VINEGAR

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This week the new appliances have arrived for the cuisine. Our upstairs kitchen has now got a new fridge, dishwasher and cooker....sorted! When you buy a house you don't know how old the appliances are, and ours have been great...... until they weren't!!! Well with the manufacturers guarantee and the the back up support from the shop I feel sure we are sorted now.

There is always the fine line between repair and renew, it seems to me that sometimes by the time you have bought the part and had it fitted, you are not too far away from the price of a new machine. I think the best plan is to be able to buy the part and fit it yourself, but hey that is a skill and a time consuming operation and it was not on the syllabus for a teaching qualification!

Weeding has been big on my agenda this week, we had ten tons of gravel delivered at the beginning of the summer and I am pleased with the colour, the size of the stone and the jaunty way it lies on the drive.....but I am not pleased with the weeds. I have to confess I have a bit of an organic thing going on and I hate the use of weedkiller. I have trawled the internet for other options and the one that stood out to me was to use vinegar to put an end to the rascals. This does seem to work especially if you get a stronger vinegar (cautionary note, the stronger the vinegar the higher the acidic content, which can be harmful). I sprayed the weeds and the top leaves died, however the roots appear to stay strong and sprout forth again in abundance. It seems the only way to get rid of those mauvaises herbes is to pull them out !

I have chosen my weeding time carefully, first thing in the morning or early evening seems best, weeding is not a great job with the full force of the sun pounding down on you. One of the old family surfboards works well as a kneeler, or a sitter, and I pluck those weeds from their gravelly haven. My phone strategically placed, plays podcasts and I enter the world of Desert Island Disks or listen to the dulcet tones of some nutrition guru. My theory seems to be that to be healthy one just has to listen... not do..... just listen.

Vinegar also played a part in cleaning the terracotta floors and beams after the builders left. The new plaster used in the house inevitably had to be cleaned from nearby floors and beams. Vinegar proved to be the man for the job. A little science.... clean an alkaline with an acid... fizz...simples! Though effective it wasn't fast and I have spent many a long hour on the tiles! Thank goodness for the podcasts, my knowledge of the Juno probe and it's mission to Jupiter has now increased 100%.

Washing baskets........ and putting them out to dry.

Clean beams and chandeliers!

A local sunflower field. It's now a pleasure to go to the bins ( look closely).

A local sunflower field. It's now a pleasure to go to the bins ( look closely).

Our very own sunflower. Some of the seeds bought for the birds fell into the planting trough and this is what we got!

The Bolly field. Our view from the Bolly this week.

The Bolly field. Our view from the Bolly this week.

 

 

 

Hot, HOt, HOT.

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This does seem to be a wonderful month to be in France, for the past ten days we have had wall to wall sunshine and its been hot, Mediterranean hot. The mornings have been fresh and warm and at mid-day there has been a retreat to the inside of the farmhouse for that long two hour french lunch. Outside Jobs are crammed into the morning and the early evening. The gecko's seem to be the only creatures scurrying around at a pace, the rest of us loll by the pool and wallow under the blue, blue skies. The heat brings a serenity, a softness, a hush.

Yesterday lunchtime we went to Tournon d' Agenais, our nearest village five minutes in the car, heading north. When we arrived in the square one could hear the gentle scraping of knives and forks and whispered talk from the restaurants, it is as if the heat has held its finger to its mouth and hushed the world. In truth the peace is due to the relaxed, heady haze that the warmth evokes, nothing becomes too important and tranquility pervades.

On Monday we went to Montaigu Plage, a lake with a beach and cafe. It's in Montaigu de Quercy ( our nearest village five minutes in the car, to the south) and very accessible. It was however a bank holiday here in France and with the fantastic weather it was quite busy. Montaigu Plage is a great place for a bit of bucket and spading, swimming in the lake and getting into a pedalo. There is a easy walk around the lake and lots of trees and picnic benches to use for eating in the shade.

