It wasn’t till I started searching for photos of the demolition of the two reinforced concrete wine cuves in the grange, tonight, that I realised the job has taken over a year to complete.

When the builder quoted us €3 500 for their removal, we had little idea of the work involved. Now, twelve months on, we can thoroughly appreciate it.

The lads started with sledgehammers; they had no effect whatsoever. So they moved on to the angle grinder; it was more effective, causing lots of sparks and eventually making a hole. But the blade wore out long before the concrete and it became evident we’d need more serious kit for the task. We hired an industrial Stihl saw for a long weekend and, with the aid of the digger the two free walls of each cuve bit the dust; Nick was loathe to tackle the walls attached to the walls of the house by this stage, in case he knocked the whole place down! But Joel, the builder told him the method to use; cut the reinforced concrete into bite sized chunks and ease them off the house walls with a breaker (like they use to dig up the road). It’s been heavy work, requiring regular mugs of tea and mountains of cake and biscuits, but according to Nick, that kept me out of mischief!

So that’s what they’ve been doing for the last two weeks; they both have very sore arms and shoulders, but an immense sense of satisfaction and pride in a job well done. Joel’s due to start work here in the next few weeks, so things should really start to move then.

They reckon it’s like trench warfare in the grange at the moment; and certainly, it’s very noisy and horribly muddy.

Nick and Kieran finished digging and levelling the floor last week and started, with renewed vigour, on removing the wine cuves. So for several hours a day they’ve been slicing through the reinforced concrete, cutting it into bite-sized chunks (about 12″ square), then prising the chunks off the wall with the breaker. Bear in mind that I can’t even lift either of these tools off the ground and you’ll have some idea of how strenuous the work is and why they need regular tea and cake breaks. The ground was dry last week, but the Stihl saw has to be water-fed to keep it from overheating; the result is a complete quagmire!

Yesterday the last of the first cuve came away, was loaded into the trailer and taken to the tip; time for a celebratory bottle of wine and a night off, watching a film.

Today they’ve made good progress on the second cuve, removing about a third of it before the Stihl saw developed mechanical problems; a clutch spring had broken. But the lads weren’t going to let that stand in their way; a trip to the Stihl shop (fortunately there’s one in Nogaro) produced 3 new springs, one to replace the broken one and the others because they’ll probably go soon too, then onward to the tip and home to mend the Stihl saw and continue working. Another couple of days and the job should be completed. I think they’ll have shoulders and arms like Sylvester Stallone by then!

And me? I’m kept busy making tea and cakes!

The architect’s plans for the exterior of our new house were done months ago, but for some reason, he didn’t do the insides. So for several weeks now, I’ve been playing at being an architect and, eventually, have finalised the designs for inside the house. We’ve changed our minds about various details numerous times, but I hope this is the final drawing. Joel, the builder, having given us some guidelines as to where we need ground floor walls/pillars, etc., is coming round to have a look at them this week, so I hope they’ll pass muster!

The lads have finished digging out the floor in the grange, which will be our house, to the depth of 50cm required for under-floor heating. The reinforced concrete, attached to three of the walls, which formed part of the wine cuves, has posed more of a problem; but they’ve developed a much faster technique, now, for its removal. They use a big Stihl saw to make vertical and horizontal cuts every foot or so, then the big breaker tool to chisel it off the walls in chunks, hopefully leaving the wall intact. At the end of a few hours of this, tied onto the scaffolding tower, and with a counter-weight, as the tools are so heavy, they’re exhausted. But they estimate it should “only” take about another week to complete the removal. No wonder Joel’s estimate for the removal was so expensive!

In the meantime, we do allow ourselves some time off occasionally, and while Nick was cycling this morning, I went out with the walking group. All the vineyards in the Madiran area are having an open weekend, so the walk was almost entirely through vineyards. It was cloudy, but warm enough and the colours in the vines and the surrounding countryside were breathtaking; I hope you’ll enjoy the photos.

It’s mid-November and the weather this week has been incredible! Brilliant, blue skies and temps in the twenties!

While cycling with the club yesterday, Nick and our friend and fellow cyclist, Philippa, decided it was too good a chance to miss, so early this morning they headed off to the Pyrenees for what must, surely, be the last ride in the hills this year. The col they wanted to do was closed, due to ice on the road, but they were able to do a different one and had a fantastic day, though I gather the descent was pretty cool.

For my part, I had a wander round a local market, coming home with huge quantities of fruit and veg and some plants to brighten up winter windowsills, as well as an apricot tree and a walnut tree. It will be a few years before they fruit, but I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait.

It was time for Kieran to replace the chain on his motorbike and fit a chain oiler; a much more pleasant task now that we have a garage, complete with lighting and electric sockets. Hugo and Hermione take a keen interest in all things technical and were keen to supervise the work being undertaken, as you can see from the photos.

