How Many Pots Make 5?

The sun shone, we could be outside without a top coat, and the sap begins to rise!

So, as you can see, it was the time to tidy up ready for the new season's campaign.  Sue has been in the porcherie most of the day sorting out rubbish and pots.  She also started some tidying in the barn!  The main purpose for all of this activity was to see if she has enough pots for Operation Pot-on which is due to start the last week of February when some 700+ plug plant are due to arrive from the UK.

In the meantime, pots have started to invade the bedroom where delicate plants are germinate 'a pace'.

Design Problems

Having finally got the first main set of stairs in place, our thoughts turned to the handrail and 'bannisters'. Which is where we have hit a problem. I retrieved the materials we bought for all of this some 3 to 4 years ago.

But, upon discusion of what I will have to do, the interior designer dropped her bombshell!  She now maintains that she never liked the ideas I/we had .... horrible, dreadful, will spoil the whole look of it!  Why this could not have been discussed originally before we bought the materials ........?

Having investigated some of the 'standard' handrail/bannisters available we've come to the conclusion that
a) we can't afford them ... 1800 euros
b) we/ the designer isn't convinced she'll like the finished look!

Compromise talks are ongoing.

Sound Advice

Having assembled the stairs yesterday, today was the day for assessing the feasibility of moving them and lifting then up to the landing.  I quickly realised I would need half a rugby team!  So I set about investigating hoists on Amazon and Sue and I had a discusion about where we would be able to fix the hoist and would it be strong enough.  Then Sue suggested that I take the stairs apart and reassemble it in situ.  I am normally able to see the reasons why Sue's ideas are impractical but, for once, I thought that I would try her idea, even though I secretly thought that it would not work!!! Because the treads are inset into the sides, you can't bring the sides in together until the treads are all located in their slots.  I didn't think I would be able to do it.  But I had to eat my words!!!

It makes a huge difference to be able to go upstairs from the inside!!!!!

Its a Good Job We Dont Live In Iceland!!

We got up to snow yet again today and we both find it totally demotivating. However we feel that we have already wasted most of January so we both pushed ourselves to start on our list of jobs.

I have been intending to regrout the kitchen work surface for the last six months, it got done today so one job off the list.
















John has been doing  little bits on the stairs for some days, well he has been poorly. However today major strides were made and we now have the staircase from the hall to the landing ready to be put in place.

However I am terrified about the next step as it is incredibly heavy and I know how single minded he is, (that's a euphemism for stupid.)

Snow Joke

Our snow finally disappeared yesterday which filled us with hope for the chance to get cracking with our jobs, especially as we both feel that we're over our colds/flu.  So we were dismayed to awake this morning to see that it had been gently snowing during the night and the ground was covered with about 10 cms of the stuff.  I was sent outside to clear the steps so that Sue could get upstairs but, no sooner having cleared the steps, the snow on the roof 'avalanched' down onto where I had cleared!

Any further work outside will now have to await a thaw.

Journal from the Plague House

For the past 2 weeks we have been struggling with colds/flu; we both have been confined to bed, then recovered and then relapsed.  So I've not been able to get on as well as I'd hoped with the stairs.  Progress is being made albeit slowly.  And then today the snow arrived.

We were touched by the kindness of our neighbours Cynthia and Fred when she came up to us this afternoon to see if there was anything she could get for us in the village as she was going to walk down to the bakers.  A kind thought but ... are we now in the category of 'those old folks up the hill'?

The snow is not too bad but the forecast is talking of -8 in the morning and -10 Friday morning with freezing rain!  Oh well, it's winter.

New Year's Resolutions

Since our last posting activities have been curtailed by bugs.  There are a couple of candidates for the cause of our colds but we now feel sure that Guy brought it with him from England.  He was just recovering when he arrived but our symptoms have followed his exactly.

This has meant that our new lifestyles from the 1st of January are still waiting to swing into action!  However Sue (perhaps trying to make me feel bad) is determined to do a daily walk!

 This morning I was getting a litttle concerned at how long she had been gone when she returned, breathless but happy.  She'd been 'communing  with nature' down by the river Ceou and she maintains she saw a Kingfisher there.  I know that she hadn't been testing the cooking sherry before she went so, I'll have to take her word for it!!!