(Note to self) 5 kilos of strawberries makes 14 jars of jam. And it's too many to get an effective boil going in my pan. 5 kilos of apricots makes 16 jars of jam. And that's enough for now until there is some fruit in the garden.
We have been so busy on the house that I missed a tree full of cherries. How did that happen? One minute they were way off ripening and the next they were on the ground. Always next year.
Today was supposed to be the day when I went round taking photos of everything and wrote a detailed blog with pictures.......................
Instead, it's taken to almost bed time to get the bloody jam to set. But then I hadn't taken the pictures either.
The house is brilliant. We need another visit from the electrician to fix lights and the plumber to connect up water but apart from that, upstairs is pretty much finished. The tiler is two days into a three day job in the bathrooms. All the walls are white, all the wood is brown, we have skirtings.
The stairman is coming on Tuesday, the floor sander is booked for next week for the ground floor floors.
My gloopy joints are brilliant. Especially downstairs where you pretty much can't see the join anywhere!
I have been telling the neighbours that I will be eating in the square for 14th July and then sleeping in our house. Talking about it makes it happen, right?
Sunday, 29 June 2014
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Only a little bit further to go
Doesn't our bedroom look lovely, the beams are all done and the floors are ready to stain.
Our ensuite just needs some paint but not until the caulking has been done around the beams and then there's just the floor...............
Your bedroom just needs skirting boards. (Well actually we need 70m of skirting boards so a trip to the woodyard is one of this week's jobs.)
The new stairman called round yesterday to measure up. (He required lots of decisions about banisters and spindles which were a bit pot luck but should be back to fit in a couple of weeks!) He needed something to measure so lots of painting and finishing was done before he got here. (Just finished the beam, they aren't that shiny really.)
The downside is that when the walls in the living room were painted ready for the stairman all my gloop spreading seems to have been a bit lacking and you could still see the joins - sigh. Upstairs everything is fine but somehow not so good downstairs. On with the gloop.
On the cat front, Mum has b*gg*r*d off with three of her kittens and left one wailing mournfully in the ruin. It is old enough to eat small tins of expensive cat food but not if anyone is looking.
Sunday, 1 June 2014
We're getting there
Yesterday HO put up the last bit of plasterboard in the attic! We have all the walls. Downstairs we have nearly all the walls and ceilings but are awaiting the stairman to say that there is enough headroom to go up and down before finally fixing that bit.
All the basins, toilets, showers and bath are fixed to them. (Although in France they don't fix the toilet cisterns to the wall - who knew.)
I'm still glooping my way through the joints - 75kgs and counting. But almost all have one coat and most two. Some of the beams are painted - bit hit and miss with the colour but got it right now.
All the radiators and pipes are in place ready for connection. As are the waste and water for everything. The water heater isn't out of its box yet and the boiler is still in pieces in the workshop but hey.
We have a toilet with a flush that works!!
We have lights that switch on and off at switches!!
The tiling man is available and booked - not that we've found the tiles. He's a lovely guy that did our last project and although we can do it ourselves we're happy to give him the work. I am trying to get to a local brico to talk to someone about their tiles for the kitchen but the man who does it only works 9 - 5 and not Saturdays so every time we go there is the full Gallic shrug.
The dear neighbour opposite gave me some more of her precious tomato and chilli plants yesterday. Her husband was brave enough to come and give me radishes and summon me but then stood back to let her talk. We discussed the awful weather, the problem with the cats, and then she told me how to deal with snails (to eat, not kill because they eat the garden). She is convinced that there are less than there used to be and it is all down to Chernobyl. Her husband's contribution was that 'the cloud did not stop at the border'. We seem to have plenty, although very few worms, maybe that's the same.
Today started beautifully sunny and we went to a Sunday market and strolled around and sat in the sun and had coffee. A holiday. Now the clouds have gathered and we are off to lunch at a local restaurant. HO's first day off for 3 weeks.
All the basins, toilets, showers and bath are fixed to them. (Although in France they don't fix the toilet cisterns to the wall - who knew.)
I'm still glooping my way through the joints - 75kgs and counting. But almost all have one coat and most two. Some of the beams are painted - bit hit and miss with the colour but got it right now.
All the radiators and pipes are in place ready for connection. As are the waste and water for everything. The water heater isn't out of its box yet and the boiler is still in pieces in the workshop but hey.
We have a toilet with a flush that works!!
We have lights that switch on and off at switches!!
The tiling man is available and booked - not that we've found the tiles. He's a lovely guy that did our last project and although we can do it ourselves we're happy to give him the work. I am trying to get to a local brico to talk to someone about their tiles for the kitchen but the man who does it only works 9 - 5 and not Saturdays so every time we go there is the full Gallic shrug.
The dear neighbour opposite gave me some more of her precious tomato and chilli plants yesterday. Her husband was brave enough to come and give me radishes and summon me but then stood back to let her talk. We discussed the awful weather, the problem with the cats, and then she told me how to deal with snails (to eat, not kill because they eat the garden). She is convinced that there are less than there used to be and it is all down to Chernobyl. Her husband's contribution was that 'the cloud did not stop at the border'. We seem to have plenty, although very few worms, maybe that's the same.
Today started beautifully sunny and we went to a Sunday market and strolled around and sat in the sun and had coffee. A holiday. Now the clouds have gathered and we are off to lunch at a local restaurant. HO's first day off for 3 weeks.
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