Tuesday

Since we’re now in our last week of holiday, I am making the most of not having to get up. I was out of bed by about 11/11:30 but generally just pottered about the bedroom getting us unpacked, sorting the washing and putting away the huge pile of Matt’s clothes that has been building up – the washing fairy (and I) refuse, as his mother did, to put his clothes away. Today I made an exception, [partly due to thinking that we might start on Room 2 today and if so then I don’t want to have to wash them again!]

I think that Matt was quite pleasantly surprised to see me up and getting things done. It seems that he’s been working on the plans/options for the greenhouse(s).

With the washing sorted and bedroom done it was time to head downstairs and start tidying the kitchen; I’m sure there must be imps that come round and mess things up while you’re away?!

The next job on the list is back to insulating the first floor. Before we could do that however we had to remove the old fuse box, which meant working out what each of the cables was supplying power to. This wasn’t as easy as it might sound and took a lot of back and forth.

The upper railings weren’t overly simple as the walls are 100% not straight from top to bottom. While Matt kept trying to measure from the inside I went for the more drastic option – let’s measure from the outside so we can see where the gaps are. There was a significant difference from bottom to top but plasterboard is flat and our walls aren’t, plus losing a bit of space at the top of our walls isn’t going to be noticeable. It wasn’t easy trying to hold them in place up on the scaffolding with Matt either as I was on my very highest tippy toes.

Rails to go up next but first it was time for lunch. Baked camembert and bread that Matt just picked up. Then on to do the montants (uprights). These were a bit more involved, partly as there were so many more to be done. But they went up ok.

The chimney breast, as we knew, wasn’t too simple but we appear to have found an answer to it. The bottom has been raised and reinforced so that it doesn’t sit exactly on the mantle and so that the base can’t be broken once the plasterboard is on.

With Room 1 done it was time for a short break and a swim while the weather is still good.

We also however need to get the dechetterie run done again soon and since Matt has been doing the harder work I decided I’m making a move on getting stuff ready to go to the dump.

It turns out that there was more up there than I had remembered. I also had been so over it that the room isn’t entirely cleaned to the level that I’d usually expect, [and that Tonia has been so good at leaving.] We had used every ‘bin’ possible though and need them emptied ready for the next load.

I’d thought I’d leave them on the first floor to encourage Matt to take them down but decided better of it. I’ve just left him one to remind him to look upstairs to see what else needs to go.

Time for a break. It seems that Matt is already relaxing in the pool with Meow. I didn’t get long before the rain started to set in however.

The next job on the list is the new cable riser. In order to do the electrics on the first and second floor we need to put a riser through from the basement all the way up the house. This means making a new hole from the basement, up through the corner of the ground floor bathroom, up through the first floor ensuite, and finally up to the attic.

I’ve been putting this off for as long as possible as it’s our only fully operational bathroom. Unfortunately however, the only way we can finish Room 1 is to do the electrics, and therefore put in the riser. Without it we can’t plasterboard or have the ceilings done on Floor 1, so it was always inevitable and today is the day.

First the sink needs to be moved as the riser needs to go up into the right hand corner. Of course, it’s deja-vu of the kitchen, we’re putting it in the dining room.

Ready for it to come down. No insulation up there, just a huge big void, and much [much, much, much] cleaner than the ceilings that Tonia and I took down. It’s a very small room so came down quickly once we got started. I constantly cleared the wood away and kept it tidy, this is so much easier on the ground floor.

While Matt was doing that it was also time for me to crack on with dinner, he’s going to be hungry (and grumpy) soon. I’ve gone with my current favourite, spaghetti with sundried tomatoes and bacon. Of course this meant also doing another check of the garden to collect, prep and dry some more tomatoes. Matt cleared the last of the mess in the bathroom and then time for dinner.

After dinner it was time for one of my favourite jobs – making lists! Matt’s been through the list and we’ve agreed what we’re going to get finished by the end of the week. All the ‘Matt looking jobs’ also require my help, there’s going to be lots of feeding wires around the place. My jobs are a bit smaller but only need me, Matt hates stripping wallpaper for example.

Relaxation time. Odd film about people time travelling to a future war and then some TV before Matt goes to bed and I write to you. Night. x

[13 September 2022]

Wednesday

Matt has been up a little while, as usual. I woke about 10am but decided to relax for a bit and try to ignore his work on the drilling and hole making. I got up about 10:30 and started to potter about, I didn’t really want him to know I was up yet.

