2009-06-27 Start of Holiday in UK

Dave, Mike and Sarah tuck into English Breakfast !!

2009-06-21 Demolishing the wall part 1

This was going to be a big job (just changing the beams) but as luck would have it, we stumbled on a door hidden behind the brick wall, leading into the soil/rock we thought !
So, our plans changed radically, to include removing the said wall, and reinstating the stone wall, which would now be possible to keep dry, by digging out behind the house, (later this year chaps??) it must have been built like this in the first place.

This is still putting in the new beams......at this point we had not looked behind the 'brick' wall to Dave's right on this picture.


Bathroom, with beams still to be cement/chauxed in.

2009-06-21 Demolishing the wall part 2

Yes its here !!!!


Dave finds the 'door' he's been looking for.........


Roger, with "just another brick from the wall" !!



Plaster comes off........

2009-06-21 Demolishing the wall part 3 "the chaux "

After the wall was cleaned............




Dave "with his new recipe for clafoutis "
Stephane and "The chaux (pronunced show) must go on" !!
How to lose all your aggression by flinging chaux at the wall, Pierre with "i can't get no satisfaction" thats cos i kept missing the wall !!!


Dave (a little red from mixing outside all morning) tries his hand at mud flinging!
The finished wall, OK the stones will be a bit more apparent than that, and the wall a bit whiter as it dries.

2009-06-08 garden

Peas, Carrots, Khol rabi, garlic, spinach............yes i know them in French but.........



The Stevia plantation ..........Google it !

2009-06-06 The reason we are both SO Knackered !!

Our rotten, wasted, super holey..........EX beams !!

2009-06-06 More work pics.....and Bathroom

BATHROOM !!!

2009-06-05 Making the holes for the new beams

Because we took out 8 beams which were rotten and spaced at roughly 1metre apart, and we decided to put back 13 beams, 10 in the living area and 3 in the bathroom, (making the whole upstairs a lot safer and less bouncy !) the team have had to put in all new holes for the beams and of course remove a lot of the stones from the wall, some of which were not small !!




these are two beam ends which were in the wall from the line on the right hand side, so you can see why we are very pleased we are replacing them ! I was able to crumble the wood away with my hands....

2009-06-05 After the Floor boards have gone.....

Anyone recognize their room now????The first cut is the deepest, baby i know...........ouch !
Pierre gets to do chainsaw massacre whilst Sebastian holds the beam up and Dave looks on, wondering if this was such a good idea after all ??
Several beams later and they say i could have carried them out, they are so light and completely rotted at both ends........so good shout to change them now.

ooh there's a hole here !!

2009-06-05 Removing the floor boards

The kitchen has be emptied and we only have hours to do it in !!

likewise the sitting area has also to be cleared !!
Pierre starts to remove the floor boards ....
I am still covering things up downstairs!!!!
Dave gets in the swing of demolition.

I know its blurred, but so was i by the time this was taken, and i just think it is worth including as the only time i have seen Pierre walk the plank !!!