After last weekend, we seem to have acquired the status of being nearly French, in the stomach department, anyway. My friend and student of English, Maithée, asked in class today if we’d been ill as a result of the heavy eating and drinking session that was last weekend; when I replied that no, we were fine, she concluded that our stomachs, at least, are becoming thoroughly French! A good start 🙂

It started on Friday evening, with the AGM of the Caupenne fete committee. Nuts, crisps and drinks before the meeting, then an apero dinatoire (a sort of finger buffet) afterwards; toast and rillettes; quiche, pizza and cold roast pork; cheese and bread; then tiny, bite-sized eclairs, profiteroles, mille feuilles, fruit tarts….all washed down with red wine, coffee and, inevitably, armagnac. We didn’t get home till after midnight and I think Nick was still slightly in shock; he’d quietly mentioned the possibility of organising a VTT (mountain bike) ride as part of next year’s fete, to one or two people; it was announced as being part of next year’s festivities, so he’s committed to organising it now!

Saturday was the open day at the wine cave and armagnac distillery in Nogaro; it’s a co-operative, taking the grapes from 65 local vignerons, making them into wine, then turning some of that wine into armagnac. It’s very different from the one we visited on Thursday; a far bigger, industrial process, with 3 large stills, producing 20 000 bottles of armagnac a day from mid-November to January. There was also a talk on the Bigorre black pig, which was once almost extinct, but is now raised in the Pyrenees for its delicious ham, and yes, there were samples to try as well as local cheeses to taste.

The cycle club had been asked to provide lunch, so after the Maire of Nogaro had pierced and tapped the inaugural barrel of wine, we all sat down to garbure (Pyreneen mountain soup), daube de boeuf ( a rich, red wine and beef casserole), apple tart, coffee and armagnac. It was amazing to sit outside to eat in mid-November and not even need a coat! We were lucky, though; the heavens opened later on in the afternoon.

From the distillery we headed to Adrian’s; his local farm was having their open day and we’d booked to go to the evening meal as they produce some of the best foie gras around. So, to the accompaniment of an excellent guitarist/singer, we sat down, once more, to fill our faces. This time it was fresh foie gras with a grape sauce, confit de canard and French beans, followed by pastis, a local speciality cake, served with crème anglaise, and, of course, wine, coffee and armagnac.

By the time I poured the fellas into the car to head back to Ade’s, we were all feeling suitably full and relaxed. Ade got a couple of guitars out and we sat around the kitchen table, playing all sorts of stuff, from folk to Floyd, into the early hours of this morning, while Kieran took himself off to bed and Nick tried, unsuccessfully, not to fall asleep in his chair.

All in all, a very enjoyable weekend. Carrot soup, anybody??

One of the cycle club members, Nathalie, works in an armagnac distillery; they are distilling at the moment, a process which goes on for just a fortnight each year, when the wine has been made. Nathalie offered to give us a guided tour of her workplace, so Nick, myself and Maithée, another cyclist, set off today to ride to Barbotan where we were to meet Nathalie.

The shop was filled with an unimaginable number of different sizes and shapes of bottle and an equally mind-blowing number of trophies, gold medals, plaques, etc., prizes for the best armagnac, going back a lot of years. We looked at the wine making bits, with their huge stainless steel vats, the rooms full of barrels of armagnac, dating back decades, but for us, the highlight was seeing the old copper alambic, or still, on wheels since it dates back to times when it was pulled through the countryside, stopping at various locations so that the locals could bring their own, home made wine, to be distilled. This practice has all but died out now, as the government has tightened the laws dictating who can own and use a mobile alambic to the point where virtually no-one has the right any more. The still is wood fired and works 24 hours a day for two weeks each autumn, producing 5 barrels a day. The alcohol comes out at about 60º, a clear, extremely potent liquid, which takes colour from the wood of the barrel it’s stored in. I’m not quite sure how it gets down to the required 40º alcohol for selling; we didn’t ask about that.

We had a lovely ride to and from the distillery, through tiny lanes, bordered by trees and vineyards which are turning beautiful shades of red, brown and gold, on a day which was amazingly mild for November; and we even got home before dark, just!

On our return, I was very flattered to be asked by one of the other teachers at the CLAN, where I teach English, if I’d be prepared to take her class on Monday as she’s going to be  unavailable. It was only after I’d agreed that she dropped the bombshell that this is a French class! It’s a great compliment that she thinks I’m more than capable – I just hope I can live up to her expectations!

When we took out the old woodburner, someone suggested that, as a classic, it would sell on “le bon coin”, an internet selling site. We were rather dubious; after all, our old stove had seen no TLC in a very long time, the top was rusty where the rain poured onto it, there was a huge hole in the middle of the grate and the ash tray was so skeletal as to be almost non-existent. However, le bon coin is free to use, we had nothing to lose, so I advertised it. We were all gobsmacked when, a couple of days later, a Parisian couple phoned to arrange to view it for their holiday home. Nick and Kieran hastily moved it indoors, out of the rain and cleaned it up as best they could. It was exactly what the Parisians were looking for and they were sure they could replace the worn-out parts; we were thrilled to have found someone so completely mad, but this morning we waved it goodbye and wished it bon chance in its new home.

