Then and Now

Posted by Rosie

I said on Saturday how it has been seven years since the boys first saw what was to become Eco-Gites of Lenault.  We moved here 2 months later and since then things have certainly changed a bit.  Here are 6 double pictures of the gite and grounds then and now to show you what I mean.

What was to become the gite was an old hay barn with cattle shed and storage room.  It's a bit more habitable now it has been converted I think you might agree!

The gite

Next to the gite was an old bakery with crumbling walls and a leaky tin roof.  This is now our freezer and storage room and in summer the upstairs is where friends can sleep if they want, so long as they don't mind the odd spider!

The Old Bakery next to the gite

In the gite to be, upstairs the entire barn was full of hay, but we managed to scrabble up and get this photo of what was to become the mezzanine bedroom.

The mezzanine

Outside it was all very overgrown and full of dilapidated sheds and rubbish.  We cleared and flattened the ground to make the play area:

The Play Area

The old storage room is now the gite kitchen:

The Gite Kitchen

And the old cattle barn I mentioned is the gite living room with the cosy fireplace for winter visits:

The Gite Living Room

So that is my story for today - the story of how an old unused barn became a gite that has since welcomed over 70 families from 14 countries worldwide.  Hopefully we will welcome many more over the next 7 years.  Will you be one of them?

May 21st - 6 years, 6 pictures

Posted by Rosie

I like to have a peep back at pictures from any given date once in a while and I realised that for the last 6 years either Simon or I had taken a photo on May 21st - these photos:

May 21st 2013

 Ah yes, bolt croppers.  The bolt croppers that needed to do a bit of Dentistry on Boris.

May 21st 2012

I have no idea what Saari was looking for either!  Nor where Poppy was for that matter.

May 21st 2011

This is the new roof going onto the old bakery next to the gite and you can see the finished building, looking a lot nicer, in the picture of the gite to your right.

May 21st 2010

Awwww - ducklings, just a few days old.  This is Matilda, who is sadly no longer with us, but her sister Hilda, is currently sat on her second clutch of eggs this year and our new duck Hettie is due to hatch her first ever clutch in a few days (if only she will hang on that long - I fear she is getting impatient).

May 21st 2009

Believe it or not this is the gite and no, that is not a noose, but ropes needed to hold up the new beam.  The old beam at the top is now a central post between the living room and kitchen.

May 21st 2008

The first pigs at Eco-Gites of Lenault ...called Crackling and Scatchings!


I hope you enjoyed our little tour of May 21st each year that we have been here in France.  Why don't you have a look back through some old photos and post a few from a given date.  Let us know if you do and we'll come and have a nosy!

Hard At It (ish)

Play Barn Floor

Last week's heavy rain has meant a slow down in some of the work, Although we did manage one nice afternoon on the beach. And whilst we enjoyed the sunshine by the sea those that stayed in Lenault enjoyed a full afternoon of rain.

This week the weather has improved and as Ady (Helpex) has continued his good works in the Old Bakery I have been doing various jobs around the place plus made a vast improvement to the play barn area.  I have now constructed a wooden floor and as it previously only had a mud floor with a farmers method of a damp proof course - old plastic fertiliser bags - it is now a much more pleasant place to play and/or sitting. Unfortunately this now makes the walls look even worst and those rotting timbers are next on my list.

Old Bakery

Ady has done great works in the Old Bakery and it is fitted out with a sink and work preparation area plus it now incorporates some wall units.  This will be used as the animal feed store, butchery and food prep. area. We - well Ady - have also moved the stairs.  I had put them centrally with the idea of shelving under them, but now we - well Ady - has put all the other equipment in place it made more sense to move the stairs to the back wall.

Prep Area

So upstairs will be for storage and we - well mainly Ady (but I did help a little) - have knocked a passage way through the wall into the adjacent workshop/garage upper floor.  This means that this space can be utilised better instead it being 'the where shall I put that' place!  Only problem is we are running out of 'the where shall I put that' places - but I'm sure we'll find somewhere new!

La Causserie to Whatstandwell.



Bakery 30th June 2011

I am now in the UK spending a week with my sister, Sally, in Derbyshire.  It was the usual last minute rush and I ran out of time to do a post so I now have a little time this morning to catch up.
First a brief update on the work on the Old Bakery. The exterior is, apart from one or two finishing off touches, is complete and we are now working on the interior. We are boarding the walls and will tile around the sink and worktops.  This will give us a good area for food preparation and storage when it is finished (hopefully the end of next week).  We are really pleased with the results so far and looking forward to getting this area into use.

  

Ben Orienteering

On Friday Tom, Ben and I got the ferry to the UK and then drove up to Sally's in Whatstandwell, arriving on the Friday evening.  This arrival at Sally's is ,strangely enough, timed with the village Beer Festival on the Saturday evening - can't think why? 

