Today I shall be Mainly...

[Sue]

Morning Sue. Glad you have survived the journey. How are your colds?

Morning

All is good here. I still have a bit of sinusitis, Bob is a lot better but has a rather nasty hacking cough. Hopefully the fresh air will do him good. When we arrived yesterday it was thick mist which cleared to a dull dry warm . Our first job, after a cuppa, was to clean the plaster debris from the laundry room and study where Paul had had to put in electricity cables from the art room to the fuse box. It was a bit of a mess but soon cleared up. After lunch it was a short trip to Lidl to get milk and some meat and fresh fruit and veg. Like home Lidl has become the favourite over the big local supermarkets for cheaper shopping.

The afternoon was spent in the garden. Bob mowed the worse bit of the lawn and paths through the orchard so I could get to the washing line and to the compost heap. That will have to do as we need to conserve fuel for machinery. We are not allowed to buy petrol in cans because of the shortage. I spent a couple of hours tidying up the pots of flowers, and the wisteria growth trailing along the ground. The grass and weeds growing in the gravel is horrendous but most do just pullout. With a ban on strong weedkillers this is now nearly impossible to control, hence converting so e paths to grass last summer. We have to use vinegar which is sold by the 5 litre bottle in the darden supply shops.

This morning Paul and Joanne are coming so Paul can go through the building work with Bob. Some of the electrics aren’t finished, light switches maknly and Bob is going to wire up the lights which we brought over from Screwfix. This afternoon, if it remains dry , will be more of the outside work. I want to clear the asparagus and thin out the crowns to create a better distribution of plants.

An investigation of the veggie plot shows we have 4 butternut squash, two giant marrows, a healthy parsley plant( now moved to one of the empty flower pots near the kitchen door) and a very healthy rambling sweet potato plant which is a good sign but wonder if I should leave digging it up till the Spring. The fig tree is full of figs, the first time in years but there are no apples at all

Well I had better get up its 9.00 am here and of course our bodies are still on English time. Have a good day all.

[plaques]

With a ban on strong weedkillers this is now nearly impossible to control, hence converting so the paths to grass last summer. We have to use vinegar which is sold by the 5 litre bottle in the garden supply shops.

Mrs P has tried vinegar but the results weren't too promising.
With our internet down last night I went into some of the old downloads and did three laps of your garden behind Bob on the train. Can we have another journey some time.

[Sue]

With a ban on strong weedkillers this is now nearly impossible to control, hence converting so the paths to grass last summer. We have to use vinegar which is sold by the 5 litre bottle in the garden supply shops.

Mrs P has tried vinegar but the results weren't too promising.
With our internet down last night I went into some of the old downloads and did three laps of your garden behind Bob on the train. Can we have another journey some time.

Yes agreed, vinegar kills the surface vegetation but not the roots hence the plants in the gravel now growing furiously. Gardening is off for today, we have heavy rain. Further train rides are on hold till next summer as we are unable to cut the grass round the track, but we will be back in action then . Meanwhile we will be sanding down filler on plasterboard joints and other vital finishing tasks before we decorate this new room

[Stanley]

Life sounds even more regulation bound than it is here Sue! I suppose sodium Chlorate is out of the question. What would washing powder do to the weeds?

[Tripps]

I find that Glyphosate (Roundup) is since 2022 banned in the EU.

A consequence of Brexit means that we can continue to use it until 2025.

I have a lot of gravel and it's the only way to keep it free from weeds.

[Sue]

I find that Glyphosate (Roundup) is since 2022 banned in the EU.

A consequence of Brexit means that we can continue to use it until 2025.

I have a lot of gravel and it's the only way to keep it free from weeds.

Exactly, we use it a home but not here in France. Weed killers are in a locked cabinet in some hardware shops here. Bob uses vinegar with a bit of salt and a bit of washing up liquid. Works quite well but as I said the roots survive. My friend who did a gardening qualification told me to use water straight from the Kettle. I may give that a whirl on the gravel near the house. Of course because we are not here we cannot apply it regularly

[Sue]

Life sounds even more regulation bound than it is here Sue!

Yes it is, but the french find all the loop holes to get round rules and regulations

[Stanley]

I shall have an hour with the wobbler and think about the next engine. The Stuart No 9 was possibly the most representative engine they ever designed so it looks like a set of castings for a Xmas pressie!



