Y Viva Espana

Well that's been a busy couple of weeks and things don't look like slowing down any time soon. Barbara arrived back at Toulouse airport on Sunday and being the ever considerate, romantic and spontaneous chap that I am I'd booked three nights in sunny Spain as a surprise (bit of poetic licence there)! We headed down to Tossa de Mar, about three hours drive from Toulouse. I suppose it's being a Brit' and not being used to crossing borders but I'm always surprised at the lack of controls when crossing from one country to another. At the France/Spain border security is a little less formal than getting back into the UK. There we were honest law abiding British Citizens, passports at the ready and no one gives us a second look. Not sure Mr Griffin would be happy with that arrangement!

We'd picked the hotel from the TripAdvisor website and being located 300 metres from the beach and an easy walk to all the local restaurants and bars the Hotel Reymar proved to be great choice. Having the pool to ourselves for most of the afternoon and the obvious low level of business in the numerous restaurants made us think that perhaps the credit crunch was having an effect on most of Europe. It's a long time since we've been on a Spanish beach holiday and apart from the lack of tourists the other big change was that along with Spanish, French, English and German the menus were now printed in Russian. There were several Russian families staying at the hotel and the only Bentley Continental we saw, apart from our own, had Russian number plates. Must be the prices they get for their gas.

The three days relaxing by the Med soon passed and it was time to head North and get back to work. Jane & Derek, Barbara's sister and brother in law, were due to arrive on Wednesday to spend a few days with us and there were a number of items on the snagging list that had to be sorted so it was out with the plaster and paint. The main job was to repair and paint the plasterboard around the stove chimney and despite Barbara having thought she'd retired from plastering it was out with the scraper and on with the plaster and a vow never to touch the bl**dy stuff again. So with the remaining skirting boards fitted and painted, terrace tiles grouted in 28ºc, beams and windows given another coat of varnish and white walls touched up with magnolia emulsion in error (glad it wasn't me) we were ready for Jane & Derek to arrive. Thursday is market day in Villefranche and with Derek wanting to return our hospitality and cook a meal we spent the morning sourcing ingredients for a delicious 'casserole d' Lancashire' along with some sardines & mackerel for a barbecue. They were also invited to a neighbour's barbecue and were pleased that they'd had a substantial lunch as although we arrived for 'nibbles' at 8:00 we didn't start eating until about 11:00. We had a great night and Jane & Derek certainly witnessed French hospitality at it's best.

Food glorious food

I think everyone must be feeling sorry for me with Barbara being back in UK 'cause I've been out wining & dining a few times over the last couple of weeks. Last week G's daughter & son-in-law were over & I was invited to a barbecue last Sunday. The weather had been lovely for the previous few days but as is always the case when you plan a barbecue it always takes a turn for the worse. The rain held off but the temperature dropped dramatically and we ended up eating inside which was no great hardship and the food, prepared by G's son-in-law and cooked by S was excellent. I really must ask how he managed not to burn everything. I've been helping T out and we were asked to join one of his friends for lunch. A couple of ham salad sandwiches or similar is my usual diet so a typical French lunch came as a bit of a shock to the system. We started with one or two large Ricards, fresh radishes from their garden & saucisson, the first of several items that would do nothing for my cholesterol levels. The entrée was a tomato and egg salad with a olive oil and garlic dressing and was followed by roast chicken and potatoes sautéed in goose fat all washed down with a few glasses of vin rouge. I managed to avoid the cheese but felt it would have been bad form to refuse the home made apple pie. There was time for a quick coffee and after our two hour lunch it was time to return to work. Fortunately T and I were working at ground level but Jo, who's hospitality we'd just enjoyed, is a roofer and was heading back to work on the roof of a local church! Hopefully someone was watching out for him.

It wasn't only Jo who served up home grown produce. Many people in the area have a plot in their garden where they grow a few vegetables and have some ducks and chickens and the house we were working at was one of them. One morning when we arrived the owners of the house were up and about early and working hard in the garden preparing lunch and they weren't just picking potatoes. I don't know how many people they were entertaining but the 6 ducks they killed and set about plucking looked big enough to feed the whole of South West France. Anyway I'm sure they were delicious and no doubt washed down with a few glasses of wine. The days of drinking at lunchtime continue here in France and the thought of having just a glass of water or a soft drink are very much frowned on.

I was also lucky enough to be invited to Bruno's birthday celebrations last Sunday which meant that I haven't had to cook since. He'd organised a mini bus to take 18 of us to 'Auberge Beauville' in Espédaillac, a small village an hour away in the Lot. The food was typical cuisine familale et traditionnelle,and there was lots of it. Chicken noodle soup, omelette with wild mushrooms and shaved truffles, coq au vin or chicken with farce, roast lamb and potatoes sautéed in goose fat (again), a selection of cheeses and tarte tartin all of course served with lots and lots of local wine. By anybody standards that would have been enough food to keep you going for the rest of the week but I was also invited to the evening barbecue. I won't bore you with details of the evening's menu but needless to say the food was excellent and the wine flowed and flowed. I've really enjoyed the hospitality of all my hosts, including P & P who invited me in for supper last night, but I'm looking forward to a little of Barbara's home cooking next week.

It does seem to be all about eating and drinking on this weeks blog but I have managed to get several items crossed off my 'to-do' list. All the cut tiles are in place, holes have been filled in the oil and wood store walls, paint has been applied & carpets glued down. I've even found time to do a bit of cleaning & washing. Only problem is I think Barbara has taken the iron with her, well that's my excuse for creased shirts! I'm sure when she gets back on Sunday she'll be point out where it's kept.

