Windy Night

Strong winds overnight which disturbed my sleep. Wind always sounds much worse than it actually is here because I'm surrounded by woodland. Today it's decidedly colder.

A trip to see Ian and Nina this morning, it was good to catch up and hopefully we'll go skiing on Thursday when the good weather returns. In the afternoon I cleared and logged another of the hung up trees, this time a tall cherry.

Ah weather!

Snow over night and most the morning until all was white! Then out came the sun and all the snow melted, so I headed outside and cleared away the big oak which brought down the electricity lines in November and was felled by the EDF. Then huge winds and back to some more snow!

Stripped my camera down trying to remove the big bit of dust on the sensor with some serious vacuuming inside (it's visible at small apertures - see photo in last post) ....but alas after re-assembly no change : (

Ah...sun!

I'd forgotten what it feels like.

Snow continued all night and most the morning. Had to restock with firewood first thing, then I sorted out the lighting in the kitchen - added some extra lights and ditched some "cheap as chips" Ikea lights that had already developed a fault.

the blue has been rendered strangely by my camera

When the snow stopped and the sun came out I went for a walk down into the woods. Lots of damage from the early snows and some more from some very strong winds here a couple of weeks back. Lots of clearing up to do just to unblock well established paths through the woods. Below "Le Sarrach" I startled 6 boar sleeping under a tree - they sped off into the woods before I could turn the camera on.

Snow

A few minutes of sun when I arrived in Toulouse, then a blast of hail and a wind that threatened to uproot the nearby road signs. The rain turned to snow by the time I was in St Girons and here it's gentle blizzard. Fires burning and house warming up slowly.

Followed by storms

Back to France on Friday, but it's looking like after months of great weather there, I'm arriving just as a week long rain storm arrives. Is the shit weather following me around?

It's forecast to turn to snow over the weekend, so there's a chance of some good skiing as long as the fresh snow isn't too wet.

Amsterdam and Istanbul

At last we have taken our much delayed honeymoon and we headed off on Thursday for Istanbul via Amsterdam. The weather alas was decidedly Devonian, but it was great to travel somewhere new.

Flight times had made a brief overnight stay in Amsterdam convenient and as luck would have it we also managed to pick up tickets to see Nederlands Dance Theatre who were performing in Amsterdam. We saw an early piece by Jiri Kylian, a premiere of new work by Geoke (which neither of us much liked) and a premiere of a new piece by Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, which I liked and Susie loved! She even managed to talk briefly to the choreographers who happened to be at the performance and sitting near us.

In the morning it was off to Istanbul. We'd booked the lovely Sultania Hotel, close to the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. We unashamedly did all the tourist sites and pampered ourselves.

The Hagia Sophia is immense and all the more impressive as it was built in 537AD.

The Blue Mosque is simply beautiful.

The Grand Bazaar was as you'd expect with lots of vendors hassling us for trade and the goods being a mishmash of quality items and nasty junk.

 We also visited the Spice Market (though there's not so many spice traders these days).

The Topkapi Palace is sumptuous and gives an insight into the luxurious life of the Sultans.

We walked across the Bosporus into Asia, though strangely the Asian side is very European whilst the European side is has many mosques and markets and the Sultan's Palace.

One evening we watched the religious ceremony of the Whirling Dervishes - who spun for 35 minutes in perfect synchronisation with each other (but not the beat of the music) despite having their eyes closed. In their religious trance they never became giddy - quite extraordinary.

We swam, had saunas, hammam and turkish massages at the Hotel, as well as dining on delicious turkish cuisine for breakfast and in the roof top restaurant with panoramic views of the city.

A long flight home and although a lovely sunset from the plane, is was the usual rain, wind and a very hairy landing at Bristol.

More stormy weather

Last few weeks have been a mixture of kitchen refurbishments, roof works and new architecture projects for me, all of which has kept me fairly busy through more appalling weather. Problems with materials deliveries has delayed my trip home to France which will probably have to wait until after our forthcoming trip to turkey in a couple of weeks.

The unrelenting series of storms over the past 2 1/2 months have resulted in the rail link from Devon and Cornwall to the rest of England being washed away by the sea and most of Somerset being underwater.

Today we went for walk on Dartmoor in between the storms, though there were still some snow, hail and rain showers and at times a bitter South West wind.

