Off to France on the Euro Tunnel. After several farewells, we set off from Sunny Buxton in the middle of a European heatwave. Travelled to visit family in Wraysbury for our last night of LUXURY accommodation for some time. We like to do extreme things and moving your home in 40 Degrees of heat certainly comes into the extreme category.
Working from the road! (The French 2 hour lunch break)
Stopping overnight in air conditioned gite in Sancerre, Bourge
The Le Chassaing house is very limited in amenities. One tap, one electricity point, that’s it. We have oodles of spiders and cobwebs. If you’re worried about creepy crawlies then this is not the place for you!
It is, however, a perfect place for our son Alex. He’s just completed his A levels and has happily turned down the opportunity of studying medicine (well done for getting the offer) in favor of a Biology degree. It’s a 4-year course including a masters in Entomology (insects and all things creepy crawly to you and me) Immunology or Molecular Biology. You see the insect connection…
Like all good parents, we have a list of renovating jobs to keep Alex busy this summer. As he says it beats shelf stacking and Saturday jobs.
But it’s not all French wine, sitting in the sunshine, scoffing cheese, and insect spotting. There is quite a lot of renovation work to be done. Here are a few pics from our kitchen, ‘peach’ guest room and bathroom phase one. There are some choice wallpapers which you’ll be excited to know I’m keeping! But I will be toning down the PEACH paint combo.
Something I learned this week! With high temperatures and cold concrete floors, you get fairly extreme condensation. Dehumidifiers at the ready and off to purchase damp proof membrane for the floors. We have also purchased a post box, much to the delight of our postie. A Composting toilet (if you’re interested in all the information on Humanure here is a useful link) is not as bad as you would think and it doesn’t stink even in the tried and tested heat. I thought that would be my biggest hurdle along with showering from a watering can naked in the garden. But it turns out that’s not too bad for the first few days either. My next post will be bathroom progress and the joy of taps. Exciting stuff.
Big 3ft long drill goes through 3ft thick wall hurrah for water