Another flying visit

Has it really been two weeks since I last sat down and did a bit of blogging? Tempus fugit, as they say, especially when you've dashed back to the UK for a few days and knocked the odd wall down. When we were back in the UK at the beginning of the year we'd put an offer in on a house near Barbara's mum in Blackpool and had completed on it in late April. It needs a fair amount of work; a bathroom, a central heating system, a kitchen, new windows & doors, decorating (all sounds very familiar) and plastering. With Barbara and her mum heading back to the UK it seemed like an ideal opportunity to return with them and make a start on the next project. It turned out to be a flying visit but I did manage to demolish a wall in what will be the kitchen/dining room, strip the walls of paper that must have been there 30 years, organise the plumber and electrician (no we're not flying Stephané Regourd over), sort the doors & windows and order a kitchen from Wickes. With Barbara off 'country cousining' and everything done that could be done for now I booked my ferry and hotel and headed back to France on Thursday. This time the best laid plans of mice and Chris didn't quite work out. As I hit the road the gentleman Barbara was looking after was taken in to hospital, not sure that'll look too good on her references, and she was able to take a few days off and returned to Blackpool. Well at least the plastering will get done!

It was a pretty uneventful journey back apart from turning up at the wrong Premiere Classe hotel in Rouen. They really all do look the same, both inside and out, but fortunately the two hotels were only two kilometres apart and on this occasion I can't blame it on the satnav. If you put the wrong address in it's your own stupid fault! It always surprises me how many 'GB' plated cars you see as you travel up and down the autoroute. This time was no exception and despite the press coverage that says everyone's holidaying in the UK this year there were still plenty of Brits heading south and at both the hotels I visited there were several cars with GB plates on parked up for the night. Perhaps there are a few green shoots out there.

Meanwhile back in Lagarrigue the tiling had gone well and I'd finished putting all the full tiles in place before leaving for the UK. Now I'm back it's out with the tile cutter and adhesive and time to lay the last few cut tiles but as the temperature on the terrace at 8:15 this morning was 25°C I think it's going to mean a couple of early starts. Still there's plenty to do and I'm sure there'll be a few items on my to-do list that are in the shade. When the carpenter had been here fitting the staircase we'd asked him to prepare a devi for the fitting of a balcony off the living area and he'd dropped it in whilst we'd been away. For once the devi was near enough what we'd budgeted for so on Monday I'll be tracking him down and asking him to get started with it at soon as possible. I want to be sipping my G & T on it before the summer is over.

We're getting there

I love it when a plan comes together and things have certainly come together this week. Barbara and her mum arrived back late on Sunday 24th after three and half weeks back in the UK. I think she was impressed with all the work that had been completed in her absence. The pointing of the barn was finished and the scaffold has finally been dismantled and given back to T with a very grateful and appreciative merci. It feels like the scaffold has been hanging about for a lifetime and to see it finally loaded on to the back of T's trailer gave me a real lift. I'm just hoping that we'll not need it back any time soon. Now the barn's fully pointed it seems so much bigger and looking at it from across the field it's no wonder my hacking out pick was pleading for retirement. It's not just the scaffold we've finished with, Stephané Regourd has also completed his residency in Lagarrigue. With the mega size radiators in place and the essential outside tap installed we could bid him farewell and look forward, not sure that's the right wording, to receiving his final facture. Life just won't be the same without Stephané popping in creating havoc and doing a little plumbing, heating and electrical work. He's called when we've asked and has always been prepared to fit in with our work schedule so I guess we shouldn't complain about the odd oil spill or damaged plasterboard.

Monday and it was back to it for Babs. Before we could make the barn feel completely like home we needed to get the carpet fitted. So with trailer attached it was off to VDR to collect the carpet and by 5:00 Monday it was fitted and looking good. It's typical but just as we'd finished the company we'd ordered the wood burning stove off called to say it had arrived and they would be out on Thursday to install it. They better not make a mess! As it turned out they were really professional and did a fantastic job, it's just a pity that the temperature has been constantly in the mid twenties during the day and with so much insulation in the barn we haven't needed to fire it up (this didn't stop Barbara lighting it on the first night 'just to check it works'). With the stove in place it was time to decamp from the downstairs and finally make the most of the upstairs. Boxes were opened that have been in store for nearly three years (yes I know we've managed without the contents but there are certain things you just can't throw away) and the sofas were brought out of T's barn and manoeuvred in to place. More importantly I was able to get my 'study' sorted and the Hi-Fi in place and working so I can now sit and write the blog in comfort, music playing and with a beautiful view.

Unfortunately I can't spend too much time admiring the view as there is still a fair bit of work to be done. The majority of it's outside so at last we'll have a nice clean and tidy house and I'll have to take my boots off before I'm allowed in! With the temperature reaching 28ºC (yes I've watched the UK weather forecast and know it's lovely there) what better job to start than tiling the terrace in the full blaze of the sun. These are the first floor tiles I've laid unsupervised and even though I say it myself I'm pleased with the way things are going and it won't be long before we can bask in the sun on our beautifully tiled terrace.