Nothing in the forecast to stop a walk and a sit. I shall be more positive today!

[Sue]

Morning

Its dark as night out there, roll on clock changes at the weekend. I hate the late dark mornings in France though the lighter evenings are a good compensation. In the middle of winter it can be 10.00 am before it is really light.

Yesterday afternoon was glorious and unexpected after the torrential rain in the morning. I did manage to get my asparagus crowns dug up split and replanted, and I now have two extra rows round the rhubarb patch. I hope it works, they were seriously over crowded. I have covered the surface of the freshly dug and raked soil with holly and blackthorn branches to deter the local cats from digging in it. Bob did some sanding in the new room but later came into the orchard to chop down some small oak trees that were once self seeded saplings but were now crowding out the fruit trees. No shortage of wood here! In fact we cannot now even use the garden incinerator to get rid of small branches and leaves. You have to keep on the ball with new legislation round here. We notice however that the trailer full of branches ready for taking to the tip have gone so Yves must have taken them for a garden fire at the back of the farmhouse. Farmers are allowed fires....Yves is not a farmer but rents the old farmhouse .

Today we are forecast 24 degrees, and here I am once again in warm weather with winter clothes. Luckily I have plenty of T shirts but only my boots for decent footwear . We shall start the day with shopping for essentials, hopefully to see us through our stay, then it will be more gardening, pruning roses, clearing the veggie and rhubarb patch and for Bob more small tree chopping . The rain starts by the weekend apparently .

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

It's mild here as well Sue. Good for the gas bills!



I've been making progress on the lids. I shall be in the front room on Johnny's copy of the Birch Lathe dividing the lids for the three studs tomorrow.....

[Stanley]

Back up after Second Sleep and as soon as it stops damping I shall go for a walk and some light veggie shopping in the Town Square..
Later.... Had a walk and a sit and done some veggie shopping. I have cooked the celery as it was cheap, past it's sell by date. Now a sleep I think

[Stanley]

A spell in the front room with Johnny's little lathe and then early doors shopping at 07:00. I am expecting it to be raining later so any decisions about walk and sit will have to wait until then.

[Sue]

Morning

I think we are due another fine day today. This does not match the weather forecast we had for this week when we looked before we came. We both worked really hard in the garden yesterday and are happy with our efforts. The hedge of climbers between us and the neighbours is cut and roses pruned ready for winter. It all took several hours. Bob took one tree down and pollarded another. Today I shall dismantle the frame with my tomatoes on and clear the veggie patch. Its beginning to look tidier but we must tackle the weeds in the gravel before it starts raining. The grass is looking lovely and green compared to the summer.

This evening we shall pop round to see Yves and Laetitia

Have a good day all

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[Stanley]

So you haven't started to relax yet? (Couldn't resist that one...)



Here's the result this morning. The lids are fitted and the studs installed. Tomorrow I can finish fitting the piston and rod. Then I have to look at the blue steel lagging.

[Sue]

So you haven't started to relax yet? (Couldn't resist that one...)

We don’t come to relax in the autumn, we come to enjoy the fresh air and work so we can relax in the summer and admire the results of our toils . We prune stuff, cut it back and if its raining we decorate.

[Stanley]

I watch you and Bob with awe. I have reached the stage now where even the smallest household tasks are difficult but have to be done. I wish you well with the tasks!
Today I shall strip the cylinder down and rebuild it from scratch refining it as I go. The aim is for it to be finished when I am done. Then all that is left is the crankshaft and the base it will sit on.....
I think walk and sit will miss again as we are promised rain. Plenty to do inside though and the first thing will be roasting my chicken.

[Stanley]

Nice hour in the shed. I have stripped the cylinder down and rebuilt it nearer to specification and made sure the piston moves freely. Once that was done I measured the lagging and drilled it for the tiny 7BA round headed screws that will attach it to the cylinder. Tomorrow I shall adjust the lagging, mark and drill the holes and fit it.



At the same time I have put the chicken in to roast and am cooking cauliflower for my breakfast......
It's all go at Graham Towers....

