3, 5, 8, 9....?

evening all,

the title of this post lists the (ever?) expanding numbers of us simple-folk living here.

3 of us moved here a year and a half ago.

2 cats joined us last summer.

3 kittens appeared a couple of months ago.

and.....wait for it.....we now have a little (border collie) puppy in our ranks!!!

her name is Rudie and she's a little beauty (although depending on her mood/energy levels she can be a little rambunctious!).

seeing as it's been so long since our last post i'm going to summarise what's been going on so that this post comes in under 10,000 words.

so, since we last posted:

- the kittens are all doing well. they're so energetic and are just starting to really explore/climb/run/jump everywhere.

here are a few shots of them:

tigger and milky (name as of yet fully undecided) in a 'kodak moment' pose:



mini-mu (named as she looks like a mini muca):



muca and all the kittens getting some food:



tigger's stripes are really beautiful:



a nice action shot of the kittens giving muca a hard time:



- the barn is really coming on! we've now got all the windows/doors (with about half fitted at present).

here is the downstairs barn door - it's made from local chestnut and it a real old barn style classic. it should age beautifully and really look the part:



and here's the double patio door from the kitchen out onto what will eventually be the terrace:



we also now have stairs!

here they are (thought not a good photo and the wall at the top is brown not blue!):



they were made by the guys who made the windows/doors for us from local chestnut wood - they're really simple and beautiful but you can't really see that in the photo.

both the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms are the most finished rooms in the barn.

the upstairs one has the oak floor laid.

here it is (although you can't really see how nice it looks in the photo as it's only a small room and so you can only get a photo of one corner:



this bathroom has all the walls finished and we've almost finished a chestnut sink/unit which is so damn good it'll put most cabinet makers to shame - it's really that good!!! (photos to come when it's finished).

the downstairs bathroom is almost finished being tiled (both floor and walls) and it looking great too (photos to come).

most of the bedrooms are nearly completed in terms of wall work (pointing, skimming etc...) and are just awaiting windows/floors.

the living room/kitchen has been skimmed and is waiting on the stove to go in (tuesday next week) before the heating can be plumbed.

here's a shot of a wooden lintel which monkey boy fitted downstairs - nice:



- the vegetables are doing grand!

the greenhouses are in full bloom with everything growing well and looking great.

we've had our first courgettes and there's plenty more on the way.

(no photos of recent activity - sorry!)

we've been eating loads of delicious strawberries from our patch and have also been getting a fair amount of blueberries from the potted plant we have.

the cherries have been bloody tasty too! the bilberries are just coming into season (as well as wild strawberries) so i'm sure there'll be loads more said about them in the coming weeks/months.

- finally, to put rachel out of her misery, we have a puppy!!!

her name is rudie and she's an amazing little border collie pup.

her she is looking cute as hell:





she's definitely a hand full but is a really nice dog and so full of life.

ok, as per usual i'm sure i'm missing/forgetting loads but for now that should do.

later, gairy.

longer time and no blog.....

howdy all,

after a one-sided fight between some lightening and the computer (who do you think won???) we've been without internet access for the better part of a month and so no updates!

i've not got the time to go into everything that's happened in the last month but just wanted to say that we're back up and running and will post all the juicy news here soon.

hope you're keeping well.

cheers, gairy.

long time no blog.....

howdy all,

it's been a fair old while since we updated the blog and seems even longer seeing as so much has happened since then.

so, in chronological order:

- me and nikki went to blighty for a week and a half.

here's a short summary of uk based events: mine and bens three day 150 mile cycling/camping trip. joining the others for three days in the new forest for more camping, eating and fun with donkeys, deer, cows and horses. seeing family (and especially abdullah). picking up loads of sinks for the house. riding with eddie in the peak district. seeing everyone for their birthdays in london. there's probably loads more i'm forgetting but you'll have to forgive me.

- on the return trip we had a mini adventure in the form of a wheel coming off the trailer on the french motorway which made the trip back three days long and significantly more expensive than we'd planned but we did stay in a nice b+b and ate a really nice omelette.

- returning home we found muca fat with soon to arrive mini cats (monkey boy claims to have had nothing to do with it!) and.....on friday she gave birth to three (i called three!!!) beautiful blind stumbling kitties - no photographs yet as they're still in the paper sack that muca selected as their birth place.

- everything is now in full summer mode here with flowers everywhere and ever increasing lushness.

