Summertime fun

Ok - so I do have a little excuse for not blogging for several months - I've been having some major technical issues with our computer in that it had a pesky virus which I fixed by deleting a heap of stuff - but inadvertently deleted some of the necessary photo software too, so I have been putting off doing it as I knew it was going to take a while to sort out. Anyway enough of my petty excuses. The good news is that we have both been working very hard for the past few months and the interior of the house is getting very close to being finished - although Paul hates me saying that whoops. However although every room still has lots and lots of fiddly little jobs to do, they all are close to being fully functional with no major jobs to do. We have finally moved out of the attic this week down to our bedroom and now only go up there for showers as our own bathroom needs some plumbing done to be ready. The kitchen has been finished for about two months now and I totally love it. It's so easy to cook in and keep clean. And seriously - I am NEVER going without a dishwasher again! Here are some before and after pics of it.

Before

During

After

We ended up after contemplating long and hard what we could use for a splashback, finding some lovely, very old cement 'encaustic' tiles at a salvage yard. For the sum of 120 euros and about an hours work each tile chipping off the old mortar and sanding them clean and smooth they have really worked out nicely.



Paul has also tiled and built up the fireplace ready for a wood burner in the living/dining room and it really only needs some furniture and it will be done. Here is a pic which shows the lounge mentioned later!

We have finally got the front door in and painted - after hours and hours of sanding the old paint off (after my mum and dad also scraped most of the outside layers whilst they were here) we debated whether to do a final sand blast or something to get the old paint off, but I decided that the frames and the door were such different timbers it would look nicer painted, so voila - I think it looks great. The inside is still just bare wood and looks good too.

So yes - it's all been happening. We have had some visitors too - our friends Gary and Lyn came for a few days in May and Chelsea and Hunter came in June for a lovely week of touristy stuff but mostly just hanging out chatting in the jacuzzi -luckily we had perfect weather while they were here because for several weeks after it got quite cold and rainy again. However the past few weeks have been hot hot hot and no rain. Losing the lovely grass very quickly so hopefully we get some summer rain as is usual here. Last week we went to Spain and met up with Gabs in Ibeza for a week off - there are some beautiful beaches and not much else unless you're into clubbing but it was good fun. Chels and Hunter met us there for a few days on their way back to Chicago after spending a few weeks in Australia. So was great to be all together again. Not sure when that will be happening again - was a bit sad saying goodbye to Chels at the airport as we normally always have something organised for when we will see her again. But she's a big girl who has found a great job and life in Chicago and I'm sure she will be back here or us there again real soon. Gabs is happy for now with staying in Ibeza and her daily routine of sleeping until late morning, eating, beaching, working and partying - (not necessarily in that order haha). Good life for a 21 year old!

A couple of weeks back I had started chipping off the old crepi (lime render) from the front of the house but I am now finding it difficult to get back to as I ride in the cool of the morning and then it just gets way too hot to be outside working for the rest of the day. You can see where I have done it already on the pic of the front door. Unlike where we lived in Aus here it starts off cool and just gets hotter and hotter culminating in the hottest part of the day being around 7 or 8 in the evening. Bit too far from the coast for sea breezes here!



And here is Paul today - doing some work on the lights and electrics in what is going to be our cinema room.

This room was the original little wine store complete with running water for temperature control and we have been vacillating between it being a formal dining room or tv room but the decision has kind of been made for us by me ordering a lounge suite off the net only to have it arrive this week and it is far too large for the living room but will fit perfectly in this room - so there it will go! Big TV is going to be sorted soon or at least before winter as I can't remember when I watched TV last (actually I do - it was in Ibeza watching the Aussies trying to play cricket ha).

Ok - I think that's us up to date. We have a busy week coming up with some friends coming to stay and me going on a two day hack to Domme (in this heat -eek) then after that two more lots friends coming in August and Sept - and we are going to try and get stuck into the outside entertaining area in the meantime. And I also need to start to source decorating stuff without blowing the budget - which is difficult. Although we have found some great second hand furniture stores that are fun to search for stuff in. Hopefully I will be back with more updates before this time next year haha.

My little wild summer garden with Dahlias in full bloom.

Le long hiver!

Yep - it definitely still feels like winter! The past few days have been ridiculously cold and we have had lots and lots of rain. I went back through my blog from last year though and it appears this is normal. The problem is every now and again we have a super warm sunny day and it gets us all excited for spring but then it goes back to like yesterday with a day time max of 9 degrees! However all the trees and plants are acting very spring like and blossoming and sprouting. My tulips have arrived at the front door and have multiplied a lot from last year. My one little garden bed has some color in it too although it could do with some more plants!