He’s been very productive though and has already made the hole from the basement into the ground floor so the first part of the riser hole is already done, next is to make the hole up to the floor above. Since I couldn’t be much help with that I went upstairs to go finish tidying up, it seems that Matt has also left quite the mess in the basement.

With the holes cut Matt is off to start connecting up the board on the second floor. Best for me to trim off the excess foam around the insulation in Room 7 and then get the car packed up ready for the dechetterie trip.

Time to make a start on getting the skirting boards off ready to put the insulation in.

One final job before we get ready to go out, a little trimming down of the hazel tree to grab a bit more light on the terrace before autumn sets in. It’s not an ideal time of year to do it and really it needs to be fully coppiced however that is going to have to wait till after the wedding.

Time to head up to the bar. Turns out that our friends learnt from last time and will be eating before they come to join us. Seems sensible. They also turned up with their friend, Alex. It was a great session. Alex and I have a lot in common. He comes from Sussex and we have a lot of shared experiences and understanding; we’re both ‘generalists’ and have done lots of different jobs, know the same places, etc, etc.

Back at home and time for my proper dinner, leftover spaghetti, and a bit of TV before bed. We have to be up early as I have promised Matt I’d be up at 10 tomorrow. I do hope we don’t have to make a thing of this!

[14 September 2022]

Thursday

I’d promised to be up, so I was. Mornings are getting cold, I don’t like being cold.

Matt is maybe superhuman. Ok, so he wasn’t ready to get cracking but he had 100 questions for me. Apparently having every switch and plug socket where I want it is my undoing in sleeping longer. He then got to work chasing new gaines in the wall of Room 1 – it was very loud.

Lunchtime and with some fresh bread I decided to try to recreate some of the Pinchox that we had in San Sebastian. I’m not sure I was entirely successful but Matt had bought me some olive tapanade and we had anchovies from Spain, just not as good as the last ones I had.

Back to work. With Room 1 ready for ceilings we went into the ensuite. First things first, we needed to get rid of the heating pipes that ran in front of the window! Obviously Matt cut them out while I made sure that they didn’t fall and break stuff. I still can’t understand how or why you would have done that in the first place but France is mad, and amazing.

Unfortunately however, having taken out the board under the toilet we realised why it was there; there are a number of rotten boards. Since we are already planning a ‘sunken’ shower plate, and now with this, it looks as though we may have to pull this whole thing out. I just hope that the joists are still good. Thing is, that with all this we can’t put the walls in until we know where the floor is going to be, or they won’t fit.

As such we’re off to Room 2. We’re definitely getting better at this though. Two thirds of the room done before we have to get ready for guests.

I have to say that these are some pretty awesome guests – they aren’t just coming over for dinner but bringing it over and cooking for us. There were a number of tours, Alex [the friend from last night] had never seen the place, and Rane needed an update on progress – they were both very complimentary. Dinner was amazing, Rick’s paella was fantastic. The rain started and I convinced Matt it was a good idea to rig up a tarp. I wasn’t wrong, it started to come down. We then proceeded to make merry.

After they left we took off the tarp to not damage the pergola frame. We were right to do so, but we were also soaked, to the bone. A Niagra fell on us in taking the tarp down. So, so, so wet. Clothes off, dry and bed. I suspect I’m drunk.

[15 September 2022]

Friday

I got to sleep in as Matt needed to go to Luchon this morning. He’s amazing, amongst other things, he bought me some flowers! 🙂 ?

With the flowers cropped and put in the vase it was time to crack on. Framing the south wall in Room 2 and insulating and framing the west wall.

It took the best part of the day but it’s ready for electrics and then plasterboard. Things are really cracking on at a pace [as they need to in order to be ready for the ceiling drop]. We’ve now got the two biggest rooms insulated and framed and the hard work of the electrics done so we’ve done well.

Dinner and relaxation. Once Matt is in bed my focus was on electrics. What ‘exactly’ do I want, where, how can I make that work with the ideal (for Matt – i.e. in the insulated walls) vs the perfect (where I want it). I made a list of things to consider for each room and we can debate them when we get to each point – but at least I have a list. Now it’s really late and I need to go to bed.