[Sue]

I watch you and Bob with awe. I have reached the stage now where even the smallest household tasks are difficult but have to be done. I wish you well with the tasks!

Morning

Some of the tasks we are doing are designed to reduce the amount of work we have to do in the future. What we used to tackle in our 50s is not what we would tackle now in our 70s. However there is still a lot of general garden maintenance to do which spread over time would not seem much but when condensed into a few visits of 10 days each trip require a concerted effort. Luckily we are both pretty fit and hopefully will remain so but the reality is we know that sometime we will have to sell , and when we do , we intend selling something better than we bought. It was a mess when we came it could easily become so again outside. But you know , when the weather is nice its fun doing things outside. I like to see good outcomes for effort . I always leave here feeling fitter than when we came having had a holiday as well. Its a change from home and you know what they say ...a change is as good as a rest.

Yesterday evening we were going to pop round to see Yves and Laetitia before we ate. However we noticed the car was not there so decided to leave it till today. We had just finished eating when they knocked on the door. Laetitia's Mum is ill again so she has been backward and forward to Rennes all week as well as working , plus the children are on two weeks school holiday. She looked exhausted. Her Mum is not much older than us but I am afraid life seems to have taken its toll. Women in France seem physically a lot older than similar aged people in Britain. Certainly in rural France this seems very evident.

Today we are going to La Gacilly this morning. Its market day but we don’t need anything. However we need to get a fridge magnet for Briony from the local tourist shop. B bought one in the summer but gave it away in a random act of kindness, something she is inclined to do. We said we would buy a replacement for her. We also want to book Sunday lunch at a restaurant. We shall then potter over to the next main town to the DIY store as Bob needs some cement filler to complete the job in the new room . The rest of the day will be gardening.

The next 10 days are forecast rain. I have finished my main tasks outside, covered the veggie plot, planted strawberry runners, pruned the grape vine, and the hydrangeas. I just have a flower bed and rockery to tidy, but they were done well before we left 6 weeks ago. It won’t be such strenuous work today. I am cooking a ham shank for tea. Its the first time I have ever seen one in the shops here. Joanne says they are there occasionally .

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

What a sensible post, I knew you would have a plan!
Have a good day....

[Tripps]

but the reality is we know that sometime we will have to sell , and when we do , we intend selling something better than we bought.

None of my business at all, but I'm pleased to see you are thinking about an 'exit strategy'.

I'd be looking at a little flat in Deauville. The racing is top class, and you could always have a window box.

[PanBiker]

Talking of tasks, we had our Jack round this morning to help us empty the front room, mainly the big settee that we got when we were first married is is steel framed and converts into a full divan double bed. Its on castors but still needs a lot of manhandling. Built like a tank and unbreakable by the kids when they were little. I have a photo of 17 kids on it at one their parties. We bought it off friends for a very good price as they were selling up and emigrating to Canada at the time. Reason for emptying, shampoo the front room carpet. Job done and we wait for it to dry now. Should be able to get the smaller settee back in by tea time. I used the carpet cleaner that the group bought for Bosom Friends centre. Its a big VAX job that beats, scrubs and dries as it goes.

On foreign properties, I received a call from my brother yesterday they have arrived down in the South of France in their camper van. They have bought a building plot down there in Bonnieux, and are undertaking a bespoke new build on the site. My brother is 76 and his wife 74 both are still up for the move. They have engaged a local builder to do the bulk of the work. Our kid reckons it will be about an 18 month build.

They sold up and moved permanently to France in 1999 so have been resident now for 23 years. They bought Moulin Trelliard then which is a four storey former water mill 20 miles North of Limoges. It has a lake that used to drive the water wheel. There is a smaller farmhouse in the grounds which they refurbished first for somewhere to live before setting to on the mill conversion. When they bought it, you could stand in the basement where the detached water wheel was and look upwards and see the stars at night! The site also has four barns which they later converted to Gites. They put a swimming pool in between the mill and the lake. It was formerly part of the estate that belonged to the Châteaux at the head of the valley. There is another farm at the bottom of the valley. They sold the properties last month for about ten times what they paid for it back just before the millennium.

A bit further to go now to visit, I reckon it would be an aircraft hop, Liverpool to Nice.