Since I did the blog last we have been for our skiing holiday in the Pyrenees. We went with some friends who have kids so it was the school holidays. Bad idea ha - it was super busy - but we still managed to have a good time although we have decided we are too old to do a full week of skiing. We did get great weather and snow while we were there but our friends all got sick with the flu and shared it with Paul who ended up spending a few days in bed when we got home. Luckily I had already had my share of the flu over the new year period so managed to avoid it this time.

We have been very busy with the work on the house or I guess Paul has. Since I blogged last he has finished the plastering in the kitchen and dining room and also tiled the kitchen floor. I helped him with the grouting and I think it looks awesome. He also had to build a new little wall for the kitchen window. It used to be a very low door but we needed to have at least one wall without an opening and it was too low to be much use anyway. Here are some pics.



We have organised one of the local carpenters to make the actual double glazed kitchen window - hopefully once that's here it will look less like a pizza shop ha.

In some very exciting news our kitchen has arrived - all looks ok although I can't really tell much as it is currently in this state;



So in the next few days after the floor has been sealed we should be able to start installing it. Still need to get the work tops - I found a slab of marble for sale on Leboncoin that I am going to see on Friday that should fit on the island bench so that should work out. Will be having oak on the other cupboards. Have decided not to put any cupboards on the walls as they have some really nice features and didn't want to cover them up. So anyway here's hoping next blog I can put some before and after kitchen pictures up! Only a few weeks until we have some visitors again but we now have a completed spare bedroom and bathroom so it's not a problem. Would love to have the kitchen operational but if it's not - c'est la vie!

Sorry this is a bit short but not much else has been happening. I have just signed up to play hockey at the masters games in Italy at the beginning of August for a team from WA - this is either being very brave or stupid considering I am currently recovering from a fall from my horse (who normally is very mild mannered but decides every now and then to buck when I least expect it) and have a very sore shoulder after landing quite oddly on my right armpit! I also haven't played for nearly two years and haven't been for an actual run for nearly as long. Will be a good impetus to do some fitness related activities that don't involve a horse!

Winter hibernation!

So - I have managed to scrap in a blog entry before January has been and gone - just! As usual we have had a busy last six weeks. Starting with going snow boarding in Andorra for a few days in the middle of December with Chelsea. Andorra is really beautiful and we really enjoyed it - although Paul was having some co-ordination problems and couldn't seem to stay upright for any length of time - I think he was just trying to go too fast and losing control. Looked painful anyway. Here is a pic of the view from the top of one of the runs. That's my board you can see in the bottom of the pic. I did manage to learn how to do turns during this trip which makes it more exciting then what you do first when you're learning - the falling leaf as they call it - kind of scraping your way down a slope ha. It's very easy to pick beginners out on the slopes ha. We have a week booked in the Pyrenees with some friends at the end of February so we should be even better after that!

The week or so before Xmas was pretty miserable - lots of rain and cold - so we didn't do too much whilst Chelsea was here. I think she just appreciated a little relax after her hectic year at college. We then all drove to London a couple of days before Xmas. Was a long drive but not too painful. It took us about 12 hours all up I think. Had a lovely five days or so in London just shopping for xmas food - cooking it - watching movies and generally just hanging out together. The weather was typically English - rainy and grey but we did manage to get out one night to see the "winter wonderland" in Hyde Park which was fun. Here is me and the girls all rugged up for it.

Paul managed to make contact with someone who had a motor bike he had been looking for, so after debating what to do about it we decided he might as well try and get it. Was easier said than done as he had to buy a bike trailer too. It was also in the south of England so the day we picked it up we went from dropping Chelsea at Heathrow at 7am - down to Salisbury or somewhere near - a couple of hours checking it - finding somewhere to give us enough cash - loading it etc - then headed for home. We hit some traffic jams on the way to Portsmouth and so it took twice as long as it should have - then the channel tunnel train was running late so it was nearly midnight by the time we got into France. We did just keep driving and eventually got home over 24 hours after leaving London - both pretty shattered! But Paul was happy as he now has a bike with more of the power he is used to - although I quite liked being on the back of his 450 as I knew he couldn't go too fast on it! He has been working on it quite a bit at night when it hasn't been too freezing as it hadn't been ridden for a few years at least. Its a 78 BMW 1000. Apparently it's a classic - so he tells me anyway. Here is Yves and him all done up ready to go for a ride yesterday.

We have finally experienced some actual decent snowfall here in the last couple of weeks - was so much fun. Unfortunately we also have had a lot of rain so it didn't hang around for long. I am not missing the freezing temperatures that come with it though. We have only had the outside pipes freeze once or twice so far this winter although last year it was February when it got really bad so we're not out of the woods yet. Gets difficult trying to keep the horses water up.

