The French Renovation

My mission to paint the South wall of cottage #1 is fulfilled. Kevin, bless him, was concerned for my safety, so he added extra support legs once the tower was heightened even further. There was a fair degree of wobble up there, accentuated by my feverish wire-brushing technique and a prevailing wind. At first, my knees were a bit fizzy, but it's surprising how quickly one can adjust to working at heights. It did cross my mind that the last time I'd been that high was on the Isle of Wight, on a school outward bound trip to Little Canada , while abseiling. Only, on that occasion, I'd been strapped into a harness (unflattering) on a safety rope and wearing a safety helmet. I know it doesn't look very high in the photo, but when you're up there, and 'on the wobble', it's challenging! Mid-paint, Kevin thought it would be funny to come under cover from the inside, banging at one of those boarded-up little window holes. Not funny, Kevin. I nearly dropped my b...

Summer has rushed past with 'nary a glance from the men baking in the sun'*. And, so now, it is September, the season of spiders, cider and slow sunsets.  Something miraculous has happened in Cousein Bas. Where there was a heap of muddled stones, there now rises a polished wooden cross. Nearly every hamlet in France boasts a cross, or 'calvaire', and ours had withered. Thanks to the efforts and passion of neighbour, Brigitte, our mayor has seen fit to re-establish this ancient marker.  We've had visitors. Perfect Scottish yummies, Tricia and Dave. We showed them the graffiti in Tulle, then coffee-ed them at one of the ubiquitous Cafe Bogotas. I resorted to Nicaragua yet again; the 'free' mini-biscuit and cocoa-ed almond make it one of the most  luxurious experiences for the coffee connoiseur... The Tricia The Dave We then moved them on to Argentat for lunch with the most miserable pizza man in the universe.  An...

Today, I was instructed in the art of felting. I didn't know that felting was a thing, but it is, and I think I like it! I spent a day with art guru, Sally, and champion spinner, Jan, and here is the story of our day... Step 1 Gently pull apart dyed skeins of lambs' wool, or llama, or alpaca, and arrange in three or four subtly mingled rows to form a roughly rectangular shape. Do this on a piece of bubble wrap. Keep all of the threads going in one direction. Feel free to mix up your colours and materials. Silks are encouraged. Try to have a rough idea of what your final piece will look like, for example, will you opt for a floral festival, or perhaps a landscape, or, if you're feeling particularly bold, a self portrait...  Step 2 Repeat process in opposite direction, across-ways. Step 3 Repeat process in the original direction. Keep patting down and avoid windy blasts. Step 4 Add decorative bits.  Mine Step 5 Generously apply soapy water all...

One of the joys of home-grown vegetables and fruits is the unfolding of unusual formations. You wouldn't find a tomato with this much character in a British supermarket, would you?  It's always nice to keep some Haribo sweets in the car, for those long, exhausting journeys across France. This brand new, unopened selection of fruity chews was carefully stowed in the map pocket behind my seat. It doesn't seem quite so appealing now that it's one giant blob... or does it? We purchased some sheep's cheese at the local farmers' market. It was delicious, but its crust was one of the most 'textured' I've seen! We were presented with a few problems when trying to affix guttering to the rear of cottage #1, mainly due to the fact that there wasn't really anything to attach it to. So... Kevin cut off the ends of some of the overly jutty beams and added little wooden blocks to the side of each beam, to which he has now fixed a great ...