Water, water everywhere

As I mentioned in the last blog I'd decided that it would be a good idea to ask the carpenter to fit the banister to the new staircase and on Monday last week he returned to complete the task. It wasn't long before he discovered that there were a couple of parts missing and we had a left hand instead of a right hand newel post. So it was off to the stair manufacturer in Montauban and an attempt to explain we had wrong and missing parts. It went remarkably well and, amazingly, I managed to get across what the problem was and even more amazingly there was no argument only an apology! After what Id said about the French never admitting they're wrong in my last blog it looks like I also need to apologise. The story doesn't end there however as the 'lost' parts turned out to be 'misplaced' parts.

On the night we'd been attempting to fit the staircase it rained heavily, nothing new there, and some water had come in to the ground floor of the barn. In our panic to keep things dry we'd moved everything to dry land and the newel posts had got placed in the back bedroom en-suite. It was only when I came to grout the splashback in the en-suite several days later that I discovered them. Whoops! With the posts found I was able to get the carpenter back to complete the fitting of the banister and staircase.

Finding the posts was about the only bit of good luck we had last week. In our haste to get the barn completed we'd not thought things through fully and not listened to advise proffered by P and the water coming in proved to be a costly mistake. We'd laid an external concrete floor above the internal floor level and not left anywhere for water to go. You live and learn and I'll not be making the same mistake again (that's not listening to P and building concrete floors that keep water in!) As I write this it's raining again & we're nice and dry inside. Whoopee! The work that was necessary to rectify our error involved demolishing steps that had taken over a week to lay and watching them disappear in less than an hour with the help of a JCB was a little frustrating to say the least. It hasn't been all doom & gloom as we took the opportunity to use the contractor's time to do a little landscaping and laying of gravel paths. Just need to sort out a few plants and spread some grass seeds here and there.

We've also had Stephané Regourd here fitting central heating radiators in the upstairs of the barn. With such a big area to heat the radiators were always going to be big but I didn't expect it to take two of us to lift them in to place. Just hope the walls are strong enough to hold them. Now they're in place we'll get the carpet laid and finally be able to inhabit both of the barns two floors.

All goes well with Barbara and she's obviously doing a good job of 'Country Cousining' . The people are so impressed with her that they've asked her to return for a further couple of weeks during June. Think I' m going to have forgotten what she looks like. Just seen this on YouTube and having just bought a house in Blackpool to renovate it looks like it's going to be a real home from home. Can't wait to track down the French café featured in the clip, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed they won't be using one of these to produce some fine French cuisine. Who said the French only appreciate good food?

Stairway to heaven

There I was already to blog at the weekend when we had a minor (I'm hoping it is) crisis. We'd ordered a ready-made staircase and had been all excited on Friday when the shop rang to say it was now in stock and we could collect it on Saturday. We headed off to Montauban, trailer in tow, early on Saturday morning with a shopping list of bits & pieces we required to move the barn nearer to completion. The rain abated as we loaded the staircase on to the trailer and headed home. P arrived early Sunday morning and within a couple of hours the first part of the staircase was assembled & things were looking good. It was when we came to put it in to place that we realised things weren't going according to plan (a French plan that is, that we'd been very pleased with ourselves for being able to follow). Despite having supplied a detailed plan to the shop when we'd placed the order it was obvious that no matter what juggling we did the staircase was not going to fit. Oh dear! (or similar words). There was no taking it back as the assistant had made it clear that the item couldn't be returned and the chances of convincing a Frenchman that he was wrong were zero. Those who doubt this should read chapter one, 'Thou shalt be wrong (if you’re not French) – Why every Frenchman is Monsieur Right, of Stephen Clarke's book 'Talk to the Snail'. So having worked through plans A to Y we resorted to plan Z and made contact with a local carpenter first thing on Monday. He agreed to look at our 'problem' and having taken a few sharp intakes of breath said he could get the staircase to fit and would return later in the week. Fingers crossed he's as good as his word and I'll keep you posted.

In between the trials and tribulations of converting the barn we've had a couple of important visitors. Rebecca arrived for a nice long break on Friday 10 followed by Matthew on the 15. Bit of a hairy flight for Matthew with the plane having to circle above Rodez for 40 minutes waiting for a severe storm to move away from the airport. What a lovely welcome to sunny France. It was great to have them here at the same time and we had a really good time with an excellent belated birthday meal for Matthew at the L'Oustal del Barry in Najac and an even better home cooked wild mushroom risotto on Saturday night. Obviously the good food & not so good wine did the trick and it made twisting arms to give a hand painting and moving plasterboards that much easier.

We've been able to move things along well since we got back and had we not had the staircase fiasco I think we'd now be cooking & eating in our luxury Ikea kitchen. There's one thing for certain, when Barbara gets back from the UK with her mum she won't recognise the place. She headed back to the UK on Wednesday for three weeks to do some more work with 'Country Cousins'. With her working so hard I'll have to make sure I do my bit and have all the items on my extensive to-do list crossed off and completed by the time she gets back.

UPDATE – The carpenter was as good as his word and yesterday he arrived at 8:00, took part of the stairs away to cut down to size. He returned just after lunch to fit a new step he'd made and put the staircase in place. To say I was relieved when it slotted in to place perfectly is an understatement. It looks great and although originally I wasn't going to get him to fit the bannister I think a phone call to him on Monday next week is probably a good idea. The phrase 'spoiling the ship for a hapeth of tar' springs to mind.

It's Back To The UK again.

