I've been a bit quiet of late mainly because I am once again in the UK getting a bit of extra dosh and I felt a bit sulky about it to be honest but I've got over myself now. It's lucky that I can do it and that I have a brother who will pick me up at the airport and put me up in his spare room for the price of a couple of bars of French chocolate with raspberry bits in.
TS is at home looking after the gang, working and doing DIY on our house in my absence. I'm in two minds on this one. Half glad that I don't have to do it and half wanting to stick my oar in because I just can't bear not to be in charge. Actually I'm at least seven eighths glad that I don't have to do it and I can offer reams of advice and guidance by e-mail anyway.
To make sure I can play my part properly on my return I have been studying Extreme Makeover. Honestly that's the only reason. I don't really want to spend hours vegging out in front of the telly eating Martin's ice cream and crying buckets over all those tales of hardship while TS does all the work. I just want to do my bit. So whatever the house looks like I will jump up and down, scream and cry and shout Oh My God.
Come to think of it that will be fine either way won't it?
Just need to look up the French for bus driver move that bus and I'm sorted
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Monday, 18 August 2008
It's all gone quiet over here
I've not been feeling right chatty of late or internetty really. I've had a stash of novels non of which were stunning but I felt like burying myself in them anyway.
So whats been going on?
Well we've finally got the floor varnished downstairs in our house, the main job that we moved out to do. A little moment of sadness there as we discovered paw prints made by Mimo behind the kitchen shelves the time she got covered in green Hammerite. I've varnished over them so they will always be there now.
I've half painted the shutters, a rather nice shade of lavender I feel. Just as well. A stage of the Tour de Limousin will starting more or less outside our house next week. It wouldn't do to have scruffy shutters now would it and be lowering the tone.
It's been raining lots so a whole bucket of tomatoes have gone on the compost due to being blighted. But my carrots are huge and sweet and carroty and the pumpkins are looking prrrretty damn good (that's them hexed now).
Next big job is putting in the stairs leading up to the attic. We need some big strong men for that as we've been given a solid oak staircase and it weighs a ton. So if you're passing . . .
Petula Gordino is roosting with the rest of the Dinnerladies rather than going off on her own and is finally part of the gang. Now that they can roam at will with no neighbours to annoy they have turned their attention to the one place we don't want them which is in the house. We seem to be constantly shooing them away from the kitchen door. Perhaps they just want to be with us. It seems that wherever we go to up here we have 5 chickens, a cockerel, two kittens and the dog following along behind
It's like a budget production odf the Pied Piper.
Anyway me, the Dinnerladies, Stan, Eddie, Ernie and Sissy are off to get the washing in now
So whats been going on?
Well we've finally got the floor varnished downstairs in our house, the main job that we moved out to do. A little moment of sadness there as we discovered paw prints made by Mimo behind the kitchen shelves the time she got covered in green Hammerite. I've varnished over them so they will always be there now.
I've half painted the shutters, a rather nice shade of lavender I feel. Just as well. A stage of the Tour de Limousin will starting more or less outside our house next week. It wouldn't do to have scruffy shutters now would it and be lowering the tone.
It's been raining lots so a whole bucket of tomatoes have gone on the compost due to being blighted. But my carrots are huge and sweet and carroty and the pumpkins are looking prrrretty damn good (that's them hexed now).
Next big job is putting in the stairs leading up to the attic. We need some big strong men for that as we've been given a solid oak staircase and it weighs a ton. So if you're passing . . .
Petula Gordino is roosting with the rest of the Dinnerladies rather than going off on her own and is finally part of the gang. Now that they can roam at will with no neighbours to annoy they have turned their attention to the one place we don't want them which is in the house. We seem to be constantly shooing them away from the kitchen door. Perhaps they just want to be with us. It seems that wherever we go to up here we have 5 chickens, a cockerel, two kittens and the dog following along behind
It's like a budget production odf the Pied Piper.
Anyway me, the Dinnerladies, Stan, Eddie, Ernie and Sissy are off to get the washing in now
Saturday, 6 October 2007
We Know a Song About This
I am supposed to be working right now but this has really tickled me so I just had to share it.
If only I'd seen it months ago the house could of been finished!
If only I'd seen it months ago the house could of been finished!
Monday, 23 July 2007
I have discovered purest white
It's a rubbish day today and I'm wasting it by looking round the Internet and blogging, alternatively I'm just chilling out.
It's raining (again) outside and it's generally too damp to do my main inside job of the moment which is painting stuff white so it looks like we've done more to the house than we have.
This (painting things white) is strange as for many years I have hated white paint. I like colours. White is cold and casts cold shadows but suddenly I find I quite like it. You don't have to match colour schemes, it looks clean, it's the cheapest colour to buy. Hurrah for white paint.
