Bonjour mes amis!
Sorry it’s been a while but I’ve been working hard on the house and the time has just slipped away from me.
I decided to take a few days off from all the building work and mess and drive (yes drive all by myself) up to Brittany to see Sue and Mr P for a few days of rest and being looked after.
So what news of the house? Well the building and mess continues but I am slowly starting to see progress. Not only do I have walls and ceilings and get this, doors too (!) but, I now have walls and a door for one bathroom and walls for a second on the way.
Builder Dave and I have been busy putting in electrics in all the rooms for lighting, sockets and radiators and I had my first lesson in repointing. Including hacking off cement with a loud noisy machine. Never thought I would learn to love doing electrics and I’m loving doing the repointing. So much so that I have just finished my first room – progress was slow at first but by day 4 I was able to do 3-4m2 a day.
l to r – before raking out, after raking and before repointing, the finished wall!!!!
And much to my surprise I have done so well Builder Dave has offered me a job; as an electrician’s assistant. I know right! Have you ever heard anything so funny? But apparently I was very good at passing the right thingy, feeding cables through protective casing, terminating cables and connecting up sockets and generally keeping the work space clean and tidy. And get this, I’ve done so well at the repointing I may well end up doing that too.
But it hasn’t been all work as I’ve been a bit of a social butterfly too; lunches and dinners at various neighbours, village functions and a night at the beach.
My first lunch was with a couple from dancing who happen to have a house 30 minutes drive away, next up a village do on the 14th July which started with lunch followed by boules in the village (I skipped this bit as wasn’t feeling too good and went home for a sleep on sofa), ending with moules frites in the evening followed by fireworks.
Sunday was lunch… Well I arrived at 1pm and got home at 7pm! Oysters, prawns, salmon, salads, cake and wine a plenty. I will state here I really didn’t drink much apart from almost 3 litres of water.
Well that evening – oh my. I have never had a migraine like it. Sick, sweaty, dizzy, couldn’t stand up, and the pain – indescribable. Woke up to my skin erupting – a sure sign I have been overdoing it.
Long story short I took a few days off building and cleaned the house, did some yoga and got settled with series 2 of house of cards. Cleaning was not exactly a rest but I needed to do it. I think issue is I have nowhere to go to get away from it all. Gets me back to thinking must get the gite sorted if only for me……
A few days off of building works and I was feeling much more like myself and raring to go and taught my first private yoga class to a French couple in the village. Was so good – forgotten how much I enjoy teaching and the best bit is they want to do more when they get back from holiday.
The following Sunday was another ‘lunch’…… A few of us from the village also went to ‘Un violin sur la plage’, a violin on the beach in Royan. This a bit of misnomer as it may well have started as one violin 30 years ago but now it is a full orchestra, staging and fireworks over a week.
And last Sunday was the village Sardinade. Yes another village lunch involving sardines plus 3/4 other courses starting at midday and finishing………
I’m still visiting brocantes on Sundays and have also found a facebook group called ‘things for sale/swap/free’ in my area. So far I have purchased some wood for the winter, a bed for the gite and a kitchen for the gite.
And here as promised are a few before and after pics of some of my purchases.
Next week I am off to Agadir for a week of yoga with the lovely Holly, with a few very brief days the UK either end. I’ll be back in France on 21st August ready to crack on with the house again. So until then, lots of love to you all.
Oops I nearly forgot the one thing you are all really waiting to hear about. What’s that I hear you asking? Well Malbec of course. She is doing really well, has had both her jabs and can now go outside – hoorah as keeping her in as been a bit of a job the last couple of weeks.
And I can’t help but include a photo of all the lovely sunflowers.
the house will be lovely when it's finished... 