It depends where you're standing...

Taunting us, across the valley, rises a chateau. It makes our farm feel more earthy and lowly than ever whenever we gaze across at it. We went for a little drive down and up, then up and down the valley one evening recently, to get a closer look. Kevin had ridden past it on the back of Joel, the farmer's, tractor last week and he was confident that he knew how to find it. It's in a hamlet called Tintignac. 

Tintignac is famous for the archaeological remains of a sanctuary where Gallic and Gallo-Roman artefacts were found, including seven carnyx (war trumpets), and ornamented helmets. In September 2004 around five hundred fragments of iron and bronze objects were discovered in a pit. The objects included a dozen swords and scabbards, iron spearheads, a shield, ten bronze helmets, an iron bird, two animal heads (including a horse) and a cauldron.

 The dig

We found the chateau, but it emerged that the prime aim of this expedition was to look back and see what our farm looked like. It is impossible to identify our farm. For us, anyway. We are geographically useless. But what we discovered was that the chateau is not nearly as impressive close up. Look at it. It looks a bit like a prison. It's not Hogwarts; more Azkaban. Maybe it looks better from another angle. Maybe our farm is a better place to be.

Down the hill from us, by the river, is a little factory. It possesses very little to draw the attention of a passer-by, until this week, that is. A massive water wheel has been deposited on its weigh bridge. I assume that, hidden at the back of the factory, this great wheel has been busy generating power. Maybe they have a new one, or maybe this is the new one. Perhaps it needs attention. It's been there a week now...

 More sky...

My brother bought me a Katniss kit when I first came to France. This gorgeous knife was part of that kit. It was so sharp that my brother was cut while showing me how not to touch the blade 'as it was razor sharp'. I use it all the time for a huge range of jobs, and sometimes I do feel a bit Katniss. Thank you, Ron. It's a bit blunter now, so maybe I'll let you handle it next time you're out here... 

Locals use knives quite a lot. They come out at mealtimes to carve meat, cheese, fruit and bread. Kevin wants one.

Kevin has taken off the metal shutters so that I can paint them. I'm trying to go for a pale sky blue, but, as expected, paint for metal is limited in colour choice. I've had a long colour-discussion with a young salesman at Mr Bricolage, but I still can't commit. It has to happen this week, so I may have to compromise on my colour choice... we'll see.

The fireplace in the kitchen is a shadowy scream. It terrifies us. Like the basement furnace in Home Alone. I whitewashed it to make it feel more approachable. The white immediately turned brown. I've tried two coats. It's still brown. It is clearly determined to be brown. I've Hoovered out the black candyfloss cobwebs, and knocked off layers of old coke with a shovel, which has helped. We still have to cut out that metally chamber, which may or may not contain asbestos. I'm dreading what will fall down on us as we remove it. It's a BIG chimney hole. It's a giant's yawn; it smells of ancient grease and smoke. 

But something will happen to it this week. We've decided, after expert advice, that it would be risky to raise the beam, so the cooking range will have to go somewhere else. We've decided to put a wood burner in there and a couple of little tub armchairs; the rest of the kitchen will have to work around that. I was hoping to keep the brickwork exposed, but it's not up to that. Look at it. The beam will still be on show, however. I'm going to rub it down and make it look shabby chic-esque. You'l be surprised at how the kitchen evolves... we've drawn it out on the floor using purple chalk. 

The upstairs bathroom (with dormer) is slowly taking shape. The green plasterboard is water-resistant; that's where the shower is going. 

Very soon, there will be a dramatic change in this room!