Back at the farmhouse the plant watering has been in full swing, I have learnt a lot this year about the plants that can cope with the hot sunshine and those that can't. More importantly I have realised that the half sun and full sun on a plant label is a very important icon, for when we have full sun here it is indeed very hot. Consequently there have been quite a few plant moves in the garden, some have involved digging up and others just moving the pot. My freesias seem happiest on the bolly where they can be indulged by the morning sun and then be in the shade as the heat of the day increases. The geraniums are sun tarts! They soak up the sun and relish the heat, so they are happy on the patio facing south all day. However hibiscus have become a real favourite. Last year I planted one in a pot but soon realised that it needed a boarder so that's where it is now and it's doing very well indeed.

A final update on the shutters, they were painted green and I think we found the right shade in the end. A picture is below and I hope you agree.

The green shutters supported (photographically) by the geraniums.

The green shutters supported (photographically) by the geraniums.

The village square, Tournon d'Agenais.

Montaigu Plage. August 2016                                                                                                                                                                Photo-  Alice Rose 

Montaigu Plage. August 2016                                                                                                                                                                 Photo - Alice Rose

 

 

 

 

Well, Well, Well.

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With the weather in our part of France due to reach 38 degrees next week we thought it would be a good time to get ourselves a plant watering system. We seem to have spent some considerable time and money buying plants this year and you would think the task of watering them was not too onerous, well it is! The problem is not so much the doing of it but the remembering to do it and before you know it wilted flowers are gasping for water from their terracotta pots.

The DIY stores carry a plethora of small bags with assorted bits of plastic all with their own particular role in the grand scheme of a watering system. Shunning the kit, which only had eighteen drippers we headed for the “choose all the bits yourself” display.  The stand carries a large diagram and we are supposed to think how simple this maccano type exercise is going to be. As the tanoy announces closure for lunch, we staggered to the tills laden with every dripper, hose and bung necessary to create our very own garden watering facility. Well time will tell but we may still be here at midnight making our wonderful time saving system!

These last few months have seen the culmination of another water project, our well. To be truthful when we bought the house we didn’t realise we had a well, it was covered over by a rampant fig and the lower shoots of the lime tree. Wells in the south west of France have a particular style, their round pill box design is topped by a sloping roof with terracotta tiles. The doors are usually wooden and the well would have served a real need on the farm in the past. Today we are on the water system and have fresh water piped to the house but the well is a no cost option for watering the garden in the summer.

Our most important priority was however to make the well safe and secure. Throughout the winter months we carefully replaced the fallen down walls, a long task cementing the stone in place. Then in the spring the blacksmith came and measured the space to make a security grill. Once it was ready he then returned to fit it. Finally in May the roof went on, thanks to Michael for all his help and advice in getting the roof done, building a wooden base and covering it with terracotta barrel tiles. The door is now on our well house and we have a belt and braces situation regarding security.

The well is an important feature in the garden and we have to now look to our pumping system in order to make the most of this resource, we would also like to put in a light to illuminate the stonework within. So something we didn't even know we had got has now become a centre piece of the garden.......well, well, well!

We had discovered the well.

Cutting back the vegetation to see the task ahead.

The blacksmith measures for the security grill.

The security grill goes in.

It's nearly finish now. The fig tree is coming back already!

Wheels

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This has been a momentous week for the car, after a long haul it has finally received its " carte gris" and will soon be able to display its French number plates... so we are very, very nearly there. Our journey to this point has been long and no doubt muddied by the need to replace the headlights ( for right hand drive roads) on our senior yet very special Mercedes.