- monkey boy seemed to have been pretty much constantly at work since we left having dug a potato patch, worked on the downstairs internal walls, put in some more windows, installed a great wooden lintel over one of the doors, put the platform on the mini ramp (happy now chris?) and loads more.

- here are a few photographs of the flowers/insects that are around right now:

bug on a flower



hummingbird hawk moth on lilac



another stunning moth



and one final moth which was in the house



we also had a night out with our new hammocks/tarps which was pretty nice.

we went and set up the hammocks in a good spot and then had some lunch, scouted future bilberry hotspots, put up the tarps, cooked dinner and had a good nights sleep (ok, nikki was a little cold but it was her and not the conditions).

the tarps and set up



and inside our temporary home



we saw this cool looking little fella too!



- things are progressing in the barn too! the remaining windows/doors should be with us around the end of the month and the stairs were measured this morning and are being started and so shouldn't be too long either. we've started the massive task of chasing out the old pointing and repointing the entire inside of the barn which i'm sure you'll hear loads about in the coming weeks (months?) as it ain't a small job!

- we also planted out most of the remaining vegetables in the garden. we put in onions, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, beetroot and peas with cauliflower, turnips, raddish and a few other bits still to do.

- finally (i've missed loads i know but i'll put the rest in later entries) we saw this stunning blue butterfly this morning



ok, we'll get some kitty images up as soon as they're out and about but we don't want to invade their space while they're so young so you'll just have to wait.

gairy.

p.s. i forgot to mention that we had our first french lesson today with 'roger the wood dude's' wife (i will most likely never remember her name - apologies!) - it was fun and way overdue.

the simple halfpipe, anna and some flowers

evening all,

we're off to blighty for a week and a half tomorrow and so i thought i'd write a little about our recent doings.....

the simple halfpipe is almost finished - just the platforms to be completed.

here's the 1st layer of ply as it was layed:





and as it looked with the final surface applied:



here's monkey boy enjoying the fruits of his labour:



and me rolling around:



this is about as close as nikki and anna got to skating the ramp:



next, as you might have guessed, anna has been visiting us for the last week and was very anxious to appear on the blog.

i am nothing if not accommodating and so here are a few shots of anna looking her best in the garden with a fork:





i don't want to be too mean so here's one of nikki looking foolish too!



nikki and anna made some really tasty pasties.

there were three fillings: curry, mushrooms/fried veggies and potato, leek and cheese.

here's how they looked:



finally, i took a few shots of some of the early spring flowers which are now everywhere.

here they are:







cherry blossom:



hawthorn:





ok, better go as we've got things to do/pack and we need to leave at 06:30 in the morning.

there'll be nothing new for a couple of weeks and so try and find something else to keep you busy.

cheers, gairy.

beams up (scotty)

firstly, may i apologise for the pun-title, there's absolutely no excuse!

ok now on to business.....

we decided a while back that the first floor (on which the living room and all of the bedrooms are situated) needed additional support and so 'Roger the wood dude' brought us some Scots Pines which we then de-barked and cut to (rough) size.

since the floor had been levelled/laid downstairs we thought we'd better get the supports in.

here's one end of the ground floor before we started:



you can see the pipes for the heating/plumbing that have been laid too as well as the drainage for the shower (the square in the middle).

almost half way through:



the photographs don't do justice to just how heavy these beams are.

keep in mind that each of them is 4+ metres (12 ft) long and about 40cm (1.5 ft) in diameter and solid (green) wood.

also.....we were lifting everything between just the three of us and with no machine/powered assistance.

we used an old fashioned block and chain (tackle) which we fed through the floor boards of the upper floor.

here's the set-up:



this is how it looked when we were done:



and from the other end of the building:



the beams are pinned together using hand-carved hawthorn pegs and the uprights were hammered into place using a good old fashioned sledge-hammer.

to say we're pleased is an understatement - it looks beautiful. as with all of the other aspects of the build that we've been pleased with as soon as we were finished the new additions looked as if they'd always been there - very satisfying.

in other news.....

- spring is taking hold with the forest getting greener and lusher with every passing day.

- we built the stone window ledges for three of the upstairs windows.

- we've now started the internal walls for downstairs (update to come soon).