It's been back to work with a vengeance this last two weeks and it's been a bit of a shock to the system after three months off. As I mentioned in my last posting I'd left Barbara back in the UK and headed back to Lagarrigue on Monday 23^rd March with a car & trailer full of items that are either considerably cheaper in the UK or, like Branston pickle and bath panels, difficult to source in France. The days of 'rip off Britain' certainly seem to be long gone. Prior to leaving for the UK at the end of last year we'd done some price comparison checks on the fridge, cooker & extractor fan and decided it would be cheaper to buy them in the UK, along with a trailer, and transport them back. As it turned out with the fall in value of the pound & the extremely competitive market there is in the UK for white goods we were able to buy all the items we needed for less than the fridge would have cost in France. So with all the items safely loaded on the trailer it was off to the ferry and a rendezvous with P & C on the opposite side of the English Channel. There was a moment of slight panic when security in Dover pulled me to one side and asked what I had in the trailer. It would appear there are quite a few items heading over the channel as my cargo was accepted without further comment.

We'd decided that with trailer & caravan in tow, P & C were taking their bait cabin with them, that Paris would best be avoided and so it was satnav's set for Rouen and an overnight stay. As we had the main part of our journey still ahead it was an early start, or it would have been if someone hadn't left the fridge on in the caravan. With no chance of bump starting a large 4x4 with caravan attached it fell to the satnav to locate the nearest garage. I headed off for a set of jump leads and returned in less than 10 minutes praising the wonders of satellite navigation. The convoy left the hotel 5 minutes later, coordinates set & synchronised, and headed south on the A28 toll road. All went well until the first toll plaza when the two identical satnav systems sent us off on different routes, beginning to think they're not all they are cracked up to be. The rest of the trip went well & we arrived in Najac about 18:00 and headed for the Pizzeria.

P & C are here to work on their house and all the training I had with Thierry doing our tiling came in handy as we spent the next couple of days cutting & laying floor tiles. They're now grouted and look great and well worth the effort C put in hand selecting each tile! Back at the barn and fired up with enthusiasm for tiling I finished off the last of our tiling in preparation for the return of the Regourds. They've promised to come on Friday 10^th (not a holiday here) and work on the upstairs plumbing & electrics so it's on with a little more plaster boarding in the WC & utility room. With P & C's help and more than a few thoughts of the classic Only Fools & Horses episode we also managed to fit our new chandelier and it's definitely given the room the wow factor. I'm confident that Bab's will be more than impressed when she sees it in place.

With the Regourds heading our way it was time for a visit to Ikea in Toulouse to pick up the kitchen but surprise surprise they only had one of the four units we required in stock. Disappointing but after a quick check on the internet I discovered that the items were in stock back in the UK and were £371.00 cheaper! And so it was that after only two weeks back in France I was on the road and off to experience the delights of Ikea in both Lakeside and Wembley. The plus side was that I was able to fit in an overnight stay with Matthew, have a well deserved curry in Blackheath and collect Barbara. Despite checking stock on the internet when I arrived at Lakeside, 15 minutes from Matthew's, I was told that stock on the computer didn't always match physical stock and they hadn't got one of the units and the only stock was across London at their Wembley store. Great! Three and half hours later I collected a very fed up Barbara from Dartford and headed to the tunnel only to be told our train had been cancelled and there was an hour delay. Ah well I don't suppose you can grab a bargain without any pain.

We had a great journey back to Lagarrigue and I think Barbara was happy with the work that had been done in her absence. Unfortunately the chandelier couldn't been illuminated for her arrival but it looked great and lighting it will be something to look forward to.

Three months in 532 words

Thought I better do a bit of blogging before I forgot what we've been up to these last three months. Christmas came & went very quickly & we had a great time in London with Rebecca & Matthew. We then headed back up north and spent New Year in Newcastle.

In mid January we booked a few days in the sun & jetted off to t'Egypt. We stayed at the Red Sea resort of Taba and a had very relaxing week. There's not much there, apart from sand, but the hotel was great & we met a a couple from Radcliffe. Isn't it a small world? We hadn't done much research before flying out and as my geography of the area was a bit patchy we were surprised to see how near Saudi Arabia, Jordan & Israel we were. Thankfully it was very quiet during our stay. Late February we headed off to Northamptonshire to catch up with a few of Barbara's relatives and given that we were able to book a Travelodge room for £9.00 per night we pushed the boat out and had three nights in Wellingborough, we know how to live. Unlike the couple we met in a local McDonalds who were appalled that their breakfast order had been mixed up & they'd be given a egg & bacon roll. 'We've been vegetarians for over 25 years and the very sight of any meat or animal product makes us physically sick' they complained to the young lady serving. She handled them very well, I think I'd have been tempted to ask what are you doing in McDonalds if you don't like meat.

We enjoyed the hospitality of several friends & family during our 2009 UK tour & a big thanks to you all. On a trip to Brighton, somewhere we've never been to before and thoroughly enjoyed, to see G & S we enjoyed an excellent fish & chip lunch in a restaurant that was previously home to Coutts, as in the bank, family. According to the notes on the back of the menu when 'Mr Coutts' passed away his wife inherited a substantial sum of money and was rumoured to be the wealthiest women in Europe. It would appear that banking has always been a way to make a few quid but nowadays you don't have to know what you're doing.