There could be a number of reasons for this change of heart
a) We can only afford white paint
b) I'm turning into my Dad ("what you want is nice white paintwork")
c) I've got a life
d) I'm a lazy cow
Or a little bit of all four except really I think it's my brother that's turning into my dad or at least I hope so.
I was going somewhere with all this I think I was going to explain how I no longer care that much about having a "perfect" house and buying all the stuff to go with it that will make my life complete. I am turning my back on the consumer society.
But I've got the attention span of a goldfish today probably all that internet browsing and anyway the shops will be open soon.
It's raining (again) outside and it's generally too damp to do my main inside job of the moment which is painting stuff white so it looks like we've done more to the house than we have.
This (painting things white) is strange as for many years I have hated white paint. I like colours. White is cold and casts cold shadows but suddenly I find I quite like it. You don't have to match colour schemes, it looks clean, it's the cheapest colour to buy. Hurrah for white paint.
There could be a number of reasons for this change of heart
a) We can only afford white paint
b) I'm turning into my Dad ("what you want is nice white paintwork")
c) I've got a life
d) I'm a lazy cow
Or a little bit of all four except really I think it's my brother that's turning into my dad or at least I hope so.
I was going somewhere with all this I think I was going to explain how I no longer care that much about having a "perfect" house and buying all the stuff to go with it that will make my life complete. I am turning my back on the consumer society.
But I've got the attention span of a goldfish today probably all that internet browsing and anyway the shops will be open soon.
Friday, 20 July 2007
Homework and Working on the Home
Hedgewizard asked for a review of How to Store Your Garden Produce by Piers Warren and I thought OK why not, but then it felt a bit like a homework assignment and I worried about my grade. So I'll just tell you about it and leave reviews to reviewers.
It's not one of those coffee table books that have you drooling over luscious pictures of chutney taken in a designer farmhouse kitchen.
It's a small paperback about 100 pages illustrated with fairly simple cartoons and it's in two parts.
Part One is an overview of preserving methods. What I like about this part is that things are reduced to their most basic principles eg jam requires 60% sugar by weight to inhibit the growth of bacteria. This gets me past the confusion as to what I'm doing for flavour and what is actually preserving the food and also past the wondering where to get various exotic ingredients and what you call them in French.
Part Two is an alphabetical list of commonly gown fruit and vegetables along with the best ways to store each one and where applicable a recipe for wine, jam etc for that fruit or vegetable.
So there you have it. Whether it would contain enough new information for someone well versed in all this stuff I don't know, but when you compare the £4.95 price tag to say the cost of a magazine it seems a reasonable price to pay to have all the information in one place.
One of the major problems we had in our preserving efforts was our cheap crappy LPG cooker and the things that hold the pans above the gas flame (as we call them in the trade) collapsing under the weight of large pans. All in all it's not very satisfactory.
Now we have a solution or we will have tomorrow for we have aquired a Rayburn (second hand at a v reasonable price). We used to have one on our narrowboat and it was an absolute treasure. It cooked our food, kept us warm, heated the water and even I couldn't break it. It did give the boat a slight list but that was a small price to pay. The big price was paid to get it on the boat. That took four men over an hour and was decidedly hairy at times.
I'm just glad I won't be involved in moving the Rayburn tomorrow. Now that's definetely a Tech Support job.
It's not one of those coffee table books that have you drooling over luscious pictures of chutney taken in a designer farmhouse kitchen.
It's a small paperback about 100 pages illustrated with fairly simple cartoons and it's in two parts.
Part One is an overview of preserving methods. What I like about this part is that things are reduced to their most basic principles eg jam requires 60% sugar by weight to inhibit the growth of bacteria. This gets me past the confusion as to what I'm doing for flavour and what is actually preserving the food and also past the wondering where to get various exotic ingredients and what you call them in French.
Part Two is an alphabetical list of commonly gown fruit and vegetables along with the best ways to store each one and where applicable a recipe for wine, jam etc for that fruit or vegetable.
So there you have it. Whether it would contain enough new information for someone well versed in all this stuff I don't know, but when you compare the £4.95 price tag to say the cost of a magazine it seems a reasonable price to pay to have all the information in one place.
One of the major problems we had in our preserving efforts was our cheap crappy LPG cooker and the things that hold the pans above the gas flame (as we call them in the trade) collapsing under the weight of large pans. All in all it's not very satisfactory.
Now we have a solution or we will have tomorrow for we have aquired a Rayburn (second hand at a v reasonable price). We used to have one on our narrowboat and it was an absolute treasure. It cooked our food, kept us warm, heated the water and even I couldn't break it. It did give the boat a slight list but that was a small price to pay. The big price was paid to get it on the boat. That took four men over an hour and was decidedly hairy at times.