As far as the boring renovation stuff goes, Paul has been doing the ceiling plaster on the ground floor for the past few weeks. I feel sorry for him as it is so painstakingly slow and back breaking - he is always complaining of a sore neck which is understandable. Getting the plaster sheets as tight a fit as possible to very crooked beams is really fiddly. He has completed the living room and is in the little TV room now. I have been designing the kitchen and getting quotes etc - trying to get as much bang for my buck whilst avoiding the Ikea route if at all possible. We have also decided to swap the kitchen into the bigger living room. I had mentioned that we should have done this a few weeks ago to Paul, who said way too much work as been done to change it, but now after a chat to one of his mates who told him we would be crazy not to do it - what do you know - it's now on the cards. Men - I don't know haha. Mind you it's Paul that is going to now have to do all the extra work so I can't be too bitter. I also learned a lot doing the original plan so it hasn't taken me as long to do a new one. This also means we can make the most of our big Cantou fireplace - it can just have a big log burner in there now and not be filled up with ovens etc. And the kitchen will be big enough to have a dining table in it so will be a nice farmhouse style. Looking forward to getting it in and being able to entertain - it gets way too cosy here in the attic for dinner parties!
Anyway here is some pics of the work done in the house. I ended up doing the grouting just before xmas in our ensuite. And Paul has hung one of the french doors for our bedroom after spending days sanding it up. They are so nice - the photos don't really do the door or the floor justice but you get the idea.

Well - I think that is our news for now. Paul is at the museum today having a break from work - I was meant to be going to a friends place to help practice loading her horses onto her new trailer and going for a ride with her but the forecast turned out be wrong and it came in rainy so we cancelled. But it looks like the sun might have come out again now so I will get outside whilst I can. Am really looking forward to some warmer weather. We got a taste of it yesterday - it was lovely and sunny and I think it got up to 16 degrees which won't sound warm at all to you Australians but for us it was amazing!

Bonnes fêtes

Time to log in again. Unbelievably it's nearly Xmas - this year has literally whizzed by in a bit of a blur! We are off to Toulouse tomorrow to get Chelsea from the airport. Her university holidays aren't very long unfortunately so she is only coming for a couple of weeks, but it will be great to see her again. Also a bit excited to catch up with Gabbi for Xmas - it's been a few months since we have seen her and she ventured off on her London adventure. I think she is enjoying it, although at the moment she is doing some very long hours at the bar she works in so I don't think she is able to do anything much other then work. We are spending xmas all together in London - I have rented an apartment for a few days so hopefully we can throw together a big traditional English roast Xmas lunch. Can't wait!

The days are so short here this time of year. The trade off for the extremely long days in summer I guess. Sometimes it feels the sun has only just come up and its gone again. We have had some pretty cold weather too - last week we had a day where it was still minus 7 at lunch time!

Paul has been cracking on with the house. A few weeks back we had the underfloor heating pipes in and the screed laid. We had a friend in to help who had done it before and our good friend Yves who owes Paul some time came along to help too. We were going to hire a big cement mixer but it was going to be 70 euros a day so Paul had a look on Leboncoin and found an ancient petrol powered one for 250 - so that worked out pretty good. It did the job with no problems and now we have our own for the bigger concreting jobs we still have to do.
Here are some pics from the couple of days doing the floor. It rained lightly the whole time - I did cop Paul and Yves having a cheeky beer quite early in the day - the photo kind of says it all! In fact they thought they were going to be loading the mixer flat out but since it was so big they had plenty of time between loads to take it easy!

We have left the screed to dry out, which could take a while with the very rainy miserable weather we have been having and have now gone back to work on the second floor.
We have laid the oak in the spare bedroom and Paul has rebuilt the fireplace for it. And only today he finished the tiling in our ensuite - although it still needs grouting. It looks awesome - he has done such a great job.

So - no other news really. We are going to have a few quick days checking out the ski fields in Andorra next week - there has been some good snow and more due tomorrow so hopefully will be nice and soft for the inevitable big wipe outs that are on the cards!!

Au boulot!!

Ok - so I am a little in shock. I knew it had been a while since I had blogged but I have just realised it has been nearly 2 months!! Whoops... ok well I have a bit to catch up on now..
So starting with Oct. We had visitors from Australia for most of Oct so tools definitely were put down for a while. It was fun playing tour guides and luckily during their stay the weather was for the most part pretty warm and clear. We had a gorgeous day on the river Dordogne with Pete and Kath - it was 27 degrees and no wind - perfect. And this time I could canoe too as last time I had just got out of hospital so wasn't allowed. Mind you - I have to admit it was hard work so Paul did a lot of it!