Yesterday was the culmination of many months of pursuit. We set off in the morning to Moissac,  the financial centre for Tarn et Garonne, where we were issued with a certificate regarding any tax payable for the import. The next step was to go to Montauban, to visit the Prefecture for our department and to get the "carte gris".  Leaving Mossaic and the Sat Nav carefully loaded, we headed off on the final leg of our quest. As we reached the outer section of Montauban we discovered roads were closed, we turned... more closed roads. We realised groups of people were walking, heading for somewhere? Finally the penny dropped we had arrived amidst all the preparations for the "Tour de France" which was cycling in later that afternoon. We had to park up the car and head in on foot.

I was very impressed with Montauban and in truth I had not expected to be. The outer part, like many places, had out of town retailers but the centre was home to a warren of shopping streets opening out into a beautiful square and just the place for a coffee. There were several stages for music events and everything was gearing up for the party later that afternoon when the cyclists arrived, it was going to be an amazing event. We wanted to stay but had our own party to go to last night, however we felt that we would be better prepared next year and that we should find out the route of the "Tour de France" a little bit earlier. 

Apart from car wheels and bike wheels we have another kind of wheel in our field this week, hay wheels!! Our local farmer has cut the field and I am proud to say... and this is a new sort of pride, one I have never had before.... that our field has produced twenty one circular hay bales. I am sure you are all as impressed as I am! 

Our final circular link this week is somewhat a mystery. On Wednesday we went to the barn to find a circular pattern etched in the dust floor. My first thought was that deer had stood there though on closer inspection.. no. We wondered about water droplets but I think it must be perhaps a beetle or insect emerging, perhaps you can shine a light on it?

Not really sure what has created these circular patterns on the barn floor.

Not really sure what has created these circular patterns on the barn floor.

Twenty one bales of hay! ( well twenty, one is out of shot).

Twenty one bales of hay! ( well twenty, one is out of shot).

The seldom seen north side of the farmhouse.

The seldom seen north side of the farmhouse.

Hibiscus syriacus 'Oiseau Bleu'  This beauty is just coming into flower. 

Hibiscus syriacus 'Oiseau Bleu'  This beauty is just coming into flower.
 

The faithful pelargonium. The gardening girls potted these six weeks ago and they brighten the tiny windows in the barn. The flowers are coping well with the heat which is 29 degrees c today. (08/07/16)

The faithful pelargonium. The gardening girls potted these six weeks ago and they brighten the tiny windows in the barn. The flowers are coping well with the heat which is 29 degrees c today. (08/07/16)

Montauban. Top: ready for the race. Bottom: The square in the centre of town.

Montauban. Top: ready for the race. Bottom: The square in the centre of town.

Montaigu

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As regular blog readers will remember, we decided to name all the bedrooms and their accompanying bathrooms after local towns and villages that guests might like to visit. Chambre 1 and SDB 1 ( salle de bain) to quote the builders reference, is called Montaigu after our local town of Montaigu de Quercy.

This week was a big week and an incredibly busy one. Beds have appeared in bedrooms and the months of renovation begin to slip into the past. The farmhouse is once again taking on the look of a home as the furniture at last, finds its proper place.

In Montaigu bedroom we have decided to use dark wood furniture, it seems to complement the light oak floor. The bed has a metal frame and is king size, though with the size of the room, it would easily take two single beds. This would give us the option of a twin room or if the beds were pushed together, a super-king, thus giving an extra sumptuous sleeping space.

The light fitting was bought in Lauzerte, it's ceramic and from a place in the square called La Petite Gandillone. This shop promotes local artists and producers and has some fabulous things, definitely worth a visit.

So here are a couple of pictures of Montaigu, chambre et salle de bain, so that you can see some of the progress we have made.

Montaigu Bedroom.

Montaigu Bedroom.

Montaigu en-suite

Montaigu en-suite

Reflections

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This has been a week of early mornings, an opportunity to get into the farmhouse before it gets busy. The view from the bolly has been fleeting over recent months, usually as one marches past, there has been no time or perhaps inclination to stand and stare. This week the bolly has returned to normal, the trappings of building materials have vanished and the space is once again open and inviting. I could not help find time to catch the sun as it rose on Wednesday morning, a precious few moments of stillness and peace.