Well here we are (well it's just me at the minute) back in France. Barbara is still in the UK earning a few pounds & helping to keep the wolf from the door. She's currently working as a 'Country Cousin' and looking after a lady near Chester and will fly out the first week in April just in time to welcome Rebecca & Matthew for Easter. I'm back working hard and trying my best to get the barn finished so we can make the most of this summer. I'm going to try to get back into blogging (don't all groan at once) and hopefully I'll be able to keep you up to date with the ongoing drama at Lagarrigue. Thanks again to everyone for their hospitality over the last few months, we look forward to returning it.

December already?

Wow I can't believe it, it's December! The year has flown by and here we are planning our return to the UK at the end of the month. We plan to spend a couple of months back in the UK so making sure everything is weather tight is a priority and when the roof sprang a leak last week it was just another item to add to the long list of jobs that have to be completed before we hit the road. We now have one wall of the upstairs barn plaster boarded and have at long last reached the final section of the ceiling. We've also ordered the wood burning stove & are working hard to ensure the section where it's to be installed is ready by the end of next week when the roofer is calling to fit the chimney and hopefully repair the roof. It's going to be interesting to see whether we get withdrawal symptoms and need to go out and get a fix of plasterboard whilst we are in the UK.

As well as working hard we've also been partying hard over the last month. Rebecca paid us a visit in the middle of the month and we were able to enjoy a trip to Albi and a nice long relaxing and sunny weekend with her. The following weekend we were invited to attend a local ladies basketball match in nearby Lunac which was followed by tapas and a disco. Lunac is just one of many small villages in the area & like so many of them it has an excellent sports & social club. No sooner was the game over, which for the records they lost, than the social committee leapt into action and within 20 minutes the bar was open, tables & chairs had been erected, the DJ had set up and the food was on it's way. Whilst the food couldn't be described as gourmet and considering the speed at which it was prepared the standard was excellent and the dishes of whitebait, mini fish cakes & duck was well received by everyone present. Had we known what was coming at our next night out I think we both would have had a little less of the duck dish. Every year in nearby Sanvensa they have a fête to celebrate the canard and as you can see from the picture of the nights menu it features heavily in what's on offer. With over 600 people there, it was hard to believe that there were any ducks left in the region but we were informed that as every last bit of the bird is used only about 70 are sacrificed. As I've mentioned in previous posts these events tend to run on well into the following morning & this one was no exception with us finally flying home at 3:00 AM which wasn't bad considering that we didn't start eating until 10:30.

Whilst the fêtes are a good night out as I mentioned earlier the food is best described as OK, that wasn't the way I'd describe the food we had when were invited to a French neighbours home for supper. I'm still as clumsy as ever & when we sat down to eat at a table covered in antique glasses, cutlery and little crystal ribbons to rest you knife on I felt a little uncomfortable. The meal was excellent and was washed down with lots of Gaillac Primeur, the local equivalent of Beaujolais Nouveau, and the main course of paupiette, which are known locally as 'birds without heads', was delicious. When we finally have a full kitchen up & running we'll have lot of entertaining to do and given that our our host was a big Jamie Oliver fan and an even bigger fan of Nigella (although I'm not sure it was her cooking he admired) we'll have plenty of choice to show off the delights of British cooking.

Let it snow...

Snow in October? Yes it wasn't just the UK that was hit by an early snow shower last week. Here in the Averyon where the sun always shines & it never rains we had snow on the 30th of October. An unheard of occurrence according to the locals & not brought about by global warming but by the number of British in the region. We've not only brought the language here but we now inflicting our weather on the poor old French! Speaking about the language thing (no pun intended) it really is no surprise that the French are a bit twitchy about the English language. Browsing through one of the many special offer leaflets we get in the post every week it was noticeable how many of the products on offer are labelled in English. Even the latest LCD HD TV was described as being '32 inch high definition'. 32 inch? You'd be sent to prison in the UK for trying to sell something in imperial measurements.

Saturday 25th saw the last Ryanair flight of the year into Rodez & we were there to welcome it along with Matthew who had grabbed a late booking at a bargain price. The timing of his visit turned out to be perfect with both Barbara & I being able mix a little business with pleasure & I'm sure Matthew enjoyed visiting the builders merchants and being press ganged into moving some wood & helping his dad move the scaffolding along to the next stage of the barn ceiling. Yes the ceiling saga continues & yes it does seem to take a long time to do each section but having to fit the metal supports, spray the wood with anti-termite stuff, fit the insulation, fit the plasterboard, apply tape and three coats of plaster to the joints, apply two coats of paint, clean the beams finally apply two coats of varnish does take a while but we're getting there at a slow and steady pace and the finished result does look fantastic.

Sunday saw the annual chestnut festival in nearby Laguépie and what a great place to take a city boy used to the bright lights of London and show him the quieter side of life. At least he can go home knowing which mushrooms are safe to eat & how best to roast his chestnuts. Wednesday it was off to Toulouse and after a very nice lunch in one of the many restaurants above the famous Victor Hugo market Matthew headed for the airport and we headed home.

Well that's the top of the ceiling done and later this week we'll begin work on the sides of the ceiling. It was one job I wasn't looking forward to but it has gone far better than I could have dreamt and having T's scaffold has certainly made a major difference. We're also now the proud owners of a fully functioning central heating system, well at least we are on the ground floor. The system was installed last week but it was only today that we had a timer fitted. I'd asked Stephané where the room thermostat & timer were & he'd replied that these weren't standard fitments on a French central heating system & that they came as 'extras'. Thank goodness the weathers warmed up a bit & we haven't had the heating on, I hate to think what temperature the house would have reached & how much oil we'd have used. Stephané has been really busy this week finishing of the downstairs electrics & fitting the one item Barbara's been desperate for, a bath. I had told her the shower worked well but she would insist on waiting for the bath to be installed. Well done Stephané the pong was getting a little much!