I'm just glad I won't be involved in moving the Rayburn tomorrow. Now that's definetely a Tech Support job.
Monday, 11 June 2007
Stuff I have to buy so I don't have to buy stuff
Now that we are getting potatoes from the garden my thoughts naturally turn to storing and processing the bounty of produce to come. So of course I will make jams and chutneys and bottled fruits and tomatoes and store dried beans. I will freeze peas and green beans and fruits. I will dry walnuts and hazelnuts and chestnuts and make things with them that I have drooled over on the internet. There will be cider and homemade beer and wine.
All this marvellous food and drink for free!
No it bloody well isn’t.
For I shall have to buy big pans for making jams and chutneys even if I do without thermometers and funnels and tongs for lifting jars out of water and cherry stoners and apple corers and sieves, I shall have to buy jars. I shall have to buy storage tins for storing dried food. I shall have to buy a freezer to freeze food. I shall have to buy baking accoutrements like tins and rolling pins and pastry brushes and weighing scales. Brewing supplies like buckets and demi-johns and bottles and caps.
All this is before I start buying food to add to the food, things like sugar and vinegar, spices, flour, baking powder, yeast.
Admittedly much of the stuff is “an investment” and will be used many times. But it could all go horribly wrong and I will have all the possessions but no food. I could buy a lot of jars of jam, frozen peas, tins of tomatoes and sticky buns for that money all made by experts in their field, and have change for a recliner, parasol and a good book.
So at the end of the day I can’t produce food cheaper than I can buy it. All things considered. Unless I consider food miles, freshness, quality of life, job satisfaction and all the worthy green stuff, but I just wanted to moan about all the stuff that has to be bought so I won’t go into all that. I'd only be leaning on an open door or boring or both.
All this marvellous food and drink for free!
No it bloody well isn’t.
For I shall have to buy big pans for making jams and chutneys even if I do without thermometers and funnels and tongs for lifting jars out of water and cherry stoners and apple corers and sieves, I shall have to buy jars. I shall have to buy storage tins for storing dried food. I shall have to buy a freezer to freeze food. I shall have to buy baking accoutrements like tins and rolling pins and pastry brushes and weighing scales. Brewing supplies like buckets and demi-johns and bottles and caps.
All this is before I start buying food to add to the food, things like sugar and vinegar, spices, flour, baking powder, yeast.
Admittedly much of the stuff is “an investment” and will be used many times. But it could all go horribly wrong and I will have all the possessions but no food. I could buy a lot of jars of jam, frozen peas, tins of tomatoes and sticky buns for that money all made by experts in their field, and have change for a recliner, parasol and a good book.
So at the end of the day I can’t produce food cheaper than I can buy it. All things considered. Unless I consider food miles, freshness, quality of life, job satisfaction and all the worthy green stuff, but I just wanted to moan about all the stuff that has to be bought so I won’t go into all that. I'd only be leaning on an open door or boring or both.
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Rainy Days and Mondays
UK and France it's just the same. Bank holiday Monday and it siled down all day. This is the third rainy bank holiday in a row between days where the temperature has got up as high as 28 degrees. Go figure.
It's a phenomenon I may have to add to the Olde Breezy Breake Almanac "If the shoppes be shutte rain will fill your butte". Has quite a ring I think.
I used to like rain as an excuse to curl up with a book and do nothing at all. Now rain means I have to work in the house on DIY stuff instead of being out in the garden talking to the chickens and weeding, urrhumph. So I'm torn.
We have our "crops" out in the garden a couple of dry hot sunny days and we're looking at the sky for clouds to save the hauling up of water from the well and trudging about with watering cans but it means breaking out the toolkit and doing real work.
What the world needs is sunny days and rainy nights everyone says so. Someone ought to sort it out.
It's a phenomenon I may have to add to the Olde Breezy Breake Almanac "If the shoppes be shutte rain will fill your butte". Has quite a ring I think.
I used to like rain as an excuse to curl up with a book and do nothing at all. Now rain means I have to work in the house on DIY stuff instead of being out in the garden talking to the chickens and weeding, urrhumph. So I'm torn.
We have our "crops" out in the garden a couple of dry hot sunny days and we're looking at the sky for clouds to save the hauling up of water from the well and trudging about with watering cans but it means breaking out the toolkit and doing real work.
What the world needs is sunny days and rainy nights everyone says so. Someone ought to sort it out.
Sunday, 20 May 2007
Sometimes You Should Buy Things - Self Sufficient or Not
Bob has been and done some electrical work today.
Ha ha we have hot water that comes out of our taps. Unfortunately it doesn't come out of the shower boo hiss.
