Hugging trees

St Marcellin

The pool is slowly filling up. J-J said he thought 2 cm per hour but I think it's more like one. We can't have the water on all night as our bedroom is right over the tap and it is very noisy water running through the pipes. We will have to ask Stephane to connect the water directly to the inlet again tomorrow and hopefully it will be full by tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, down on the ranch, we had friends over yesterday to help us clear some trees. They worked really hard but sadly couldn't take down my pet hate, the horse chestnut - it is too big, too close to the house and the pool and has to go. We will have to find a man with a proper tree harness to come and take it down slowly and carefully. First find your man!!

We did, however, manage to lose the remains of 8 pine trees that were next to the gate, all the old fruit trees which were only really suckers from some long defunct plums, the elderflower which was well over 6 metres high, and various other oaks and sycamores which had seeded themselves here and there. There is more work to do, especially coppicing clumps that have been grown for firewood and which are too high, but now that Jon has got confidence with the chainsaw we will be able to manage the rest ourselves.

All that remains is a hell of a lot of clearing up!

After the tree work we had a lovley relaxed evening meal here. All very convivial, now I wonder how they are feeling this morning with the aches and pains they no doubt gained from yesterday's work.

Pool Build - Day 5

St Isidore



I think I'll make this a silent Friday, well, sort of. J-J and Stephane cursed and swore as they tried to make the trim fit around the Roman End, but everything now fits and we have just to leave the water running all weekend to fill the pool, so that they can back fill and lay the edging tiles next week.






They have to fit the heater and the filtration system but say that this time next week they will be finished.

I should mention that J-J has another two builds to start next week so he can't be here full time.

Pool Build - Day 4

St Richard

[Edited 4 April to add photos ]

By midday today the steel framework was complete.


By 3pm the liner was put in place.

By 3.15 the tap was turned on and the pool started filling with water. Two vacuum cleaners suck out the air between the liner and the framework.

By 5pm the deep end 'well' of the pool is full of water but it will take around 3 days in total to fill the pool entirely.

Meanwhile, rather than stand round watching a hose spouting water, Jean-Jacques and Stephane are laying electricity cables for the pool, heater and the chalet. Tomorrow they will lay a water supply to a garden tap.

When the pool is 30cm deep, Jean-Jacques will cut the liner and neaten it around the Roman End (steps to you and me).

These guys don't hang around.

This means that Jon and I have to start thinking seriously about the pool paving and indeed the design of the rest of the garden.

Memo to self: Sharpen pencils and get the gardening books out.

PS: Jim's been quiet recently. HEY JIM @ FARNHAM, where are you?

Pool Build - Day 3

Ste Sandrine

Well, we're amazed at how quickly these two guys are working. Day 3 and already the pool's concrete base is setting, half of the steel frame is in place and so are the steps.

Figgy thinks that there must surely be some mice down there that need 'liberating' from their safe holes.



Meanwhile up in the attic, Jon has moved some of the old flooring and it looks as though it won't be going back down again. He's also moved a heap of rubble, concrete and other rubbish and found one beam with no centre. It seems there must have been a leak in the roof at some point, probably at least 25 years ago. A repair was made but the water rotted the centre of the beam in one place. The rest of the beam, including the outside seems very sound and it is still holding up the hanging ceiling so we will see if we can treat it and fill it before we re-lay the floor at that point.

We were out at friends for supper last night. It was a lovely evening, lots of chatter and banter and we left at 11.30pm. The drive home took an hour and during that time we saw:

• one hedgehog


• one mouse


• three ducks crossing the road in the middle of a village


• one toad


• several deer

and

• five vehicles

It's a mad, busy area we live in y'know!

Beginnings - Part 2

St Hugues

It was no April Fool's joke, that's for sure. We started the day bright and - no, wait a minute, forget the bright, but it was early. J-J and his helper Stephane arrived at 8.30 and off-loaded 34 bags of cement. They set to immediately down in the pool and worked hard all day to produce the base of the smaller circle.

Meanwhile, indoors, Jon was ready to make the hole in the lounge ceiling. We've been putting it off for so long waiting for the weather to improve, or at least warm up a bit and today was the designated day for the start of the work.

The ceilings are made of red bricks, cemented together and hung from the rafters by wire. A sort of hung ceiling. Lovely red dust filled the house and it will probably take a while to settle and be disposed of finally.

Jon carefully took the ceiling down in sections, with me underneath in hard hat, goggles and face mask to catch the sections as they fell. The first one came down easily, although it was a little heavier than I had expected. The second was just as simple, which is lucky since my hard hat fell off. The third fell just as I was taking it and landed with a thump on the floor having bounced off the wall, leaving its mark. The fourth was OK. The fifth hadn't been cut through properly but suddenly cracked and landed at my feet - luckily not on them and the sixth was another easy one. Unfortunately the floor was damaged on the fifth section dropping but the intended stairs will cover that bit of the floor.

Later, we 'rescued' a very old ladder that has obviously resided in the loft for many, many a year. It is very sturdy, no signs of woodworm or other damage and will serve as a temporary staircase until such time as we decide what staircase we want up there.

Next job? Cleaning the attic out. It has obviously not been cleaned, well, probably ever and there is all sorts of dust and debris up there to clear up before we even consider treating all the wood and repointing the end walls.

On hearing the first

... cuckoo of spring - today 1st April. Earlier than last year but it has taken two days to get over the hill from friends who heard it on Saturday!

Beginnings (Part 1)

St Benjamin

True to his word, Jean-Jacques arrived at 9am this morning - ten minutes after the arrival of 6 tonnes of sand. The delivery man informed us that it was his brother who would be digging out the hole for the pool!

We mapped out the pool plan and J-J decorated the ground with florescent orange paint. It began to rain, harder and harder. Jon and I retreated indoors.

The digger arrived at 9.45, the rain stopped for a while .......

...... and by midday we had a big hole in the garden.

By 4pm when it was raining heavily with scattered hailstones, it was a much bigger hole and there was also a trench for the electricity and water which will be installed for both the pool and the chalet.

The spoil from the hole has been neatly placed under the walnut tree to make a gentle slope into the field - more friendly than the steep drop that was there before.

The cats have kept a very low profile all day and are relieved now that all the noisy stuff - and that strange man who keeps wandering around - have left.

All this activity is encouraging. J-J informed us that on Friday he will fill the pool with water!!! I believe the heater and filtration system will be coming along next week.

To add to all the garden activity, Jon is now ready to make a hole in the ceiling of the sitting room to start work on the loft conversion.

Now that is REALLY scary!