Sunday, November 29, 2009

Winter break (1)

 


As the planned works were finished last week nothing much has been done manually. So time was free to take up again a bit of my former activities with the computer. I created a kind of wall on netvibes for everything that has something to do with our bed & breakfast and could be interesting for the guests of Mas de l'Houvande. The address: http://www.netvibes.com/masdelhouvande#General . It is just the beginning - so still very imperfect. If you have any suggestions please let me now by return mail.

In Prayssac they started building a ecological house of straw. As I don't know anything about this way of construction I follow the developments on the construction site with a lot of interest. Here are the first pictures.





On special request : a picture of Bibi, the beautiful wild cat with only three legs that keeps Trottinette alive and kicking.



 

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Waiting for ... (24)

 


It was a lovely week : sunshine all day, so a lot of work was done in the garden, esp. mowing the grass and weeding the vegetable garden.

But before that I finished the varnishing of the wooden timbers in the attic. This room is now ready too.







Another thing done is the hanging of our nameplate : Mas de l'Houvande, in beautiful Jugendstil font / letters. So now everybody can see the name of the place (thanks to Toon & Leen).





As work is done, that's what I gonna / wanna look like in the near future, taking a winter's nap.



PS Oh yes, I almost forgot : an information just for insiders, esp. for Stefaan : I managed - at first try - to convince Fabienne to taste her products. Yamiyam.

 

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Waiting for ... (23)

 


This week again Stefaan and I worked from morning till dawn (of course without forgetting the apero in the evening).

We finished the plaster board false ceiling in the garage (which is now ready for the winter).






Moreover the local technique (our little grenier or attic) was painted, cleaned and made cosy. We even put in a big ward robe with mirror - a matter of recognising vampires on costume balls and Halloween parties.






Winter can begin now, but also - let's hope - un pò di dolce far niente after three years of building and construction. Stefaan started right away: with a good Belgian beer and an Italian detective story by Andrea Camilleri.




The rest of the works is left for next spring. Or could it be that some doors still arrive this year?


 

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Waiting for ... (22)

 


It's been a hard week's night,
And we've been working like dogs.
.....

All week Stefaan and I prepared the garage to receive the insulation so the plaster boards can be put to make a false ceiling - ready for the winter.












The only pleasures - to compensate the work and make up for the rainy weather - were the pleasures of the mouth and the palate: we tried some very nice wines and products of the region : viognier, chardonnay (en vin de table), Prestige, Essentiel, Bastille (en vin AOC de Cahors), paté de canard, dry sausages pur porc, stuffed chicken with olives, cuisses de canard au vin rouge, watermelon jam, ice with homemade red wine orange sauce, etc. etc.
You have to have something in life.


 

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Waiting for ... (21)

 


The past week was a lovely week: almost summerly sunshine, picnics and aperos outside with champagne in the language of Wagner, Goethe, Hesse and Nietzsche.







But now working life is getting us back. To be done: the private technical room that will be also used as attic (grenier) and the insulation of the garage. Therefore the guest living room looks a bit like when it all started : a building site (chantier). And the worst of all : scaffolding is there again.










To compensate some beautiful pictures of and around our house (thanks to Gerd, Hilde, Mathilde, and Michael).