Ha ha we have lightbulb holders and switches upstairs (no light though, you need bulbs and we didn't think to buy any). But it's another giant leap forward in the facilities here at Chateau La Pants.
We now have
A toilet that flushes and doesn't bite your bum
Walls around bathroom (but you can't shut the door completely because we forgot doorknobs)
HOT and cold water upstairs and down
Half the wall that is a kitchen done
A satisfactory end to a day that started with a most traumatic incident.
We were bustling about getting ready for the arrival of Bob. Tech Support had taken the dogs out I was drugging the cat when I glanced down at my left bosom. A speck of dirt. I brushed at it. It didn't go away. I brushed harder. It still didn't go away. It was attached. My heart started pounding. Surely not I thought, please no.
I asked Tech Support to check my bosom when he got back. He was surprised but happy to oblige. He confirmed my suspicions A TICK A TICK ATTACHED TO ME uuuuuurghh just doesn't describe it. Even uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurgh doesn't do it justice.
Luckily we were able to borrow a tick removing thingy from next door but one. The very type of tick removing thingy that I have been meaning to buy since I got here. Thinking of the dogs not me. We didn't have any antiseptic so a dab of Jack Daniels had to surfice.
The shopping list for tomorrow is
Bulbs
Doorknobs
Tick Removing Thingy
Anitseptic
I wonder if they do Frontline for people.
Ha ha we have hot water that comes out of our taps. Unfortunately it doesn't come out of the shower boo hiss.
Ha ha we have lightbulb holders and switches upstairs (no light though, you need bulbs and we didn't think to buy any). But it's another giant leap forward in the facilities here at Chateau La Pants.
We now have
A toilet that flushes and doesn't bite your bum
Walls around bathroom (but you can't shut the door completely because we forgot doorknobs)
HOT and cold water upstairs and down
Half the wall that is a kitchen done
A satisfactory end to a day that started with a most traumatic incident.
We were bustling about getting ready for the arrival of Bob. Tech Support had taken the dogs out I was drugging the cat when I glanced down at my left bosom. A speck of dirt. I brushed at it. It didn't go away. I brushed harder. It still didn't go away. It was attached. My heart started pounding. Surely not I thought, please no.
I asked Tech Support to check my bosom when he got back. He was surprised but happy to oblige. He confirmed my suspicions A TICK A TICK ATTACHED TO ME uuuuuurghh just doesn't describe it. Even uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurgh doesn't do it justice.
Luckily we were able to borrow a tick removing thingy from next door but one. The very type of tick removing thingy that I have been meaning to buy since I got here. Thinking of the dogs not me. We didn't have any antiseptic so a dab of Jack Daniels had to surfice.
The shopping list for tomorrow is
Bulbs
Doorknobs
Tick Removing Thingy
Anitseptic
I wonder if they do Frontline for people.
Thursday, 17 May 2007
Pees Please
At last we have walls around the bathroom so not only do I now have a pot to pee in but I can pee in it in peace. The luxury is overwhelming. Hot water at the weekend. Bloody hell life is good!
I have been on slug patrol this evening. All our slugs are reddy orange so at least they are easy to spot. I can't bear to touch them so I wonder round the garden with a plastic pot and an oversized dining fork collecting them up (no I don't spear them just sort of manouver them into the pot). Then, since I can't bear to kill them either I relocate them to the woods. Strangely I have no qualms about feeding them to the Dinnerladies but they won't eat them even though they promise to when they are lined up at the wire saying "What you doing? Give us some". They just stab at them a bit then spend ages going "Yuk slimey slugs" and wiping their beaks. (well they do in my world thank you very much ).
Some stuff in the garden is doing really well. You could string a hammock between the spuds , honest. Other suff, well it's crap and just not trying like the leeks or it didn't bother to grow at all. Yes kidney beans I mean you. So tomorrow I am going to start some more stuff off. In pots because I can not distinguish between weeds and veg yet and I'm sick of having myself on that there is a row of food there and not a general blotch of weed seedlings.
I love gardening.
I have been on slug patrol this evening. All our slugs are reddy orange so at least they are easy to spot. I can't bear to touch them so I wonder round the garden with a plastic pot and an oversized dining fork collecting them up (no I don't spear them just sort of manouver them into the pot). Then, since I can't bear to kill them either I relocate them to the woods. Strangely I have no qualms about feeding them to the Dinnerladies but they won't eat them even though they promise to when they are lined up at the wire saying "What you doing? Give us some". They just stab at them a bit then spend ages going "Yuk slimey slugs" and wiping their beaks. (well they do in my world thank you very much ).
