2017

The remains bright and sunny has it has been since mid November and it's set to continue until the end of the month at least....a small chance of some snow flurries in 8 days time but no other precipitation. Ruby and Jasper headed back to the UK on the 28th.

Still mustn't grumble. The weather is allowing progress to be made on the gite. The stove is installed and working, the window reveals and cills are installed, upstairs is decorated and a start has been made on the plumbing.

The pig arc which I built on timber runners nearly 10 years ago, was moved for the first time without a hitch. It's now down in the spinney of birch trees where we plan to put the pigs in the spring. The last part of the big field in front of the house is also finally ours!

New Year was celebrated at Justin and Emily's where a soirée was held. We dined alfresco and boogied to DJ Max (Max Tenuta, Thea's other godfather who is visiting from Otsuni) until the early hours, despite the sub-zero temperatures. 

Christmas day

 Last light before santa arrives

 Presents!

Walk before lunch

Christmas lunch outside on the new picnic table

Tuc l'Adosse

It's been a while since the last post...the weather has remained clear and sunny during the day and cold at night (-1 to -3). After a quite a few days of administrative chores - controle technique, re-registering the mitsubishi, fitting winter tyres, selling the jimny, etc - work has once again resumed on the gite. 

Ruby arrived on the 12th having finished her first term at the University of the West of England and has been resting and generally being spoiled. 

Snow is greatly deficient at the moment and so walks are having to replace skiing. Today we went up Tuc l'Adosse (1669m) from the Col de la Trappe and Sandrine came along too. Interesting views from this last ridge before the mountains. 

Looking down on Le Trein Ustou

Possibly an immature golden eagle being mobbed by a smaller hawk

Lunch on the summit of Picou (1628m) 

The only difficulty on the route, the short scramble up Pic de Quer Martit in the background

Pic de la Fonta

With the great weather continuing and Emily here for a few days, we decided to head up into the hills again...this time to Pic de la Fonta. Amazing clear weather, with choughs, vultures and peregrine overhead.

Cour Vic

With high pressure sitting over Northern France, the weather here remains bright, calm and clear. With the Polytunnel finally finished Susie and I headed up into the snow above the Col de Pause for a break. The snow starts above the Cabane d'Areou (1700m) and we headed upto the col below Cour Vic at about 2100m where the snow is continuous and hard ice under a couple of centimetres of soft wind worked snow.

On the way up we spotted a fox, he ran up to a little flat spot on a ridge then curled up and turned his back on us. On the way to the col we took to the snow sometimes and other times to South facing slopes which were sometimes bare of snow or thinly covered.

We took lunch on the col with great views to Valier and zig-zag path descending to the Cabane d'Aula.

We thought to continue up to the Port d'Aula but the snow on the ridge leading to Cour Vic was hard ice and we hadn't brought crampons or ice axe so we descended the same way.

All done...

...on the outside at any rate!

More polytunnel progress

Polythene on today...doors tomorrow.

Progress

A trip to Ardichen on Monday to finally see Hilda and Christian's place (it's only taken 7 years!). They have a lovely set up overlooking Castillon en Couserans and it was good catch up. A lovely break too from all the on going works. On the way back we put the Mitsubishi through its control technique, so now we just need to sell the Jimny and then we can put it on french plates.

Despite the rain today the polytunnel is progressing.

Polytunnel

Polytunnel erection underway!!

A trip to Guzet

After fixing the car's exhaust and finishing the poly tunnel foundations, we took a day off and headed up to Guzet to play in the snow.

Cloud magic today

After the rain

Lots of rain for the last 4 days which has hampered progress, but still managed to concrete some steps, remove the exhaust from the Mitsubishi which sheared off last week and needs to be replaced and do some electrics in the gite.

Today has been clear and so after a trip to St Girons to collect materials and go to the market, we went for a stroll to the Col de Saraille. Lovely views and autumn colours.

First snows of the year.

As forecast, snow showers on the mountains over the weekend and snow flurries here last night and today. It was only this afternoon that I finally finished the slating. Work was interrupted by the delivery of the poly tunnel, though I don't think we'll be erecting it for a week or more yet.

Good chance of snow here at the weekend and during next week - crazy considering the temperatures here for the last month and even today (been topless for much of it). It's now a race against time to try and get the roof slated on the gite!