 Quite a few trees have been toppled by the storms

  

Susie and ruby pretend they are on the bow of the Titanic

Upper Dart circuit

With a lull in the stormy weather today, Susie and I headed off for a walk around the upper Dart. Starting at Poundsgate we descended to Newbridge on the two moors way, before following the Dart up through its narrow steep valley. We watched the canoeists descending the river which is currently in spate after all the rain and saw quite a few capsizes in the difficult section at long island. 

We then ascended the Venford brook to the reservoir. Shortly after climbing the hill beyond the reservoir I realised I no longer had my camera and had to run back for half a mile or so, but fortunately found it on the ground. The rain returned and when we got to Dartmeet we found the stepping stones fully submerged and the river impossible to cross. No alternative but to continue to Hexworthy adding another 2-3 miles to our walk.

Crossing another tricky stream required both the walking poles to aid balance and when Susie threw them back to me one fell in the stream and was immediately swept out into the Dart. I chased it downstream for about four hundred yards and eventually managed to throw a branch at it, diverting its path towards the bank where I succeeded in reaching it from the bank.

The long diversion graced us with the sight of a 5-6 lb salmon or trout jumping from the river, a green woodpecker and some flying ducks!

The walk up the road from Dartmeet was a bit of a drag but we made it back to the car just before dark.

Yeah you know the view...but I'm not bored yet!

...and from Minsou's at Coumelary

Saturday was incredibly warm and with Ian cancelling our planned skin and ski, I decided to try to finish the tree clearance and re-fencing. It was good to be working outside in the balmy temperatures and I managed to finish most of the remaining work and clear the chemin d'Aleu which had half a dozen very large trees across it. I also re-fenced most of Paul's field a job which had been long overdue. Sunday the weather was even better and it was a shame to have to pack up and leave. I called in on Minsou on the way to the airport. Weather in the UK was dark and stormy (the same as when I left) and we had a very heavy landing at Bristol. I think with the strong gusting winds the pilot just wanted to get the plane down onto the runway!

A short film about a school friend's father Leonard Creo: artist, speed walker and 91 today. Happy Birthday Creo.

Really missing my camera : (    
...(and Susie of course!!).

Weather has been beautiful today and I've working outside all day, clearing up some of the many fallen trees and using them to make fence posts and repair the damaged fences. Most of the trees are big and either hung up or in a tangled mess with half a dozen other trees...dangerous work. There are still a few to tidy up and some to fell which are standing but damaged beyond saving and often with torn boughs dangling dangerously out of reach...they can wait until later. The chemin between Pinsou and Aleu has quite a few trees which have fallen right across it, so it's impassable with the tractor, they'll have to cleared later too.

Got a message from my tenants saying they're not moving and that C.A.F say the rent should be paid as normal? I will have to wait and see what happens.

Tomorrow is my last day here, so hopefully a ski or a day in the mountains.

Another mild day here. I started with some clearing up of fallen trees, a job which will occupy me for all of tomorrow, then it was off to meet tendering contractors for Nicole and Gilbert's barn conversion at La Trappe. In between times I managed to plaster the wall behind our bed.

Then it was off to Pont to try to meet with my tenants. I'd received a letter from C.A.F. saying that having reviewed their case, I would no longer be receiving rental payments (C.A.F. currently pays me their rent direct). With four children I can't see how they would lose their entitlement, so either they've decided to move out this month (without telling me) or they've been defrauding the gov't or they're trying to get the rent paid to them instead or C.A.F. have made some kind of administrative error!

No-one was at home but I did get a chance to look through some windows and the place seemed in a pretty sorry state...very upsetting. It's virtually impossible to forcible evict tenants in France so I really hope they're moving out. Evidently they haven't paid an electricity bill since May so maybe it's been cut off and now they can't live there any more? I just wish they'd communicate with me. I left another letter asking them to contact me urgently, I can do no more legally until the rent is 3 months in arrears.

Stuck in the mud

A meeting with a new client this morning in Biech - I have another house to get planning permission for! Then it was on with finishing the drawings for the barn conversion for Nicole and Gilbert Coron in La trappe as I'm meeting a couple of builders tomorrow morning.