Some stuff in the garden is doing really well. You could string a hammock between the spuds , honest. Other suff, well it's crap and just not trying like the leeks or it didn't bother to grow at all. Yes kidney beans I mean you. So tomorrow I am going to start some more stuff off. In pots because I can not distinguish between weeds and veg yet and I'm sick of having myself on that there is a row of food there and not a general blotch of weed seedlings.
I love gardening.
Sunday, 13 May 2007
Flash Bang What a Picture
Oh I've started something now mentioning Carry On films he's turning the house even more upside down looking for his DVD of Carry On Up the Khyber. He'll be shouting "Strawberry Mousse" next.
Today started much earlier than we'd planned with a huge clap of thunder. Within moments we were joined in bed by a quivering dog and slightly later by a cat who was acting fairly nonchalant but thought he'd make sure we were OK.
Little Borg has perked up a lot so we tempted him out for a walk in the garden. The old beams at the side of the path are perfect when he wants to sharpen his claws, he huffs and puffs between each session like he's run a marathon though.
In between putting up the stud work for the walls upstairs (yes we now have a framework with doors in!) Tech Support finally got his scarce swallowtail on the rhododendron picture.
All in all a pretty good day but it looks like ending on the same note it began our canine thunder detector is looking decidedly nervous.
Friday, 11 May 2007
Chateau La Pants
Yesterday our friend sent us some pictures that really cheered us up.No it wasn't puppies and kittens doing cute stuff. It was pictures of her house looking like what it is at the moment, a building site.
So I thought I would post some candid shots of our bathroom to be and our kitchen/dining/living room to be.
To cheer up anyone else who thinks they're the only ones living like that.Having said and done all that it actually looks better in the pictures than in real life so if you're thinking "Oh my god how can they live like that?" I'm sorry but it's worse than you can imagine. But it only bothers us intermittently, certainly not enough for us to really crack on with stuff. You'll notice we missed our deadline on the bathroom walls but tomorrow quite possibly they will be done
.I apologise for the title of this post but it has made Tech Support laugh for the last two years now and he insisted.
It's back on the pills for him tomorrow.
Wednesday, 9 May 2007
Cool Cats Drugs and Chicks
We took Borg back to the vets today for his check up. This weekend we had been worried about him as he couldn't find a comfortable position to sleep and he looked really depressed.
However over the last couple of days he has managed to sleep and has perked up to the extent that he is giving the dogs black looks even if he can't be bothered to swot them and he is going upstairs to find a sunny spot on the bed to kip. At his age we can't expect a full recovery but as long as he is happy I'll keep drugging his food. I'm getting so good at it that Tech Support is starting to wonder just what goes into his meals as some days he finds he does exactly what he's told without realising.
The chickens have discovered that they can get out of their run. Well actually it's just Dolly and her mate Jean at the moment. Anita and Twink are not so adventurous. Luckily they are happy for us to go and pick them up so no comedy chicken capers yet. Tomorrow we will have to sort out a move for them. Their run is looking a bit bald and the grass is definately greener on the other side. They'll be on the lunch menu next door if they hop over that fence .
We noticed our first little peppers forming today so we are full of anticipation for the culinary delights to come. I've told the tomatoes they've got some catching up to do.
However over the last couple of days he has managed to sleep and has perked up to the extent that he is giving the dogs black looks even if he can't be bothered to swot them and he is going upstairs to find a sunny spot on the bed to kip. At his age we can't expect a full recovery but as long as he is happy I'll keep drugging his food. I'm getting so good at it that Tech Support is starting to wonder just what goes into his meals as some days he finds he does exactly what he's told without realising.
The chickens have discovered that they can get out of their run. Well actually it's just Dolly and her mate Jean at the moment. Anita and Twink are not so adventurous. Luckily they are happy for us to go and pick them up so no comedy chicken capers yet. Tomorrow we will have to sort out a move for them. Their run is looking a bit bald and the grass is definately greener on the other side. They'll be on the lunch menu next door if they hop over that fence .
We noticed our first little peppers forming today so we are full of anticipation for the culinary delights to come. I've told the tomatoes they've got some catching up to do.
Sunday, 6 May 2007
Mostly Crepi
We've been applying ourselves again which for me has meant filling in plaster and putting crepi on the walls. Well one wall so far, there is such a thing as too much application plus I thought I would see if it fell off that wall before applying myself to the others.
I have also earthed up the spuds and hoe-ed weeds with my new hoe which I bought at the same time as the crepi. It's really sharp, I have the cut finger to prove it.
Crepi is fabulous stuff, it has the texture of school semolina pudding (maybe with less lumps), it's equally sticky and covers up a multitude of cracks and other wall related blemishes. What's more it's only five euros for a 15kg tub. This means once you get past the one splat for the wall and one splat for the floor stage it's very economical compared to a plasterer. It is viewed by some as naff, akin to artex I think and you can do artexy things with it if you like but I'm just going for the rustic look. Which is just as well cos my best efforts are pretty much, well . . . rustic.