We also went with our friends for a few days to Crete in Greece. We chose Crete as it is the most southern of the Greek islands so figured it should be the warmest as we were risking it a bit being the middle of Oct. This turned out to be correct as the weather was pretty much perfect the whole time. We had unsuspectingly booked an all inclusive resort for the week - for the princely sum of $500 for each couple - crazy cheap. The food was great too - very traditional Greek which we all love. The resort was lovely but loaded with young families - screaming kids everywhere - not ideal for couples - oh well never mind, we still managed to relax and have a good time. We also managed to do a dive too - not much to look at as far as sea life went - the Greeks have pretty much fished it out apparently - but we did an amazing cave dive which was a new experience for all of us. It has at least two fossilised mammoths in it - complete with tusks and jawbones - so fifteen metres down the cliff face you go through a hole in the cliff face and swim along the cave a few hundred metres before you can actually surface in an air pocket and see all the stalagnites etc, so cool. Of course it is pitch black so we all had torches to see. Swimming back towards the cave entrance we all turned off our lights so you get this amazing sight of the blue entrance coming up - was one of the best dives I have been on I think. The fact that there are no white pointers in Greece also helped us all relax a bit too! Diving in our home town Perth has become a bit of a gamble with 6 deadly shark attacks in the past year alone - two of which were on divers! eek.
Here are some pics of our time in Crete.

Anyway after we got back from Greece I headed back to the US to be at Chelsea's senior game so she didn't have to walk out all by herself - I also had hoped they would make it to the national finals as at the time they had only lost two games. Of course that didn't happen - unfortunately they lost their two last games which ended up being crucial to the final selection to the finals - pretty much didn't make it by one spot. So sad for Chels as it is what she has been training for for the past three and a half years. However it was the best season they had by far and I was there for Chelsea's one hundredth goal - something only 6 people have managed to do in NCAA field hockey history so a great achievement for her. It's a shame as if she stays in the US she possibly won't be playing at a competitive level any more. Seems a waste of talent but that is how the US system works - lots of very talented girls finish playing in their early twenties. Not like in Aus where you just keep dropping grades until the body gives out ha. Here is me and Chels on her senior day.

Well I have been back for two weeks now and we have been hard at getting materials organised to continue on with the renovation. We have also laid the insulation and pipes for the underfloor heating - the screed is due to be laid next Monday so that will be fantastic to have done. Paul has also fitted a door to the spare bedroom and today has begun to tile our bathroom. We had planned to lay all the oak to the second floor but decided it would be best to wait until we had finished all the concrete work to avoid bringing in more moisture for the floor boards to contend with.

I have also been busy doing some schooling with my horse. I generally ride an hour or two a day and he is really coming on. I have also been doing the dressage lessons once a week and think I am starting to get the hang of it now. It is a real challenge that's for sure.

Not looking forward to winter - we have been lucky so far - normally November can be grey and miserable but we have had lots of sunny days and not too cold - even had 22 degrees last week! It won't last though - that's a given!

Voyage a Etas Unis!

I'm back - literally and figuratively! I have been trying to find the energy to write a blog entry for the past week but jet lag and catching up on everything has just taken precedence. Paul and I have been away visiting our daughter in the US for a few weeks. We had a great trip - saw some parts of the US that we hadn't been to before including San Francisco and North Carolina - watched 6 games of hockey for 6 good wins by Chels and her team and spent some nice time with her and her boyfriend in Chicago.

Other then a minor issue of realising whilst in the line to checkin for our flight from London to Toulouse that we were meant to be on the flight the day before - everything went very smoothly. And everything was fine back at home - the horses had been well fed and looked after by Goldy's mum although it did take me a couple of days to pick up all the poo they had created in three weeks!

Paul has been sanding and painting all the plasterwork in our bedroom and ensuite this past week. Makes such a mess so lots of cleaning up has followed. But it's all looking good - we have the oak flooring for the bedroom already but Paul wants to tile the bathroom first so it will have to wait. We also have some visitors for the next few weeks so not sure how much will be achieved in the immediate future but that's ok. It will happen - I am convinced of it!

We have finally had some rain since coming home. Unfortunately whilst we were away there was little to none and had been very hot still so everything is rather dry and dusty. There is rain forecast for nearly every day this week though so hopefully that kick starts the grass before it starts being too cold for it to grow.

In other general news Gabi has finally got herself settled in London - she has a job in a trendy nightspot in the centre of London and found a share room in a house not too far out on the tube - living with about 6 other people from all over the world including a couple of Australian boys. It sounds messy and rather unhygienic but lots of fun for her.

I have been suffering this week from what looked like big red insect bites on my torso which I have now found out are from something minuscule that lives in the autumn grass and gets into your clothes - apparently after about 10 years you can build up an immunity to them! I guess in the meantime I will just have to put up with them - or stay out of the paddocks - which is a bit difficult with three horses to feed and pick up after..