![\"\"](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
<\/figure><\/li><\/figure><\/li><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBecause of the volume, just clearing this splitting it took a number of weeks but kept me occupied under cover in the colder winter months. But I created enough kindling to keep us supplied for a few winters!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lots of kindling – 2 weeks of effort!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n We did get to a point when all the bays were sufficiently clear that I could stain the interior wood and paint the render which made them look great.\u00a0 We even completely emptied one bay and took the opportunity of concreting the base, something that initially I hadn\u2019t intended to do, and installing lots of kitchen cupboards that we had removed from the g\u00eetes in our first refurbishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Of course, as soon as you have an empty, large useable space \u2026 You know where this is going! It get\u2019s used. As such we never quite completed that project and it rolls onto 2022 \u2013 my challenge will be not filling it up with the first 2022 project that we have begun!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biggest change to the garage was the doors I finally managed to construct \u2013 and I am very happy with them.\u00a0 Now at least they can still be full of stuff but nobody can see!\u00a0 The final clear out WILL happen this year and Grange will become a multi-use space or \u2018Party Barn\u2019 as Dave says so we can BBQ even on those rare occasions it rains in Brittany!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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A major spring project was rebuilding part of the talus in front of Stable that borders Hent Gorreker.\u00a0 The entrance to Stable was always a little tight, so much so that over the winter it had been clipped and partially collapsed so moving the widening project further up the priority list.\u00a0 On the talus were also 2 very inappropriate trees \u2013 an old Christmas tree that was growing rapidly, and a very oddly shaped, multi-trunked willow.\u00a0 Both were directly under a power line and would cause problems in years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rebuilt wall should remain stable for a few years and we have planted a number of lonicera plants to create an attractive hedge at the front of the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We have spent lots of time in the garden during the year and planted a number of new trees and shrubs including the \u2018Blyckert\u2019 magnolia.\u00a0 We still have lots of plans for the garden that we hope to progress this year and, as the many plants we have added grow and mature, we hope it will become a tranquil and beautiful place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nA sort of \u2018garden\u2019 project was replacing the old, rotten, fencing between the front of Priory and Granary with a new dwarf wall and fence to match what we had done at the rear, and included a gate to make it so much more practical to access the g\u00eete in the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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While the weather was good in the spring, I also completed a job that we had wanted to do for a number of years \u2013 repainting the wood of Hayloft\u2019s doors and windows.\u00a0 They look so much better for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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In the summer, with lots of guests, we try and keep the noise and work to a minimum, but I was able to get into Dave\u2019s gym and give that the major refurbishment Dave had wanted for a couple of years.\u00a0 The new colour scheme and rubber flooring makes it a much more attractive and calming space for the pilates and yoga that Dave is doing more of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Kergudon’s Salle de Sport redecorated and looking great<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n When installing Dave\u2019s new gym floor we were assisted by 2 friends, Pierre-Jean and Cyril which reminds us that late 2021 was a very sad period as we lost both Pierre-Jean at the young age of 61, and, even more suddenly and unexpectedly, David\u2019s Mum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Returning to the UK for David\u2019s Mum\u2019s funeral was one of the 2 times we spent away from Kergudon in 2021 the second being a 2-week break we took in Lanzarote. This was the first \u2018proper\u2019 holiday we had enjoyed since 2015 and we were really in need of the time lazing in the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While on holiday I was able to do something that I had hoped we would be able to do a lot more of with our new lives in France \u2013 read. Indeed, in 2021 we were both able to do a lot more reading than we ever had as we got into good routines that allowed us time to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While 2021 may not have been the most productive in terms of completing our major projects, we have again hosted some interesting and friendly guests, continued to explore this beautiful part of the world and generally enjoyed the experience of living in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have big plans for things to do this year \u2013 which should include completing the garage and rear drive(!) but also a significant refurbishment of Granary and, finally, clearing the old vegetable patch on the rear lawn. Perhaps the lesson of 2021 we need to carry into this year, is not to start a new project until the previous one if completely finished!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We hope that global events return to something a little more \u2018normal\u2019 so that people are more easily able to travel as we would love to welcome you here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will continue to update on the progress we make in my blogs which, I hope, I will be better at writing each week but I have made that resolution before \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00c0 beint\u00f4t.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Normally, I would use either the first or last blog of the year to round up what we had achieved in the preceding 12 months \u2013 as much to remind David and I what we have done as anything else. As I haven\u2019t done that yet, I hope you don\u2019t mind if I do so…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3724,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ben-and-daves-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kergudon.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kergudon.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kergudon.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kergudon.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kergudon.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kergudon.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kergudon.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kergudon.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kergudon.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kergudon.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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