The pool guy has been a frequent visitor this week, keeping check as the "piscine" wakes from its dormant months. Its been a learning experience as the filters burst into action and the robot scouts the bottom of the pool collecting the debris. My biggest fear was that while cutting the lawn I would spray the pool with newly mown grass cuttings, something so easy to accidentally do! There was consequently a lot of backing and manoeuvring of the "autoporte" to make sure the grass cutting outlet was in the right direction. The pool heater was switched on and the temperature climbs daily. It is not an immediate thing, you can't suddenly decide you want a warm pool, it usually takes quite a few days to send all that water through the system. Yesterday it was twenty, eight more degrees and it will be perfect. 

Lighting has been the main agenda this week, sourcing approximately thirty light fittings has been a challenge. I have to confess to having a little "chandelier thing" going on, wanting to try and fit those sparkly bits of glass in every nook and cranny to reflect the light. I haven't totally succeeded, reality checked in, however one will see that the chandeliers and I have won in a few places.

We are now waiting for the new oak floors to dry. Yesterday someone came to sand and polish the floors, three times! The final and third polish, will happen this morning and then we mustn't walk on it until Monday. I leant across from the cuisine to take a picture last night and on looking at the photo I see a heart shape reflection, well I do love those floors!

Sunrise from the bolly and the pool heater doing its stuff.

The polished oak floors, one more coat to go. (Left, Montaigu bedroom. Right, Tournon)

A Loo With a View

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Lauzerte bathroom is now coming together, the bath is in its final stages of fitting and the toilet is now in place. There are two doors in Lauzerte bathroom, one to Lauzerte bedroom and one to the outside. I need you to know that this is a very private space even though the door is adjacent to the loo! The door is half glazed for light but a curtain will ensure privacy to all users. The door leads to the east lawn which is bordered by the hedge and there are no neighbours to be worried about. This is going to be a lovely space and a real asset to the adjacent bedroom.

Final plastering has been happening this week, finishing off all the little outstanding bits and pieces. The electrician has ensured the pool guy has electricity to the plant room tomorrow when he arrives to commission the pool for the summer ( so excited to have the pool up and running again). A skirting has been put down in Montaigu and Tournon bedrooms to finish off the oak floor and it looks great.

Today the gardening girls have sprung into action. They flew into Bergerac yesterday and the trusty mercedes and I dashed to meet them. An ice cream on route, a good nights sleep and they were ready for action. Today with geraniums in mind we have have been to our local grower and then onto the garden centre to look at all the plants suitable for our growing environment. Terracotta pots purchased we now have to pot up. I was so tempted by a Bougainvillea, that we had to have it.......so beautiful.

Tomorrow we start on the big clean, wish us luck.

Lauzerte bathroom.

Flowers to pot.

Flowers to pot.

Birds and Bats

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I think this week we have had more warm days than cold, infact on Wednesday the temperature seemed to hike up a good 10 degrees, the sun shone with heat and like the UK we all gave a huge sigh of relief.

On Sunday it was the flower fair in Tournon d'Agenais, a local bastide town. In the sunshine, the town square was filled with trades people selling flowers. Down the side streets there were a selection of stalls and the viewing area, from where you can survey the local landscape, had a variety of gardening ideas. The band played and the community enjoyed the festive atmosphere.

Last Thursday was a public holiday in France, it was Ascension Day. Montaigu de Quercy had a fair and from Monday great lorries arrived on the centre car park with all the different rides and entertainment for families to enjoy. I was also on that car park early last Monday morning because I had a phone call from the company delivering the pedestal for the sink in Tournon bathroom. They said their lorry was too big to come to the house and asked if I would meet them in Montaigu to receive the parcel. So there I was awaiting my rendez vous, when the fair began to arrive. Then with a flash of headlights my delivery turned up and the long awaited bathroom part was loaded into the trusty mercedes. The pedestal for the V&B sink is now safely fitted in Tournon bathroom and it looks just great.

