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.

We thought that we deserved a chilled weekend. So we did. Last week was hard physical work and I definitely need to rest my shoulder. The osteopath put it right on Friday by so fairly fierce manipulation so it is a bit tender.

Saturday started overcast and I think that we just managed to clear away breakfast when Peter arrived for coffee bearing a gift of carrots (Breezy did not say a word). Suitably impressed with the progress on the barn he left as moisture started to descend. We got a bit of weeding in before rain stopped play and we retired inside to get some internet stuff done.

In the evening we played scrabble indoors up at the main barn with a glass of wine; because we can.

Sunday was another sedate start with a cooked breakfast and a list of small chores about the place to keep us busy.

• Mastic around the windows
• Clear away some of the rocks and earth from the gable end
• Expose the decking again from under tarpaulins
• Spread out the earth fill from the wall that we dumped up the back

We also started to disguise an ugly bit of kitchen unit by cutting up wine boxes and cladding the outside. Better than white melamine!!!

I marinated a duck breast in balsamic vinegar and cooked it in the smoke (without any wood chips) for a duck salad in the evening; fantastic!

Bed after a quick game of cards as we have an early start in the morning.

Another early start to be ready for Clive’s arrival.

Al’s shoulder still very painful so I shifted the sand up the hill while Al prepped all the other stuff ready to go.

Breakfast and then off we go again. Last bit of wall  to fill up and safety again.

Al was mixing, Clive re building and I was carrying and shovelling. It all went very quickly and by 11am we were done and dusted. Clive helped us move the largest of the rocks to the back which I would struggle to lift they are enormous and we can shift the rest in our own time.

Took a good hour or so to tidy up, get Clive’s kit back down the hill and loaded up and he was off. Thanks Clive it looks great and we are really pleased with it.

All that was left was for Al and I to screw the window frame in and put the window in and all looks good.

Showers in the sun and then a delicious mackerel salad lunch in the sun before a very relaxed afternoon, much needed.

Al had a RDV with Francoise for his shoulder so I did a few chores in the village before having a drink at the bar, catching up wtih Anouk and Jean Claude.

Al came out a new man from his treatment, although still in pain very much reduced and all being well no serious long term damage which is a relief. Peter turned up for the week end so a quick beer/rose with him before heading back up the hill for some blanquette and another delicious supper. Marinaded chicken legs with herbs from the garden cooked in the outdoor cooker, lentil salad and a green salad with coriander from the garden and a mint and lime dressing. Oh we do eat well and enjoy our food!

Both relieved that the window is in, wall rebuilt and work mainly done. Just need to make some shutters now and point the inside wall and it will look great. Transforming downstairs already.

The alarm was set for 7.30am to get all the preparation done before Cive arrived at 9.30 and have breakfast. First off was make a jug of coffee for me and a fizzy juice for Breezy. Then shifting sand, loading buckets of water, fetching scaffolding, generator out, cabling to mixer, brushing off yesterdays joints, etc etc.

Clive arrived and we are straight into mixing mortar.

Overnight a crack has appeared in the wall on the left hand side of where the rocks have come out above the window. Although no further rocks have come out, there is a possibility that more will descend without warning under gravity. This is slightly alarming for all 3 of us. We could pull down the rocks and make the hole bigger, thus more work to fill it up again. We could try and prop it with wood before working underneath but that may just loosen it more and gravity takes over. Or we could work faster to get it shored up and hope that gravity is taking a day off.

Third option it is then! Chainsaw out and two more lintels in place then a frantic walling session with Breezy and I running to keep up with Clive and finish the inside wall at the same time.

By lunch we have it shored up and over half the hole replaced with wall.

Lunchtime day 2

We can’t get any more done today as the weight of rock on top of fresh wet mortar could undo all our hard work. So Clive is off to do paperwork and Breezy and I can clear up, have a shower, lunch and chill out. I have injured my shoulder so the rest is gratefully received.

The weather is still really hot and it is blowing a hoolie, this could mean that a storn is on the cards.

Duck salad for sups and start over again tomorrow to finish the job.

Al and I were up early to get an hours work done before brekky and to be organised for Clive’s arrival. Sand shifted up the hill, fridge moved etc etc.

Clive was a bit late due to getting the van stuck so the boys started demolition at around 10am and the hole was big. By lunchtime the hole had been made a gaping hole above it too from where other rocks/boulders had tumbled out.

Not much for me to do so I had a day internetting for Ski Breezy and finally making some much needed progress, enquiries are a coming in and contacts are being re-established again for the winter.

Al an I had lunch while Clive went home for lunch and then Al and Clive had a huge afternoon on the re building after collecting a load of sand from Salau. Clive wanted to get up to the lintels so it was 830pm before they finished a long day and sadly Al has now damaged his shoulder and in a lot of pain, not good news.

Visits from Jean Claude our lovely neighbour who was worried about the size of the hole. Olivier came to put fencing up around the veg patch to keep the donkeys off it also alarmed about the huge hole……guess it will be around the village in no time…

Quick beers for the boys and then showers and I had marinaded some chicken in ginger and other goodies along with a potato and dill salad and green salad from the garden twas delicious even at 10pm at night!!! No more to say apart from bed.