That fridge in that hole.. notice the first tiles are down
that's done painting's posted time for supper!
It's been a funny ol' day, first the mountain top shrouded in cloud later to reveal snow up there. Then came a number of heavy showers, and then a rainbow about 3 o'clock. This Ruth's view from her studio.
we have everything we need toolwise and have enough lime and stuff for a few days.
Ruth and Julian thought it would be useful for me to attend a weekend course about the rediscovered use of lime in renovating old property.
Actually the techique promoted by Yvres (in the hat) as explained in Ruth's blog is to use hemp and lime together with pumice from an ancient Roman concrete recipe. The lime unlike modern cement, cures by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, with beneficial effects on greenhouse gas emissions and reforms into calcium carbonate or in other words back to rock from which it was made.
The hemp is high in silicates and has been used as stable bedding for years because it had no other use before. Incorporated into the mix the vegetable matter becomes over time petrified by the action of the lime into an open and lightweight yet strong and easily worked building material. It takes on the qualities of lime in allowing solid structures to breath out moisture thereby maintaining dry conditions inside the building.
After the course I was presented with a manual all in French of course, so have been googling lime hemp and pumice as a building material. Up came an entry for a company in Didcot, called Lime Technology Limited Milton Park, Abingdon. They have a relationship with Castle Cement and instead of pumice they use the pulverised fly ash from Didcot Power Station.
Halleluyah!
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Hope you escaped the rainstorms that we've had here in Oxford & that you're having a lovely break. See you soon!
You looked fabulous at the MalMaison Mum, you always look lovely whenever we go out. I hope you arrived safely and that you have remembered everything. Let's hope Dad can get the computer working! and that the mobile is turned on too. Lots of hugs and kisses from sunny Provence
visibility good today and Mont Blanc could be seen. The shiny bit is the map table which I used as a wind break
I'm happy....
I usually avoid wordage but apparently some people like it. Here's an out of sequence account from the last few days...
caught the evening ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe arriving about half past midnight on Saturday having spent the previous day under the bonnet.
Now a thousand mile test through the night for my handywork.
No oil leaks or exhaust problems (replaced under warranty) and battery fully charged!
I got to Julian's at 10.30 after calling in at the baker in Bédoin for a loaf and some goodies. They do a bread pudding (le French Pudding) so we had to try that.
Since Julian's paintings have priority through the NYTimes, he's obviously had less time for hands on construction, so Ruth had booked me to get her music studio finished off while she's in Paris doing Carmen. It's awful living on a building site and the dust is absolutely everywhere.
Yesterday I was knocking great chunks out of the walls to mount the electric points. The house is built of large and very hard stones and when you set off into the wall with your little chisel, you don't quite know what is behind there!
Julian had to leave on Monday to join Ruth for a special dinner in Paris and see the show, so I've been working through a list of jobs ready for his return on Thursday.
A pallet of beautiful terracotta tiles has been waiting outside for a month or two and at last the tiler is coming on Friday to lay them, so it means getting the messy stuff in the kitchen/dining room done before he arrives.
The further complication is that the method of renovation is now in favour of lime plaster, which was nearly all gone and which takes much longer to go off than horrible but quick cement.
So on Saturday afternoon and through Sunday he and I were chiselling off the old plaster and cleaning up the opening in the wall for the giant Liebherr fridge freezer and Julian made up the rest of Chauvre (lime) and ponce (pumice) he had into a very wet Snowcem type mixture called 'Gobertis' and then gave me a crash course in how to flick it up onto the walls. I must say that slapping it on with a broom head was less elegant but equally effective but don't tell him that!
Ruth has the better French and is the organiser of materials so called me up on Monday to say I must ring Mireille and then meet her in the square by the church between 6pm and 7pm.. (I shall say zis only once) to pick up more materials (chauvre and ponce). Luckily the store for the gear is quite near just the other side of Crillon. Unfortunately I was half way to the dump on the way there and realised that the Renault had no diesel in it and was faltering, so headed for the nearest pumps. It's all exciting stuff ain't it.
Anyway, I called Mum and Dad last night remembering that they're off to the island today to wish them luck. I think Mum had packed her entire wardrobe so was pretty exhausted. Silly me, I had put her summer outfits up in the loft over the winter so I think Dad had been up and down the ladder and was obviously suffering! He was too shattered to speak!
Hopefully they will get online at the Grange using the wi-fi network there. The manager was on the phone the other day to make sure it was all still on and said help was available to get on the network.
Many happy returns to you from the gang here in Oxford. Hope the big day didn't clash with any exams? 
Your Best or Worst motor £400 bought off Dad.. He'd tow me round Chinnor with his Saab to get it to start.. so new engine and off to ...