[Stanley]

Sounds like an expensive job! I shall sit here and watch my new gate ageing.
I shall be in the shed this morning for an hour. I was going to put the lagging on the cylinder but Have decided I like it better without so I shall ditch it and go straight on to the flywheel and shaft.
Susan visits this morning for a pot of tea on her birthday......That might interfere with my walk but they are forecasting rain around midday so that might be no great loss.
First job I have to do is but all the clocks back. I hate the clocks changing.....

[Sue]

but the reality is we know that sometime we will have to sell , and when we do , we intend selling something better than we bought.

None of my business at all, but I'm pleased to see you are thinking about an 'exit strategy'.

Morning

Yes we have but now is not the time to do it. It is 18 years this week since we bought and we reckoned on keeping it till we were about 80. Our friend Audrey took 5 years to sell but could not sell for less than a certain amount as she needed to buy back in the UK . As her husband had died here, under french law the children automatically inherited half of what he owned , leaving less for Audrey to buy with. Like your brother Ian whose plans sound fantastic we too will downsize, possibly to a small courtyard town house or the other option is to simply rent a gite for a month in the summer some where. The latter has less appeal as we so enjoy doing our ‘little’ tasks here, but there will come a time when we can’t do them. That mill property near Limoges was quite a venture but I think it would have been too big a task for us to tackle. His new house is going to seem small. 18 months seems about right with a private builder. That is what our friend Paul used to do. He is busy building their retirement home near a village centre rather than the place they had out in the wilds of Brittany

The rain has arrived as forecast, so out door jobs have stopped. We will be tackling the sanding and decorating of the new room this morning but we are out for lunch later. It will be 2.00 pm as the restaurant was full earlier, and many of the others are closed for two weeks. This is the last holiday weekend until Christmas, November 1 st, Tuesday being All Saints day. It is traditionally celebrated by putting chrysanthemums on the graves of relatives in the cemetery. Yesterday morning on our walk by the river we passed the cemetery and it was a mass of colour. Commercially though I think people were cheated, exorbitant prices for plants that looked half dead.

Even with the extra hour this morning it is still very dark and gloomy out there, have a good day all. I hope it is a bit brighter where you are

[Stanley]

I've decided I prefer the engine without the blued steel lagging and so I ditched that and went on to making the flywheel and crankshaft assembly. As usual I am making it out of scrap..... I have a perfect fit in the standard, tomorrow I'll go forward with the crankpin end....
A nice hour with quiet progress.

[PanBiker]

That mill property near Limoges was quite a venture but I think it would have been too big a task for us to tackle. His new house is going to seem small. 18 months seems about right with a private builder.

My brother sold the shares in the company that he was a partner in at the time and his wife Christine sold her hairdressing business. Their kids had all left home by then so they sold the four bedroomed detached house they had in Hemel Hempstead. He was 52 at the time and his wife 50 when they retired and moved over to France. The business and house sales gave them the funds to take on the project. I think he paid just under £100K for the properties! They took thei caravan over and stayed in that for about 12months while they refurbished the farmhouse. Then the mill took about 2 to 3 years to be partially habitable. I know they had moved into the mill by 2004 as when we went over then we had the farmhouse to ourselves for us and our kids. Probably add another 3 years or so for final completion. He did a lot of the work himself labouring for the local tradesmen that he engaged to do all the major bits like the new floors, roof, plumbing and electrics.

They sold it to a couple who are about the same age as they were when they took it on. He works in procuring the electronics for green energy projects. He want to make the site totally energy self sufficient. It already has solar panels but he wants to put the water wheel back on and introduce pumps for recycling the water back into the lake. He also intends to put some wind turbines in. It would be interesting to see it in another 5 or 10 years.

The Châteaux at the head of the valley was inherited under French law by a daughter who didn't have two ha'penny to rub together really. She lived in Paris but used to decamp to the property during the summer months with her kids and quite few of her friends and their children. She and her friends were in residence when we went over once, they as a group had nothing but invited us up for wine and cheese as a thank you for George and Chris letting their kids come down and use their swimming pool. Hospitality at it's best all set up on big long trestle tables alongside one of the barns in the grounds. One of the blokes played the accordion another the guitar, jolly time had by all.

Today I am putting back all the stuff we took out of the front room yesterday.