Slates and Plumbing

Yesterday it absolutely fell out the sky all day - man when it rains here, it really rains. I took the opportunity to finish the plumbing which I had been avoiding for some time.

The work required was to connect the new hot water tank (heated by the Rayburn in winter) to the existing hot water pipework which is fed by the electric hot water cylinder. I also needed to install a couple of gate valves so that only one hot water source is connected at anytime (the rayburn is gravity fed whilst the electric cylinder is mains pressure) and whilst I was at it, replace the last few bits of the original plumbing in the house (all of which is diabolical).

This took until 1.00 in the morning - I HATE PLUMBING.

Actually new plumbing is OK, but I hate trying to repair old plumbing, connecting into old plumbing and French plumbing in general (which is ridiculously over complicated due to hundreds of pipe sizes and different connectors - some with gaskets, some compression, some push fit, some capillary end fee soldered but no 'Yorkshire' fittings.

Anyway its all done now and seems to be holding water.

Today was dry (cue rain outside on the window) so after tidying up and finishing off a few other little DIY jobs in the bathroom, I spent the afternoon in the sun. Watching the clouds chasing across the mountains in their new snowy raiment whilst cutting all the slates for the bathroom roof to size and punching all the nail holes. I've always laid slates bevel side up, but Claude (who strolled over for L'apero) reckons here in the Pyrenees they should be laid the other way up to minimise spalling of the slate surface by ice and snow. Not sure which way to lay them now, but I've punched all 350 slates to lay them bevel side up already, so I guess it's decided.

The usual hour and half of bramble scything before tea and time to blog.