Living on one floor again has meant that we only have the very basic cooking facilities & we've been living on a diet of stews, chillies & pasta. I'm not complaining of course as all these dishes, lovingly prepared between painting & sanding down, are greatly appreciated. We have, however, had one or two very special treats. P, who bought the house from us was before retirement a development chef for 'Not Just' any leading UK High Street retailer but one that I'm sure misses the talents of one of the best wine advisor's in the business and one who continues to develop his wine tasting skills on a regular basis. P has been good enough to make us a couple of curries that would put Madhur Jaffrey's efforts to shame. We're hoping for further supplies & have asked G & J to bring some papadums & mango chutney with them when they're here next week. Fingers crossed P reads this & gets the hint!

And now for something completely different!

We're on to the second section of the ceiling & things continue to go well. Barbara's currently up the scaffold applying the final layer of plaster to the joins and then tomorrow it'll be time to rub it all down & apply the first coat of paint which was specially imported from the UK at the bargain price of £14.98 for 10 litres. Not bad compared with the current 'special offer' price of €54.98 at our local DIY store. On Wednesday M. Regourd senior turned up with a representative from the supplier of our central heating system to take final measurements for the radiators etc. It's turned a little chilly at night so the good news is the boiler, fuel tank and all the other items were delivered today & will be hopefully be up & running by the weekend. The bad news is we'll have to fill the tank with oil.

With the downstairs of the barn nearing completion & the upstairs making progress we find ourselves thinking more & more about what's next. We had planned to continue with renovation projects either here or back in the UK but you may have noticed there's been a small slow down in the housing market. Looking round for alternative sources of income we've come up with the idea of house & pet sitting. It's never going to make us a fortune but hopefully it'll keep the wolf from the door & keep us out of mischief. So if you know of anyone looking for a 'Responsible married couple in their early fifties (yes I know it's hard to believe) willing to take great care of your home & pets' then give us a call. I've put a link to our web page on the 'links' section of this blog.

TV Times

Sunday 21st it's Barbara's birthday & I'm off to collect her from the airport at Carcassonne. This will be the third time I've collected her from Carcassonne & we still haven't visited the historic fortified town, there's always been a reason to head straight back to Lagarrigue and get on with some work. This time we were still heading straight back but only because we had a table booked at the 'Le Four à Pain' to celebrate Barbara's special day. As usual we had a great meal & it's such a shame that come the end of October the chef will pack his knives away & head for the south of France for the winter which sounds like a great idea, think we'll put the scrapers & trowels away & head south to.

With some help from P we've been able to make a start on the upstairs ceiling, something I've been more than a little apprehensive about. But I'm pleased to report that things went well & the first section of the ceiling has placo in place, has been taped & two coats of plaster applied to the joints. We'll finish each section, including painting, before we pull the scaffold down & re-erect it and although this takes a little time we're hoping in the long run it'll be the right way to do the job. Anyway we can now see the finished height of the living area and it's certainly going to have the 'wow factor', I just hope the 30cms of insulation we've fitted is going to be enough for the long cold winters in the Averyon. Talking about the weather, I have to mention it, it's been glorious for the last few weeks with us being able to barbecue & eat outside on the terrace a couple of times last week which is just as well as I haven't got round to setting up the dining room table. I have sorted one priority, the telly is back just in time for Strictly Come Dancing. Wouldn't want to miss that!!!!!

Thursday was the first anniversary of Barbara's French/English conversation group in Najac and a soirée had been organised for the evening. There was really good turn out & everyone had been asked to bring along some food and drink. There was a great selection including octopus & potato soup and carrot cake, a dish that really confused the French contingent. I'm sure if the French have a Peter Kay equivalent he'd have a great time with 'cake & carrots?' Needless to say the wine flowed and we all had great time and even I managed a little French conversation.

Still alive

Well at last a few spare minutes to sit down & catch up with the blog. Things have been very hectic over the last few weeks hence the lack of 'blogging'. We've really moved the barn on which is just as well as we moved in last Friday (5th September) and there was more than just a touch of déjà vu about it. We're only residing on one floor but at least this time we don't have to go upstairs and use a temporary shower, we have a lovely new en-suite bath room. We've also got a lovely terrace off our bedroom & a fantastic cave where we can store all the bits & pieces we seem to have collected over the last few months. Despite August being the month when everyone in France takes their holiday we've had Stephané Regourd working hard to get everything in place & T & I have been busy building the terrace/cave & the wood & central heating oil storage area. All we have to do now is save up enough money to fill the fuel tank!
It was great to be back in our own home, although our temporary digs weren't bad (thanks G & S) and we're both looking forward to starting work on the living area & kitchen & we had a real boost in that direction last week even though we weren't in France. We'd popped back over to the UK to see Rebecca & Matthew & whilst we were away T laid the screed on the floor upstairs. Now I've no excuse & it's time to start work on the ceiling, something I've been putting to the back of my 'to do list'. I'd hoped that while we were in the UK we'd have had time for a little R & R but when we arrived at Rebecca & Alan's they had a list of jobs to be done. Ah well, another busman's holiday but great to see them all.

