high temperatures for last couple of weeks have quickly stripped away the late snow, I got one ski at Guzet before it closed...hoping the snow will stay high up to allow for a tour in what has been a terrible season.

Chateau de la garde visible across the valley from Sahusset

After picking up some acro propos for the barn, Susie, Sheri, Michiel and I made an afternoon exploration around Sahusset - an ancient Hamlet perched on the mountainside high above Pont de la Taule. Although it has electricity it has no permanent inhabitants and comprises a handful of houses. We approached from Moulin Lauga on the only access - possible on a quadbike. There's an old marble mine on the way and the path is littered with huge cut blocks of marble that were never recovered. After the village we cut back on path that eventually reaches the ridge that continues all the way to Pic de la Fonta. The path evaporated long before the ridge but we picked our way through the coppice to eventually reach it and climbed along the pathless wooded ridge to about 1100m. Returning we descended a ridge to the north of the Ravin de la Souleille, passing a collection of well built (but now roofless) barns with date carved threshold stone of 1670.

Back at the barn, we're nibbling away. the barn has been cleared of it remaining contents, an old fireplace filled in, the mangoire mostle demolished and the stones moved to prolong the terrace wall in the vegetable that I built a few years ago.

One of the big beams has a rotten end. I m hoping to use a scarfing method using oak pegs and wedges and repair it. Accuracy is important for this to work, which isnt easy when the beam isn't square in section!

rotten end removed

partly made replacement end