Looking really great not only the buildings but also Gills work around the Potager as well, well done guys.
Gill must have done some magnificient work in the Potager any other photos, as things just grow so different in sunshine,ours in Ibiza are just so far in front of anything a la anglais, and also the flavous are so different.

Greta work you two, well done

You get used to those temperatures after a while. I was out painting fences a few weeeks ago when it was 102f. Just drink a lot of water, wear sunscreen, and clean the sweat off the sunglasses afterwards so you can actually see where you are going later in the day.

Having said that, my current motivation for brickwork in the front garden under those conditions is minimal, and a 2 day job has been ongoing for a couple of weeks now....oh well.

Top work - keep it up!

been here a few years now & we are far more acclimatised, up yo 30º is perfectly workable but use the shade where we can.

over 30º it starts to get a little uncomfortable, the luxury of so many jobs means you can always work inside one of the stone building where it remains cool even without A/C, they originally the buildings were designed with this in mind & they work incredibly well.

over 35º there is a siesta type reaction though, rather than sleep though we'll do Bergerac runs for materials etc where the car & Bricos becomes an AC heaven

we exercise 3 days a week, 3 in gym & 3 outside CV sessions, the latter become difficult to fit in but 9pm cycles, runs, walks are luuuurvly as it's not a mozzy haven here like on the cote d'azur.

+ it always cools down enough for a decent nights sleep, something we never got on the cote d'azur & is a very important part in recovery.

a lovely sight on last nights ride


_MG_3497 by pvapour, on Flickr

Love that photo and the grain on the first step looks fantastic too. Also, what a great find those vent-caps were. Ye gods are not only smiling on electricity poles.

& I thought my jokes were bad

congratulations a Christmas baby then? much easier on the present buying for the future hope it all goes well for you & your wife god laughs at our plans eh



manic watering regime going on at the moment, we're waiting for a huge hydrant type tap for our agricultural water so we cant use it for cheap water yet but we have 2 big containers loaded into the trailer towed by the quad which fills from a twin pipe system we've rigged up.

I can't believe I have soil pipe vent envy! We'll have one coming out the thatch and one from clay tile roof - those look like the perfect ones! I may have you do some shopping for me.

as you can see



we are taking refuge, either in the car getting supplies or sitting in the lounge with AC blowing at our toes

so that brings me to indoor activities & an update

this'll make you smile, 3 months ago, application made for new branchment of water with usual diagrams etc, plus a personal letter to the head of the water 'syndicate' describing in detail what's needed. This letter sat with them for the 3 months, us chasing periodically for progress (not often so as not to bother). answers varies from, considering if to charge for it or not, people on holiday, that persons now on maternity leave, we're closed due to exceptional circumstances (a common one here in France as it happens) etc etc

at last, a rendevouz is made for what we are told is to be a site survey, still dont know if we have to pay or not but figure a survey would be needed anyay before they can actually make a decision, however, we have been told it could be up to €5k

we return to the property after a material run on time for said rendevouz, only to find a couple of guys digging a trench from the main line in the middle of one of our fields to the wrong location at the intended house wtf is pretty much my reaction, 1) why are'nt you here in 10mins 2) why are you digging rather than scribbling on a piece of paper 3) you do know we're not paying for anything dont you

we explain to the guys that we have not been told of any works or if we have to pay for it or not?? they understand & it seems a common occurrence they phone their office who then explain to us that all costs are covered result! but how wrong could that have all gone as the guys had no idea (other than which of our building) where it was to be directed)

I work out a new route for the water that'll work with the trench that's almost finished make a coffee & go & sit down, you go from chasing and getting nowhere to all of a sudden we have a new water feed in 1 day, tbh nothing surprises us much about the system here these days but that one caught us completely off guard.

some pics of said water, I get stuck into the new route under the decking and round the house.


DSC02824 by pvapour, on Flickr

fancied having the outside taps on their own feed at meter, easier to isolate and drain back for winter, hence the two blue gaine tubes, a hose also runs in one so we can get the agricultural water to the potager and the garden of the little house, its a tenth of the cost of domestic water.


DSC02827 by pvapour, on Flickr


DSC02826 by pvapour, on Flickr

had a new tap fabricated for the Agri supply (not cheap), 3 hours later they clipped it with their tractor and its completely knackered shiny but bent


IMG_3571 by pvapour, on Flickr

one of our pumpkins (not our prize winning one though ) butternut squash and a chilli that wasn't due to be picked but Tia thought it was ready, bless!


_MG_3525 by pvapour, on Flickr

some of the melons are becoming ready, they seem to have staggered their growth well so a steady supply should keep me plump


_MG_3529 by pvapour, on Flickr

the new watering pipework extends the 50m to the hump at the end of the garden, doesn't really capture it here but its incredibly colourful, Gills very proud of her hump (quite rightly)


_MG_3548 by pvapour, on Flickr

jumping to the inside

I wanted to have a play with a stud wall to see where things would fall in relation to plaster board and there sizes, seems I can get a one full board in below the ring beam and another above so will limit allot of the cutting


DSC02831 by pvapour, on Flickr

but I did realise that full boards wont get up the stairs once they're finished, so up they go, I braced the intermediate joist below just in case the weight proved a little to much in one spot, 40 boards are not light.


IMG_3576 by pvapour, on Flickr

insulation & pare vapour (2nd vapour barrier for plaster) picked up


IMG_3572 by pvapour, on Flickr

back outside

hampes for the guttering, I drill an oversize hole in the lime/mud, puch in to the right depth and then squirt fix-a-foam in for a good bond, works a treat, leave it at that for now as i've got to render a band round the top of the wall & the guttering would be in my way.


DSC02818 by pvapour, on Flickr


DSC02821 by pvapour, on Flickr

onto some decking, we spray a load of glysophate to kill the weeds under the pylons then use all the old big bags we kept from sand etc


DSC02832 by pvapour, on Flickr

main framework down for decking to rear of house, you can see the two tear effect now that takes away some of the slope, the arced part sweeps back into the pathway tat leads to hot tub and hammock


DSC02836 by pvapour, on Flickr


DSC02845 by pvapour, on Flickr


DSC02844 by pvapour, on Flickr

hammock to left of hot tub, fantastic shade & just where you want to be in the summer, need some imagination at this stage but you get the idea


_MG_3554 by pvapour, on Flickr

Gills been cleaning the stonework with a 50/50 chlorine, water mix, comes up a treat, hopefully you can tell which parts has been done..


DSC02828 by pvapour, on Flickr

got a bit hot so went inside for a play, i wanted to release one of the akros so made up the centre support for the stairwell, fantastic grain again, almost killer whale with its markings


IMG_3573 by pvapour, on Flickr

sits on this to spread an even load


IMG_3575 by pvapour, on Flickr

anywhere there's shade you'll find us working (maybe )

next in line for planer treatment, always intriguing to find out what's beneath


IMG_3577 by pvapour, on Flickr

there's more but I think that's enough for now

now...

The best thread i've ever read on PH - inspired me to make my first post in 2 years to congratulate you on your achievements.

Best of luck with the remainder. Now back to my lurking!

Every year for the past 10 years, plus one a couple of years before, I think!

I'm hoping UKpowernetworks take the same approach about moving our electricity poles. Somehow I doubt it though.
I've been missing this thread - haven't had internet access as I used my dongle up on the Olympics. Back to normal now though!