It rained for most of the weekend, so we couldn’t work outside, but Nick and Kieran did manage to do the wiring in the garage, which we can now use for storage, freeing up the space in our house-to-be area.

For me, it’s been quite a culinary sort of few days; I’ve collected about 3kg of chestnuts, which I’ve boiled and must now peel before I freeze them. I’ve got a lovely recipe for a chestnut and aubergine tagine, which I’ll put on the end of this post.

The members of the Nogaro walking club have really taken me under their collective wing, pointing out sights of interest when we’re out walking, showing me such things as which mushrooms are edible and which to avoid, and promising that I’ll be an expert on all the secrets of the Gers before long. On yesterday’s walk, we were discussing the pros and cons of various “alternative” forms of central heating. Nick and I haven’t quite decided which to choose, but went to look at a geothermic installation last week; it was impressive but the price was frightening. One of the walkers had an air/water pompe à chaleur fitted just before the cold snap last winter and is very happy with it, so Nick and I were invited round to his house this afternoon to inspect the system. He’s also lent us all the paperwork relating to it so that we can assess it for ourselves.

This morning, Marie-Louise came round to show me her recipe for foie gras, which her son promises me is the best I’ll ever taste. I bought the foie last week, so today we gently removed the outer membrane, pressed red peppercorns into the foie and then sprinkled it with salt, before wrapping it in baking parchment and putting it in the fridge, where it must stay for 3 or 4 days before we can eat it. I can’t wait!

Apparently the French didn’t invent foie gras; this was down to the ancient Egyptians, who noticed that geese gorged themselves on any food available before their long migratory flights. They originated the method of gavage, or so-called force feeding of the geese, feeding them figs. It is, in fact, a myth that geese and ducks are forced to eat huge quantities to fatten the liver; on most privately owned duck farms, the animals live free range for most of their lives, well looked after as any stress impacts on the quality of the liver. In the case of ducks, they are kept indoors for just the last 13 days of their lives and fed corn 3 times a day; the gavage is done by hand and the ducks are more than keen to eat what’s provided.

Our last culinary treat(?) came this evening, when Nick decided to add a tiny quantity of his home-grown Scotch bonnet chilli to the fish, tomato and pepper dish I was preparing; two mouthfuls into it and we were all very red in the face, with running noses and streaming eyes! The rest of the chilli is in the freezer; I think it will do us for the year!

Rather less hot; my recipe for aubergine and chestnut tagine.

• Aubergine and chestnut tagine with herb couscous recipe

  

   

  Serves 6

  Ready in 1 1/4 hours

  Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 50g dates, finely chopped
  • 2cm piece fresh ginger, grated
  • 500g (about 2 small) aubergines,
  • cut into 2cm cubes
  • 600g pumpkin or squash, deseeded and cut into 3cm cubes
  • 200g pack cooked, peeled chestnuts
  • 2 x 400g cans good plum tomatoes
  • Handful each chopped fresh mint and coriander, plus extra coriander to garnish
  • Juice of 2 lemons

  For the herb couscous

  • 450g couscous
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 5 shallots, sliced
  • Handful each finely chopped fresh coriander and parsley

  METHOD

  How to make aubergine and chestnut tagine

  1. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add ground coriander, turmeric and cinnamon and dry-fry for 1 minute. Add the oil, onion, chilli, garlic, dates and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the onion is softened.

  2. Add the aubergines, cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the pumpkin and chestnuts to coat in the spices. Add 100ml water and the tomatoes, breaking them up into chunks, and simmer, stirring, for 25 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile, put the couscous into a bowl and season. Pour over 450ml boiling water, add half the oil and stir once. Cover and set aside for 5-10 minutes, until the couscous is tender. Fluff up the couscous with a fork.

  4. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes or until soft and golden. Stir into the couscous with the fresh herbs. Season to taste.

  5. Stir the herbs and lemon juice into the tagine. Serve with the couscous.

• Bon apetit!

  

  

  

  
  

We haven’t been idle this last week; though the temperature has dropped and the nights have been cold, the days have mostly been lovely. So, apart from fitting the new woodburner, which seems to work really well, we’ve been getting on with the garage. The doors and fascia boards are all lasured and weather-proof, the guttering is up and runs into a water butt and, the big job this week, the new concrete floor is complete. There are even four rings cemented into the floor so that motorbikes can be parked securely, especially for you, Peter Short, if you’re reading this. 😉

Nick and Kieran have spent hours mixing and laying the new floor and had just finished the ramp outside the doors today, when the heavens opened . They collected up a heap of old doors, destined for a bonfire, to protect the wet concrete from the rain, so it should be OK. All that remains to be done now is to fill in the gap above the doors, probably with colombage, and to crepi the outsides.

The rest of the afternoon was spent indoors, digging the floor up in the grange and making a huge pile of mud. We had hoped there might be some decent soil there, but sadly, mud is a better description.

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