For the last few weeks, Nick and Kieran have been working towards converting the hangar into a garage; they have now finished building the side walls and are ready to start on the roof. They ordered the wood today and are hoping to borrow a large trailer from a neighbour as delivery, just 2 miles from Nogaro, will cost €70. The trailer is 4 metres long and the wood 7 metres, so it could be an interesting trip, but I won’t think about that!

Between bouts of bricklaying, while the cement dried, they’ve got on with a few other things; Nick had a day cycling in the Pyrenees and discovered a new, mobile form of Basque road furniture, commonly known as a sheepabout.

When the vineyard owner came round to inspect his vines last week, Hermione went for his dog, hissing and pecking and generally terrifying the poor creature; the following day she decided to go for a stroll – in the middle of the road. Typically, this happened while Nick was out and it caused the drivers great amusement to see me trying either to catch her or to chase her back into the garden, as we both ran, flapping wildly, up and down the road. So there is now a fence between our garden and the vines; very sad as we loved the unenclosed nature of the garden. But needs must and it doesn’t do to let your pet goose run riot or she’ll end up in someone’s pot.