In my last blog I said that I had started to decorate the gîtes for Christmas and that has been my principal focus for the week.
I also said that the pool project had reached a crucial stage with the terrace being the next step although it couldn’t be laid if it were wet of the temperature was below 5 degrees. We had our fingers crossed but, evidently not crossed hard enough as last week’s weather was unseasonably cold, sadly preventing any work taking place.
Next week’s forecast is already looking better so our fingers remain firmly crossed!
Our first Christmas guests arrive on Tuesday for a couple of nights so that was my priority to decorate – and with the 4½ metre Christmas tree, it is the gîte that takes the most time to do.
I have done the same ‘natural’ garland in the kitchen but have done something slightly different to the tree using principally only baubles rather than a mix of other things as I have done in previous years.
Unfortunately, these pictures don’t show it in all it’s Christmasy glory, and the gîte is not prepared yet (on tomorrow’s work list) but they provide an indication of how Priory looks and I will take some better pictures when the gîte is ready.
The other decorations we wanted to complete before our guests arrive are the exterior lights. Three years ago we invested in some professional exterior lights to follow the roof line of the main building and Hayloft and have used them every Christmas since and love them.
We also bought a pair of illuminated deer which we put in the orchard. Unfortunately, last year, their second year of use, the lights failed on them. To the credit of the company we bought them from, they didn’t quibble when we complained and they gave us a refund in the form of a credit note.
As it was only the lights which had failed, rather than throw them away, I cut the old light string off and used some of the credit to buy new lights that I have cable tied to the frame. As you can see, I didn’t gauge the number of lights required for the large deer very well so it currently looks a little ‘avant-garde’! I have ordered some additional lights so it shouldn’t look quite so odd next week!
With the remainder of the credit we ordered 2 new deer (they can’t all be badly made?!) but they were not sold as a pair and we hadn’t registered on the website that they were different colours, one brown the other white. As such, when they are stood next to each other, and especially when illuminated, they look very different. We will have to plan something else for next year – when we hope the grass will actually be more of a lawn than the field it currently is with the pool work.
We always want to make progress with Kergudon and hope that our returning guests see different things each year, so this year we have invested in some more lights – professional ones again so as not to make the ‘deer mistake’.
These new lights are for the yew trees we have outside the large gîtes and our own house that we planted in May last year and they look great too.
While our drive and frontage are not as neat as they will eventually be, as these are professional grade lights (the same that are used for Quimper and Locronan Christmas lights) we hope they will last us many years and illuminate the buildings as we continue to develop things.
We managed to visit a couple of Christmas markets this weekend. Yesterday, we went to Le Tréhou and today was Pleyber Christ. We had been to Le Tréhou’s fair many years ago and remembered that it was a good one. This year was the same with lots of great creators and artisans spread between 3 locations in the village. Lots of lovely things. Pleyber Christ was OK too but smaller.
I have also decorated our own home, although it’s not quite finished so I won’t share pictures until next week, when I will also be able to show you both Granary and Hayloft as we have guests arriving in both those gîtes next week too. Busy, busy …
Kenavo.