No hanging about today. Up early and a quick internet session to check for any urgent enquiries for the chalet this winter then preparation for Renee and Anouk coming for lunch.

I had been through the blog entries for last year to find out what we fed them but could find nothing mentioning that they came up at all. So they are getting the usual paella and cheese and rhubarb cake.

Food prep done and table arranged on the new front terrace, Breezy and I had time for a cup of coffee before they arrived. After a tour of the establishment we cracked open a bottle of fizz to celebrate the end of their season in the Auberge.

Great company and the food went down well. Renee did say that if his memory was correct we gave them paella last year. Note to self – Don’t give them paella next year.

They had to be back at the Auberge for 4pm as gusts were arriving. They left at 4.15pm on foot but had parked halfway up the piste.

We cleared up, washed up and played games before an early night, neither of us needing more food.

An early start. In fact it was still dark when the alarm went off. Very quick instant coffee and fruit before heading down the valley and into St Girons.  1st stop was the builders merchant as we need more 100mm waste pipe.  When we were walking the other week with Sauze & Patrick, Clive came up to the barn and replaced a section of gutter which was broken. Now we can attach a down pipe and divert rainwater at the back away from the back wall.

Laundry next.  A bit of a monster load with 2 sets of bed linen so very dirty went in one machine and not so dirty in another.  Quick jaunt into town to find a couple of birthday cards and some tobacco, a coffee and collect laundry again.

Last port of call was the supermarket for the food stuffs.  Back to the barn to unload.  Forage for brambles and cheese on toast for lunch.

The Muck truck is decidedly ill and has lost power. Exhaust seems smokey and engine could be misfiring.  The manual covers basic “home” maintenance but does not even show where the spark plug is. I assume it has a spark plug. Think I shall have to look on the web.

Afternoon of small jobs as   of a rest.  Drying laundry, getting logs in, stewing rhubarb, plasterboarding the porch and clearing space in what will be the pantry.

Cool shower under the tree and a warm prawn, feta and rocket salad for supper.

Another glorious day here in paradise. September has just been stunning and has made working so much more enjoyable not having to think about what the weather is going to do.

A session on the old internet and breakfast. We had run out of water so I headed to the village for a quick fill up. Got back and Al had already started on the next clump of trees. We have kept the fire going since we started it with Sauze and Patrick more by luck than anything else.

A new system today, fell the trees tidy up and log at the same time before felling next lot. All went very quickly and I reckon 2 more hours will see the final bit of the log pile full. Hoorah that will be a huge tick!

We had a quick sort out of frames and doors after the fiasco of yesterday trying every door with the frames trying to work out which one fitted and it was bound to be the last door we tried!!!! We also moved loads of wood from the fridge wall so we could hang doors easily and have more space to work.

Lunch on the new terrace, anything we could find in the fridge!!! I had a bit of salad and Al had some salad and a butty.

Afternoon it was back on with the porch building. Always easier the second time around especially since we knew this time which doors went with the frame!!! Managed to get the frame secured, doors hung and the handle on by the end of the day. Looking good.

Al went for a forage, I caught up on loads of Ski Breezy e mails and also in the middle of trying to get the ghetto apartment rented for the winter, never that easy from afar.

It was then drinks and a game on the terrace before wild mushroom omelette for supper. Which was truly scrummy more mushies then eggs….

An early night as we are up early tomorrow for the St Girons shop day and to get something to put in the fridge, supplies are rock bottom.

Woke up to another blue sky day ahead of us. A stint on the computers catching up as always a few more bookings taken for Ski Breezy always a good start to the day!

It was then back to the tree felling so we are gradually filling up another wood store for future use and clearing the meadow land behind the veggie plot. It is hot work with the fire going but we are slowly making good progress, it just takes time.

We did a quick forage for brambles before lunch and got around 500g so great for breakfast and you never know may even get around to making a tart before we go!

A light lunch as neither of us very hungry after our rhubarb cake mid morning snack!

Afternoon, well a couple of hours was set aside for starting the second porch. Mainly making a framework and working out how to fix it in place. We have been putting this off with the lovely weather and wanting to be outside but we are really wanting the place animal proove before we go and this needs doing if this is to happen!

Very hot showers and then a quick forage and came back with some more pied de moutons and some parasols excellent we have a starter for tonight from the land!

We had a game of rummikub outside before having our wild mushie starter. Just simply fried in olive oil and served with pita bread no need for anything else twas scrummy! BBQed pork ribs marinaded in cumin and coriander plus some veggies from the garden.

