Rent A Traditional Country
Farmhouse in South-West France
Week 61 |
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Day 396, Monday 6th June I'm having trouble getting motivated this week. That means there is not a lot to talk about, but I'll try and make it interesting. Apart from a feeble attempt at rain, we have had no rain for about two months. As we can't use the hosepipe (or so we think), we can't water the grass or the trees, unless we use a watering can. It takes some time just to water the vegetables and flowers, so unless it's absolutely essential, I have no intention of carrying watering cans to the trees. They'll just have to wait until tomorrow.
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Day 397, Tuesday 7th June Some final bits of plastering in the kitchen, more in the lounge and somehow, after clearing up some remaining paperwork and the Boss doing an afternoons gardening for someone else, the days gone. However, there is one piece of exciting (for us at least) news. While loading some rubbish into the back of my van, Portuguese Pete walked past on the road. He came over, held out his hand and asked how I am. When I told the Boss she said yesterday, Mrs Pete had done something similar. Perhaps our patience has paid off!
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Day 398, Wednesday 8th June
A bit of sneezing and itchy eyes and I'm not sure
if its the grass or the dust. The "lounge" is finally being promoted to a lounge; a normal room. Well, as
normal as we can be with holes in the floor above, no ceiling and no lights (yet).
Its time to clean it, finish what I can of the plastering, wash the floor, and try and remove all the dust as we have visitors arriving on Friday. One of the things that has been annoying me is the door. We really would like to keep it if I can rescue it from the woodworm, get it to close, and make it look presentable. As it won't lift off the hinges, that is easier said than done.
As usual, I forgot to take the before picture. Anyway, by removing the hinges, I can get the door outside. It seems impossible to remove the old paint. Sanding sheets clog without making much impression and that's the expensive stuff. Buying paint stripper, seems to be the answer. But it seems the paint does not respond to stripper.
Eventually we decide that the door will be painted. So it goes back ready for painting, albeit not quite ready as it has to be back on before the visitors arrive.
A partially renovated lounge door. All the metal work is original but the nails used to hold the door to the hinges have been replaced by bolts. The cable is so we can watch TV in the kitchen, when ultimately, the TV will be in the lounge, and the cable will disappear. |
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Day 399, Thursday 9th June The Boss is working this morning; again. I have the morning to clear up all the tools, wood and plasterboard, that pervades the lounge and the hall. Well that takes almost the whole morning, and the rest of the time, is chilling time. In the afternoon, its French. Our regular teacher is off and the stand in is the one that teaches the advanced classes. It really makes for a bit more thinking than normal, and after an hour and a half, its definitely time to leave. Tomorrow, all the jobs that take ten minutes or less that should have been done weeks ago.
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Day 400, Friday 10th June Touch up the yellow paint I've plastered over where the wall was really rough. Rub down the plaster on the chimney breast in the kitchen and of course, clean up all the mess! Put up the hooks to hold the cups, and then on to the lounge. The door needs to go back on. However, the hinges were held in by special nails which go right through and are bent over on the other side. They have to be replaced by bolts, which is easier said than done. But once done, of course, clear up the mess. Then its off to Bergerac to collect Sandra and John.
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Day 401, Saturday 11th June As we have the Boss's sister and brother-in-law here already, no work for the next few days. By the time we've had a late breakfast, the ladies have been shopping for food, it's lunchtime. Chris and Pete arrive in their camper van in time for lunch in the sun. By evening, the campsite is ready for visitors.
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Day 402, Sunday 12th June With all these people here, no work today! Probably not much next week either.
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