[16 September 2022]

Saturday

Matt let me sleep in again today which was greatly appreciated. As soon as I was out of bed however I was put to work. He’s been beavering away on some electrical stuff while I got some beauty sleep.

He was starting to try to pull some wires through a gaine when I got up to help, it’s so much easier and quicker with two people. He does the hard work of pulling it through and I just try to push it in, reduce coiling, and prevent kinks before it goes in which are a major pain, and generally try to make things easier. So not much different to most of what seems to happen with the work here. [He’s my hero.]

Next job was to run a power cable from Room 2; through Room 1, up through the new riser and to the new power board on Floor 2. I pulled from one end while he ran it from the other and told him when it got to the predefined points at each stage. I labelled it up and Matt connected up on the second floor and connected up the power for Room 1 that had already been run. He was then off to the basement to connect the other end and provide us with temporary power to Room 2.

While he was doing connections there wasn’t much more I could do than stand in awe at how clever he is, which I’m sure is appreciated but not overly useful. So I was dismissed to start clearing the connecting route between Rooms 3 and 4. Since we’d made space in 4 for our recent Chaney/Short contingent there was quite a bit to move, well that and all the stuff we’d moved from 2 to do the insulation in there. It’s a bit like a game of Chess, trying to work out what you need to move, when, and to where to reduce the number of times you need to move it and, most importantly, not having to take it up and down multiple staircases.

Now that we have power to Room 2, and Rooms 3&4, running off the new power board Matt can finally disconnect the old power board in the link space. The only power we now lose to floor 1 is the hallway so the two very small, and not very bright, automatic lights have been placed there. It wouldn’t work for guests but we’ve trodden these hallways for nearly two years now and I just need to make sure that we don’t have any unexpected trip wires etc when Matt is done.

While Matt took out the power board I started to take out the old door. I’m keen to preserve as much as possible. I don’t know how well the door and frame came out of Room 5 when Tonia and Matt did it so best to preserve as much as possible – if it breaks hopefully we can cobble something together between the two sets. I’d got some of it out by the time that Matt was done and decided it was lunchtime. Not bad considering when I got out of bed!

I messaged Elvina earlier as it’s been ages since we last saw them and we definitely owe a visit up to see what they’re doing and how they are getting on. If she doesn’t come back we’ll crack on, if she does then we’ll do a shopping trip to Emmaus, Noz, Action etc. She came back and they will be in but not for long so we need to leave now.

It was great to see them and couldn’t believe how long it had been. So much has changed at their place and Tim has been working so hard. It maybe is his full-time job but doing it ‘largely’ single handed is incredible. Elvina is over everything, she has every person they’ve used and quote etc on hand, she’s an amazing help in finding people and done so much research on just about everything. She’s also happy to share and provide links to some really helpful people, as well as providing personal experience and commentary which is often key to getting good people.

Having admired their work, their chandeliers in the living room and many other things we were off to the shops. Emmaus first.

Well that was a surprise. Having just discussed where people get their chandeliers we saw something that was just what we’ve been looking for. It’s big, and it’s sparkly. I immediately thought of the Mum’s room, although as Matt reminded me, we’d also like something big and sparkly for the salon and dining rooms. It may also be too big for Room 2. Matt also spotted a nice small bronze chandelier. When the guy came over I got the price – €25 for the glass one and €20 for all the others. SOLD!

When he took down the glass one it had a mark on it saying €60. I checked with Matt and still a go, but then the guy marked up the ticket – €45 for both. Winning!

We went round and selected a few more things. A couple more bronze candelabra, a large gin glass, a vase, 4 lights for the basement which are motion sensitive – so Matt can’t keep leaving the lights on. I also picked up a load of satin; some large pieces in champagne and a smaller piece in white. I don’t know exactly what they are for yet but with an upcoming wedding there are going to be lots of things to dress and we are going to need a lot of material.

Next up was Action. With all these lights we’re going to need some bulbs. We couldn’t get any for the bronze, as it has a small baton fitting but the glass one had a small screw type so got those. And a few other bits. Last up was Noz. Not a great deal there but Matt got some [not to wear out of the house] shoes, to make it easier to work and shimmy up and down the scaffolding. We got some wine. And we picked up a load of wallpaper. I have no idea currently where it is going to go exactly, or how much space it will cover, but I have some ideas, and at that price it was worth a shot.

