As predicted in last week’s blog, practically the only activity that we have made any progress on for the last 7 days is slating the roof of Grange so this will be a very short update.
We divided the responsibility between myself and our builder such that Lee got the more complicated parts at the edge of the roof and I had the simple task of putting whole slates up in the vast expanse of open roof area.
These pictures show the progress we have made on the front and the back. We are now in a position where we need to install the front roof windows before I can tile any more, and while there is a little more slating on the back that can be done, I have finished the entire crate of slates that David and I lifted up last Sunday.
One unusual effect of slating the roof is that the building is starting to look a little smaller as there is no more long planks of bright yellow treated wood visible!
To ensure that we can use our builder to best effect next week, we went to Brest last Friday to buy the windows that we will put into the roof. It turned out to be an expensive day not just because we need 6 windows in total (4 on the front above each garage bay, and 2 on the rear) but we made the mistake of popping into the Swedish furniture store to replace a couple of items and came out with a lot more than we had intended. Why is it that always happens!
However, what we have bought, and will use on the Priory terrace, looks great – I will show you some pictures when it is all assembled and in place. That won’t happen for a couple of weeks until I paint the new dwarf walls behind the Priory and that is waiting for a sufficiently dry period to get a couple of coats on and dried.
We’re not sure when that will be as the weather has reverted to a more Breton spring like pattern with lots of showers, some heavy, and spells of lovely warm sunshine. Great for the garden which is starting to look really good as the shrubs, such as they are at present, come into bloom including this amazing azalea that we were given as a garden warming present for our home in London before we moved here. It looks much happier in Brittany! The lawn too is also looking better than it has since we arrived as we experimented with some ‘weed and feed’ type fertilizer last Friday which has already made a difference and it is now growing furiously in the conditions. The forecast seems to be the same for next week if it is to be believed!
Another update next Sunday, hopefully with some more pictures and different from just a slated roof.
Salut.