- the plywood for the half-pipe should be with us by the middle of next week and so the ramp should be progressing soon.

cheers, gairy.

windows!!!!!

ok then.....

we've now got three windows in our future home!

the local chestnut handmade windows have been sitting in the barn for a few weeks and then, yesterday, nikki weatherproofed them and today we fitted them.

here's a before and after shot of the first hole/window:

before:



and after:



the next stage is for us to build up the stone windowledges underneath some of the other windows (that we already have made-up) and to have the window maker come and measure for the others.

we're also waiting for the dude to come and measure the hole and design the chestnut staircase which has to be made and then fitted.

also, we've now got a level floor on which to erect the roof/beam supports which were delivered/cut-to-size a few weeks ago.

so it's all go here!

finally, spring is so SO close! the hazel and cherry trees have sprouted their leaves and the lime, ash, oak, beech, pear (and many others) are poised ready - the anticipation is great.

tune in next time to find out what happens next.....

gairy.

simple half-pipe

morning,

work has begun by monkey-boy on a 4ft high, 12ft wide simple half-pipe.

here is the base - built on wooden foundations:



and with the transition beginning to take shape:





and how it looks now:





the view from the ramp is amazing - we can't wait until summer is here and the ramp is finished.

rob - the photos of your ramp look brilliant! you'll be pro by the time you come out here next - maybe it should be a simplympics event?

gairy.

i love hammocks!

howdy,

i got back last night from a test ride/trip.

next month we're heading back to blighty for a visit and whilst there we're going to go camping with some friends.

i'll be heading off for three days/nights touring on the bike and sleeping rough before meeting nikki and the others for a long weekend camping in the new forest.

so - i've got myself a new camping set-up which involves a hammock (with built-in mosquito net) and waterproof tarp.

it is light enough to be carried with me on my bike (which our old knackered tent isn't!).

see below for a photo of the hammock set up:



and with the tarp:



so on wednesday lunchtime i set off and rode about 40 miles/60 km through the ardeche mountains until finding a nice secluded spot to stop for the night.

i made myself a little fire, opened a nice bottle of local ardeche beer i'd bought in a nearby village and made myself some pasta.

i was amazed by how comfortable it is to actually get a nights sleep in a hammock. even after a hard days riding (and it is hard doing 5 mile/1,500 ft climbs with panniers on the bike!) i was comfortable enough to feel fully rested by morning.

then, yesterday morning, i set off again to do another 30 miles to meet nikki before heading off to pick pete and miho (nikki's brother and sister-in-law) up from the train station for their long-weekend visit.

(i told you that you might make it onto the blog!)

also, and this will only interest a vast minority of you, i've switched bikes.

i'm getting rid of my disc brakes (and the brilliant frame that unfortunately only supports discs) and getting back-to-basics with more technically sensible v-brakes.

after a full day of stipping two bikes in order re-build one new one i also wanted to use this trip to see how it works - i was not disapointed - it's a great bike.

it was amazing to slowly (whilst undulating) descend towards the rhone valley as although spring is only just starting here (with the buds on the trees ready to burst through any day now!) it is in full flow at the lower altitudes with cherry/apple blossom and wild flowers everywhere - beautiful.

unfortunately there are no photos from the trip as i didn't want the extra weight of the camera and so you'll have to wait until you come and visit before you can see it.

cheers, gairy.

Stone-tastic!

Hello!

Last week I took a little trip over to Chamonix to visit my mum and sister and left the boys here to continue work on the reinforcement of our little house. When I returned (having been away for just over three days) I was surprised, shocked and extremely impressed to find that both Gairy and Monkey Boy had been hard at work and had not only finished but finished to an extraordinary high standard, the stone wall.

It needs no further words, so have a gawp at it yourselves.....

Here it is at the beginning, please bear in mind that these stones are NOT light!



As they went they also filled in the gap between the wall and the little house with lots of soil, rocks and stones (not a small undertaking in itself).



Below is the view between the little house and the ruin (soon to be herb garden).



Here is a view of the completed wall in all its splendor!



The nice thing about the wall is it looks like it's been there for years already.



The boys worked out that they roughly moved 72.5 tonnes over the 4 days building the reinforment! That's 2.5 cheiftan tanks!

Or 32 Shabooboo's!



Also, did we ever mention that our stove arrived? It's lovely but bloody heavy and luckily the stone masons helped move it inside our barn (rolling it on logs just like the Egyptians built their pyramids).

Also, we're hoping the plumber is going to start work soon, so it's all going on!

Got to go and see how my bread is doing.

Cheers
Nikki