On the Saturday morning we took the boys to a 'Come and Try' Orienteering event at Swadlincote Woodlands ran by the Derwent Vally Orienteers.  It was a great morning and a very well run event.  The course we did was pitched just right for the boy's level.  Many thanks to those from Derwent Vally Orienteers for a lovely and well organised morning. Greatly enjoyed by all of us. 



Drum Workshop

 

Saturday evening was the Beer Festival and once again a very good evening.  Excellent beers and good bands.  Plus a few events for the children including a drum workshop, which Tom really enjoyed but Ben found a little fast.  The boys made many friends and played all evening - I only saw them every now and then and they had a great time - whilst I sampled a beer or two(?) and listened to the bands.  I couldn't get to the festival last year and was amazed to see how many people came this year.  It was an extremely enjoyable and successful evening.

 

On Sunday we took the bikes up to Minninglow then, after a picnic, cycled just over 17kms along the High Peak Trail/Pennine Bridleway, via Middleton Top (ice cream stop) then down some very steep inclines to High peak Junction and the Cromford Canal. 

At the Cromford Canal we visited the Leawood Pump House which had an open day.  The boilers were fired up and the steam engine running.  The pumps lifted 800 gallons of water, per pump, from the Derwent river 10 metres up into the Canal.  When this was a working canal, and the boats grounded, these pumps could fill up the 14 miles of canal within 24 hours and it was children that stoked the boilers - working 8 til 8.  Tom and Ben were fascinated, and overawed, by this amazing piece of machinery.

After that we finished our cycle ride back to Sally's and a well earnt cuppa and rest.

New Doors

The bakery and garage cum workshop now have new doors, so another step in the right direction, although they do need painting.

Also the garage had an entrance right next to the gite so I have converted that into an outside cupboard/storage space so gite guests can use it.  At the moment a very useful addition for hanging wet rain coats and putting wellies in!

So you've guessed it - it's still raining here.

Bakery - On Going

Ady (our HelpX) and I have had a good run on the bakery and are very pleased with the results.  It was hard work and both of us had aching shoulders from lifting up the stone and mortar mix. We have finished the stone work - mainly due to Ady challenging me to get it done in two days - two very long days (thanks Ady!).  Now have the timber work to do - so doors etc are on the agenda for tomorrow.

When finished it will be a good area for storage and butchery plus Rosie is hoping to get a 'meat safe' in there, so we can hang meat for a few days without flies taking their part in the process.

I only wish Rosie would do an 'anti-rain dance' now, so we can get on without the soaking we got today!

No Pleasing - With the Weather

Ben's New Bed

With quite a few little jobs that had to be done and having to make a bed-cum-desk for Ben's birthday, at the end of May, I have been quite busy. Ben's bed also took longer than planned!  Moving rain water around from filled water butts to various other water containers also seems to have taken a chunk of my time.

But now I have had a chance to get back to the renovation works of the old bakery. Well I would be if the rain stopped! And the good news is I have some help.  We have a HelpX, Ady and he has good experience in building, plumbing, electrical works plus other talents.  So in between the rain showers we are getting on building the walls back up.  The internal block work is done and now we are doing the exterior stone work. One side is now finished and we are working on the gable end.

Old Bakery Works

Due to the rain, we have put the floor boards in and built a sink/work top area.  And we have finished one or two other 'out of the rain' jobs but we are running out of indoor jobs unless I start on a whole new project - which I don't want to do at the moment.

So you see one minute we're moaning that we have no rain and now I'm moaning that we have too much or it's timing is wrong - well at least it is the right type of rain!!

Plodding On

Well I'm slowly getting on with the Old Bakery roof.  Slow progress but it is getting there.  What takes the time is 'hoicking' everything up when I'm on my own, but I have developed some interesting techniques to get the sheets up and into place.  Not orthodox, but it works for me.  Also not helped by some, strongish, gusts of wind today (well it felt strongish from where I was sitting!)

One thing that cheered me up was that I managed to get the roofing sheets much cheaper than originally quoted.  Whilst chatting to a friend he reminded me of a place that sells seconds and they had exactly what I needed and at over 5 Euros a squared metre less I was very happy - considering I got 40m² worth.  And the ridge pieces were half the price (20€ instead of €40). And what is second about them I don't know.

Anyway, hopefully, tomorrow we can have the topping out celebrations - wind permitting.

Roofs and Rugby

I know my last post was not one of my best but I didn't think it was that bad that 'Blogger' had to remove it!!!! Well in fact 'Blogger' had a breakdown and posts disappeared, including mine. Apparently it is all up and running again and posts that flew of into the 'ether-net' have been restored - I think not in my case.

