Wednesday, May 30, 2007

limey liebherr


limey.JPG
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

That fridge in that hole.. notice the first tiles are down



et viola


holeinthewall.JPG
Originally uploaded by ezappy.




multitasker.JPG
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

that's done painting's posted time for supper!

Monday, May 28, 2007

Somewhere under the Ventoux


Somewhere under the Ventoux
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

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.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

melanger melaxer me loungé you mixé


melanger melaxer me loungé you mixé
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

we have everything we need toolwise and have enough lime and stuff for a few days.

Ride the line don't walk it


Check out this addictive website that Will put me on to. Computer Solitaire is out and I ride the lines is in! Also my friend Cara who sent me this clip from YouTube.com of some dimwitted 911 callscourtesy of Jay Leno...unbelievable.

Grandma & Grandad - Sorry it was bit wet for you on the Isle. Today was a glorious 24 degrees in UK hopefully it will continue into the Bank Holiday.

love Gem x

Monday, May 21, 2007

Yvres Kuhn


yvres
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

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!





Click Movie

My laptop

I took my laptop with the intention of sending blogs to you all. However, I could not get online as you have supposed in spite of a phone call to Steve, but I later learned that on trying to open date and time the year showed 1970 and although I tried to correct it, I had to enter my password which I could not remember, although I had a card with all my Mac numbers on - but not the laptop password - poor old soul!!. No, don't laugh - I couldn't even find the fan shaped icon that I was supposed to click on. I did manage to show Auntie Peg the pictures of Malmaison, which did not need online-- Dad.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

WE ROME

Mum was feeling a bit crook and had to forgo Reg and Kay's 50th Wedding Bash (which I attended in Shanklin and was worth the 30 mile round trip from Yarmouth) so when I crep in at 10.30pm. trying not to wake her, she coughingly said she was glad to see me home safely. I was up in the morning wiv a cuppa and we tried to phone Whitelink to change our ferry time but they claimed to be too busy and put me on hold, so I packed up the old jelopy and went down to the queue of cars joining the ferry and we got on to the 0830, three hours earlier than booked and here we are at 1215pm with a kettle boiling, ready for a cuppa, but we are short of milk so we will have to use my Soya milk..
Loved your self portrait Julian and Ruth's amusing musical story = is Steve still with you? I must try his mobile number. Great to read all your blogs, kids. I like this new method of saving blogs automatically. Does yours do the same, Cathy??

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

P.S.Pete

I have had a card from Mum so my things did get to them but it doesn't look like Dad has been able to go on line and get your birthday greetings. The weather has been terrible so I think that they are a bit frustrated so much for the beautiful Isle of wight weather. much love Cathy

Pete..here are our holiday plans...so far..

17th July channel crossing,
stay the night in Dieppe.
18th July arrive at gite, Dordogne..I'll not sure where exactly just now but I will let you know later
28thJuly leave gite
28thJuly arrive Manosque(to stay with our friend Brian)
4th/5th August leave Manosque
(4th is Thomas's birthday so it will be up to him what we do...'I don't know you're the Mummy')
4th or 5th visit Julian(we haven't spoken to Julian and Ruth about this yet)
7th August arrive Deippe
8th August channel crossing and drive home

Friday, May 11, 2007

Happy birthday Mum


We hope you are having a lovely time. Do you remember that talking card Dad had with him in Botswana which the girls got hold of? Victor Meldrew saying, "Congratulations, your another year older"?!

Have a lovely weekend of it.

Lots of love, Pete, Jan and the rest of the family.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Hope you escaped the rainstorms that we've had here in Oxford & that you're having a lovely break. See you soon!

lots of love Gemma & Clive xxx

Happy Birthday

Our dear Mum, wishing you a lovely happy birthday today. We called the hotel to find that there's no phone in the room so we're having to revert to the blog. Also, we have the American version of Mother's Day this weekend, so a very wonderful restful day should be enjoyed, perhaps I can send you some champagne and chocolates - fancy that again?

On a sporting note, see the fantastic news that Singapore will be staging a Formula 1 Grand Prix next year, run at night in the heart of our city, amazing.

Happy Birthday Mum

I hope that it's a beautiful sunny day, and you have lots of lovely treats in store for you and you can wear your lovely new wardrobe without having to dash about in the rain. Norton Grange assure me that anything sent to you will find its way to your chalet, so something should get to you. Many Happy Returns to my marvelous Mum, all my love Cathy

Happy Birthday Mother


IMG_0223.JPG
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

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

Molly Morgan


Happy Birthday Mother

Click here from Steve

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

ventoux shadow


ventoux shadow
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

what's this effect called

ezappy summit


ezappy summit
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

visibility good today and Mont Blanc could be seen. The shiny bit is the map table which I used as a wind break

summit e30


summit e30
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

good day for a whizz up the mountain

Norton Grange

Found the postcode for anyone who needs it - PO41 0SD.

Ready meals


in Provence?
... I was taking a chance but found Click these in Sainsbury's.

With the kitchen in turmoil they were a lifesaver, especially with a few new potatoes and a slab of bread!

Julian was worried that as they require no fridge they may have been irradiated, but no, I've just signed up to their site and been through the faq's and they are just pressure cooked in the bag you buy so all safe and tasty.
He had the venison sausages, and I the home reared beef, delicious!
I've also tried the Smoked Haddock Pottage with Nadine Potatoes and Saffron and the mushroom stroganof mmm mmm mmmm!
2 mins in microwave

Lucy's happy so am I!


E30 M20 325i Touring LPG
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

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.

Jollliiieeeee


joli
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

shouted the passing Vauclusian motorist as I squatted amongst the herbage. Cheeky monkey! Perhaps he meant the flowers?

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

W are off on our 12 day holiday from 9th - 20th May

We will be staying at Norton Grange Holiday Centre in Yarmouth IOW.
I will be taking my Moto cell phone with me as I do not know if each room (chalet) has its own BT line.
Don't forget that it is Mum's birthday (78) on Friday 11th May. You have been warned!!
We hope to visit Tina and Celia during our holiday and we are going to Reg & Kay's Golden Wedding celebrations at Shanklin Conservative Club on 19th AND we will be signing our Wills on 17 or 18th sooo watch it!! Nobody is safe====
I am taking my laptop with me as I understand that they can link me up to their Broadband so if anyone feels like posting a blog (These have been very sparse lately) feel free. LOL DAD

Thursday, May 03, 2007

INVITATION TO BBQ

Josey and Graham are holding a bbq at 1230 on 7th July at 86, Spareacre Lane, Eynsham and have asked us to pass on an invitation to any of youse guys who would like to be there! DAD

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Happy Birthday 16th Edmund!

Many happy returns to you from the gang here in Oxford. Hope the big day didn't clash with any exams?

love Gem Will & Clive xx

Hello Moto

I send you lots of love from your 80 year old Grandad for your 16th Birthday, Edmund. Grandma joins me in wishing you have a lovely sunny day..... With much love from your Grandma and Grandad

Have a cool day dude

aeons may cry

happy 16th Edmund
tcho!

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Rosie - 80s U's legend!


Hey Nic check this out! Peter Rhoades-Brown's testimonial was last night v a Chelsea youth team. Even Steve McLaren managed 12 mins, Clive says ain't that about his total playing time when he was at London Road back in the day (injury prone apparently for the rest of us!). Jim Smith's yellow and blue army are in the play-offs this bank holiday weekend against Exeter therefore a chance to go to Wembley for the playoff final is up for grabs - memories of Milk Cup '86!!

Anyone fancy Top Trumps?

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 ...