Our wildlife advisor was with us for a few days this week and opened our eyes to even more species of birds in our garden and environment. We saw "Redstarts", "Black redstarts", "Tree creepers" and a "Whitethroat".  A "skylark" sang and hovered in the big field, protecting his nest below but best of all we have a "barn swallow" nesting in the barn. Early evening on Wednesday I managed to photograph a bat on the entrance to the bolly, usually they hide behind the open shutters. It's great to identify all these creatures that live around us and I think I should probably create a spotters book so everything can be recorded and remembered.

It's been a busy, but short week in the house, because of the holiday. The oak floor has been put down in Montaigu and Tournon bedrooms, it looks great though it is not finished, someone has to come to sand and polish the wood. The grey tiles for Lauzerte bathroom arrived at last, so the tiler has been putting them on floors and walls. The electrics and plumbing continue and we had a meeting on Wednesday to discuss what's left to do and when. I have contacted the pool guy and he is arriving next week to do the big switch on. The opening of the pool heralds the holiday season, bring it on!

Tournon Flower Festival, May 1st 2016.

The sun shines on the gîte. May 2016. 

The new oak floors. Left: Tournon. Right: Montaigu.

Bat on the bolly.

Doors and Pause

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Daniel has been back this week and has been finishing the banister on the top floor. There had to be a pause in the installation so that the plasterers could have access to all areas. Safety is now restored on our third floor as are the doors to the Grenier bedroom and toilet. Everything is just as I would wish and I can't wait to paint, not the banister of course, but the wall in the upper hall ( not the middle or lower hall, just to give you orientation).

The doors thoughtfully commissioned in the lower hall for bedroom three and four have been fitted today. They are beautiful and have been inspired by the rustic kitchen door which I think is probably made of pine, the new doors have been made in oak. However once fitted they have been removed so that they will not be effected by the plaster drying. I believe the moisture in the air can swell the wood, so I'm happy they have been safely tucked away.

The shutters for the new window in Tournon bedroom have also been fitted, they will have to be removed again in order for them to be painted to match the rest of the shutters, they wait patiently in the workshop for their turn to be rehung and have their moment or in fact lifetime , in the sun. The painting of the shutters took an unexpected turn, having spent a long time thinking about what colour they would be, I learnt that I should be thinking more about what paint I should use. Our local DIY stores stock the very thing with UV protection stirred in. The shade of green has become less important because funnily enough the one they supply tones with the local stone!

I had to go to Pole Verte today, to be honest I go most days and am well known! Pole Verte is our local DIY store, a sort of mini B&Q. It's where I practice a lot of my french, they are all so patient there, hence the reason that I think I now speak "renovation french".  I had to collect our strimmer which had broken and thankfully they are a Stihl dealer with a repair facility. I was so impressed with my explanation ( pre prepared vocab of course) as I explained how it had been in the trailer behind the autoportee when it had got caught around a tree, result...... banana strimmer! It's all been repaired and ready to use and thank goodness as the grass seems to grow as you watch it. We have had rain here at the beginning of the week but I think the warmth in the sun over the last few days, is really helping everything to grow, no pause there then!

Top pictures: Shutters closed, shutters open. Bottom Picture: The old pine door on the left is the inspiration for the new doors on the right.

 

 

 

 

The Home Straight

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Everything has suddenly started to grow and it seems that we bought the mower just in time. The whole environment around the farmhouse seems to have changed in seven days. The early blossom is giving way to crisp, bright green leaves. The white flowers of cow parsley fill the spinny and we see the odd sprinkling of yellow oil seed rape, that has blown in. There are fields locally of this strong yellow flower, it seems so bright after the dullness of the winter stage. The views from the farmhouse are changing and the house in the distance is disappearing behind the oak trees, their crowns filling out for the summer. This new scene feels warm and comforting.

