Last week’s blog said that our electrician would be arriving on Monday to start the major re-wiring work. He did, in the afternoon, and then promptly disappeared for 2 days! In his defence, Monday was more discussion between us about what we want to achieve and how, so that he could then put together he order and collect the things required from his electrical supplier.
While Granary is a smaller gîte than Priory and so, theoretically, will be quicker to re-wire, when we refurbed Priory we built a number of stud walls that could hide lots of the new cabling. This time, in Granary, we don’t plan on building new walls so there is a decision to be made on how to run the new cables in the most attractive manner, knowing that the walls are solid granite and so difficult to create channels to hide the cable.
We have decided that we will chase some into the walls where it is the best option, and we will rely on conduit to hide the cabling for others.
Thankfully, on Thursday, he returned with lots of supplies and equipment and has made a good start so while we may not be as far advanced as I’d like bearing in mind it’s already February on Tuesday, things are moving. Although nothing has been done which would make good photos here, the people who bought the kitchen we removed from Granary sent me some of what it looks like having installed it at their home. We think it looks great and we’re so pleased that it has gone to a good home.
Granary kicthen installed in its new home Granary kitchen in its new home
As I suspected, there is very little for me to do while he is at this early stage, so I am focussing on picking up some of the other projects – also that don’t make great photos yet. Thankfully the weather continues to be incredibly mild for this time of year with little rain so I have had another day clearing the old vegetable patch that I started in the autumn and, as it is so mild, I have had to mow the lawn again. It really isn’t winter.
Also thankfully for January, we continue to be busy in the gîtes. This weekend we had a group of 10 walkers and cyclists who were in training to undertake the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. The Camino is a pilgrimage route which seems to be able to start just about anywhere in northern Europe but ends at the shrine of Saint James in Galicia, northern Spain.
The group would have been 12 and easily accommodated in Priory and Granary however, with Granary undergoing its refurb, we could only accept 10 but they were able to use Priory with Hayloft and Stable. All this meant a couple of days of gîte prep for us.
What does make for good photos was our weekly walk with the dogs. While today wasn’t quite as crystal clear blue skies as last Sunday, it wasn’t far off.
Today we headed back to the north coast but slightly east of last week’s walk. This afternoon we started in the hamlet of Porz Ar Stréat next to a sculpture of a seahorse, and did a 9.2 km circular route that tool us along the banks of the Bay of Kernic, a large, shallow, tidal lake to the west of Plouescat. Very picturesque.
Plouescat Seahorse Bay of Kernic Plouescat harbour breakwater
Plouescat harbour Plouescat shoreline Baie de Kernic
More progress in Granary next week for our electrician, and hopefully more veg patch clearing, garage clearing and general maintenance. With luck will make for more photos next Sunday.
Kenavo.