Each time we write a blog post it is a struggle to cast our minds back to what we have achieved or tried to achieve since the last one because this is a whirlwind of excitement and adventure but here are a few extracts.
We finally "finished" our master bedroom (grand title for a room with four non-straight walls) and we are very happy with it. The wallpapering went pretty well - thanks to Ruth's expert tuition in Al's youth and the Toile de Jouy pattern works well covering the unevenness of the walls. The parquet flooring we acquired from a car boot sale looks fab although it was a nightmare to fit - every time a plank split or the gap wouldn't close the phrase "It's ok, that bit will be under the bed!" was often heard..... and all we need now is a new bed more in keeping with the age and style of the room (we are thinking Georgian metal bed head etc) Exposing the large beams, wood around the fireplace and lintels above the windows has turned out really nicely now they have a couple of coats of linseed oil and the original cupboard set into the stone wall has received a coat of dark grey/blue paint which seems to work well.
Before;
During:
Finished:
Al's dream of having a small trout lake has become reality as last weekend he went off with Ben to a trout farm in the Pyrenees to collect 50 small trout (150g and around 6 inches long) that were released into our small lake. We haven't seen hide nor hair of them since so either the cat fish have eaten the lot or they are hiding at the bottom. Al keeps chucking in their daily food ration (only until they are able to fend for themselves) but they have yet to appear in person. The aim is to allow them to grow until they are worth eating - we are planning a smoker next summer.
Bee gets all the glamorous jobs and has continued clearing out the barn by scraping 50 year old compacted cow dung from the stone floors. Al decided it should burn (like they do in Tibet apparently) so he tried it in the wood fired boiler and within minutes the whole valley smelled of cheap cigars! Needless to say that won't be tried again.
We have also got into the habit of taking the donkeys for a Sunday morning constitutional. The kids love it and the donkeys are getting easier to handle and more relaxed in our company as a result. A walk up the lane also cleans out their hooves making the weekly hoof-picking much easier. Scarlett has nominated herself as manure-remover and seems to enjoy clearing out the donkeys' shed with a shovel twice her size. Who needs organised sport?!
Finally Christmas dinner is sorted as we slaughtered our first cockerel today at about 5 months old; just in time to roast it apparently. As it was our first one we called upon our ever helpful neighbours Didier and Aline to avoid making the animal suffer unnecessarily. We also saved the gizzards to roast with the bird and his liver (which might end up for the cats because one chicken liver a whole pate doth not make). He is now trussed and in the fridge; chilling out before he gets pot roasted on Sunday - we are also lucky enough to say that virtually all the vegetables will come from our veg patch as well although the Lincolnshire sausages and English bacon are imported of course (how's that for a carbon footprint).
Happy Christmas and a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year to one and all.
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