Wednesday

Seems there’s a great tit doing a dance for Matt, and this time it’s not me or Ed after a few drinks.

As the sun peaks out again we’re back off to the materiaux place for more breeze blocks. Matt needs to get to work so leaves me to unload them. Lucky I’m super strong and resilient!

As I go back to work it’s good to see Steve 1 working on the flooring in the bathroom. Unfortunately I’ve spotted a problem. The design is not in the order that Matt and I had agreed the day before. It needs to match the crosses in the hallway. It’s all going to have to be taken up and redone. Thank heavens I noticed when I did as it’s not properly stuck down yet. Doesn’t seem to be bothering the lizards though who are keen to get a bit of warmth while the sun’s out for a few minutes.

After work we decided it was probably best to move the second – newish – grapevine from the pottager to the opposite side of the new arch that Matt had put in. It looks good to me. Hopefully it will be happy here. The cat definitely has a way to wrap Matt around her little paw – check this out.

Had a good check of the bathroom tiles in the evening with a little tightening up here and there to ensure that they were perfectly even but glad to see it coming together. I’m very keen on these tiles and think they will look lovely.

[24 May 2023]

Thursday

It’s been raining hard all night and day. The floor in the bathroom is almost down and it’s looking good.

While we were busy working all day JC had bigger problems. With all this rain recently there’s rivers running down off the mountains behind them, washing away all sorts of things and putting the village of Ore below them deep underwater. Not ideal if you’re living at the bottom, and even more so for the ones who aren’t on mains drains.

We went over after work to check everything was ok and to collect the paperwork for the wood chipper we’re collecting for them tomorrow. Once in the village we were forced to a halt by one of the new rivers. Determined to press onwards I thought I’d try to jump it. I didn’t make it and got one very wet foot. Just in time a local farmer turned up who was helping to divert it and send it running between the houses. He was also very confident that the Tesla would be fine to drive though. He was right and so only one wet foot between us.

Thankfully all was well and no flooding at JC’s. The same couldn’t be said for their friends down the road who’s potager and fosse were now one. I don’t think I’ll be trying any of their homegrown veg this year thanks. With the rain still coming down however it’s time to head home before we can’t get out.

[25 May 2023]

Friday

Early start as we have to go up to the wood chipper hire place up at St Go. I can’t say that I’m impressed but at least the rain appears to have abated and we’re into a light drizzle which seems to be lifting. As we arrive the rain has stopped and after a short while we are being given an explanation of how it works and how to operate it. I’m pretty sure that Matt could have interpreted the general gesticulating at levers and such but I’m there just to make sure. Dropping off the chipper we’ve shown Rick how to use it and then we’re off home back to work.

Tonia is also back to work today and making the most of the outside office. I think she just wants to make her colleagues jealous and it’s probably working. I also took the next picture of a jaw of something somewhere, but writing this later I have no idea where it was we saw it, but as they are all flat teeth I’m guessing a ruminant of some sort – a goat or a sheep..?!

In the evening we went over to Spain. We decided to stop in Les this time at a little place over the river by the bridge. Les is very pretty and has a lovely little town square. As of the bar/restaurant, I guess I would say that it’s a lovely place to go for a drink…

[26 May 2023]

Saturday

With Rick having done the inital work on JC’s trees yesterday, today the big dogs come in. By that I mean Alex. Matt, Tonia and I have also gone to help. Jonny and the boys are hard at work but we haven’t missed any of the big felling yet. I mostly remembered my Burning Man training and stuck to ensuring that the team was well watered so that they didn’t stop working too long, and with these big old trees I mean watered – I don’t think there’s any such thing as a small accident in this situation.

That’s enough of that. We’re leaving the boys to do the rest of it. Matt has learnt a lot from Alex which will be helpful in the future. The cat has been enjoying a little peace and quiet with the dog upstairs while we were out.

When we get home however I remembered seeing something lying across the top of our fence line on the way home from Spain last night. Well I guess that’s one tree we won’t have to fell as it’s done the job on its own. Thankfully it wasn’t in the road and didn’t hit anyone. We are going to need to log it though and pull it out from the hedge as it is covering the footpath on the other side of the fence. It doesn’t need doing immediately though so we’re off to the pool to relax after our hard work.

It’s Tonia’s last night tonight so we are off down to Lou Castou for dinner. A standard family favourite and walking distance which is always a huge bonus as nobody has to drive.

Matt also rigged up some of the lights earlier so when we got home we had a lovely insight into how pretty and romantic it would be for the wedding. It suddenly all felt very magical and as though it might actually all be alright on the night. Not a bad parting gift for Tonia either.

[27 May 2024]

Sunday

Tonia and Anya were off early so sadly are missing the felling of the last tree. We waved them off, then I went back for a short nap before heading over, Matt won’t forgive me if we miss the final moments.

Rick is up there like a rat up a drainpipe tying on the rope – I’m glad it’s not Matt. I don’t want Matt up there now, let alone when he’s in his 60s. I’m both impressed and frightened in equal amounts.

[Matt film]

All of a sudden we appear to have horses in their garden.. They’ve just come from the neighbours but it was a bit of a surprise.

With all the trees down we need to take the chipper back home with us. Hopefully we still have time to get a few extra bits done at ours and finally bash through the huge pile of branches we have, not to mention the new tree that has fallen down.

[28 May 2023]

Monday

Since it’s a bank holiday we need to make the most of having the chipper. With the huge pile we have hopefully this will make much shorter work of it than the weeks and months Tonia and I have spent on it. And it definitely did that.

The cat was playing in the dog cage.

I went to take down some more of the upstairs ceiling but ended up with a brick in my head/face – I can tell you that really f***ing hurt even if it looks pretty basic.

[29 May 2023]

Tuesday

Busy day working post bank holiday. Roast potatoes, carrots and chicken for dinner.

[30 May 2023]

Wednesday

I need to get the delphiniums and phlox planted up before I go away. They don’t look like much now but hopefully they will flower at the right time. I do love the look of a delphinium but you don’t seem to be able to buy stems from any of the florists. Meanwhile the cat has been checking out the changes in the downstairs cloakroom.

[31 May 2023]