Work was interrupted when after delivering building materials to my neighbours Philippe and Céline, the lorry got stuck on the edge of grass where we play badminton in the summer. After all the snow melt the clayey ground was saturated under the grass. It seems fine when you walk on it but with a vehicle on it it's like quicksand and I've lost count of the number of vehicles I've pulled out over the years. The truck must weigh 4-5 tonnes unladen (it has a crane) but the driver was adamant that I should pull him with my little tractor not the jimny. Amazingly the truck started to move and all seemed to going well until suddenly the spinning back wheels lost traction and the back of lorry span around, sliding down the slope towards the new terrace. Several attempts to get it out, first forward and then by reversing only sent the lorry closer to the terrace and deeper into the ground. In the end the cab was few centimeters from pergola. I was pulling the rear of the lorry sideways with the tractor while he attempted to reverse, we had cement on the tyres and steel plates under them to try and get traction but all no avail.

Philippe made a tour of the neighbours to try and find a bigger tractor or a powerful winch. Messers Durand and Gouazé eventually arrived from the village and after some scratching of heads, M. Durand descended to Castet d'Aleu to fetch his logging machine complete with 15 tonne winch.

With the cable redirected through a pulley around a distant tree, he managed to get a forward pull with the winch and haul the lorry effortlessly out of it's hole, even lifting the front wheels off the ground at the end.

Then with more pulling on the rear by a heavier 4x4 truck, and finally a direct pull from the logging machine we straightened the lorry up and got it on the road again, the rescue was over. No damage to the terrace but some big holes to fill in and lots of turf to stamp down.

Drinks at Philippe and Céline's for me, André and Bernard.

Forgot my camera this trip, so apologies for the poor 'mobile phone camera' images.

A soirée with the neighbours last night - Galette de Roi...a frangipan tarte the french eat on 12th night which has a little china figurine hidden inside one of the slices. The lucky person who gets to wear a paper crown.

Today after a little bit of fence repair it was off to St G to get sand, cement and plaster. Bumped into Ian on the way and we've pencilled in a skin up, ski down morning at Guzet.

The wall behind our bed was gunned with concrete (like the living room walls), so now after nearly ten years at Quelebu I've decided to plaster it! This afternoon I got a coat of render on it, in a few days I'll plaster it.

I finally managed to transport (without damage) the bejewelled lampshade for our bedroom which I found in Totnes market.

Quelebu again

Back in France and nice to have calm, mild weather and hear only bird song. A surprise comedy New Year's card from my old friend Julian Hopgood. Will be in touch soon.

Detox on the moor

A wander around Sheep Tor with Susie and Ruby.

It's been a long time since my last post. Two weeks refurbishing a flat in London, preparing for Christmas, three architecture projects and a forthcoming building project have kept me rather busy. Some R and R over the holidays should provide some post worthy news soon.

Stormy Weather

My flight back to the UK was delayed by three hours because of the storms in Scotland. Author and comedian Tony Hawks was on my flight (he has a home in Bagneres de Bigorre which he wrote about in his book "A Piano in the Pyrenees").

Christmas shopping at he weekend, during which Susie found some lovely shoes for me which are great - ergonomic, comfortable and stylish.

Starting the bedroom makeover

With the new parts of the house almost finished (just bathroom joinery and tiling, and Susie's wardrobe doors to do), our bedroom is next for some attention. Started by painting the ceiling white and having a big clear-up.

A chance meeting

A trip to Foix this morning, to the prefecture, to change the name on my driving licence from Inglis-Sharp to Sharp. Which was very straight forward (am I getting used to french bureaucracy?). As I walked back to the car I heard a shout of "Lee!" and there at the door of a café were Donna, Sheri and Sam! Old friends who I hadn't seen in the flesh for a couple years and by chance all together. Was good to catch up over a coffee.

I called in on Minsou on the way home, who was in fine form and we chatted over a glass of Port.

It was a glorious afternoon and even though there is snow everywhere the temperature in the sun was in the mid-twenties...the advantage of living so far south. Spent the late afternoon painting the bedroom ceiling white.

A short walk around the fields this afternoon and there are trees and boughs in all them to be cleared up, some of them sizeable and some hung up. It's not quite on the scale of 2010 but at least then it was May and the winter was over. I won't be able to tackle most of these for another 4-5 months.

Still the firewood supplies are looking very healthy...could probably sell some!

Avalanche!

Woken by two avalanches last night, one off each side of the roof. This morning with the cone of debree up onto the roof, I had to do about 2 hours digging. These photos are afterwards.

Fortunately the car wasn't parked on the 'wrong' side of the house but safely in the garage.