We have been wanting to climb the ridge between Mt Rouche and Cap Ruhos for over a year. Decision made to go on Wednesday afternon up to the Cabane below the sumit of Mt Rouche. Today is all about prepartion both in terms of kit, and food, but also some of those little jobs to get done before we go.

Started early with sorting out some of the garden and cutting logs for the fires in teh main barn.

Then the normal internet session sorting out Ski Breezy emails and website stuff.

Breezy also had some time slots to talk to her friends and her Father on Skype.

Breezy drove the van up to the old mine above Salau and cycled back so that when we finsh walking on Thursday we don’t have to do the final few kilometers of road back to the barn.

After lunch we gathered overnight kit together and packed rucksacks with ropes and harnesses (just incase). Some more odd jobs and then a bit of a cookfest in the early evening preparing sandwich fillings and also a sausage, rice and vegetable, one pot meal for Wednesday night at the cabane.

It would appear that this is the year for wall building. As the weather was not so good we decided to crack on with the internal walls downstairs. This time it is the wall dividing the pantry and the second bedroom.

Started with cutting down an old kitchen cupboard carcas to fit into the ceiling as wall units then started a frame underneath to accept some of the reclaimed pario doors gleaned from Chamonix.

It was a little fiddly as the floor and the ceiling are not perpendicular but as we progresed more and more salvaged stuff went into it.

The finished effect is a bit like being in an old wooden railway carriage, but it should profit from the light of the window in the pantry and the main door.

An early night!

Started the day preparing food and spent most of the day eating it. Blue skies and sun for a BBQ lunch on the terrace with Clive, Giselle and the kids.

Nachos & salsa, toasted pittas and peanut dip, pork spare ribs in a caremelised BBQ sauce, sweet chilli chicken thighs, chipolatas, green salad from the garden, bean salad, new potatos, local cheeses, chocolate pots, yoghurt and apple cake and a fair amount of wine and water.

Now this has happened a couple of times now and it is slightly alarming. At 0630 we both woke up to the sound of tiny feet on the insulation in the roof. We think that there is only one animal but it either has to go or start wearing slippers indoors.

Considering that we went to great lengths to mesh off the eaves when we put the ceilings in and that the gable ends are capped in concrete between the beams, I don’t know how the critter is getting in.

Fortunately we can drop the downlighters out and pop odd bits of poison into the roof space, so that is what we have done.

Late breakfast and an amble up to the waterfalls with Anne. I went to the 1st one and Breezy and Anne went onto the next while I pottered about the barn.

Lovely lunch of bread, cheese, pate and salad on teh terrace before Breezy gave Anne a lift down the piste to her car about 1600.

Showers, BBQ ribs and a random film, then it’s the weekend.

Shopping tomorrow!

It seems like we have been on the go for a couple of weeks now. Early mornings with a stint outdoors in the cool before breakfast once the sune hits. Then a list of jobs during the day or feeding Clive rocks and mortar. Finish late, shower, food, internet and bed.

We have not made time to put tools away, sharpen knives, sweep up or even just sit.

Today we are expecting Anne to come and stay so it’s a good excues to do all the things taht we have neglected over teh last couple of weeks. Hoover and mop upstairs, open up the outhouse and air it, light the fire outside and clear all the cardboard and paper out, weed the garden, shift the reamining cement and sweep the porch. Had a great day doing all the little things.

Breezy sorted out an old crate as a log box for the Yotul stove near the kitchen. We found that we have a load of cucumbers in the garden so no need to buy any more of them (as we go through 2 a week). Got loads of runner beans coming so chutney may be on the cards again?

Anne arrived around 1700 so we prepared a paella while she got settled in. Had a lovely evening chatting on the terrace until the moon came up and after the moon had gone back behind the mountains.

Having topped off the wall yesterday all that remains is to point up the top surface between the stones and clear up.

In no particular order:

• Shift the remaining sand up to behind the last ruin
• Shift the remaining huge boulders down to the front terrace
• Take down the scaffolding and pack it into Clives van
• Sort out tools, who’s is who’s and take all Clives kit down for him to take back

So the plan was to get all taht done in the morning and then to backfill the terrace in the afternoon. Unfortunately Clive tweeked his back first thing so it was decided to knock the backfilling on the head and give him the afternoon to see if he could get his back looked at by the Osteo in the village.

This was actually a bit of a good thing for us as we are both tired. Clive set off to take the scaff back while Breezy and I sorted tools and equipment out for Clive to come back for the second trip.

I just got down to the parking when a load of loose cows appeared on the piste as Clive turned up.

Smoked salmon salad for lunch; a little lie down and off down to Seix to pick up some odd groceries. Called in with Alison & Peter on the way back and also Anouk at the Auberge in Salau.

Scrabble on the terrace

Steaks on the BBQ after a game of scrabble on the terrace.

Yipee!

Actually managed to get a lie in until 0730 as we are nearing the end of the wall and there is little preparation to do before Clive turns up.

Less than 2 foot of wall to go but going is much slower as the steel reinforcement goes in and the stones are selected carefully. Also the wall has two visible faces so the stones have to be “facers” on both sides.

Finally finished in the drizzle at 1850hrs and Clive shot off for his supper.

Pork curry and an open fire.

The End!