all i wanted was a socket...

All that was missing was a plug... just the one - so we could plug the tumble dryer in directly... it seemed so simple - why did i do it? why did i ask? The answer is, my husband loves a challenge, it made him happy

a lovely bit of chasing

and the naturally in the process the kitchen had to be wrecked - again - and just the day after Nadine (the cleaner with a sainthood) had been. Still, the clothes will be dry 

la cuisine sale

the dirty kitchen  

Mirror, mirror...

On the wall, please stay put, please don’t fall... 
Mirrors arrived today - and they look great - two made to measure mirrors for £60 (from Shaws Glass in Horsham - really nice guy at the counter - most helpful with hints and tips) Can't be bad...

the bathroom mirror, and a bit of plasterboard!

so - once the sink is up, the All Seeing I (that's me) will be able to pretend she has a fancy shower room

and on it goes...

It's a Pick & Mix week - a bit of this and a bit of that. All good, but nothing momentous. The tiles arrived on monday, heralding a happy return to the bathroom for Tony - and much talk of "the plumbers will be back soon"...

les tuiles sont ici .... the tiles are here

Noel, meanwhile, continues to keep a close eye on any changes, and all incoming deliveries, when he's brave enough to stick his head through the door (he has a fear of doors - a story for another day) 

la tete dans la porte .... head in the door!

J-J-Jack Frost

AGGH! There was a hard frost last night, the first of the year, and my courgettes have literally melted... It’s weird things that it really gets. I suppose it must be the water content? The fennel and rocket are fine, all the winter cabbages and kale and baby sprouting broccoli look grand – sitting there happy as anything at 8 this morning with frost still all over the leaves. But the courgettes I was saving for a last feast this weekend are gone – where there were huge leaves yesterday there’s just mush – and the poor little fruits are like jelly... Still...


It's a Time for Change  and we’ve moved swiftly into our winter food menu – we had cassoulet followed by rice pudding and fruit compote last night – all home made of course! - we’ll have to do put in a few miles of walking this weekend

 the melted courgettes

  the happy fennel & the rest

it's here...

thursday october 21st, exactly four months after the summer solstice, and with a "snap" winter arrives...
there are many indications it's here - the salad in the raised beds has died - overnight! - the courgettes look like they'll give up soon too. The Robin is back - sitting on the water butt, the Hog (a little hedgehog) is wandering in the bamboo, I'm obsessing about the oil in the tank - as we have planned to move the tank once it's empty - but ideally not in the depths of winter... And... Tony has swapped shorts for trousers!

we really must move the oil tank

I love the seasons, I love the essential chill just so long as we are warm inside...

too many cooks

there are too many people in the house, two too many as far as poor Noel is concerned. He's finding it very hard to get on with his daytime snoozing... oh, it's not the banging and drilling and hammering he minds... it's the incessant arguing about "sounds". 

Where I prefer Radio 4, Tony's daytime choice is Carl Cox. As far as Noel is concerned there are 2 many DJ's 

Still - he can bury his head under his blanket OR he can go outside. Some of which is looking decidedly ready for the Big Renovation... 

the disgusting deck (and the beehive compost box)

looking for inspiration...

It's hard sometimes to keep a brave face on it - particularly when there's no ceiling in the half-done-kitchen, and dust falls into the food whenever anyone, man or dog, walks across the floor of the half-done-bathroom... There are practically no lights in there now and as it's dark by 6pm, we can't see whatever does fall in. 

protecting the bread, for cassoulet breadcrumbs, from dust and spiders

Worse still though, while looking skywards for decorating inspiration, i realised - dammit - i had toothache - aggggghhhhhh

and that's why todays track is sunscream

sleepy head, gone to bed...

it's very tiring all the building work, but luckily Noel can sleep through anything. He learnt it from his father.... he can sleep a little better though if the bed is the sofa - and he's lying on a cushion and wrapped in a pillow. and doesn't the room look bare - all plasterboard and scanky carpet... 

 sleepyhead noel




and on a positive note to end the day, the shower room is a tiny little bit more finished. 

a little more progress

and todays music, for the Chilean miners again, the prodigy, always outnumbered.... track 9 "PHOENIX"

an amazing day...

work continues, life goes on... 

meanwhile in chile an amazing thing is happening... It makes everything that I could possibly complain about today irrelevant and selfish. Each rescued miner is a miracle and a blessing, it’s such a joy to watch it unfolding.

and in other news - the downpipe for the new loo looks, erm, perfectly practical.

glorious pipework

and with the miners in mind, todays music is from the orb, perpetual dawn...

the orb, perpetual dawn...

winter is coming

winter is coming... and so is the snow and so is the mud... it rained for days only last week - we've had a brief respite "the last days of summer" the papers would have us believe. but dog walking in the dark and the wet is on its' way. we have a lovely torch but no proper boots, so
we've treated ourselves and invested in proper wellies. they were expensive, but worth it - who knows where they'll take us? who knows what mud france will bring 
but right now they're shiny and new and fun to dance in!

dancing wellies in the dark

and today we've been listening to Carl Cox and Grooverider

sunny monday

... and so it is Monday again - but what a day! warm and sunny and perfect. and you wonder why you ever wanted to leave england, but then you remember that only last weekend it rained non-stop for 3 days...

We were brave at the weekend and made the killer journey up through croydon to Ikea - god bless US. Do they have Ikea in France? they must - (but at least it'll be in somewhere like toulouse) We spent a small fortune on blinds and curtains and lights (and about £20 quid on some picture frames) We are determined that the conservatory will become a thing of beauty with a use and not the hideous eyesore  / dumping ground that it tries to be

the dumping ground

the new blinds 2 done, 9 to go!

todays music - a classic mix from the Hacienda 

Little Dog Discs - Viva Hacienda

destruction equals construction

what do they say? in order to make first you have to destroy. i think that's the way it goes. here are the two views of our new shower room - a sort of before and after - though the after is only the beginning if you see what i mean!

one side of our lovely new shower room

and the other - with the shower tray looking tiny! and the first fix of all the new plumbing done. 

so i think that todays listening will be something on Little Dog Discs on the Deconstruction label... 

dreeem teeem - so very fitting huh?

a new day, new rug

so, this is really turning out to be less like us moving to france, and more like Noel's diary... he's struggling to find somewhere comfortable to sit, while maintaining a watchful eye on the gate. In the conservatory, on the car rug, with his rugby ball handy - in case anyone feels like a quick game... the floor is so dusty since it doubles up as Tony's indoor workshop and the concrete so cold, but the view is great. Today has seen a small triumph though - Ikea 10 quid black-out blinds will work a treat for the ridiculous windows. We've put one up and now just have to go and buy 11 more.
where's you head at? france of course... enjoy!

rain rain go away

so, while the building work continues apace, and the rain lashes down - someone needs to guard the house. but not from the perimeter - just from the door - he wouldn't like to get his paws wet. ladies and gentlemen - may i introduce NOEL - our official new security guard... all welcome to come in and play
Carl Cox and Laurent Garnier - what fun

monday, monday

today has been mostly spent watching the Ryder Cup, listening to the mighty Laurent Garnier littledogdiscs / laurent-garnier and watching foam expand... still it's better than paint drying

the christmas break-up part 1

...and so it has passed that the christmas break came early to sussex this year - about 10 weeks early by my reckoning! tony has finished all other work to put all his vast reserves of energy into bleedin' house. the list of really dreadful dirty and dusty jobs is getting smaller - and though the hall look slike the proverbial bomb has hit it, it's a hideaous job done while i'm not there!  and the soundtrack to this mess? pump up the volume... little dog discs - technotronic