My trip was back was fun. Barbara was off to spend a few days with her mum & I planned to take a leisurely journey back to Lagarrigue. I suppose with the Channel Tunnel closed I should have expected some problems & although the ferry was very busy that part of the trip went well, it was when I came to try & find a place to sleep that the problems started. I'd borrowed G's satnav for the trip back to the UK & had thought that it might have located some likely places for me to lay my weary head but after trying 14 hotels & being told they had no vacancies & by then being less than 150 kms. from home I decided I might as well head for home & arrived at just after 3:00 in the morning. Next time I'll 'book early. The satnav had worked well on the journey through France & it was only when we left the ferry at Dover that it got a little confused. 'Enter roundabout, take second exit & board ferry' were it's instructions. Perhaps it was trying to tell us something.

Well I feel more in a blogging frame of mind now & with the nights drawing in it'll give me something to do other than watch the telly.

Work, work, work

Phew what a scorching few weeks we've had and oh what fun it's been working hard in temperatures topping 36ºC. Not that I'm complaining of course 'cause we have had our fair share of rain over the last few months. We've continued to make good progress in the barn & with T's help our bedroom & ensuite and one of the other bedrooms now have lovely wall to wall floor tiles in place. As regular readers will know we've been waiting for EDF & Sogedo, the water company, to install our new meters for what seems like forever. Well last week things came to a head when the contractor we'd hired to do some hard landscaping arrived & discovered that the water main ran diagonally across our field & under the area we wanted to use for parking. He called the local Sogedo surveyor out and within 3 hours he'd arranged for the engineer to call out on Friday 1st August & re-sight the water meter. We've also started work on the terrace at the rear of the barn, hence very little time to blog.

For the first two weeks in August we've had my Aunt staying with us and I think she really enjoyed her time with us in the sunny south of France. Although there wasn't much time for sightseeing she has been able to keep a close eye on the progress in Lagarrigue and had a great time meeting the local artisans & residents. Yet more visitors last week with Rebecca, Matthew & his friend Martin here for a few days. Surprisingly it proved to be very difficult to get them motivated to give me a hand in the barn but they did have a relaxing time. I will really have to get back into 'blogging' mode next week as there's been quite a bit going on & with my memory if I don't write it down I'll forget it. I think it's an age thing.

Busy busy, Busy

Too busy last week to post the blog what with moving house, home building & a quick look at the passing Tour de France. The stage from Figeac to Toulouse took the race through VDR and despite the work load I couldn't resist watching the riders hurtle past. Monday the 14th was Bastille day so we managed a couple of hours off & visited the annual brocante in Najac which I guess on reflection was bit of a waste of time as we'd spent the last few days getting rid of rubbish & the last thing on our minds was acquiring more to replace it. Once back at the house it was out with the cleaning equipment to get the house spick & span for the new owners and move the last of our bits & bobs into Thierry's barn. We spent Monday night in our beautifully renovated French farm house & prepared ourselves for the temporary move to G & S's where we were were made very welcome it's just a pity the swimming pool isn't ready. Theirs is a large country house & we'll certainly be spoilt over the next few weeks & it will make the move back to the barn at the end of August when hopefully we'll have running water, electric & a working septic tank, pretty tough. Anyway thanks G & S for your hospitality.

Tuesday 15th July 2008 & we're at the Notaires for 10:00 and after yet more signatures we completed on the sale of the house. It was a great feeling to think all our hard work had finally brought a pay day which was only a little tainted when the Notaire's clerk said he'd send the cheque early next week. Mme. Hill was not happy and asked what interest we would make on the money & insisted that the payment be made no later than Friday but as I write this on Tuesday lunchtime it still hasn't arrived in our bank account. I wouldn't want to be there when Babs tracks down Pascal, the Notaire's clerk. The new owners, P & P, seem to have settled in well & it's a little strange looking across at the house & seeing someone else sitting on the balcony sipping their G & T's. Wednesday it's back to normal & we're back working away on the barn. With promises from the plumbers, electricians, & groundwork artisans to return next week there's a lot to do to meet their deadlines so once again a short blog.

Party time

Not much time this week to get the blog written as moving date is speeding towards us at a 100 miles per hour and we're under orders from Stephané Regourd to get all the plasterboards in place for when he returns later this week. So it's out with the placo adhesive & on with the dot & dabbing, in-between packing up all our worldly goods again. The EDF devis arrived this week & it was itemised down to the smallest detail including €207.00 for opening a file! No wonder EDF can afford to be a key sponsor of the London Olympics. I showed the devis to Stephané & Thierry and there followed a three way conversation in which Stephané attempted to explain the detail of it to Thierry in English. Thierry reminded him he was French!

We have had time for a little relaxation & on Saturday night it was an early finish & on with the glad rags & off to Thierry's 50th birthday party. Appears all the best people are 50 this year. Whether it's because they owned a hotel & restaurant for several years or it's just a French thing but the food & hospitality were great despite us eventually sitting down to eat at 10:45 (we arrived at 7:45). In all fairness there were lots of aperitifs & canapés to keep us going. As always we were made very welcome & thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks & disco although singing along to 'Viva Espana' in French was a little surreal.

EDF!!!

