambles.

Eventually finished brushing off the mortar at 7pm. Think that we should do 2 mixes first thing in future and then do internet so that we don’t end up working that late again.

Shower and gather all the things together for shopping day down the valley tomorrow.

Well after a glorious August with sunshine nearly every day a bit of a shock to have so much rain overnight but good for the garden and water butts are now full.

A leisurely start 2 skype calls with Rodders and Scotty plus some internet Ski Breezy stuff and Al busy working on getting Clive’s website up and running too.

We decided to finish the wine drawer cupboard which was fairly quick and easy just a matter of sorting some edges for the shelves and attaching some corks for the handles and job is a good one!

Then it was marking up time for cutting the work surface to accommodate the sink we have bought. We got it all marked up before having lunch. Curried courgette soup which was ideal for a chilly, wet day! Another use up of the courgette mountain and we only have one courgette plant!

Al cut the work surface and all looked good apart from the fact that the brackets we were given with the sink to attach it to the work surface are either for 30mm or 40mm depth and we have 25mm depth. Going to be a faff so will wait to see if we can get something suitable on Saturday to make it work. It looks good though.

A quick cut of the “cut out” to fit on the wine box cupboard and a coat of oil on the sides before brambles to collect, showers to have in between the rain showers and washing up to be done. Fire is on and lamb for supper tonight with Marmite potatoes and salad. Rain forecast again tomorrow but then looking like fine weather again hoorah!

Another sunny day up at the barn and making shutters for the new window is the main item on the agenda. Again old poplar for the outside and pine floorboards for the inside.

By the end of the day we have a finished set of shutters with all the fittings; just need a coat of varnish on the inside. Breezy also managed to strim the back terrace as well.

Got some chicken breast marinating in sheeps yoghurt, lime juice, cinnamon, olive oil and black pepper. Will let ya know how that turns out.

Alarm going off at 630am was a rude awakening but we were planning to get to Foix to do quite a few chores and everything closes at midday so we wanted to make sure we got everything done before then.

First port of call was to Brico Depot which Lee had suggested as a cheap DIY warehouse. Bought a new sink for the kitchen and a few more bits and pieces.

Then on to VW to collect a mirror for Vinnie which had been ordered for us. Mirror all fine but does not fit brilliantly, the mechanism inside may be broken. Anyway for the meantime a bit of tape to make sure it does not fall out and all good.

We had then arranged to go and have a look at a Colonial Godin wood buring stove second hand at a small place just outside Foix. All good so that was heaved into the van and next stop was Tarrascon.

We had decided to make a day out of it and go and have a look at a new littel town and have a bite to eat for lunch. A very pretty place with a river running through it, quaint streets and a good view from the clock tower.  Looks like there is some good climbing around too, may be quite challenging!!! We had a coffee before a meander about and then found a little restaurant for lunch. Service a bit slow but excellent food. Foie gras, steak, lamb, cheeses and ice creams.

It was then a hot drive back to St Girons no luck in finding a hair dressers open to get the wig cut but we got the laundry done and food shopping done before heading back up to the barn.

Clive stopped us on the way and needed a small amount of lime and white cement so he popped in to collect that.

We had had such an enormous lunch we knew it would be drinks and nibbles for supper.

It would have been Mum’s 70th birthday today so always good to stop and have time to reflect. We opened a bottle of fizz, sat on the top terrace with nibbles and remembered lots of very happy times. A game of cards before early to bed as we were both fairly tired.