Then a night of star gazing it was not too cold and there were thousands of them but no luck with shooting stars maybe tomorrow.

After a short (comparatively) internet session we cleared part of the floorboards on the 1st floor ready to varnish.  Earlier this year we only got so far before running out of varnish.  Having been back to the UK, Crazy Ken did some shopping for us and we trundled around France for a week with 2 x 5ltr tins of varnish, 25m of 3 core and earth electicity cable, several pull chord switches and a jam pan.   Anyway we are slowly putting another couple of coats of varnish on the parquet floor upstairs. Once hoovered, scrubbed and mopped Breezy applied a coat of the stuff while I got the fire going in preparation for some chopping of trees.

A couple of hours coppicing in the heat of the day produced very few logs for the log pile, a lot of heat in the fire and quite an oppening in teh woods. brefore we leave we would like to get another line of logs on the pile seasoning for a couple of years before burning.

After a salad lunch we set about filling some of the joints in the internal walls we put up ages ago and I did some wiring for lighting and electic points.

Once the varnish was dry we rearanged the furniture again and loaded up the log box. Hot showers under the tree without having to add hot water to the solar sacks and then a mushroom hunt.  Came back witha nother load of pied de mouton (hedgehog fungus) and a fantastic birch bolet.  Looking like it may be a wild mushroom omlette this evening with salad from the garden.

Final brekky with Sauze and Patrick before they headed back up north. Twas really FAB to see them both, great company, brilliant tree choppers and even better to have an explore too. Thanks for coming to see us mucho appreciated.

We then got turned about with lots of bits and pieces. I tackled some internet stuff for Ski Breezy while Al pottered on with building steps outside.

Then it was time to get on top of the garden, picked any veg, weeded lots and then a big haul of brambles to keep us going.

A late, quick and light lunch in the sun, list making and then on to a bit more coppicing of small shrubs in preparation to clear another area over the next couple of weeks.

A quick forage and we found some pied de moutons pretty small but should be good for going into something we concoct.

Hot showers and BIG internet session before we have marinaded chicken on the BBQ with left over salads and an early night much needed.

A leisurely start to the day, breakfast, lots of tea and coffee before we started with some very happy helpers to do some log chopping and tree felling.

Many hands make light work that is for sure. A whole new section of the log store is now full of logs chopped and ready to season for use in 2 years time. Then it was on to clearing more trees behind us to stop the encroaching woodland. Al and Patrick doing most of the chopping and Sauze and I doing the smaller chopping and clearing of the fallen trees. good team work and all went really quickly.  We had 2 large clumps to do and by 3pm the clumps were down, log pile looking much healthier and all ready for some lunch.

Lots of leftovers for lunch along with pates and cheeses etc.

Sauze then headed off for a run/walk with Tood. Patrick relaxed and knocked out a few zzzz’s. Al and I caught up on internet and prepped some fajitas for supper.

A games night after dinner with Rummikub and Chinese Checkers which was fun.

A great day just chatting and catching up with our guests from Chamonix.  We found time to go for a wander accross the valley in search of mushrooms but to no avail.  A late salad lunch on the terrace and a BBQ in the evening. Bit of a shock opening the squid to find that it was not prepared at all. That is when having internet access and google is fantastic.  Good old U Tube.

At some point in the afternoon the donkeys arrived on our side of the piste too along with Olivier (donkeyman).

Patrick cooked the BBQ and we ate on the terrace.

Having arrived back yesterday we had a load of catching up to do on the internet.  And of course we still had to unload stuff from the van, clothes to dry having swept by the laundrette yesterday plus a lot of little things to sort out.

Sauze and Patrick were due to arrive late afternoon for a few days so some of the chores related to them staying in the outbuilding.  Making the bed up and airing it after having been closed up for a couple of weeks.  Sorting out the garden and picking whatever was ready to eat.  Prepare food for the evening and stock up the fridge with drinks.

Having got sorted and ready we booted up the laptops and cracked on with more internet stuff for the Ski Breezy website and emails.

We heard the horn of a van about 4pm as our guests arrived so a quick instalation and beverages were sorted.  Soon after we had other guests waving from the piste.  Gilbert and Patrick from above Couflens came up for a drink and a chat.  Gilbert was the last Berger (shepherd) who worked the barn and the land and has photos from the 1970’s which will be interesting to get copies of.

Paella for super.