Another early start, sand up the hill, water containers and butts filled, tarp off wall, equipment all out, scaff unloaded and then brekky at 8am. Quick internet and start all over again!

Another hot day. We got the scaff up to make life easier for Clive. We got rid of the big shoot and now progressed on to a shorter tin sheet as the wall gets higher. We are now on to rocks from the back terrace for re building the wall.

So Al mixes, Clive builds and I move rocks from A-B, pass buckets of rocks to Clive and fill water which we go through at  a rate of knots and the water butts are now nearly empty….we need a storm or it is trips to the river from tomorrow onwards.

Lunchtime, and progress is huge.

Smoked salmon salad for lunch and then Al and I got more sand up the hill, re filled water butts and containers and got rocks in place ready for Clive returning. I also zoomed down to the village to fill up with drinking water as we are out and also to get rid of rubbish which is now whiffing and recycling.

After lunch the boys set too digging the return wall down to foundation level. Al drilled holes in rocks for the reinforcement bar to go in and Clive bound bars together. Then we were off again, mixing, moving rocks and at 6pm ENOUGH!!!! Rose and beer on the terrace to end the day!

We are running out of cement so Al is going to do a run in the am for more to St G. Forecast is not good so we will do an afternoon of work and if it is raining we will have the whole day off and wait for the sun to shine on Thursday.

Clive seems pleased with progress and thinks 3 more days will see us done hoorah!

Neither Al and I felt like the lamb last night after the risotto so we had lamb tonight with yummy veggies, green beans (from the garden) with mushies and garlic and pinenuts, steamed mange toute (also from the garden)  and leeks a la greque with BBQ lamb. All really delicious. The heavens opened so our rain dance worked and the empty water butts are now full. Fantastic electrical storm to watch with all colours in the sky and amazing fork lightening.

A quick episode of All Creatures Great and Small to relax to. Al went for his final fag for the night and I was asleep before he got back upstairs!

Again the alarm went off at 0645 and again the kettle went on for my coffee (after the snooze button got hit a couple of times). Internet, then breakfast and then preparation for Clive getting here. Water containers filled, generator out & filled, power cables sorted, tarpauline removed etc etc.

Just taken a moment to sit down and Clive arrives, then its all go. I’m mixing mortar and sending it down the shoot to the wall. Breezy is fettling rocks and Clive is arranging both the mortar and the rocks to make a wall.

Progress at lunchtime.

Clive went off for lunch and to pick up some scafolding and Breezy and I had leftover sausage, pate and salad.

The afternoon was much the same as the morning though a little cooler. By 6pm we had all washed up and tools away. Over a metre of height gained after 34 mixes of mortar.

Pea risotto starter then lamb and fresh french beans from the garden for supper.

Shopping day today as we will be full on next week with wall building. We dropped some of the floorboards back at Le Forgue and got a credit note for that so that saved a few pennies! Dad rang and so did J&S so we had catch ups all around before Al dropped me in town.

I got the laundry in and then a few bits and pieces to buy, metal BBQ skewers, jam making kit, chillis, stamps etc. Al meanwhile headed to get cement and fuses for Vinnie. Always difficult to park on market day, let alone with a trailer in tow. So this seemed the easiest and quickest way forward.

A quick petrol fill up and then food shop before heading back. We stopped for the usual water fill up and then to borrow a large plan from Rene for making some redcurrant jelly soon and then home.

Cement to unload, washing to dry, food to fridge and 2 trips with trucks to collect everything before we could enjoy our prawns and garlic dip for lunch.

We had an hour before Al had a work Skype call and I managed to get hold of Henry and Clare on Skype too which was good to hear their news.

We then had an hour of shifting sand up the hill and filling water ready for Monday morning.

Quick coolish showers as it was the first day it has been overcast for ages today but it cleared up for us to have a BBQ outside. Toulouse sausage, sweet potato and beetroot salad tossed with honey and sesame and chilli flakes, tomato and goats cheese salad and then a green salad from the garden. Sat outside with rose and enjoyed before having an early night.

Toulouse sausage

Sausage salad supper

Another hot day. Clive arrived just after 9am and the boys set too. Mainly digging digging and more digging to get down to hard rock where they could dig a trench for the foundation.

Sadly me back still not great and digging is the worst thing for it so I cracked on with sanding the beams for the second bedroom, sanding down the plasterboarded wall for the cupaboard and then re plastering it. Also had time to sand the wood for the back wall frames of the second bedroom.

By midday the foundation was prepared, all that prep work of shifting rocks was well worth it as Clive did not expect to be at this stage until Tuesday so that is great. Clive went home for lunch and to get the mixer etc.

In the afternoon Clive mixed and Al scooped all the cement along the foundation of the wall before they both got the first layer of rocks in place. Cover up as storms are forecast and clean up and then beers on the terrace. Boys have done well.

Wall foundations

Setting 1st rocks

We had been asked for an apero from Didier and Vero who we have met at a couple of the recent fetes. We are never really sure what to expect. We arrived and a group of about 12 of the villagers arrived drinks came out, BBQ was laid, nibbles provided so aperos was slightly more than just that!. The bonfire was lit, table and benches arranged and pork spare ribs, merguez sausages cooking, cheeses and crepes inside as it started to rain. They are renovating a house at the end of the village so inside was in a building site but all good fun. Luckily not too late  and home by 11pm. A relaxing fun evening but the French was hard to understand with so much slang and so so quick.