So we have one lovely white wall plus a rather nice shelfy/dresser thing that Tech Support has been making for the wall that is the kitchen. If we sit here with sort of squinty half closed eyes we can almost see a cosy little kitchen/dining/living room. It has inspired us to concentrate and finish this room so we can have one place where we are not reminded of the zillion and one things on the to do list. It would also be good to repay the hospitality of those who feed us and let us use their bathing facilities fom time to time.
But not today we're having day off.
I have also earthed up the spuds and hoe-ed weeds with my new hoe which I bought at the same time as the crepi. It's really sharp, I have the cut finger to prove it.
Crepi is fabulous stuff, it has the texture of school semolina pudding (maybe with less lumps), it's equally sticky and covers up a multitude of cracks and other wall related blemishes. What's more it's only five euros for a 15kg tub. This means once you get past the one splat for the wall and one splat for the floor stage it's very economical compared to a plasterer. It is viewed by some as naff, akin to artex I think and you can do artexy things with it if you like but I'm just going for the rustic look. Which is just as well cos my best efforts are pretty much, well . . . rustic.
So we have one lovely white wall plus a rather nice shelfy/dresser thing that Tech Support has been making for the wall that is the kitchen. If we sit here with sort of squinty half closed eyes we can almost see a cosy little kitchen/dining/living room. It has inspired us to concentrate and finish this room so we can have one place where we are not reminded of the zillion and one things on the to do list. It would also be good to repay the hospitality of those who feed us and let us use their bathing facilities fom time to time.
But not today we're having day off.
Sunday, 29 April 2007
Toilets, sheep it's all happening here
At last we have a flushing toilet and only two more plumbing bits to buy to get a fully functioning bathroom, well shower room actually we don't have room for a bath and anyway I'm not overconfident that the floor would hold a bath full of water. It's just a niggling doubt you understand something to do with the way it all slopes towards the centre. Anyway tomorrow it WILL be finished.
Well, when I say finished it hasn't actually got any walls around it yet so it's more kind of en suite you've heard of dining kitchens well we have an showering bedroom luckily the shower is strategically placed to allow a certain amount of modesty to be retained whilst using the loo.
It will be put right this week we are on a deadline now. Bob is coming round to put the upstairs sockets in next weekend so we really do need the walls by then. One good thing about France (and there are many but I wouldn't like to go on) is that they sell doors complete with frames so with the size of our house that's half the wall done already.
They've moved sheep into the field near our house. I never realised what noisy buggers they are. It's sounded like no
n stop Prime Minister's question time ever since they got here. The dogs are a bit put out as it's walks on leads now till we get past them. I don't know what breed of sheep (if any) but the lambs have a real piggy faced look to them. Not that they aren't sweet in their own way of course but it sheds a new light on the porc & mutton sausages we've been buying.
Did I happen to mention that we had chickens by the way? Yes? Well today we had a thunderstorm and rain. I thought they would all seek shelter either in or under the chicken house but no, one had to stand outside (let's call her Anita) she even looked like she was enjoying it. There's surprisingly little to a wet chicken.
We enjoyed the rain or rather the lack of watering duties. Its forecast sun and showers for the next week so that should see the veggies perking up a bit no doubt the weeds too so I'll be out there with me weeding fork till the cows come home. That's another good thing about France by the way, at least this bit, they have really pretty cows.
Well I've really wittered on tonight it's the giddy excitement of having that toilet.
Well, when I say finished it hasn't actually got any walls around it yet so it's more kind of en suite you've heard of dining kitchens well we have an showering bedroom luckily the shower is strategically placed to allow a certain amount of modesty to be retained whilst using the loo.
It will be put right this week we are on a deadline now. Bob is coming round to put the upstairs sockets in next weekend so we really do need the walls by then. One good thing about France (and there are many but I wouldn't like to go on) is that they sell doors complete with frames so with the size of our house that's half the wall done already.
They've moved sheep into the field near our house. I never realised what noisy buggers they are. It's sounded like no
n stop Prime Minister's question time ever since they got here. The dogs are a bit put out as it's walks on leads now till we get past them. I don't know what breed of sheep (if any) but the lambs have a real piggy faced look to them. Not that they aren't sweet in their own way of course but it sheds a new light on the porc & mutton sausages we've been buying.Did I happen to mention that we had chickens by the way? Yes? Well today we had a thunderstorm and rain. I thought they would all seek shelter either in or under the chicken house but no, one had to stand outside (let's call her Anita) she even looked like she was enjoying it. There's surprisingly little to a wet chicken.
