We woke up the sun shining which was great, although autumn feels like it is here already as the mornings are a tad chilly. Brrrr!!!!

We headed off down the valley for the weekly food shop and collection of supplies. We managed a wander around the market too and bumped into Lee for a quick drink and met Susie and her 2 kids too. They have been mad busy on the extension.

Back to the barn for a very late lunch at 330pm after getting unloaded and the washing out to dry. Prawns in the sun delicious.

We then did the final bit of the first floor. Al fettled the fiddly bit at the edge while I sanded the floor and gave it a second varnish, looks good.

We could hardly get into the workshop so we had a quick 30 minute sort out in there so we can move before calling it a day.

We had a glass of fizz outside and raised a glass to Mum as it would have been her birthday today before retiring inside for some dorade fish and green beans for supper.

I made a cake for Clive’s gang for tomorrow and Al prepped some spuds for a potato salad so we had less to do tomorrow.

Both have good books at the moment so had some reading time before hitting the sack

So yesterday we pottered about in the sun shine playing with concrete and resealing decking. The concrete was to make good the wall around the gable end window to stop bats getting in, plus putting a post in for the washing line.

Today we planned to work in the woods chopping back stuff and burning but the clouds were swirling in the valley and it would not have taken long to get a soaking.

Instead we set about finishing laying the pine on the 1st floor of the barn.

By 7.30pm Breezy had varnished it and all we need to do is the really fiddly cutting bit against the far wall. Gonna be stiff tomorrow, there’s a lota nails in there.

Well we had just been saying how great it was not to get jet lag and what was all the fuss about when we both woke at 2am for a few hours then the next thing it was 11.30am!!! guess we needed the sleep but will need to set an alarm for tomorrow to get back into real time as such.

So opted for a late lunch and missed brekky.

So Al tackled adding on the extra solar panel for the main barn and I strimmed the back terrace, so it is beginning to feel like someone lives here again.

Salad lunch out the front and just finishing off that when Murray turned up with his 2 kids for a chat as they were going for a walk up to the waterfalls. All on good form. We don’t often get visitors up here so always nice when we do.

The afternoon was Al fettling the trailer and I finished off the strimming around the front.

Planted some roquette in the veggie patch and then called it a day as the mizzle had started. Hope it is a one off and the sun returns, will be very unhappy if the rain from July returns again!!!!

Omlettes for dinner and catching up on internet banking, work and general backlog of e mails.

Got back to the barn last night after a wicked trip down the Colorado, rafting and kayaking.

Fresh prawns for sups and an early night and no alarm this morning. Solar panels are up and so is the internet. Got a jungle of courgette plants and loads of weeds. Grass and bracken are strimmed and we are clean and tidy. Time to kick back a bit and get some exploring done.

Would you believe it; rain again.

Having got Hans to sort out the window area at the bottom of the stairs yesterday I left him to fit the window and point it up today. It looks great.

Breezy and I got on with other bits and pieces around the place and prepared a few other odd jobs that we could get Hans to help us with.

The weather did improve enough for the ridge of the roof to dry out and for Hans and I to get on it with some mastic to seal the nails better.

By the end of the day we had a completed window, a line of insulation in the roof and (hopefully) a roof with no leaks.

Now all we need to do is finish off the food before heading off tomorrow.

Low and behold, it’s raining again.

Breezy headed off early to get down to St Girons with the van for a new exhaust. I braved the weather and emptied the trailer of sand ready for mixing mortar then dragged the trailer up to the barn.

Hand was dancing last night (folk) so turned up about 11am by which time I had already been pointing for a couple of hours. Breezy was not far behind him with some new wire brushes and a quiet van.

We finished the bathroom before lunch so Hans and I started to fit out the downstairs window while Breezy started brushing off the joints.

I do hope it is sunny tomorrow!!!

Breezy here and oh yes, it is not just raining today it is pouring!!!! Slightly over it now!!!

Got the fire going to dry the clothes in the outbuilding during the day.

On to the bathroom, 2 more days and we should be done.

It was a long morning, pointed until 2pm ish and then lunch before brushing off again until 6pm. Hans left early for his dancing presentation.

Showers in the rain, fire going full steam and the slope up to the barn like a death trap so skiddy.

Al cooked a delicious roast chicken with a mushroom sauce with the trumpets we picked and dried last year. Very tasty. A bit of reading and then to bed early as I am on St Girons trip tomorrow early to get the new exhaust fitted. So hoping that all goes smoothly.

With a view to having a slightly more productive day than yesterday Breezy set an alarm and had a slightly longer list of chores.

We fitted some pulleys to the ridge beam in the main barn and took down the scaffolding. That all went down to the van as we had arranged to go up to Clive and Giselle’s for a drink late afternoon.

After that Breezy and I set about packing a bag of kit to take to the States. That soon escalated to sorting out all the boxes, bags and trunks of kit that we have been building around in the main barn.

The sun finally put in an appearance at about noon when Alison and Peter turned up for a coffee with Alison’s daughter, Hana, and a small bag of beans from their garden.

After lunch we carried on with chores including drying out the tent and packing it away and log splitting etc etc. Clive and Giselle still have 5 cats and are on good form. Spag Bol for sups and back to book reading.

Both Breezy and I are knackered after 3 full on weeks. Progress has been great but tiring.

The day started with a short list of chores, only one of which we completed. We shifted some lighting about in the outhouse so that we can read in bed then discussed ideas for windows and steps and things in the main barn.

Before lunch we set off with a basket in search of mushrooms to fry up. The basket came back empty which either means we are looking in completely the wrong paces or for completely the wrong mushies.

Lunch was never the less a massive fry up with lardons, eggs, potato and mushrooms (from the supermarket).

Breezy spent the afternoon asleep and I read my book (under the moved lights).

A drink with Alison and Peter at the bar in Salau and some nibbles for sups and a game of cards.

Last night Breezy was pooped so an early night was a must do. We have not stopped since we got back from Corsica. The whole of the big room on the 1^st floor is pointed up. Today we braved the inclement weather and the 3^rd sky light is fitted. The difference is amazing, though the scaffold and the sheets over the floor don’t add to its ambiance.

Breezy has made good progress being banished to the bathroom with buckets of mortar and pointing up the walls.

Back to full on pointing for 3 days next week but for the moment it is a thank F**k its Friday. Got a list of chores for the weekend but no mixing mortar or shoving it in the walls. Need to get ourselves sorted for our USA trip.

Delicious veal with capers, sage and parsley sauce and a courgette and fresh tomato gratin bake to go with it with lots of little jacket spuds yummy.