Final stop, LeClerc, to get something for dinner. Matt also saw that they had bags of pellets, a huge rarity currently in France, much to our disappointment having spend so much on our new boiler. They weren’t cheap but better than none and a max of 10x15kg bags per person. At least it should get us through the next couple of weeks, when it is said that they should finally be available again.

Back at home and time to unload. Matt needs a snack and the cat needs feeding. I convinced him however that one of us should work on dinner while the other takes on the next part of the door. He took the door. It appears however that they have strutted it all the way up the ceiling so that’s going to need some noisy tools – tomorrow morning is going to be grand.

Dinner and then time for a rest, Matt: Would you like some salad too…

He’s a charmer. Then to tick off some of the jobs that we have completed, and get you updated.

[17 September 2022]

Sunday

We’re meant to be at the Huxtables for 12:30 but that was never going to happen as we had our own plans first, Matt was ready to take out the wall in Room 4.

My wake up call today was some crazy loud noise as Matt cut through the bricks where the wall from 4 meets 3. We can’t risk accidentally taking down the wall in Room 3 when we do 4. Jesus, that left a lot of dust, everywhere. Wall is out next. Matt has learnt something from me, he’s put a load of buckets to catch the rubbish on the opposite side; it doesn’t separate but it helps.

Of course, it looks great. I think it looks so much bigger and brighter with the second window. I’m very happy.

But of course we are now late. Matt was in the shower by 12:10 but I was still tidying. We were meant to be at JC’s at 12:30. We left about 1pm, that’s not bad for us, and we’d done a whole load of work.

We then went and had fun, met new people, played in their pool, and I left my phone there. Oops. Back home for more food, TV and bed/blog. We’ll drop round tomorrow to pick up the phone. Meanwhile Meow found a convenient box on the floor so pulled out the paper and tested it for size, purrfect fit.

[18 September 2022]

Monday

Matt has been busy working on the electrics in Room 1, I decided that once I had some breakfast I was probably overdoing things after spending yesterday with JC and friends so I went back to bed for a bit longer. I accidentally fell back to sleep.

By the time that I woke up Matt had done loads of work on the electrics so I finished folding the washing. I then went and helped pull some gaines through but there wasn’t a huge amount that I could do. I decided that the best thing to do was to clear up the mess from taking down the wall in Room 4. Much better.

After some food and a quick look at a couple of things in the garden, it was time to quickly pop over to JCs to pick up my phone. They were working on the road so I walked up through the village while Matt waited in the car so I couldn’t stay long.

Back at home Lionel had finished so time for a quick dip before putting on the last part of the funeral. Even Meow dropped by to watch a bit of it.

Time for dinner and then to relax. It’s been a busy couple of weeks and Matt deserves some rest before he goes back to work tomorrow.

[19 September 2022]

Tuesday

Back to work. Matt has someone to interview at 9am which sucks. I slept in till 10, but that’s pretty normal as it is 9 in the UK so technically not starting late. I’m busy working out what is next and thinking about how to get a couple of proposals together, this will be much easier when I’m back in London and have my chief advisor to bounce ideas off – and sense check what I might be myself getting into.

Matt had a couple of short breaks in the afternoon so I managed to get him up to the Pink bathroom. Job one was to move the bath out and put it into the Room 1 ensuite so it was out of the way. A quick tidy up and then to start on the insulation. It was pretty quick work as we already had some perfectly sized cut offs (not by accident I might add – I’d been checking wastage and reuse as we did Rooms 1 & 2). Another meeting break and back to do the right hand side before another meeting.

After Matt’s meetings I was in charge of making phone calls – medical referrals, yay! Managed to get one booked for Feb, don’t worry it’s not urgent, couldn’t seem to get the right number or contact for the second one though despite talking to quite a number of secretaries. Still, a win is a win.

Just as Matt was asking what we were going to do for dinner Cress asked if we wanted to join them in Bossost for Tapas. Sold. Unfortunately however our usual place was closed so after a walk around the village, and realising that tourist season was definitely done, we settled for another place just down the road. We’d been there for dinner before with Mum and Tonia and it was fine. Turns out however that their waffles with creme catalan and ice cream are pretty awesome.

Back at home and it’s too dark to do anything but relax.

[20 September 2022]