We enjoyed the rain or rather the lack of watering duties. Its forecast sun and showers for the next week so that should see the veggies perking up a bit no doubt the weeds too so I'll be out there with me weeding fork till the cows come home. That's another good thing about France by the way, at least this bit, they have really pretty cows.
Well I've really wittered on tonight it's the giddy excitement of having that toilet.
Saturday, 28 April 2007
We Are Rubbish at Shopping and Finding Stuff
Every time we have been out looking for something this week to progress the work on the house we have bought something we needed but not what we went for.
Looking for taps we came back with carrot seeds and a tin of paint.
Looking for a base to stand the bathroom sink on we came back with a water butt and a pump for the well.
Today neither of us felt like doing any work so we convinced ourselves we need to go shopping again.
Looking for tiles we came back with herbs.
This house is never going to be finished
We are also going through a phase of finding the things we were looking for yesterday. So while I was looking for a jubilee clip this afternoon I found the countersink bit for the drill that we turned the house and barn upside down for yesterday.
The chickens found a jubilee clip in their run (I kid you not still in it's wrapper too) but unfortunately it was the wrong size and all rusted up, but not a bad effort for chickens who are new to DIY. This is more help than the dogs or cat have ever been.
Looking for taps we came back with carrot seeds and a tin of paint.
Looking for a base to stand the bathroom sink on we came back with a water butt and a pump for the well.
Today neither of us felt like doing any work so we convinced ourselves we need to go shopping again.
Looking for tiles we came back with herbs.
This house is never going to be finished
We are also going through a phase of finding the things we were looking for yesterday. So while I was looking for a jubilee clip this afternoon I found the countersink bit for the drill that we turned the house and barn upside down for yesterday.
The chickens found a jubilee clip in their run (I kid you not still in it's wrapper too) but unfortunately it was the wrong size and all rusted up, but not a bad effort for chickens who are new to DIY. This is more help than the dogs or cat have ever been.
Friday, 27 April 2007
Self Sufficient Sandwiches
Now that we have eggs (courtesy of our lovely girls) and salad leaves as displayed here we can have egg mayonaise and leaf sandwiches for lunch and congratulate ourselves that we have created a meal entirely from our own produce (except for the bread, butter and mayonaise of course). Oh what a wonderful feeling.
The leaves don't even have many bites out of them as luckily there is a toad living under a nearby plant pot.
Now I look at my garden with pride and joy being that it's only been six weeks in the making but travelling around and looking at other peoples' gardens a slight sense of unease is creeping in. You see my garden is rather like me, a bit scruffy and unkempt at the edges, as you can see by the odd tuft of grass and such on the path. The veg plots I see on my travels are pristine with not a speck of non veg greenary to be seen and rows that are straight I mean really really straight and plants that have been spaced to the millimeter using, well I don't know they must of used a micrometer and lasers or something from CERN or NASA. So I feel the same way as I feel when confronte
d by women who can wear white for more than ten minutes without looking grubby a little bit chastened but not sufficiently to change my ways.
d by women who can wear white for more than ten minutes without looking grubby a little bit chastened but not sufficiently to change my ways.You can see the peas and beans have a way to go and my supports won't be winning any design awards either but we found the ladders in the barn past supporting people but I don't expect the peas will mind.
Monday, 23 April 2007
Half a Job is Better Than None
Today we applied ourselves and we now have cold and cold running water to the new kitchen sink not only that but worktops too. How's that for civilised? It was almost a pleasure to make food.
We still kept popping out to see the girls though who you will be pleased to know found going to bed an hour later perfectly acceptable and settled down as good as gold. We got two eggs today laid in the nest box that was cunningly designed to be opened from the back so we were all happy.
I love having chickens so I'm afraid you have to have another picture of my darlings.
Tomorrow I will have to lavish some TLC
on the veggies the weeds seem to be springing fully formed from the ground everywhere and my plot is looking decidedly scruffy compared to next door.
on the veggies the weeds seem to be springing fully formed from the ground everywhere and my plot is looking decidedly scruffy compared to next door.We just get too easily distracted every time we go out we see WILDLIFE it's great. Deer and a hare yesterday morning on the way to the shops and gorgeous butterflies that have to be looked up in the butterfly book and bugs that have to be looked up in the bug book and birds well you get the picture.
And so to bed with the stuff on the to do list getting a bit done here and a bit done there by the half a job Anglais
Sunday, 22 April 2007
Today we have mostly been going bup bup bup
That's how we talk to our chickens who have been moved to their new residence.
They took a bit of persuading to come out it was Dolly who came first. We think she's the one who's laying as her wattles are redder than the other girls at the moment. Anyway she's the boldest and will come to you if you bup bup bup and will let you stroke her. The others have yet to come out of their shells (ha ha ) and reveal their personalities.