In the house its been "get plastered week" well so to speak! The plasterer has been re-plastering and repairing all the walls and ceilings as a result of the sandblasting and rewiring. Some of the window alcoves have been repointed and with new plaster too, they look really smart. The back of the fire place that was sandblasted to get rid of all the tar has been repointed. The plaster and cement had no time to dry before I was in there snapping away with the camera and recording the progress. There has been a lot of work in the stairwell, as the evidence of the old staircase is obliterated from the walls, this is such a skilled job. We have been really pleased with the new plaster on the bolly, the wall had to be skimmed to conceal where the door to the laundry had once been, and now....it never existed.

The sinks, baths and toilets are going in along with taps, showers and screens as the "salle de bains" begin to take shape. Lauzerte bathroom will be the last to be completed as we wait for the tiles to arrive. The bath sits proudly at the top of the drive, opened today for accurate measurement, it will be moved as soon as the tiles are down. All the taps and shower paraphernalia are going into this bathroom today so it wont be too long before its ready.

I think we are on the home straight now with the building renovation, things are coming together. A couple more weeks and the builders will be gone.

The bath for Lauzerte bathroom. The edge is straight, it's the protector that's slipped.

On the Bolly.....the laundry door never existed!

Plastered and pointed. Tournon bedroom.

 

 

 

WOOD

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Talking to Daniel this week I found myself stroking a staircase, never happened in my life before, I want you all to know that this is not a regular thing for me. However you too would want to stoke our new staircase, it is palpable and tactile. The words "Arts and Crafts" come to mind because this has been made just for the farmhouse, out of oak. Benjamin our project manager introduced us to Daniel, who is a "menuisier" or a joiner, I'd call him an artist too. He made all the components in his workshop and then brought them to the farmhouse and with an assistant he has built our staircase over the course of a week. The staircase traverses three floors and it is just right.

When we first viewed the farmhouse the stairwell was rather dark. Some very black, ancient oak, open tread, stairs led down to the ground floor. They rested upon blocks of cut stone that provided the last three steps. These solid pieces of rock hung around for quite a while at the early stages if the renovation, the truth was that they couldn't be removed from the house, they were so heavy. Finally a few rugby playing roofers managed to lift them to a spot just outside the door on the patio, and that is were they still are for the time being.  When we looked around the house prior to buying, an Eisteddfod chair stood at the bottom of the stairs, proof that a welsh family lived here. We just loved the ancient steps, which once, I am sure, would have taken the farmer to his living quarters on the ground floor. I guess the downstairs would have been cooler in the hot summer months.  We have kept the old stairs and hope they will re-appear elsewhere on the farmstead at some point.  The stairs up to the loft  room were more modern and closed in, but they still needed to go. So as we modernise and prepare the farmhouse for the next phase of its life, we greet this new staircase with awe and wonder and in appreciation of one mans craft.

On the east elevation, a window frame has been put into the window, it was made to match the other one and will now have to be painted. It does seem a shame to paint it because it looks as if it could equally be stained but then it wouldn't match the other one! It's good that the room is now water-tight, with the stairs in, the oak floor can go down. Its all been about getting the levels right. There are old oak floors in existence and we thought long and hard before deciding to cover them. The problem was that they were not level and when I say not level I mean by a good eight inches from one side of the room to the other. Chairs would slide and there was an uphill walk to the bathroom at night. Crevasses and joins between the boards meant that cleaning was a challenge so the decision to replace was made.

We do have a small wood at the Farmhouse and it is mainly filled with oak trees, an important resource in days gone by and still needed today with all of the wood burning stoves that we have, (regular readers, can you remember the french word for wood burning stove?)  We have not as yet even attempted to manage the wood, it's a job that's well towards the end of the list.

