Today Nick and Kieran have finished laying the new floor above the arrière cusine and bike shed; there’s still an awful lot of mess to clean up, but it was such a lovely day that Nick and I were allowed time off this afternoon to go out for a short bike ride.

We’ll have to buy another tarpaulin tomorrow, to drape underneath the roof tiles; most of the roof is already draped, but not above the newest bit of floor. To say it rained on Tuesday is something of an understatement; it came down in torrents of rain and hail, overflowing gutters and flooding the drive within minutes. That was when we realised that the roof above the boxes containing the new kitchen isn’t exactly watertight. So until the roof is replaced, a tarp will have to protect the new flooring.

There is nothing Nick and Kieran like better than a good demolition project to get their teeth into! They’ve had a great time today!

The next job on our list is the arrière cuisine, which is like a second kitchen, on the cooler side of the house, and used for making things like jams, chutneys, fruit liquers and other sorts of preserves. It will also be useful, when the weather’s hot, to keep the heat out of the main kitchen. The electrician came last week and started the wiring; now we need to put in the insulation and plasterboard the walls before he comes back to install plugs and the like. But before any of that can happen, we need to replace the floor above both arrière cuisine and bike shed; most of the floor is OK, but there are some rotten bits, as Nick discovered when he fell partly through a little while ago! The space above will become a “family room” when the gite and chambres d’hotes business is up and running, but up to now has just been storage space. I’m keen to get on with the arrière cuisine, as once it’s finished, they will start installing a proper kitchen in the house we currently live in; at that point I can get rid of the antiquated gas cooker, with its oven that burns everything, and have a new electric oven 🙂

So while the boys were having great fun (no accounting for it!), I was assigned the task of ringing round the local suppliers to find the best price for floorboarding. I actually spent most of the morning on the phone, calling numerous companies to arrange estimates for solar water heating, photovoltaique panels and a pompe à chaleur heating system.

That done, it was time for my English class; Dominique had asked about the words to the song “Que sera sera” last week, so I printed out the lyrics and took my guitar along to class. We had great fun, ending up singing “Silent night”, at Maithée’s request and I have to take my guitar again the week before Christmas so we can get into the Christmas spirit! It sounds as though we might have quite a party!

Britain and France have a reciprocal health care arrangement which means that, for the first little while that we’re resident here, we have health cover. However, because I worked part time in the UK, my cover expires on Jan 5th 2013. It’s something we prepared for and is the reason I did a TEFL course, to enable me to teach English here and thus get a carte vitale. So I’m going to be an auto-entrepreneur, a scheme in which it’s meant to be simple to set up and run a small business. It may be simple by French standards, but I was completely lost, trying to fill in the forms online; I couldn’t even understand the questions! So I went into Nogaro and asked there; no joy; I’d have to go to Auch. So off we went, to visit the CFE office where they’d help me; but I couldn’t get past the receptionist, a very helpful woman who spoke very fast and is convinced that she answered all my questions. She probably did! But I’m none the wiser, so my friend Maria came round today to help, but she wasn’t sure either and suggests the tax office in Nogaro may be of some assistance. I’m going to ask an English friend, who speaks brilliant French, to go with me this time and maybe I’ll get somewhere.

While in Auch, we also went to the ADEME office for information on the various types of “eco” heating systems. Again we didn’t get the sort of information we were looking for, but did get a list of registered installers, so I spent this afternoon leaving messages for people to call us back; I hope they will.

All this bureaucacy is disheartening, so I’ve sorted out a few pictures of people, places and events that have made 2012 memorable; they cheered me up, I hope you enjoy them too 🙂

It’s lovely having real seasons here; summer’s hot, winter’s cold (but not too long) and the spring and autumn are just as they should be. But the speed of transition from one to another can be quite breathtaking; just a couple of days ago you could comfortably go out in a sweater, but today we woke to fog and a hard frost, which didn’t clear all day.

So, making the most of being retired, we went out for a walk with the camera;  I hope you enjoy the results.

Our friend, Adrian, knows the hunters in his village; so when, earlier this year, he asked if we’d like half a deer should one become available, we were delighted. Ade knows how to do all the necessary butchering and what can be more natural and organic than fresh, wild venison, especially when it comes neatly packed in plastic bags. Yes, I know, I’m still a towny and always will be.

Ade phoned on Monday morning to see if Kieran would be game for a “big adventure”; he was going to Ade’s to house-and-dog-and-hen-and-duck-and-goose sit for a few days anyway. The big adventure would be learning to butcher a deer, which would be delivered the following day, an hour after Adrian and Julie departed! Kieran looked a little uncertain, but Nick couldn’t have been more enthusiastic; so they left early on Tuesday morning, Nick armed with his “Larrouse”, the bible of all things obscure and culinary, and Kieran, still looking uncertain. Adrian drew and explained what was expected; not as much as you might think, as the animal had been gutted and skinned before it arrived, and then went on his holidays. The lads got home in the afternoon and filled the freezer with neatly packed polybags of venison and Kieran didn’t even look too traumatised!

But no photos today 😉

Autumn seems to be the season for clubs and societies to hold their AGMs. I attended the one at the CLAN, where I teach English, a few weeks ago; it was preceded by a dinner, so didn’t get started till about 9pm. I installed myself near the back; I’d only gone to show willing and make up the numbers and didn’t read anything into the fact that I was the only English person there. I couldn’t hear/understand very clearly what was going on, but suddenly found myself the centre of attention, being made to stand up and having questions thrown at me from all sides about my class last year. Eventually I worked out that I was the English teachers’ representative (being the only one who’d turned up) and that I was expected to give an account of what I felt we’d achieved during the last school year and what changes were planned for the coming year. “Anglais” being at the start of the alphabet, it was the first subject on the agenda, so I didn’t have any clues from hearing what other teachers said; I stood there like some sort of stuffed lemon, my ability to understand or speak any comprehensible French rendered non-existent in my state of total panic! They must have wondered what use such a moron could possibly be teaching anyone anything!

Today was the turn of the cycling club; the meal in this case would come after the meeting, at a local restaurant and the club would foot half the bill. We arrived in plenty of time; when there are 50-odd attendees and everyone has to either shake hands with or kiss on both cheeks, everyone else, even the greetings take some time!

Having a lunch booked made the meeting run smoothly, with little of the time wasting that often seems to go on. We went through how many people, and who, had done which rides throughout the year, the financial statement and the president’s report. The club owns and runs, on a voluntary basis, the gite d’étape, where pilgrims on the route of St. Jacques de Compostelle can stay overnight; this brings in  funds which are used to subsidise holidays and meals. Also to provide Sunday’s after-the-ride aperitifs; a very civilised aspect of this club.

There was a report on the Wednesday afternoon rides, in which Nick featured; “This year Nick has joined us, distinguishing himself by riding a single speed bike. Perhaps his English origins make him want to emulate Bradley Wiggins.”

We went on the elect a new president, then got down to the serious business of aperitifs, before heading off to the restaurant for a meal that went on till 4o’clock this afternoon. Is it any wonder two thirds of the club turn out for the AGM; perhaps we Brits have a lot to learn!

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.