Summertime wasn’t so hot or as sunny as usual here in France but we had a great time just the same!
It’s been hectic.
Now that we can travel a little more we’ve been able to plan and visit family in the UK. Our Son Alex came over to stay and work with us in August. This summer even my parents (Paula & Bill) managed to come over to France despite the many Covid forms to fill in.
In between office work, family visits, and summer day trips we’ve managed to keep on track with the renovations. The roofing had to pause when the cost of OSB board increased dramatically. (you can google all about the inflated cost of processed wood sheets and market speculation during the pandemic). We have now found a better alternative and we’ll give you an update on the barn roofing progress soon.
While waiting for our roof wood delivery we’ve tiled the kitchen floor and continued with a lime plastered rustic look throughout the kitchen and lounge. The walls around each window has a wooden bead or trim piece. This was a later improvement to the lime finished walls and all of the downstairs wood was painted with old lead paint. We removed all of this wood trim from the windows and a considerable amount of lime plaster fell off the walls too!
While removing the old plaster we revealed more of the structural beams above the door and window. We love to see the bones of the building so we decided to keep more of the revealed beams. It’s been a little challenging to shape the plaster and fill in the sections to create an acceptable rustic, curvy, organic, look to the walls. I am getting there (very slowly). Lime work requires patience to build up the layers.
We said farewell to Coco this Summer
Not renovation news but an important part of our team spirit here in France. We had to say goodbye to our lovely four-legged furry companion Coco, our handsome Labrador. He was a huge bundle of joy in our family and we already miss him so much. You may have seen in our YouTube Vlog that Coco suddenly started to walk slowly and get out of breath. He developed a heart condition and was able to live a little longer with the help of some human heart medicine prescribed by the vet.
Sadly, Coco passed away peacefully on the 17th of August (aged 11 years and 1 month old). Our other little pooch Bertie is adjusting to life without Coco along with the rest of us. We think of Coco every day and remember the love, companionship, and joy he brought to our lives.
It reminds us that not everyone is having a great day and a little patience goes a long way in accepting each other’s points of view and getting along together. Have a wonderful week wherever you are and make the very best of your day.
You can catch up with us on YouTube to see our summer weeks of progress. We’ve been filming but not editing and producing this August as life went into a bit of a whirlwind. It’s good to be back to the routine and sharing our progress with you x