FINAL FACT

It is very appropriate that oak is coming into the house as oak trees are in abundance in this area. Infact the ancient reigon of Quercy, where the farmhouse is, is actually named after the latin name for oak-which is quercus robur.

Top left: stairs in waiting. Top right: down to the first floor. Bottom: the new window frame

TALKING TOOLS

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“Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.”
— Thomas Carlyle (1795 - 1881)

This week we purchased the most exciting tool we have ever owned..... a sit upon lawn mower. What an exciting day it turned out to be. The mower was delivered to the house and we spent an hour being given instruction as to how to use it. The land was surveyed as to the suitability for the mower and at one point I thought it would be taken away, the whole process was akin to adopting a pet!

More than that.....so much more, we bought a trailer too for the aforesaid mower. We now have no reason to walk around the farmstead any more. The wood for the fire is collected from the barn... in the trailer, gardening tools are delivered to the gardening spot..... in the trailer and of course the first cutting of the grass.... means cuttings are collected in the trailer. We are in love!

The playing field looks amazing. Steve ( grounds maintenance team) spent a long time in the autumn preparing the playing field and we all agreed this year that if we were to keep up the standard we needed to purchase the right tool , an " autoportée" is that tool! We have thought about making it a tourist attraction, " ride a lawn mower vacations" or "Autoportée holidays are us", probably not, but whatever the reason, it is the tool we need.

Yesterday the stone bath was delivered for Lauzerte bathroom and thank goodness a pallet lifter was available to get that off the lorry and up the drive. The bath weighs 140 kg and it now just remains to get it lifted into the bathroom. The right tool can be anything from a pallet lifter to a paint brush and I was happily occupied for half an hour this week cleaning out the drip bowl at the back of the fridge with said paint brush. It was the right tool.

The Farmhouse and its outbuildings, belonged to a working farm in the past so there are tools on site from its previous life. On the north lawn there is an old plough. You will notice that I do not use the words, quaint, historic, beautiful or any other word that implies my liking of this implement. It stands and has stood there for many years as a front lawn decoration. We have inherited plenty of agricultural ploughs (or whatever they are) and we could make the most amazing agricultural display on our front lawn, but do we want to? On the way to Toulouse airport we pass a house that has about six farm implements on their front lawn, beautifully decorated in the summer with hydrangeas. I have seen others painted in a variety of colours, adorning entrances. Some feel that this old machinery has charm and is perhaps symbolic of the old times. However I am not sure that a rusty piece of metal is the first thing I want people to see when they arrive at the farmhouse. What do you think?

 

 

PHOTO TUESDAY

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Spring has sprung and there is no doubt about it, the wildlife is beginning to be more active. Something waddled its way down the drive this week, I could only see it from behind and I think it was a badger, a lot browner that I would have expected. I toyed with the idea that it was wild boar but the walk was wrong!

While digging in the garden on Sunday a red admiral butterfly came to visit and I was delighted to see "bird in photo" round by the gite yesterday, could it be a woodpecker? It had a real plume on the back of it's head, I think it was enjoying all the fire beetles. Can anyone help me with a name?  

Thank you for your responses, it seems that the bird is a Hoopoe.

Red Admiral 03/04/16

Red Admiral 03/04/16

Hoopoe 04/04/16

Hoopoe  04/04/16  Sorry image isn't great, grabbed the nearest camera (phone) and took picture through the window.

A second phase of blossom. Some of the trees in the orchard have already blossomed and now have green leaves.

ON THE TILES

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The pressure was on last week to choose the tiles for the bathrooms. It always seems to come to a rush ending! You spend weeks and weeks perusing Pinterest and Houzz, gazing at bathroom after bathroom in order to formulate your own plan then "bam" the tiles need to be ordered and you are under pressure.

