Some progress has been made since my last post; the front door (double-glazed) has finally been installed. I’ve also fabricated a panel to go above the door using some scrap pieces of oak; it contains two adjustable vents so at least we’ll be able to regulate the airflow. Unlike the previous panel, which had an unregulated airflow because one of the panes of glass had a massive hole in it.
The continually-growing mould in the house finally became too much, so I’ve installed a ventilation system upstairs. It consists of an airvent in the pantry, and two in the bedroom ceiling. These are linked by means of flexible pipes to an extractor fan, which runs continually. Only time will tell whether this cures the mould or not, but at least we’re now getting some ventilation to these rooms.
Yesterday was LSS’s birthday, so we decided to celebrate by going to a restaurant. Oh dear, finding a restaurant open on a Tuesday in France is not an easy task. All those we visited in Lamotte Beuvron were closed. We ended up going to the “Au Coin du Feu” in Salbris. And very nice it was too.
Work on the workshop outbuilding is also progressing nicely; I’ve run plastic conduit through the roof space in the barn into the workshop, and the next job is to feed the electrical wiring through the conduit. Once that is done, I’ll be installing an overhead fluorescent light and a couple of plug points. Power tools will soon be available without having to use a 30-metre extension lead!
I also used up our stock of old car tyres in the pond. Two of the banks are eroding, and if we didn’t do anything the pond would soon encompass the garden. I’d known about using tyres as erosion control, but I hadn’t made the connection between the enlarging pond and erosion; it was my sister who suggested the idea! The local agricultural garage is only too happy to give us their old tyres (as they can’t get rid of them!) and also to supply us with old wooden pallets. We’ll need to pay them another visit to get some more. I’m using the pallets to construct a wood shed. The base and lower walls have been completed – I just need to get another nine pallets to finish the walls. The roof will consist of corrugated iron – there are sundry sheets of the stuff lying around on the farm.
Hence the lack of posts recently – I’ve been busy!
But I must end by mentioning the wild boar hunt which took place on the property last weekend – the hunters ended up getting two wild boar, one of which weighed in at a hefty 110kg. We went to see them butchered at a neighbouring farm, and LSS was presented with both boar heads. Undeterred, she made brawn out of them (I don’t particularly like brawn, but there was sufficient meat in the neck area to make several stews. THAT I do like!)