Life in France

A not every day story of normal people trying to live their dream in France starting at the beginning and ending?

Sunday, February 26, 2006

All plastered out

Thats it then. The plastering in this bedroom is finally finished and dry. All i have to do now is paint it after i have top coated the ceiling first then we are ready to get the chestnut flooring and get that put down. So, hopefully by easter (woodyard permitting) this 1st official guest room will be all but finished. I say all but as i still have to make the doors. Perhaps i should forget about them and just hang curtains across the doorways?
It was a beautiful day yesterday, last year we ordered some more fruit trees which arrived yesterday so we spent the afternoon planting them. Two plums, one each of peach, apricot and quince. Hopefully in three or four years time we shall see the fruits of our labours. We took afternoon tea and cake on the terrace in t-shirts as in the sun it was 29.3°c. wonderful!! I have no doubt it won't last as on friday it is the birthday of luscious and so far every year the sun has shone but the temperature is in the negative, we shall see!
Picture is the after of the one posted earlier, i hope that it looks a little different and that you can see that it has changed...or....perhaps i have just used trick photography....ha ha Off for lunch then out again to play at lumberjacks as i need to replenish the wood store...ta ra...... Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

W I P

Work in progress!!! Since starting real work in the outside world the work on the house has slowed a little. The plastering in the main bedroom is now all done but i thought i would show you a picture of part of the wall after i had repaired it but before it was plastered. Just so that when i post the picture of it finished it will make me feel like something has been done and hopefully you can all applaud at my attempts to plaster. Perhaps after you have fallen off your chairs with laughter!!!!! It is a "rustic" finish as it is after all an old house!!! My excuse and i am sticking to it!!! Next job for the weekend is to get back on knees and finish tiling the kitchen floor so that luscious can go and order the new kitchen that she has always wanted. I think it features chestnut units and a black granite work surface...think i will let them install it... don't fancy cutting granite especially as shall we say the walls aren't exactly straight.. well....lunch over, back to work...hey ho..... Posted by Picasa

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Good to be Back........

Errrr....... thank you for all your comments and i am sorry that i have not blogged for a while. After being snowed in again, 80cm this time we are finally back in the real world. Well, at least as real as it gets around here!
The other reason for not blogging is that i am now a working man again.. not by design i hasten to add but by pure accident. The plasterer and tiler that originally put up all the new stud walls in the house came up to see us to collect his final payment and while he was here noticed the tiling of the lounge floor and asked who did it. Luscious told him that it was i no less. He didn't say anything, just nodded and then after a drink wandered off. A week later i had a telephone call from him asking whether i would like to go and do some work for him on a house that he is working on for a client of his. As the offer of money was good i said yes!!! So now i am a plasterers/tilers mate!!! Funny how things come about isn't it? The hours are 35 per week, friday afternoon is free and i get holiday pay even though the contract is only for a month!!! Can't say fairer than that can you? Only problem is i have to be up at 06:15am......yuk...don't get back home 'til 18:00hrs and i am tired so no blogging. So, how come i am blogging now? easy.....4 days free as boss teaches at a training college for the construction trades!!! Yee haaa i say......... Posted by Picasa

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Why Did i have to say?

Well, after saying that the snow hadn't arrived it did...with a vengeance...It started friday evening very gently and by saturday morning there was about 20cm and the snowplough had already been up and cleared the route. By lunchtime it didn't look like it had been at all. By mid afternoon we had 50cm and our road is blocked we are marooned. The power went off at 6:30pm and stayed off for 18hrs..no power, no water as they need electric pumps, no heating as it needs electric....you get the picture? At least we have a great big woodburning stove to keep us warm. We played I spy..cuddled on the couch then made a cup of tea and went to bed!!!
There was a loud thud.. no... not me missing the bed... the giant pine tree out the front had given up the struggle against the weight of the snow and had lost 6 large branches. Luckily they didn't hit the house. They were so heavy that i couldn't pick them up!!!! Sunday morning and it has stopped snowing.. it took us an hour to dig the car out of the garage and a further one and a half hours to get to the vilage 3km away!!! Oh what a jolly jape.. hope you all had a great weekend as well...... Posted by Picasa