Sunday again – the weeks seem to pass incredibly quickly and this week, despite working hard every day, is the first I look back on and think we haven’t achieved much – mostly because we have worked on the same things we had started before. We completed the first coat of paint in all rooms upstairs in Priory and have started in the kitchen which we hadn’t expected to do.
Dave has continued in the old games room converting it into his gym and has sealed and painted the concrete floor which has made an enormous difference. Sanding and painting the wood cladding on the walls next week before being able to build the various pieces of fitness and gym equipment he has had delivered.
We have also had all of the kitchen items delivered in preparation for installing in Granary and Hayloft – doesn’t look too much for 2 whole kitchens, even though they sent a lorry with crane(!) but looking forward to seeing it all in situ.
We have welcomed 2 great friends from London who have come partly to see the new venture – but principally to watch the Six Nations Super Saturday with us as to maintain our tradition of hosting on the final day of the Championship.
As keen walkers, their visit has allowed us to explore new walking routes from the house (as well as some old favourites) and the fantastic geological features in the Huelgoat forest 15 minutes from Kergudon.
However, after a very anti-climatic partial eclipse on Friday which was only visible for 2, brief, gaps in the cloud, the most important event was the conclusion of this year’s Six Nations Rugby tournament. Having settled into Kergudon with fabulous food and a raging log fire for an uninterrupted 7 hours of rugby coverage, we had a deputation come to the house and ‘summon’ us to the St. Hubert pub as the token English to join the French watching the coverage.
For those who aren’t into rugby, the final Saturday of the tournament stages three matches with all teams playing. Depending on the results of the preceding weeks’ matches there may be more than one team with a chance of winning the title – as it was this year when 4 of the 6 teams could mathematically have won. In brief – this Super Saturday was record breaking in a number of ways and the most amazing series of matches imaginable.
England had a chance of winning the tournament right up to the final minute of the match when they won a penalty – and the French broadcasters chose to cut away to commercials – aaaaarrrrggghhhhh!!!! At that point the previously friendly banter between us and the French viewers could have soured with our view of French sports coverage but thankfully they agreed with us and we resolved to have BBC coverage next year.
Our friends returned to London this morning (hence the late blog post) but they had travelled to us by train via Eurotunnel, Paris Metro and TGV which made a simple journey from St. Pancras to Landivisiau. They found it a relaxed and civilised way of travelling with a bottle of wine and, if you book the appropriate trains, the opportunity to stop for lunch in Paris inbound and / or outbound – perfect. The tickets, booked 3 months in advance online (www.uk.voyages-sncf.com), cost less than a return from London to Manchester.
Having seen a Eurotunnel advert earlier in the week for their early booking summer offer of £56 per car one way, there are now a number of options for a leisurely arrival to Kergudon for those who suffer from mal de mer! We will let you know when flights start to Brest as well, further increasing the options available to join us.
Back to painting this week as we have a break for a few weeks from visits – so should be able to post my blogs on time!!
À bientôt.