A return to hot sunny weather with the South wind blowing. The trees are getter greener and the snows are rapidly reducing.

Barn/gite works continue to occupy my every waking hour - I put an old piece of 6" flue pipe through the wall at the stove location - the flue is actually 5" so effectively this is a sleeve. That took most of the day as the hole is four feet (120cm) long and as it goes through the wall at 45 degrees it was quite a job to remove stones without the whole wall coming down - plus of course it has to line up with where the hole is in the roof! Once in, the wall was carefully rebuilt around the flue.

The last window in the old gable was also installed. The old one was was more frame than glass and didn't let in much light. It was also fitted within the oak frame (so had so had gaps around it), the new one is slightly larger and fits into a newly cut rebate. I also cut a proper sub-cill out of the oak wall plate.  All in all this means it is much better weatherproofed and draft sealed. First fix electrics have also started.

As most the electrics are distributed via the first floor, I had to empty it of the 90 bundles of thatch that were stored there. I managed to make 4 mini bales, which are just about moveable by hand.

In the garden everything is bursting into leaf including our kiwi which at last looks like it's getting going. the newly laid hedge is budding and it's oak before ash this year so it looks like a dry summer. 

I knocked off early (5.00) and went for walk - Biech / Col de Boulogne / Cane / Biech. Was hoping to find some morels - no chance.