Posted by Simon

Now these two kittens we have just got are supposed to be outside mouse hunting cats and I have already arranged their feeding to be outside and now ensure that they sleep in an outbuilding. But somehow they managed to get back in but only in the day and then they are thrown out at night.

So I was rather surprised last night when I went up to bed to find them sleeping curled up with Tom - looking very comfortable - as I had definitely put them out and, also, the door to upstairs was closed. So I took them back downstairs and out they go again.

Not long after I had gone to bed, quietly reading my book, I heard a meowing noise and a small thud. And there was two little cats coming in through our bedroom window. Great. They have discovered that they can get in the house by climbing the pear tree directly outside our bedroom window.

So on a hot night we had to sleep with the window closed and now another job has been added to my list - prune back pear tree. That will stump em.

Maybe 17 courgette plants was a few too many

Posted by Rosie

I have a sneaking feeling that maybe planting 17 courgettes was just a few too many!! This is SOME of what I harvested yesterday, having already cooked several and sold some others. However I do have a brilliant recipe for hot chilli courgette pickle, courgette chocolate cake is fantastic and the pigs will eat them........ lots of them it would seem.

Normal Service will be resumed shortly

Posted by Rosie

After all the rush to get the gite ready we have decided to have a week off - we did manage a trip to Caen (The War Memorial and Le Jardin des Oiseaux) but generally speaking we are doing as little as possible - a bit like this lot:

We made it ...... just

Posted by Rosie

First guests were due to arrive 4 pm and we finished the last bits and pieces at 2 minutes to 4!!

Nearly There!

Posted by Simon

We are into the final week of the work on the gite. Our first clients arrive on Saturday afternoon. So it will be all hands to the pump this week.

All the electrics are done. Rosie and Lou (helpX helper) are now furnishing and doing some of the finishing touches. I'm still busy landscaping the exterior. I was pleased today that it was slightly cooler and the sun not so intense. This meant I managed to spend the whole day outside working on it. I also had help from Sally with moving the sleepers today but she has now gone back to the UK.

Yesterday fatigue took over. I did a few little jobs but soon discovered Sally had brought a newspaper over and I had a good hour reading that before being cajoled to take the boys to the beach. Sally, Lou and I had a very relaxing time on the beach whilst Tom and Ben happily played in the sand. Rosie carried on gardening, bottled fruit and a few other jobs but did manage to have a while sitting down and reading.

Gingerbread Men

Posted by Ben

We made Gingerbread Men yesterday morning. We had great fun, we made a lot of mess and the dough was really, really big. We cut loads and loads of shapes and Sally (my aunt) made several dinosaurs and a pterodactyl and a scottie dog. Tom made a HUGE fish and he it it all. Here is Tom, me and Lou (a HelpX helper) making the gingerbread men. Mum says please ignore the messy house.

Posted by Simon

I have, today, started work on the exterior of gite, whilst others carried on in the gite. The electrician doing the final lights and sockets, a carpenter friend helping with steps and other timber work and also a neighbour who put in the replacement wood burner and finished the fireplace.

Now I think I had the hottest job - outside and with chainsaw trousers on as I was cutting through the sleepers but putting the fireplace came a close second - I doubt if there were many people lighting wood burners today in 30 plus degrees of heat. I gave up this afternoon doing the landscaping and helped inside. There was a noticeable decrease in speed as the day got hotter.

And all these goings on where under the watchful eye of one of the kittens - nice life for some?

Squiggly has hatched!!!

Posted by Tom

This is my caterpillar Squiggly who is now not a caterpillar nor a cocoon - he is a MOTH!! He hatched last night whilst I was in bed. At first I thought it was a moth on the ceiling, then I thought it was my tummy rumbling, then I worked out it was Squiggly hatching. I rushed down to see Dad and told him about it and now he is in the wild (Squiggly, not Dad!!)

The second picture is his empty cocoon which I am keeping.

We Have Light

Posted by Simon

Today the gite was actually connected up to the mains and most of the electrics are now working. Apart from the obvious that we have power, it also means the end of extension leads trailing all over the floor. One less thing to trip over.

The living area floor is now fully tiled and grouted. This means more skirting boards to be done, but we are definitely on the homeward (or should I say giteward) run now.

Next week could be a long one getting everything finished plus we now have the added bonus of two small boys on school holidays!

Phew

Posted by Rosie

You know that it is really hot when calling loudly the word, "Walk?" elicits absolutely no canine reaction. Today was such a day. Temperatures were in the low 30's and none of the animals really knew what to do with themselves. The ducks didn't want to come out at all and when they did they moved no further than the shade of the cherry tree. Pig upended his water bucket and wallowed in the resulting mud whilst Charlotte and the piglets stayed in the cool of their house. And the kittens? They did what kittens do best; found the coolest spot in the house and lounged there all day.

Would that we were cats but no rest for the wicked and Simon and I worked through the heat. Simon was laying tiles and doing woodwork and I chose today to clean out all the animals!! At last I am finally getting some garden produce so I was also harvesting and processing fruit and veg, watering and remembering to make Simon continual cups of tea. It's a good job he stocked up an tea bags when he was last over in the UK!