This past week I have had two new best friends, well they must be my new "amis" why else would I spend so much time with them? The reality is they are the assistants in the tile shop in Villeneuve sur Lot. It is true that the tile shop is extensive, tiles of every shade of cream, white and grey imaginable. There are all the different sizes of tile you could want and every texture too. What is a girl to do with so much choice!  I sumised that I had been in that shop for a good five hours though not all on the same day. I did achieve a two and a half hour stretch that led me to my final choices, along with several calls to the project manager checking suitability and with a bit of wrangling over availability......choices done!

The tiler is now here and those very same tiles carefully chosen with love and care are going on the floors and walls. It has been no mean feat to organise five bathrooms ...and all at the same time. I think just as one has a good house wine (does one???) then one should also have a good house tile. Our house tile seems to be travertine, the travertine is going on all bathroom floors except Lauzerte. We want Lauzerte bathroom to have a more urban look so we have gone for a grey colour. The tiles in this bathroom have a matt appearance, really important as this is partly a wet room.

Over the last few days a Kubota digger has been busy channeling trenches to the septic tank to connect the new bathroom and ditches have been dug to conceal pipes on the east lawn. I'm just glad that it's the start of the grass growing season, so it will quickly recover. The drive and parts of the lawn have been filled with vans and trucks, as the different trades arrive. The men stop for their lunch hour and can be seen sat around the table, partly in and partly out of the pool house. They are enjoying a little peace and quiet in the spring sunshine without the sound of drills and hammers. Its good to see and reminds me that it wont be too long before the pool cover will be rolled back and we too will be enjoying sitting by the pool. Roll on May!

Top right and left: Montaigu and Tournon ensuites.  Bottom left.: the fireplace gets the travertine experience. Bottom right: cream wall tiles.

PHOTO TUESDAY

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This weeks Tuesday photos are from Penne-d'Agenais. This pretty town is about 25 minutes drive from the Farmhouse and well worth a visit. There are quaint streets and fantastic views of the surrounding countryside.

Penne d'Agenais 28 March 2016.

Penne d'Agenais 28 March 2016.

Penne d'Agenais 28 March 2016.

Board!

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For a couple of weeks, on the face of it, there seems to have been less progress at The Farmhouse. I know however that this isn't true, for lots has been happening behind the scenes. You don't see the miles ( I feel sure this can't be an exaggeration) of electric wire that is now hidden between the Quercy stone walls and the additional holes in the floors and walls don't seem to count, or even be noticed anymore.  I suppose there have not been any "Tah Dah" moments, like for example, when the the window went into Tournon bedroom, that was a real wow!

The electrician is part of the scenery now, he arrives every morning and we exchange pleasantries. I know he is busy as the radio plays softly from the window of the room where he is working. The plumber and his mate have created a network of routes around the house, this can't have been easy as the internal walls are at least two feet thick. Pipe work is increasing between the metal frame structures in the bathrooms and red and blue pipes weave their way to .........I don't know where.

But now the plasterers are back and huge sheets of board arrive daily up onto the bolly.  All the metal frames that went in a few weeks back have suddenly come into their own, as they support and create form to our ceilings and walls. The bathrooms are starting to be filled in with marine board, a more waterproof sheeting (I know this because its green). The walls of the en-suite in Beauville bedroom have been created, the door is on too, but still no loo. 

There are two kitchens at the farmhouse. The one on the ground floor is called "The Summer Kitchen" and from this room there is a door onto the patio for summer dining. The kitchen on the first floor is called "The Cuisine". We use this kitchen all year round, it leads out onto the bolly, where you can happily sit and take in the views while having breakfast. The cuisine now looks very different, this is a large room and the ceiling was quite dark. The oak beams had a black patina and in-between those beams the dark wood floor of the space above. The overall effect was .....dark. Now the beams have been sandblasted to reveal a lighter oak and with the white plasterboard in-between, the space is so much lighter and brighter, this could be a "Ta Dah" moment I think.

Before and after, the ceiling in the cuisine.

The door to the salon from the cuisine.

Another view of the cuisine. The window faces south and from this window you can see the swimming pool.