Internet before brekky and then after that we attacked moving the internet up to the main barn in a few stages….take out all kit from down in out building, take dish down and re mount up on the main barn wall. Point the thing in which is always a fiddle and requires patience, consequently a job for Al rather than me!!

I did a few odds and sods strimming, sanding down the curvy wall ready for second plaster.

Got it in place and pointed to correct satelite and left it to sort itself out whilst we went to pick fruit for Clive but no need they are back from hols so we were let off that! Quick tea with them and a stop at the auberge on the way back to drop off tools, have a quick drink and chat with Anouk and then head back up.

Al sorted the issue with the internet a loose cable so all pointed and ready to attach all the other bits and pieces.

A nice salad for lunch, pork, feta and beetroot as some of the goodies.

Then it was on to making a shelf for all the internet gubbins downstairs, sorting out power and hey presto internet is now in the main barn. Should make life much much easier.

VERY hot showers and then we had a lovely BBQ outside. Marinaded chicken with ginger, soy, port, sesame and lots more. I also made a new coconut sauce to go with it, both delicious with salad from the garden and a glass of rose happy days.  Some hands of bezique until the light went and to bed.

Another glorious day. After yesterday we were both quite tired last night so opted against the alarm wake up this morning but low and behold 630am wide awake!!!

We did a couple of hours internet for Ski Breezy again before brekky and then into the veggie patch before too hot. The strong winds we have been having have battered the mange toute which needed stringing back up and lots of them too so have picked some for supper at the same time along with lettuces and broccoli.

We then set to digging out the next raised bed and then digging it over. An hour later job done. The turf we have relayed (loose term) plonked near the original veg patch in an attempt to start trying to level the back terrace out a bit. This will happen over a long period of time I think but hopefully in the end it will become more like a garden than a field at the back of the barn.

We had asked Daniella up for coffee as she has not seem the place for 4 years so quite a few changes. Coffee on the terrace and it was hot hot hot.

Before lunch we quickly did all the little jobs that needed the jigsaw and the circular saw so we can hand the tools back to Anouk and Rene on our way to Clive’s tomorrow. We have made a butterfly shaped key holder, a new table top for a coffee table upstairs and finished off the edging on the 2nd bedroom floor. Nice little jobs to have ticked off the list.

Lunch inside as it was so hot salad from the garden and then a cheeky little siesta was in order! Al tackled a few more electrics, I finished dismantling another pallet and the  varnished items this morning got a quick sand and the coffee table top got a quick oil.

Piping hot showers almost too hot and then internet looking for recipes for red currant jelly plus other ideas to use up red currants which are nearly ready and there are oodles of them!

Marinaded pork going oin the BBQ tonight with garlic, peppercorns, lemon, rosemary and oil should be good plus fresh veggies from the garden and if we have room the final slice of the rhubarb and almond cake which Al has really enjoyed. No butter or flour in it but scrummy nonetheless.

After being here 5 years I think. We have not yet managed to get out and about on our bikes and it has been on our agenda for a while. Anouk had kindly taken the time to print out some of her recces for us so we had a few to choose from.

We did a few hours of internet first, then brekky, made butties and headed off about 10.30am down to Seix.

I am slightly notorious for being over ambitious when it comes to days out and about and  iting off more than we can chew is quite normal. This could have been one of those days!!!

Anyway we parked up and headed off the agenda was 30km which does not sound too bad but the 1000m vertical climbing maybe was a bit too much considering neither of us are bike fit at all! Anyway, nothing ventured nothing gained….

It was pretty much 15km of up, up and up. Firstly it was great single track over completely new terrain for us and quite different barns in this area all the way up to Col de Catchaudegue all good fun and we felt fine. We then had a long traverse around Bourix hill on 4×4 track. The final 3.8km up to the summit felt more like 38km and we were both pleased to get to the top for lunch and to get off the saddles!!! Getting back on the saddle was not that much fun.  Al had to put up with me jumoing off my bike quite a few times with leg cramps not just in oine leg but both!!!! Luckily the weather was quite cool so it was great for MB.

WOW the descent made it all worth while. Crazy Ken would love it!!!! Single track through meadows then, into woodland, pretty much single track the whole way back down. Loved every bit of it and great to be back on the bikes. Drinks, stretching and then on to see Ian and Nina at their house just above Seix for a cuppa and a catch up. They have made great progress and the place really beginning to take shape. The yoga barn is an incredible space.

Late back to the barn at 745pm hot showers and then a new meal for dinner. I have been off carbs for a few weeks in an aim to reduce the number of Michelin tyres but tonight was an exception. Felt like we had earned it. Marinaded lamb with chinese 5 spices with a chinese sauce. Noodles stir fried with red peppers and mange toute and all tossed together with the lamb and ginger and peanut sauce twas quite different. Really enjoyed it. I dont think I would have it again by choice but Al said he would. We collapsed in front of a film, Hotel Marigold excellent fun and then to bed pleasantly pooped!!!