Well, so much for my promise. It’s been an even longer interval between entries and i have lots of emails telling me to get a move on. So here goes-
We spent a few very difficult days spreading all the calcaire around the pool and that is done now and has been treated and covered, for over-wintering. The process did not go entirely without incident though. First I overloaded the tractor and left the bucket a bit too high. So when H got on it, it nearly tipped over and would have smashed into the van! I jumped on the other side while he lowered the bucket and everything was OK, but a near miss. I wont do that again. Then while we were spreading the calcaire, the mud was so deep and wet (like driving on porridge) that on one trip past the pool with a full load, the dumper started to sink on one side and I could see it threathening to tip itself and the load straight into the pool! There was no point me jumping on it in this instance as even I don’t weigh enough to mak a counter weight. It was the longest few seconds as H jumped off the dumper, ran round to start the digger, which was parked close by, and hook the digger bucket over the dumper to right it. After that we reverted to delivering smaller heaps of stone with the tractor. It took a little longer but was much safer and easier because the smaller heaps were easier to spread with a rake than the huge mounds the dumper had been delivering. Thank goodness that’s done.
We had intended to carry on with the gite once the pool was sorted, but the weather got cold and the old boiler that was here when we moved in was being temperamental. We bought a new boiler months ago but hadn’t got round to swapping them over. harry decided to fit the new one and at the same time, while the system was drained, to add a radiator in the kitchen and towel rail in the new bathroom. he also wanted to remove a huge old rad from ‘the pink room’ which we dont use, and maybe utilise it downstairs. The first thing was to get this 2 metre long iron rad off the wall and downstairs. Humph.easier said than done. It weighed a ton!! We could not believe how heavy it was. 3 men just about managed to get it off the wall and onto a trolley. then once it had been decided that the only way to get it downstairs was out of the window, 5 of us lifted it on to the window ledge and pushed it out with guide ropes onto 2 scaffold poles resting from the dumper bucket to the window sill. Would have worked if the scaffold pole hadn’t moved!! It made the most deafening noise when it hit the courtyard paving and how it didn’t cause any damage I do not know. But the rad broke into loads of bits and so that was the end of that. We bought a new modern type rad for the kitchen and it works very well!
Getting the new boiler to run well has really taxed harry. The central heating system here is so weird. It is 2 inch steel barrel up in the loft space with pipes running all over the show.To add anything modern to it, like copper which is the norm, takes a lot of ingenuity and hard graft. But after about 3 weeks of solid grief the bloody heating seems to be fine, apart from some air that moves around in the mornings and sounds like a train coming! But H is bleeding the air out gradually as it gets to the right places and we have actually been able to turn the boiler down because the rooms are too warm. That is a very new experience.
We have stopped working now for Christmas. Ian and Marie have come to stay, from Toronto and apart from clearing up the mess of spilt oil in the barn from removing the old boiler and extending the new picket fence upwards as a temporary measure to stop our friends dog diving into the mill steam Christmas day, we have done nothing much except plan Christmas. Tomorrow we are off to Chalais market to look for parsnips and fresh cream (not readily available in france, odd as that may sound) and then to Auchan- a shopping mall near Angouleme to get Christmas supplies. I have booked to get my hair cut while there so I will feel human again.
A few weeks ago we returned to England to join my lovely bruvver for a weekend at Sinah Warren Warners Hotel to celebrate his birthday. It was all a big suprise and was a lovely time. We spent a week visiting a few people (as many as time would allow ) and enjoyed our ‘time off’. The dogs went into kennels for the week and friends came in to feed the cats. Cracker is getting Sooooo fat he can hardly jump up onto the work surface in ‘the carbunkle’ where they are all fed- out of the dogs reach.
The dogs are still misbehaving. They disappeared for 5 hours last week They came back exhausted and nervous, they knew they had done wrong, but the trouble is you have to be pleased to see them back rather than telling them off for running off in the first place. The problem is they know there are deer in the wood next to us and they pick up the scent. I did take them through there yesterday off the leads and they were fine. It was the first time off the lead since their last ‘escape’. I would like to think they have learnt a lesson, but I don’t believe that is the case. So they stay on their leads more often than not and definately on Thursdays and Sundays which are Hunt days.
I did manage to get them luminous gilets while in england and am a lot happier walking them with them on when the hunt is about.
We have 10 people coming for Christmas dinner. Harry is in charge, 2 turkeys (they are much smaller here) and a goose. Everyone is doing something towards to meal and bringing some wine etc and it should be a hoot. Ian and Marie will of course be here, so will my sister Jill and Tony. then we have 4 very good friends and one pair of visiting parents. The dogs will have to go in the courtyard for some of the time along with Harry and Joyce’s dog Barnie ( previously featured in the pictures) hence the extended fence height.
We saw a deer in the garden today. It was hiding from the huntsmen and hopefully escaped them as it ran off. We hadn’t noticed it, unfortunately, until it bolted. The wood closest to us is a no-go area for the Hunt, so if it stayed in there it would have been safe. We all went for a long walk with the dogs this afternoon, down our lane and accross the D5 to Pereuil, our Commune. That’s were the ancient church and cemetary are and marie and I went for a look round. It was fascinating. The afternoon was gloiuos weather. Bright blue sky and a really warm sun. It is very changeable but days like today are so lovely, the countryside looks wonderful. All the crops are in and the trees are bare so you can see for miles and miles. One of our friends saw a short toed eagle in there plum tree yesterday! I have never seen one. Apparently they stop here on their way back to north Africa. We have loads of Buzzards and the very occaisional Kyte. We did have a Barn Owl but I haven’t seen it lately. The red squirrels are all busy locally, collecting nuts for the winter. I think the bats have hibernated.
I have some more pixwhich I will download now or tomorrow. Enjoy.
Have a very lovely Christmas one and all. And best wishes for 2009.
Steve x
