Dormer day 2

An early start and good weather.

Getting the first thatch out took some pulling.

All the removed thatch is carefully sorted and tied into bundles.

As the thatch is removed the steel bars holding it all down are exposed, these have to be cut with bolt croppers. The ends left are razor sharp as I soon found out - two really deep cuts across the back of my fingers and right through the nail of my "unlucky" little finger - yet again.

First view out to Mont Valier - it's been about 8 years since I saw this from the bedroom.

Dormer frame in place...still a lot to do.

From inside and a good deep window seat.

The view from the dormer : )

Dormer day 1

 Through the cladding and concrete blocks to the original wall...50cm to go!

 All the way through and wall plate removed

Wall mortared up and grounds in for fixing the window seat

Pyrenees...yippee!

Back to France, the weather in Toulouse was horrible (wet and cold) but here at Quélébu it is sunny and warm though it obviously rained earlier today. My return was greeted with a hare, a tiny serin (photo above) and an old caravan on the corner of the road before the house!! - I'm guessing it's the same travellers who stayed there about 6 years ago before eventually being booted off by the mayor.  

The thatch arrives tomorrow morning and hopefully in the afternoon I can get the scaffolding, timber and roof felt.

Leaving France just as normal weather resumes - but the weather in the UK is nearly as hot so no worries. Back in a week or so to build the new dormer and hopefully find some time to get into the mountains!!

Dormer window taking shape

A surprise visit from Paul this morning - he's 92 but still came on foot, he's as fit as a fiddle! After a brief search for mushrooms (none yet, too early) I finished off topping the big field. The snows came early last year so it went without its annual short back and sides - it was much needed.

At breakfast I watched a pine martin in the cherry tree in the field in front of the house. He was chasing birds and no doubt looking for chicks in their nests. Obviously a male he was the size of a large cat!

After a trip to St Girons to unload at the SMDEA (who after nearly 6 months have failed to install the water supply for the project at La trappe), I returned to La Trappe to find that the water had been installed on Friday!

A site progress meeting all afternoon, then I returned Quelebu to burn some branches and top about half the field in front of the house with the tractor.

Back in France

Back in France for a site meeting with the contractor (RDM) who is building Gilbert Coron's Barn. The SMDEA are causing me lots of problems as I've been trying to get the water connected there since last February and all I get is excuses. Hopefully I can progress things tomorrow.

Yesterday I went to Pamiers to buy the new window for the dormer and stopped in to see Donna en route. When I got back I split and stacked the wood from the fallen tree that I cleared up on my last visit and in the evening met our new neighbour Virginie who has bought the house next to John and Sandrine's. She seems very nice.

Today I built the new oak frame (cadrement) for the dormer window that I'll be building in July and stained the new window.

And finally...some birdies.

 get that worm!

 yummy!

Building all this week for friends in Totnes. I finished the substructure and slab before my recent trip to France and this week I've built and insulated this timber frame single storey extension. next week we'll start knocking down the two existing walls to open up the ground floor into the new space.

Also been fighting with Three Mobile, who have just done a deal with Bouygues in France and so I can no longer use Orange France's mobile network when in Aleu. This means my mobile phone no longer works unless I'm in St Girons! It's taken many hours on the phone to be released from my contract early at a not too exorbitant price. I won't bore you with the details but as a UK network provider Three's overseas network services are 'a perk' and not guaranteed by the contract - so tough!

 A busy day scything and sizing up the two chestnuts for a future tree house

The fields are full orchids of all shapes and sizes

Quite a few parasitic broomrapes too

And more colourful moths

In the evening Justin, Emily, Thea and Myla came over for dinner...the twins were unstoppable!

A walk to Cabane Subera

After an evening by the fire and a glorious sleep last night, we awoke to low cloud. I set to work on strimming the knee high grass and by 10.00 the cloud had dissipated. Susie threw together a packed lunch and we set off for a walk in the mountains.

The mid mountain path from the Col de la Core to Cabane Subera fitted the bill and kept us just below the snow line and in amongst the wild flowers.

At Subera a hunting dog befriended us, we assumed he belonged to the builders renovating the Cabane, but after he followed all the way back to Col de la Core we weren't so sure. There were no numbers on his collar and he certainly seemed to be in good health and well fed. Difficult to know what to do, but we decided it was better to leave him to return to the Cabane or his home. Even he had been lost the day before, at least the Col would be the starting point for his owner looking for him.

In France with Susie. At Bristol airport Susie left her suitcase in the duty free shop and nearly caused a major security alert, fortunately her bag was saved before it was destroyed in a controlled explosion!

Here all is well but for more trees down in the high winds of about a week ago.

Chicken of the woods

Jurassic Coast

A hot lazy day on South Milton Sands on Saturday and I caught a reasonable sized and very colourful wrasse from Dominic's canoe. It made some nice Thai fish cakes, but they're not the most flavoursome or easy to prepare fishes, so next time I catch one I'll put it back.

Today was our 2nd wedding anniversary and as the weather didn't seem too bad, Susie and I headed off for Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast for a bit of an explore.  The tide was in at Lyme and so after a stroll along the beach and a coffee we headed to Charmouth
.

Here the soft grey Jurassic limestone is alive with fossils (apparently). We got told to keep away from the cliff by a warden because they'd had some rock falls recently. I did find a little pyrites ammonite in the end but alas it broke when I got it home and tried to clean it.

Then it was on to West Sands at Bridport for a spot of fishing, but a thunderstorm rolled in after a couple of minutes so that was that.

Springtime walk to Dartington

 Wild garlic

 Bluebells

 A solitary cranesbill amongst the predecessors

Swan fountain at Dartington with petals from the azaleas

A spate of flooring work here in Devon...tough on the knees. Otherwise busy planning a treehouse for Quélébu, trying to pin down dates with the thatcher for the proposed dormer in our bedroom and looking forward to a trip home in a few weeks time with Susie.

Great Mattiscombe Sands

A midday trip to Mattiscombe sands as the weather on bank holiday Monday was fine. Amazed to find the beach deserted. After a spot of fishing we collected all the detritus on the beach - mostly remains of plastic bottles, some rubber drive belts, odd shoe soles, fishing net fragments and bits of tin can.  Three full carrier bags worth plus a full rucksuck. Shocking how much junk we throw in the sea and of course the plastic is there for thousands of years to come.

Probably the evidence of humanity in the fossil/geological record will be thin layer of plastic and pollutants from burning hydrocarbons. All we deserve frankly.

Cold

Cold and rainy today, so finished the oak bathroom door, replaced the prayer flags (which had completely worn away), varnished some oak tops and window cills, hung the donkey skull, did my French tax return before carrying on with architecture work.