2009-08-22 Tom, Karine, Jonathan and Eleanor

A visit from the grandchildren and their parents!
A hasty safety check was needed on the house, as Tom and Family came for the weekend, it was a hot weekend and as you can see on these pictures, it was a most enjoyable time, a good break for us, to see them all was a real treat.

Eleanor number one granddaughter !

Karine number one belle fille, and Jon of course!

Number one son, in the sun!

GRANNY !!

Simon & Julie, having their house kiddied , thanks for the great food Julie, have you ever thought of renaming yourself Alfred ????? HE HE HE !!

Ele making a call to Great Granny Jean and Great Grandad Alf.......

Big brother shows her how its done.....

us watching Pingu

oh nice hat.....

Ele and Daddy

Jonathan and I looking for Kung-Fu Panda !! (ok it's a kids thing!!)

We decided as it was so hot to sleep under the stars, well some of us slept..........then we gave up at midnight and went to bed...

A near by source, provided the venue for Mondays picnic, next time we will remember to take the picnic basket, poor Dave had to drive home for it, about 15mins drive, so not too far!!

Dave was there, honest, but seemed to be behind the camera at all times !

2009-08-13 The inside walls now.

This is how the walls look now, with all the top coat of chaux on, and all the 'pierres apparent' (showing stones!!)

This corridor has gained about 15cm (6in)

This is the part of the floor just inside the bedroom door, we have thought of doing this in glass, as there is so much light flooding in at the moment, its a shame to shut it all back out again.
The underside of the floor boards with their white lasure finish.
Some normality is returning..............slowly !

2009-08-14 Putting on the Varnish

Self explaintary really.........it was drying very quickly in the heat.

Only doing one room at a time seemed a good idea.

Kiwi testing out the newly varnished guest bedroom several days later.

She is so pleased to be back in the house again....................with a floor !!

yes it is Daves toes!

But it's so hot she prefers to sleep in the loo.......(we've all done it at one time or another.....right or is that just me??)

2009-08-08 Some of me pots

Here we have the Stevia plantation......complete with hardy geranium Ann Folkard growing through it (thanks Mum!)a very large flowering sempivivum who's name escapes me although ...................no.


I think this is called Lipstick (note we still have cherries on the floor)

2009-08-05 Laying the floor boards.

The first day laying the floor, was a team day.....three men on a plank jokes not allowed !

This was the moment when we realised just how warped the planks had become, lots just didn't line up, and some were cut so badly they would not have lined up straight from the pack, let alone after 2 weeks in the baking sun.
so after a day of ferocious hammering, swearing, and general discontent, this is how much we achieved......(and no thats not Kermit)
over the next week, Dave, and a few helpers got this far, and on the 7th day.............

He had a little break...........


and on the 8th Day....it was done all bar the sanding, hole filling, vacuuming, wiping, varnishing, re-varnishing.
some boards were so uneven !
adds to the character, is a good one to stand by.
heres R2D2 ready for action.
and the drawbridge to keep out the pesky visitors..............oh no too late!!

2009-08-02 Chauxing and chimney

This is the new chimney stack going through the guest bedroom...
Which now rests on a metal bracket instead of thin air !
The concrete pad at the base is due to fire regs, no wood within a certain distace of the chimney.

This is how the concrete base was put in.
And this is Jane playing with mud !
The chaux has to be thrown at the wall, and if done correctly, not all of it comes back in your face...... its lime plaster, which is nasty stuff, the top coat is a whiter version, put on in more liquid form and used to be called distemper in the UK.