Apologies that it has been 4 weeks since I last wrote a blog. The reason, as is often the case when there is a large gap, is that we took the opportunity of having quiet gîtes in November to visit the UK and catch up with friends and family.
While we were in the UK for just under 2 weeks, the timing means I have missed 3 Sundays to write about what we have been up to – obviously nothing while we weren’t here!!
We got home 10 days ago but, as very little had changed, I didn’t feel it worthwhile writing an update last Sunday.
However, we have been working since coming home and the focus has been preparing the accommodation for Christmas and snatching the (few) chances when it has been dry enough to tame the lawn which had evidently grown furiously while we were away.
The need to decorate the gîtes for Christmas, or Priory at least, is that we have a group of ladies arriving next Friday for the weekend to celebrate one of their 50th birthdays and they have asked that the accommodation be Christmassy (I guess the photos we have posted in previous years have made a difference!)
A couple of days were required to put up our outside lights which we switched on this evening while enjoying a hot chocolate next to the firepit. Our deer have not yet come out of their stable but will do so in the week.
Every year we try and do a little bit more with the decorations and this year I had hoped to be able to decorate the inside of the pool house. However, I have not progressed the frame for the plasterboard since my last blog so it won’t be in a position to decorate fully, although we did buy a Christmas tree for it almost 2 years ago which we ended up driving most of the way around the UK on last year’s trip with the dogs sat on top of the box – long story …!!
I will do something inside the pool building before Christmas, hopefully next week if I get the chance, but it won’t be as festive this year as it will be in the future.
We have increased the decorations in Priory however, and added a tree on the mezzanine level – you can never have too many trees or decorations for Christmas!!
I have put up the garland over the fireplace in the lounge and kitchen as well as the mezzanine barrier. The main tree is up but yet to be decorated. That starts tomorrow and will take at least a day to do. The plan is that Priory will be fully decorated by the end of Tuesday so I can focus on our own house and other areas.
This weekend we managed to get to a couple of Christmas markets which we enjoy visiting. Yesterday our friend who owns the soap business we use for our gîtes, held her annual market in her hangar which had some lovely crafts people – sadly I forgot to take a photo, and today we visited both Hanvec and Plouyé’s markets. There are many more in the coming weekends.
Next week’s focus is continuing to decorate and we will post various pictures (hopefully better than the ones I have added to this blog!) as I progress and make Kergudon very festive.
Salut.