Another busy week with all the screed now laid, downstairs internal walls finished, the first sheets of placo in place & shower trays installed. With things moving a little faster than planned, there's always a first time for everything, Barbara had to hot foot it to VDR & collect three shower trays. It's amazing what you can get in the back of a Yaris. On Monday we'd finished off pointing the front of the barn about 6:00 & with the sun beaming down Thierry asked if we fancied a swim. There wasn't a seconds hesitation in accepting & after a quick shower to remove all the grit of the day it was off for a quick dip in a beautiful pool. The water was a very comfortable 31ºC & after a few strenuous lengths it was off for a quick aperitif. A couple of Ricards later we made to leave but were told that there was plenty of food in the house & we should stay & sample some good home French cooking but there would be no mint sauce! We tucked into a lovely mixed salad, lots of bread, a selection of pickles & what we think was a home-made pork terrine that was so delicious I had seconds which turned out to be a bit of a silly thing to do as what I hadn't realised was that this was our entrée & the ribs, chicken & potatoes that followed were the main course. With cheese and a vanilla slice style pastry for pudding we certainly came away feeling stuffed.

On Monday we had an appointment with an engineer from EDF who we wanted to move the electric meter in the barn. The only problem was that the power currently came in overhead & we knew that EDF would insist on burying the cables. Sure enough the first thing the engineer said was that the road would have to be dug up & a pipe layed to carry the new cable. I pointed out that there was already a pipe in place & they could run another cable through it. 'Non, that is not possible'. I asked Stephané Regourd, who was there working on the first fix electrics in the barn, to ask why & he said there was no point as he is French & works for a state run industry. I can't wait to receive the devis!!

The Fête season is well & truly under way and on Saturday night we were off into VDR again, this time to watch a procession of marching bands and decorated floats & watching the carnival procession pass by reminded me of those hot sunny summer days spent watching Radcliffe carnival pass by. We ate at the same restaurant as last week & although the choice on the set menu was still very limited the sea snails & prawn cocktail starter & roast beef & chips were just as tasty as last week.

Music, music, music.

It's taken a long time to come but this week we've at long last experienced some of the weather we moved to the South of France for. It's really been glorious and made working on the barn more bearable when you're not having to wade through centimetres of mud. Work has progressed at a good pace despite us having a trip to Limogues on Thursday. Philip who'd helped me out with the Lightweight was heading back to the UK to pick a car up. He'd bought a 2002 Range Rover which had been converted to LPG and he was hoping to get it back without breaking the bank. Like everywhere, the cost of fuel here has spiralled but 'GPL' is still considerably cheaper than either diesel or petrol. With the 4.0 litre engine only doing a maximum of 20 MPG Philip will be hoping it stays that way. On Friday it was back to work and with no other tradesmen due we took the opportunity to lay the screed in two bedrooms & the hall. It was great to see some of the hundreds of pipes disappear under a covering of sand & cement & taking us another step towards yet another new home.

It's been a busy week socialising with J & J our next door neighbours here from the UK with our supplies of Branston pickle & Gilly arriving back on Thursday. Saturday night we headed off to VDR to enjoy the various musical events which being held throughout the town. There was something for everyone with jazz, blues, dance, reggae & African music and watching the thousands of people wander around the town on a beautiful summers evening eating at an outdoor café made me think this is the life. Sunday we had our normal morning coffee in the bar in Najac & then headed up to Gilly's to show J & J her house. What a lovely relaxing weekend & it was just a pity that I'd be back mixing concrete on Monday morning at 6:45 am.

In front of the barn is a large tree that needs a little pruning & we'd arranged for a local artisan to call & give us a devis. After carefully surveying the tree he announced that it wouldn't be a problem and as he wouldn't want to damage it he would only be able to work on it during the winter when it had dropped it's leaves. Consequently an appointment was made for him to visit in January! Bets now being taken for whether he turns up at the allotted time.

Hacking out again!

I thought I'd finished with hacking out but I'd forgotten that I still had the front of the barn to do and with the south face now pointed there was no time to waste so it was a pleasant fathers day spent building the scaffold & wielding the hacking out pick. With that job out of the way and with the weather forecast to be wet we'll be able to concentrate on fitting the insulation & erecting the 'Siporex' walls which we're using to form an internal shell. The weather has been atrocious this last week with heavy rain & thunderstorms. On Wednesday Barbara had the misfortune to be caught delivering the coffees when the heavens opened & the ground floor of the barn began to flood. She was press ganged into picking up a bucket & heading out into the torrential rain to bale out a trench that was now allowing water to flow into the barn. She also came up with the bright idea of using the chimney cleaning rods to clear a drain that was blocked with the mortar that had been brushed off during the pointing. She stood at the end of the drain & gave the rods a hefty push and released a torrent of water which she managed to dodge. Not that it would have mattered because by this time she was soaked to the skin & thinking what the bloody hell am I doing in France. There's never a camera available when you want one.

The window fitters were out again this week and we got chatting to the boss. His wife is an English teacher in VDR & they visit the UK at least twice a year. He said he's not very confident with the language but could still remember the first English phrase he was taught at school, “my tailor is rich”. A most useful line that he often uses on his visits to Primark. We asked him what he thought of British food & he said he'd noticed a dramatic improvement during his many visits to the UK but like most French people didn't understand our liking of three delicacies. Peas, they're always very big, mint sauce with lamb & jelly, as in jelly & ice cream, with its bright unnatural colours. They don't know what they're missing & it reminded me I must put an order in for some Branston pickle & apple sauce.

On Saturday we had a phone call from the Notaire to say that all the papers for the sale of the house were now in place & that the 15th July would be the date when the sale completes & we have to move out. Looks like we're going to be very busy over the next four weeks, just hope I get time to keep posting the blogs.