Easter 2010

Having cleared out the weeds and brambles in the back garden, we were able to see just how large the plot of land was!

And having spent some further time working in the attic conversion, we were well on the way to installing the ensuite bathroom in there.

Hey! We've got a new roof

As a result of the gales in France in February, we found that several of the roof tiles had slipped on the forge roof; so we took the opportunity to get the roof on the rear of the forge re-tiled. So this was completed in October, together with the installation of a brand new back door on the forge, thus making it weather proof and no longer a home to the House Martins who had made the rafters of the forge their home over the summer. This will allow us to be able to press on with gutting the forge and starting to convert it to living space next summer.

Summer Escapades

With the new frontage on the forge, and the new windows installed in the two first floor bedrooms, the house was beginning to take shape. It took us some time to install the windows and at the same time we completed the decoration of the two bedrooms, making them all together more homely.







We also spent time tiling and decorating the hallway, which also helped to improve the inside of the building, making it lighter and brighter.














With the landing painted white and the glosswork finished on the woodwork (thanks to mum and dad for that!) the first floor was complete!


The garden (aka the Jungle), however, is a different story!

Despite lots of effort to try to tame the garden, it continues to grow at a rapid rate.

Horror! We discovered we have an invasion of Japanese Knot Weed, which will need to be virtually nuked out of the garden to get rid of it. According to our reading on the web, we need to inject the plant using a hyperdermic syringe with systemic weedkiller at regular intervals for at least three years!

And the garden furniture still leads a little to the imagination - however, it is sufficient to enjoy a barbecue and a bottle or two of the local wine. At least the builders have completed the installation of the french doors in the forge; we however await the installation of the back door to the forge in the Autumn as this has to be bespoke manufactured.

There's a hole in my forge!

Finally, work has started to convert the old forge into our living room. The big old doors have gone and are to be replaced with a window; whilst at the back of the property, there will be large patio doors to let in lots more light and give us access straight out onto the garden.

Minor Difficulties

After some deliberations, I had decided to give my Morris Minor 1000 a new home in France. I have owned the car since 1994 and it has been very reliable. The usual welding etc had been needed over the years to get it through the MOT in the UK, but otherwise no major problems. Last year I had fitted two replacement rear doors and a passenger door. The front offside wing had been primed, but looking like a patchwork quilt, it was now ready for a respray.

Considering our barn was empty and our neighbours ran the garage in the village(http://www.garagestmarien.com/), with a spraying shed on site, it appeared to be the ideal opportunity. I set off from home on Friday morning and all was well until I reached Barton Mills roundabout when steam appeared from under the bonnet. A quick look revealed the radiator had boiled dry. So after letting the engine cool down I was able to top it up with water and continue on my journey; picking up Jim on the way, who was to accompany me on the trip.

Because of the breakdown and the rain causing me to drive cautiously, we missed the scheduled ferry and had to get a later one. Consequently, the MotorRail with whom I had booked, also went without us and (because the MotorRail only runs once a week) we were faced with driving all the way down in a 1957 Morris Minor! We found somewhere to stay for the night and opened a bottle of wine.

The next day we filled up with fuel and set off on our way. We had decided to make a Road Trip of it and avoid the Autoroutes, remaining on the N and D roads all the way. We enjoyed the journey down from Calais to Dieppe, then on to Rouen to Dreux. Our average speed was around 50mph and we stopped frequently to check on the radiator and top up when necessary. We stayed the second night at Dreux then continued down through Orleans, Vierzons and Issodun. Lots of heads were turned as we trundled through the villages; people seemed entertained by the Trafficators and the throaty exhaust with that characteristic Morris Minor noise.

We arrived at the house a day later than scheduled, but found that all was well there. Having moved some bits and pieces to one side in the barn, the Minor settled down to it's new home in France.

Easter fun

Easter was spent sanding the bedroom floors and finishing one of the bedrooms. At least we have a decent place to sleep now!















We did some finishing off in the kitchen and managed to get the final wall unit hung.

When we were sorting out the hayloft above the barn we unearthed an ancient wooden lathe!











We spent some time clearing out the forge of the old ironmongery and got some help to remove some of the larger pieces of metalwork.

Finally, we also got the blinds up in the dining room and cleaned all the windows.

Tree felling and Furniture buying

Our neighbour had complained that one of our trees was overhanging his workshop roof and, in the recent gales, bits of the tree had started to fall down. Steven and Ken decided to become lumberjacks for the day and fell the tree. At it was overhanging the neighbours property, all hands were requried on deck as the tree was roped up and bits of it were cut off with a chainsaw.
Ever the opportunist, Ken seized the chance to pose for a few pictures in preparation for his forthcoming phone call to a "no-win-no-fee" claims company.

Unfortunately, he missed the point that one actually needs to be injured in the accident; and that crawling under the tree whilst posing for a photo doesn't actually count! No doubt we'll be hearing from his lawyers in due course.

"Bah. Humbug!"

Meanwhile, Simon completed the work on the tiling of the bathroom and some minor adjustments to the electrical system. Much more sensible inside tasks whilst the weather was approaching zero degrees outside.

On a recent "expedition" to a local brocante shop, we spied a rather nice dark wood dresser to go with our dining table and chairs. This was purchased at a very reasonable price and delivered straight away. It goes really well in the dining room with the other furniture. We also managed to bag two single beds for the second bedroom into the bargain!