Autumn Reflections

Just over a year since we started the renovation project and the last couple of months have allowed time to take stock and think seriously about the works ahead as well as dealing with all the nitty , gritty items which were not completely finished by Sep : dealing with electrical cables still hanging here & there, boxing in the circuit box, getting to the bottom of why the boiler was leaking and emitting fumes as well as cutting out when the window was closed…. to name but a few.

Pere et Fils Laigle the painters are back, this time to freshen up the Pigeonnier  rooms , stairwell and entrance hall.

Sam, who worked previously as part of the roofing team has also been back fitting an oak " bardage"  to close in the lakeside open sections of the garage. We are still deliberating as to whether we close in the entire building- seems a bit of a pity- but this gives us shelter against the elements and once it is enclosed from the interior will also provide some secure storage and the remaining bikes can finally be removed from our long suffering neighbour's garage.
He has also replaced 2 old doors in the cellar with 2 of the doors which were previously in the original garage, so a good way of using up items in storage… no prizes for guessing where??

As I type we are awaiting the plans from the architects for the old kitchen conversion. This has been more protracted than we expected partly because we are complete amateurs and having had what seemed like an enormous job done on the rest of the house, we naively thought that it would be a couple of months work….well that seems to be the case for the plans never mind the actual conversion!

In fact, it seems that most of the previous team, bar the roofers will be " de retour" for the job. After several consultations with the architects and M Bermudez, the builder, we have decided not to have the fireplace removed because it would necessitate the removal of the chimney. Given that it is massive and would mean opening up the ceiling into the room above as well as the roof ( recently done) and all the attendant evacuation of masses more stone, rubble etc, this time right across the garden as well as up the drive we quite honestly could not face it. Having said that, to get what we really want, i.e. best use of the existing space to provide a decent sized bedroom and practical en suite, the works will be complicated enough, especially the plumbing which among other things will mean piping of toilet & waste water across the lake to the septic tank.

Weather wise we have enjoyed warm sun and dry days up until last week with many summer flowers still in bloom. Berries are abundant and birds are making the most of them- a precursor to a cold winter?
The odd fish still surfaces in the lake and the frogs haven't quite bedded down yet.

view from the neighbours

Bart enjoys the scenery

Splendid Spindle berries

This time last year, we had a week of minus 8 and that in fact was our winter. The remaining four weeks of 2014 are forecast to be relatively mild and damp- a good chance to finish off  digging over and mulching of the garden to leave us free to enjoy this winter whatever it brings.

Sam gets to grips with the " bardage"

Job done

Lake view

Garden produce

Winter berries for the birds