8th April

Well it has been a mixed week! On the postive side, we very much enjoyed having Lucy and Andy here to stay for 5 days and they were lucky enough to have the most wonderful weather. Hardly a cloud in the sky all week and temperatures in the upper 20's. They enjoyed the rest, but also helped us a lot by digging over the vegetable patch and lugging a load of earth up from the pool area to create a new flower bed behind the patio. They also put together our new garden bench - see above! We also had a very French/English evening when Jean Paul and his daughter Marine joined us for dinner. The girls and Andy managed to understand each other very well - in fact both Lucy and Andy spoke more French than they have done since leaving school!! We ate roast chicken and sticky toffee pudding, then managed had an entertaining game of Pictionary with the help of a dictionary!

We had hoped to lay the screed on the base of the pool this week, but despite the hot weather, the soil in the pool is just not drying out enough. We realised we would have to put in a better drainage system, so we (actually, mostly Dave!) have been digging more trenches around and inside the pool to allow the water to escape. Thankfully this seems to be working, so now we just need a few more dry days to finally lay the screed. We almost a had a problem when the sand for the screed was delivered, but it was happily sorted out in a typically Ariege way. We asked the lorry driver to dump the sand down by the pool which he was happy enough to do despite a bit of shoulder shrugging and hand waving, but sure enough the lorry got stuck in the soft earth! However, the driver just smiled, shrugged his shoulders a bit more and suggested we get Denis from the farm with his tractor-whom he just happens to know well. Denis was more than happy to help - so after several minutes of hand shaking and discussion of 'boys toys', the lorry was hauled back up the garden and everyone got back to work.

As for the garden, the grass and everything else is still growing rapidly. Dad's rockery now looks a picture with the tulips out and the snowy Pyrenees behind (see photo above).

We don't feel we have made much progress this week with the pool saga, but in fact we are still moving on with the Pyrnees Suite and laid the concrete base ready for the patio this week, so hope to get that finished very soon - again, weather permitting!

3rd April 2011

Friday felt like the first day of summer - hot and sunny and light well into the evening. It was also the day of Jean Paul's English lesson so he decided that we would find more to talk about if we went for a walk rather than sitting in front of the computer. He drove me up into the mountains just the other side of Tarascon for a 'hike'. We ended up just past the 'Barrage (dam) du Riete' - see photo above, where there are numerous walking possibilities. The lying snow is still making most of them impassable at the moment but we had a bit of a climb and appreciated the wonderful views. Jean Paul learnt several useful (?) new words, such as 'cattle grid' and I learnt (in French!) about when it is safe to drink water on the mountain, types of rocks, species of wildlife etc!!

At La Maire, we are still making progress in the 'Pyrenees Suite', finishing off the electrics, skirting board and bathroom tiles this week. Up until Friday it was a bit wet, so a good week to work indoors. This lunchtime we were invited up to the farm for the annual 'hog-roast'. All the men who take part in the hunt over the winter help Denis fell and chop the logs that he sells, so he thanks them at the end of the hunting season by roasting a small wild boar. We were delighted to be invited as well - everyone was very friendly and the food was excellent. Neither of us had eaten boar before - it was very tender and tasty, and quite different to any other kind of meat that we know. Anne cooked a dish of flagelot beans to accompany the meat, and this was preceeded by home-made pork pate, smoked bacon, salad and fresh bread. Dessert was 'creme anglaise!' (cold custard!) with cake, all accompanied by wine and champagne. The event also started with drinks and nibbles on the terrace.

Next weeks project is the pool! Also, Lucy and Andy arrive tomorrow for a few days, so we are very much looking forward to seeing them. France meteo is suggesting warm sunny weather as well, so maybe they will be lucky!

Sunday 27th March

The garden did become a bit of a distraction this week - but Dave is relieved to have given all the grass two cuts already. This is all a bit of a shock for the mower after its winter rest, so it is requiring quite a lot of TLC! We have also started digging over the vegetable plots ready for planting. We decided to allocate afternoons to the garden and mornings to the Pyrenees Suite - we now have lights up in there and have almost finished the floor tiles. Another couple of mornings grouting, then my knees can have a break!! More photos next week!

The weather has been warm and sunny, if a bit windy at times. Yesterday afternoon we decided to take some time out, so drove up to the 'Prat d'Albis', which is just the other side of Foix. Another lovely open plateau with suberb views of the snow capped Pyrenees in one direction, and Foix and its castle in the other, this is an ideal area for walking. We also saw a huge group of parascenders both flying and taking off from near the summit, which were very colourful and interesting to watch.

The ground is now drying out sufficiently for us to think about finishing off the pool - another job for next week!

18th March 2011

After a wet week - warm sunshine has returned to the Ariege. Daffodils and tulips are in bloom, the grass is growing - and so are the weeds! The sunshine looks set to stay for the next week, which will be wonderful.

Work in the 'Pyrenees Suite' is progressing -see above - but the garden is sure to become a distraction!

We are now back at La Maire again, after 3 hectic weeks in Maidenhead. We managed to decorate the hall, stairs and landing, as well as our bedroom, and get new carpets fitted all in time for Jean Paul's arrival last Wednesday.

It was Jean Paul's first ever visit to England and London, and he appeared to enjoy every minute. It was interesting for us to see what he found interesting about England! He loved the old phone boxes, the cottages in Bray, the pubs, Guiness, sticky toffee pudding and tube stations!

He even decided that English food is much better than French - and has clearly returned home a few pound heavier! He was an excellent guest to have - very appreciate and good fun. We all spoke a mixture of French and English - in fact Dave probably spoke more French last week than he has done since we arrived in France!!

It is good to be back at La Maire, and to finally be able to start decorating and finishing off the 'Pyrenees Suite'. It is forecast to be wet and windy this week, so ideal for indoor work. However it has been mild so the grass is already growing - it will soon be time to get the mower out again!

27th February

From the recent 'blog' photos, it looks as though we have been leading a life of leisure this month! In some ways we have - we have just returned from a very fun week skiing in Andorra with friends June, Jim, Carol and Roger. We were lucky with the weather - a mixture of sun, cloud and a little bit of fresh snow, which was particularly wonderful for a day. Snowfall has been somewhat lacking in Andorra this season, but the slopes are very well maintained and there are plenty of snow cannon to maintain coverage. Pistes are wide and open and the scenery is superb. Whats more - it is cheap, and the choice of apres ski entertainment is excellent. We came off the pistes most afternoon to rest our aching muscles in the nearest bar aided by mulled wine and beer - and some really excellent live music.

Work at La Maire is also progressing well. We have finished the attic floor and Dave has almost finished installing the little bathroom suite up there. Also - the the door to the 'Pyrenees Suite' has finally been fitted (see above), so we can now finish painting, putting a floor down and furnishing. We aim to have it all finished by May!!

However, we are now back in England for a couple of weeks, decorating the house here and doing some last picture framing before we take the equipment to France in April. It is good to see signs of Spring in the garden and feel some warmth in the sun

7th February

We returned to La Maire today after 5 very enjoyable and restful days in the UK. It was a flying visit, but good to be able to meet up with our niece Caroline who has been over from Sydney travelling for a month - and of course to have some time with Daniel and Lucyand Mum and Dad. We all spent a lovely couple of days in Cheltenham and then took Caroline back to Maidenhead for a day, managing to fit in a blustery afternoon mingling with the tourists in Windsor before all travelling off in different directions and leaving Daniel in charge of the house again!

We had a good flight back today - no complaints with Easyjet lately! And I have to say it is nice to see the sun again - 17 degrees this afternoon!