An early start for us as we planned to go to Toulouse primarily to get windows and hopefully a work surface for the kitchen.

Alarm at 615am was a rude awakening but after an early nights kip not too bad. A quick brekky and out the door.

We stopped in Salau to ring Bricoman just to make sure they had the windows in stock before heading off to no avail. All was going well until we arrived at the address to find no shop!!!! Anyway, won’t bore you with maps and frustration but found a Bricoman in the end. On the way we stopped at Ikea to check out work surfaces for the kitchen but anything reasonable was out of stock so we stocked up on a few light bulbs and dull things and got out quickly. It really is a nightmare place to go especially for us two who HATE shopping!!!

Lots of luck at Brico, 2 windows into Vinnie, 2 lengths of beech for the work surfaces, paint brushes and rollers for the ceiling and all done. Now get us out of Toulouse!!!!

We had the usual stuff to do on the way home another 7 sheets of palsterboard should see us through, more filler for the joints, collected the strimmer, weekly shop and weekly laundry run before back to the shack around 4pm.

This gave us time for some cold drinks before 10 trips up and down the hill with unlaoding the van but the sun was out so no problem there and everything is in the barn ready for being put in place in due course.

Hot showers are working a treat with the new solar shower bag from the USA from last year and on hot days like today almost too hot.

Planning a hot rabbit liver salad tonight, should be different but Carrefour was lacking in food so something new to try!!!! Forecast good for next few days and into the 90’s by Wed hoorah bring it on!!!!

No Alarm set this morning but still awake at a reasonable hour. A true Sunday morning breakfast of Egg Window.No big jobs to be done as we are well and truly out of materials and it is not worth starting anything new. Spent a bit of time planning what we want to get done and allocating person days to everything. It all seems manageable in the couple of months that we have along with walks and explores so that is great. Then we started a list of materials required and it looks like a trip to Toulouse is in order sooner rather than later.

After lunch we sowed some veg in one of the new beds so that we have some coming on when we are harvesting others. Also had a big clear up in the main barn sorting a sack of stuff to bin. Now that the skip has gone from between Salau and Couflens we shall have to be a bit more organised about putting odd bags in bins around the village more often rather than doing a skip run. It also means that booty from skip diving has ceased.

As it was Sunday and overcast we lit the fire and watched the DVD “Australia” with our feet up in the late afternoon. Had cheese on toast for tea; read a bit and retired early, ready for an early start to get more resources.

Sid the snake was again present most of the day. Having looked on the web I think he is an Adder or Northern Viper, the only poisonous snake about. Not sure if we should evict him or just ignore him? It should mean that won’t get ants nesting in the hot box while there is a resident snake I suppose.

Another grey day but it is the 14th.

After an early start we set off for Salau about half 8. Having dropped off rubbish and recycling, first port of call was the Auberge to find out what Rene & Anouk wanted help with for the Commune meal. Then up to Raymond’s house for his “vide grenier” or attic clear out. His house is on the market and he has a huge amount of stuff to get shot of. Alison also had a car load of stuff for sale. Breezy picked up a book and DVD and I was very restrained and only came away with a couple of folding chairs and a foot stool. There is a great advantage in having a limited amount of liveable space as it does restrict how much stuff you can put in it.

We had time for a coffee at Raymond’s and a few phone calls before starting helping with the meal at the Auberge. 45 people for a 5 course lunch for Bastille Day; cooked by Dutch and served by Brits (us). It was great fun working with Rene & Anouk serving out and clearing up and will not have done us any harm in the community to be seen helping out.

On the way back the Mayor stopped us to thank us as we drove past. He also mentioned about the platform in the trees which caused him quite a bit of concern when he found it over the winter. His immediate thought was that the hunters had built it to shoot from which is highly illegal. Once he found out it was us he was less concerned and was laughing about it with us. We apologised profusely.

Breezy managed to slip into the conversation the windows we want to open up in the barn and check that we are still OK to go ahead.  That is still OK so we can start planning all the materials etc.

Back to the barn for bread and cheese, a nap and a read before heading back down to the village for the meal at the “Maison de Chase”. This time we were invited. Patrick had organised a dinner for the celebration with the notion that it would be about a dozen people. In the end it was over 60. It was a great atmosphere and we have made some new acquaintances. Must get the note book out and write down everyone’s names.

