Looking back on last week it has been busy, both in terms of guests in the gîtes and work, and we have benefitted from (whisper it quietly) decent spring weather. Even David made the comment today that this spring has been one when we have been able to tick off a number of projects.
I mentioned at the end of last week’s blog that a number of tasks were nearing completion and that there was a sensible order to complete them that allowed me to make progress on the next task. The first was to finish the wood store which I have built behind Grange as that would allow me to move the last of the winter wood out of the garage bay and progress that.
The wood store I have built comprises 5 compartments each able to hold a cord of wood (3 cubic metres) which is the unit it is generally sold in. Until last week those compartments were open to the elements with a soil floor. As we haven’t yet ordered the gravel that we will use to renew the drive I bought a trailer load to cover the ground.
Last week’s blog mentioned that there were 2 public holidays in the week so there was a chance that lots of people would be taking the remainder of the week off. Turns out this was true of the quarry which didn’t know until I had driven there to find it closed for 10 days! As such the gravel we have used is not what will be on the drive but, as it will generally be covered with wood I don’t think it matters.
Gravel laid, I repaired and resized a number of pallets for the wood to sit on and then made covers from UV stabilised waterproof fabric which I have attached marine fastenings to enabling me to easily seal the compartments and keep the wood completely dry. The finished result is exactly what I had envisioned when we started and should last for years.
The second task completed this week is the Grange games room which is a real bonus. The previous week I had managed to complete the floor other than the beading and final finishing. This week I managed to finish that as well as clear out the accumulated tools and wood offcuts which had built up – the latter now stored in one of the dry wood store compartments.
On Wednesday we also, despite my doubts expressed last week, received our new games room purchase – a babyfoot table. No French games room could be a games room without babyfoot. Despite having bought one of the less expensive tables (and you can pay a lot for them) we are really pleased with it. It appears pretty robust and was very easy to assemble – which is more that can be said for the sofas we have bought! The sofas came disassembled from a Dutch company and, while they are great when built, the assembly instructions are terrible. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the Swedes are world leaders in flat-pack and not the Dutch!
The room is looking great although I need to build the other sofas and we need to add a little more furniture, but, with everything in place it is evident how large the room is – 49 sqm. There is plenty of space for me to build the bar we want and still have the floor space for something else. Suggestions would be appreciate – a Twister play area?!
So, other than one other major addition which we hope to take delivery of in the week, the games room is done – the challenge will be for me not to use it as a distraction from all the other tasks that I need to work on!
I mentioned last week that we had David’s parents staying with us so we did have some time off and enjoyed some great meals out. We returned to our favourite local restaurants at Saint Rivoal and on the Lac du Drennec. Both were great again. I didn’t show any pictures of the new interiors of either when they both re-opened – this is the Auberge du Menez in Saint Rivoal. Similar to before but with some striking new artwork. The menu too is excellent, apologies for the odd angle but I hope you can make out some of the dishes. – David’s Dad and I had the special (not listed) which was a fabulous côte du boeuf cooked perfectly. We also returned to one of the many great restaurants in Morlaix – the Via Duc which is worth a visit.
The public holiday on Thursday was Ascension Day when there are a number of events held. We took David’s parents to the Fête du Nivot which is a small agricultural show held at the Nivot agricultural college in the neighbouring village of Loperec. However, we made the mistake of going at lunchtime forgetting that things would stop! So we missed the demonstrations and displays and only got to see the vintage cars and tractors – which were interesting enough but a lesson (re)learned for next time …
This coming week I will be able to work on clearing out the garage bays and progress, possibly finish, the wall between the Grange and what will be the new man-cave.
Kenavo.