Catchy

I had to drop Neil off at the airport this morning. It's always a bit sad when we are apart and on the way home I tried to cheer myself up by putting the radio on to listen to some french language.
To my suprise there was a french song playing that I found immediately catchy and enjoyable. See what you think...



I always thought that french lyrics would be a good way to learn the language and I here at last are some I can bear to listen to!! I then found out that he is playing in Limoges in November. Ticket prices are between 40 - 60 euros though, so I don't think we will be going!!

Missing

Tam was nowhere to be seen last night, but to be honest I didn't worry too much, as now he is in (touching wood as I type) good health, he is getting more and more adventurous and less dependant on us.

However when he was not wailing at our bedroom door at eight oclock this morning, Neil and I started to get a feeling of unease. Like most animals meal times are pretty sacred to this fella and such was Neils' unease he went downstairs and walked up and down the road scanning for flattened cat in the road and ditches dressed only in a small towel.

I carried on the search, scanning the barns, rooves, sheds, fields, wood and cellar but finally I gave up as it seemed like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. I felt pretty upset and as the last time he went missing he came back with his face split open was wondering what on earth had befallen the little fella.

As I arrived back at the house there, telling me what for, was the little buggar, demanding a late petit-dejeuner. Animals eh - who'd have them
(my question mark still isn't working!)

Barbeque time!

Obviously the sun has been shining almost non stop since we put up our ingenious rain trapping system.
Neil decided on Saturday night that it would be a good idea to have a barbeque on Sunday and to invite some friends over. I did wonder if this was his way of trying to influence the weather and get it to rain, but I didn't have long to ponder this as I had to try and get the house into a vaguely presentable state.

It is just as well that our friends are very used to 'taking us as they find us', as turning up here means wading through mountains of dust and the woodchips that Tess the dog helpfully brings in from the workshop after she has spent some time under Neils' workbench.

Then they may have the luxury of eating a meal cooked on the camping stove, which is positioned just in front of my super duper range cooker that Neil will not allow me to unwrap whilst work is continueing.

If they wish to visit the loo whilst here that means climbing up the ladder and ducking under a chest height beam, whilst keeping to the side of the landing to avoid the void that will be full of staircase at some point.

Still, we must be doing something right as we had six friends over who were happy enough to put up with all of the above.

I had cleared the patio of all the normal things - lengths of timber, digger buckets, sand etc etc and scrubbed the table of chicken and duck poo. I de-cobwebbed the chairs and then dragged a body bag out of the piggeries.



Yes that's right, a body bag. Damn useful actually for all my chair covers. Every home should have one!!

It did vaguely threaten to rain at one point, but not enough for even a dribble to enter the pool. Still Neil has managed to get enough plumbing bits together to hopefully get an outside tap organised so that we can fill it up from the mains, after which I am sure the heavens will open.

I don't believe it!

Well actually I do..... We hurriedly got the pool sorted yesterday as storms and a few days of rain were forcast.
This morning whilst letting the chickens out I noticed there wasn't even a dribble in the pool and came into the house to re-check the Meteo.
Sunshine.
For weeks.
Buggar.

Necessity is the mother of invention......

As summer is fast approaching we are not going to let little things like a lack of outside (or inside come to think of it) hose attachment stand in the way of getting the inflatable pool sorted. This is our answer to hopefully free filling of the pool.






I had a bit of a shock last night when I visited our en-suite in the early hours of this morning - I looked up and noticed the velux was open which is a bit of a worry as there had been an orage forcast - only to spot Tams face poking through the hole in the roof. Our accident prone kitten on the roof was not what I wished to see that or any other time of the night - cue restless night worrying about him getting down again. Honestly.

We are enjoying glorious spring days at the moment and I took this picture of one of our pear trees today because the blossom is so wonderful



I've got quite a few veggies growing in my raised beds, which are made out of old apple storage boxes which are at an ideal waist height, but rather on the small side. They will have to do until the polytunnel goes up




Things are a tad more stressful for Neil, who is entering the complex winder part of the staircase. Fred came over again today to guide him through and help set it up - but I can tell from Neils' furrowed brow that this is testing the grey matter somewhat....








To give him a break this evening I dragged him off to a local lake so that we could give Tess a run and some well deserved attention. She loves sticks and swimming - so this lake is her idea of heaven

ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz

The staircase continues to progress - which is just as well as Neil and I were glueing the landing together at eleven oclock last night so that today the staircase could begin to be roughly assembled. Fred came over and worked with Neil all day today and this photo is of the first section going up to make sure that everything fits. It's all very exciting!