Saturday and as predicted blue sky. However we postponed our planned walk as my knee is not up to it. Too much kneeling down cutting plasterboard has aggravated it and I am hobbling. Going uphill and the flat is fine; it is just the downhills that would be a pain.

So it is back to odd jobs about the place. We dug over the area for the 2nd raised bed, assembled it and put it in place.Then wrestled some more insulation into the roof and finished up all the plasterboard. That is it for the ceiling now until we get more materials.

Roast chicken for super using a recipe from my Mum. Chinese five spice and  honey over the top then cooked in a casserole with red wine, soy and chicken stock. Delicious served with couscous and stir fried veg.

Once again the valley is clagged in and drizzle persists. Another indoor morning playing with plasterboard and filling the joints.

By Lunchtime we have run out of filler but completed another quarter of the roof space in the main area. Half way there!!!

And when we went outside to prepare lunch, the clouds have parted and the sun has made an appearance. Sid the snake is happy basking in the hot box again. Fill the solar shower and lunch on the top terrace.

In the afternoon we heightened the scaffold and set about wrestling insulation and putting up more plasterboard.

An early HOT shower under the tree and some chill out time before Breezy prepared a beautiful Hot Thai Beef Salad which we ate outside.

At 8am we could not see the other side of the valley. Considering it is only 600m away that is not particularly good. Heavy Drizzle too.

After the usual internet session and breakfast it was back to the top floor of the barn. I realised that there is 1 lighting circuit that I have completely forgotten to wire in. Mainly because it is one that has a pull cord switch in the middle of the room and so is not attached to any of the switches we have fitted. It is for the light above the stairs and there is still a lighting feed cable exposed so it can easily bee resolved when we get on to the higher bit of ceiling.

Needless to say, we did more insulation and plasterboarding. We even went that little bit further and started filling the joints in the boards which begs a question. In France the builders merchants sell you some white plaster filler (either premixed or powder) and a roll of paper tape about 5cm wide. The paper tape is not adhesive.

• Is one supposed to fill the cracks in the first application and use the tape in the the second application?
• Is one supposed to use the filler as glue for the tape in the 1st application?
• Is one supposed to soak the tape before applying?

If I don’t hear back I shall ask the village hunters on Saturday as we have been invited to the Mechoui (whole roast lamb) for the 14th July at the Maison de Chase.

For the time being we are using glass woven tape that was left over from building the Slaughterhouse in the UK. It seems loads easier that trying to fathom out the French way.

Finished up at about half six, so set the alarm for 7am tomorrow so that we can finish earlier and have a bit more chill out time in the evening. Follow that logic?

Oh, almost forgot, Breezy is going to put up some of the salad dressing recipes we have been using recently in the “Recipes bit”. It is so simple to mix a different dressing and makes such a difference.

Would love to get away from the barn and go for a walk in the mountains but the cloud was down this morning and the forecast is not good until Friday so we crack on.

Started off digging compost out from underneath the top terrace to fill the raised bed. The compost is left over from the first year we had the place and we dug out the main barn. 90m square 40cm deep in years of cow and sheep shit makes pretty good compost.So pleased with the result we set about marking out and making the next bed.

I had made a leek and potato soup yesterday in anticipation of grim weather, which was rather good for lunch. For entertainment we watched a huge snake (probably grass snake) inside the hot box outside the outbuilding. Most likely enjoying the warmth from the odd spells of sunshine. Tried to take a photo but just got the cloud reflected in the glass.

Another coat of wood preserver on the timbers for the raised bed and then removing turf ready to set it in place another day.

Enough digging, so we went for a short forage up the back of the barn. No notable fungi but loads of alpine strawberries for tomorrows breakfast.

For the last couple of hours we ventured indoors to continue with the ceiling insulation and boarding. Planned to BBQ tonight but think that the oven will get some action as now a steady drizzle.

Now Monday is not a great day to head down the valley to St Girons. A surprising number of places are closed. We have however, run out of plasterboard. By the time we had been for a short shrooming hunt, had breakfast, done the usual internet stuff and had coffee we would not have had time to get down and get supplies before the noon lunch 2 hour break that is normal.

Instead Breezy started digging out compost to add to the raised bed while I finished off the last of the lighting wiring for the 1st floor. We then made a sandwich each and headed off to get the supplies we need to continue. As the plasterboard sheets have to go on the top of the van we need to get them, transport them and unload them on a “good” day. Success!

As we have also managed to restock the fridge we have prawns and BBQ fish for sups.