We've just put them to bed and of course they didn't want to go back in it was still a bit light and all the other birds were still playing out. But the anxious new parents wanted them safely tucked up before dark.
Having a house on legs so they could get shade underneath seemed like a good idea and they have enjoyed making a dust bath under there today but it's also a good place to hide when you don't want to go to bed and no amount of bup bup bupping and tapping your food dish can make you come out.
Maybe tomorrow after they've spent the night in there they'll take themselves to bed.
Tonight we will sleep with the window open so we can hear if there is any ruckus in the night and we have the spotlight ready set up in case any undesirables try to creep in. Well you can't be too careful we'll be buying a 4X4 next so we can transport them safely to their piano lessons
Friday, 20 April 2007
Hellooo Again We Smells Like Lords and Ladies
We have been cut off from the outside world but today France Telecom man came out and fixed a fault at the exchange and in the box at the side of the house so we are fully functioning in the telecommunications department once more. The lovely Elizabeth (from Agence BMI who we bought the house from) persuaded them at last that yes there really was a problem.
So I bet you think we've got plumbing by now with no distractions? well after much effing and blinding we have the shower cubicle fully assembled and the toilet and a base unit for the kitchen sink so any time now we'll be there.
But we have had distractions too cos tomorrow is chicken market day so Tech Support was pulled off the plumbing to get on with Chateau La Chook an historical and quaintly rustic construction with parts dating back to 1937. Oh yes we found a bed base in the barn with a frame just the right sort of size to make a chicken house base. It was stuffed with straw and a 1937 newspaper unfortunately they hadn't stashed the family treasure there too but you can't have everything.
Monsieur next door says the chickens will eat up our veggies but no we say we will have a barrier which luckily is the word for fence if you say it in your best Pink Panther impression. In fact this applies to many words (especially the ones ending tion our neighbour Ian says) anyway it's always worth a try if you're stuck for a word and you're not proud. It's much better to say something I find even if it's nonsense or English than to say nothing.
We had a confusing time tonight. We had just got back from the local tabac which also sells bread, magazines, plants, groceries in fact its like Arkwright's Open All Hours but with beer and a restaurant too. Anyway Joel pulled up and asked if we had the plan (of our land) and indicated that we needed to go off in the car with him which we did. He drove us to a big house at the top of the village where he discussed the plan and our bits of land in great detail with a lady there who clearly knew who owned everything in the area (her mainly). Then he took us to our smallest (400 square metres) and last bit of unseen land which is a small patch of oak trees and a spring. Again it was a case of tromping through fields and under and over barbed wire with Tech Support in the front in his boots in case of serpents as Joel realised he only had his slippers on halfway across the field. Why it was necessary to suddenly do this we still don't know as there was much talk about the various plots and the spring seemed quite important. At one point it seemed like a swap was being talked about. Ah well I suppose it will all become clear in the fullness of time but I'd really rather hang on to oak trees and a spring.
The plant in the picture we think we've identified as Lords and Ladies it's on the path in the woods and it really stinks, apparently to attract flies to pollinate it. Nuff said
Sunday, 15 April 2007
But We Didn't
Still there are 52 Saturdays in a year and who knows one of them might be the one.
In the meantime there are a great many "b**tards and f**kers coming from the bathroom to be as the shower cabinet goes together. Not the french I had in mind really. We were going to put the shower cabinet on a platform to improve the drainage but TOH changed his mind having spent all day yesterday building it.
To make sure it would still drain OK we set up tempory connections to the outlet and poured a kettle full of water in. What did we prove? That water goes everywhere mainly, especially through floorboards and onto the cat while he's lying in his favourite chair.
So I'm off to hide in the garden where life is simple and plant out my sweetcorn and peas cos the roots are all growing out of the bottoms of the pots. I'll also give the tomatoes and peppers a good talking to for not germinating and the oregano. The kidney beans can sown too I feel. If everything pulls it's weight we could be self sufficient in chilli and spag bol who needs more?
In the meantime there are a great many "b**tards and f**kers coming from the bathroom to be as the shower cabinet goes together. Not the french I had in mind really. We were going to put the shower cabinet on a platform to improve the drainage but TOH changed his mind having spent all day yesterday building it.
To make sure it would still drain OK we set up tempory connections to the outlet and poured a kettle full of water in. What did we prove? That water goes everywhere mainly, especially through floorboards and onto the cat while he's lying in his favourite chair.
So I'm off to hide in the garden where life is simple and plant out my sweetcorn and peas cos the roots are all growing out of the bottoms of the pots. I'll also give the tomatoes and peppers a good talking to for not germinating and the oregano. The kidney beans can sown too I feel. If everything pulls it's weight we could be self sufficient in chilli and spag bol who needs more?
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