Semaine Sept

Finally we have got back to some real summer weather - well probably still too mild for a normal summer but the past few days have been absolutely fantastic - about 26 degrees - no wind - and since we've had the rain you can just about watch everything growing around you.  We have just got back from a quick stroll down to the Abbey Nouvelle - well it was meant to be about 1 and half hours walk as it's about 10kms there and back but I got us slightly lost so 3 hours later we struggled up the driveway ha.  Was a lovely walk though - partly through the forest in the hills behind us then partly along some country roads through farms and little hamlets.  Unfortunately we went left at a fork and were meant to go right so ended up going a lot further than we had hoped - ended up back in the forest and wondering if we would end up on the news as the lost Australians who survived on berries for three days haha.  It would have been a shorter walk but we had to keep checking out some of the old shepherds huts that litter the forest - we found this one that was once three rooms - two are still intact - can only imagine the sheep getting put in there on freezing nights - they look too small for any human habitation although Paul still managed to go inside this one!

The Abbey Nouvelle is a lovely old stone building that is mostly in ruins - we hadn't walked to it before and came in on it through the forest - a rather nice little cluster of buildings behind it in a really nice spot.  A dairy with some very fat and content looking cows is right next to it.

L'Abbey Nouvelle

 Other than our little adventure today, it has been reasonably uneventful this week.  We are both suffering pretty badly with sore hands after a couple of weeks straight of chipping off the clay plaster but Paul finally did the last little bits yesterday.  Paul has also been digging out the kitchen floor to get it down to the level we need to install the underfloor heating - also another big job now done. 

 

 

 

Paul chip chip chipping away.... 

 

 

While cleaning out the fireplace on the first floor Paul found some old papers including this lovely birth notice from the 1930's.  We also have some newspapers in the old chest from that same era.  We are starting to think this is around the last time it was used as a house and not just a wine cellar and or tobacco drying place.

Paul also found something else a little more interesting in the ash of the fireplace - it is a very old type of syringe - made of glass in it's own wooden holder. It was broken which is a shame but strangely enough there was a small glass vial of some liquid sitting on the fireplace so maybe someone was a diabetic, who knows?

1930's junkies??

Well we have a delivery of sand and render mix coming tomorrow - we bought a high pressure washer during the week that we will need to clean down the walls before we start doing the render - Paul had fun testing it out on on old door and on a couple of the beams in the kitchen.  It sure rips into stuff - we have to be careful not to get carried away with it. 

Paul having fun with the pressure cleaner - I am sure in a week or two it won't be so enjoyable!

All the fruit in our garden is starting to ripen - we have been eating plums flat out - or Paul has in particular and the grapes are starting to go red.  We have a loaded fig tree too - might have to make some jam once I am a bit more organised!

Ok well hopefully this time next week I will have some pics of some successfully pointed walls in the attic.  We are still trying to locate someone to do the gyprocking in the ceiling but no luck yet.  That's one job we have tried before and both agree it's not worth the aggravation!

Just had the cheeky wild cat pop his little head into the barn twice whilst I am sitting here next to the door - we are currently feeding him and our two boys -  he then also has the gall to beat them up most nights ha - he's gotta go - not sure how though - cat trap??