Outbuilding Roof

Anyway, what I had been posting about - until I was rudely interrupted - was that I have, at long, last recommenced work on the old bakery outbuilding.  This meant removing the temporary roofing I had put up and putting the timbers in place for the new sheeting.  This has not gone too badly, so far, but does mean that the freezers are now not covered (well except for some old tarpaulins) - so we did wonder if this will make it rain.  We need the rain but I am hoping it will stay off so I can get this building back to a usable state as we, believe it or not, need that space back for storage.

La Crunch Rugby Tournament

 At the moment the weekends seem to be taken up with a number of Rugby Tournaments. So I have been taxi-ing the boys round to various parts of the area for matches.  The club does have a bus to take the boys to the various tournaments but usually by the time I've driven them to the club and then have to pick them up later it is quicker to take them direct.

Today was an exception and I went, with Tom and Ben, on the club bus to Argentan.   Going was quite pleasant and an enjoyable afternoons rugby was had.  Then the return trip. Yes, the joys of 30 young lads singing  rugby songs. Singing maybe too kind a word to use, to which my ears will testify to.  They are still ringing from the assault they received.   And it was probably lucky I couldn't understand the words - although the tunes sounded vaguely familiar!                                            

Life's Just Not Fair

Posted by Simon

It's just not fair

Fence and Gates

With two medium/large dogs (and sometimes we look after two others) it has always been a bit of a concern of ours that guests arriving to stay in the gite are met by two (or four) excitable dogs.  Even for people who do not mind dogs it can be a little unnerving at times and for children even worse.  So we have now fenced and gated the area outside our house so the dogs cannot pounce on unsuspecting guests.  I can safely say the dogs are NOT IMPRESSED!

It also has the added advantage that if guests are having a meal outside or a BBQ, (I'm optimistic for a hot summer) than two pestering hounds are not slobbering over their sausages! I'm sure, given half a chance, both our dogs could make the odd burger disappear - if not a make a whole meal of it.  So these barriers also gives as peace of mind, although the cats will be a different matter!

Yesterday I had to go into the local town to get some hinges for the gates and as I set off I thought I should take the camera.  Well I didn't and it was one of those days that where ever you looked there was a great photo waiting to be taken. I cursed myself a few times as I drove along for not bringing the camera - but as I arrived home the adjacent valley and fields were shrouded in mist and luckily enough I was able to get the camera before the cloud disappeared.

On going list!

Posted By Simon

I've been back here a week now and it has been it's usual non-stop list of jobs to get on with. The snow here was washed away by Saturday and although cold the weather has been better than in parts of the UK.

One of the jobs was to slaughter the first three of our Kune Kune pigs. This was done Friday and then on Saturday we butchered them up into various cuts and loads of mince. A chop was quickly fried up on top of the wood burner and divided up for a taste test. I think Ben summed the taste up by instantly asking for more or even better chops for dinner - duly actioned. The rest is now in the freezer although Rosie made faggots this evening which were lovely. There is something very rewarding in producing your own meat from birth to table - the slaughtering aside!

We now have another helper staying for a couple of weeks so we are getting on with insulating the attic and are splitting it up making it into a guest room cum living room and a storage area. This job was started over a year ago put on hold whilst we finished the gite and now it's happening again. Proper storage will be great as there are still boxes that have not been unpacked since we arrived here. Also the extra room will be blessing when people stay - especially pleasing Tom who is nearly always moved to accommodate guests.

Returning to the subject of pigs we should be - well the sows should be - having more piglets very soon. So one other job that had to be done was to separate the pigs into their own pens. This entailed some fencing being done and making each their own bedroom. As seems the norm, this one job led to about another 3 or 4 jobs that were not on my list. At least we got some other areas tidied up and sorted that were not urgent but it does all helps.

Anyway check the blog for updates on 'Pig Watch Lenault' - we could be busy in that department very soon.

UK trip and beyond

Posted by Simon

Before being subjected to having to dress up as a Halloween 'mummy', beset with all the problems of the toilet roll splitting, drooping and tangling up with everything and, therefore, looking like......... well looking like someone who has for some bizarre reason has decided to wrap themselves up in toilet tissue - um!!!, I had taken the boys to see Sally (my sister) in Derbyshire, near Matlock, for a few days.

We had a great time - except for Ben having a 24 hour bug thing - and fitted it lots of things. We went bouldering on Black Rocks and mountain biking down a disused quarry rail track (now a pathway) - well Tom and Sally did I took Ben back to a warm house.

The next day we went to Magna , which is a mini science museum in an old steel works in Rotherham. Although we had a great time and it was (or should have been) a really good day out we were a little disappointed that quite a few of the experiments were not working and I felt it all looked a little tired and some of the displays needed renewing/updating. Nevertheless it was a brilliant day out and very educational for the boys.

Tuesday started wet so we went swimming and in the afternoon to Sherwood Pines (forest) on the bikes again. We had a great time and there is a downhill trail and bike park with jumps etc which we played on - getting very muddy (especially Ben) in the process. On the Wednesday after a trip to the shops and the park we drove back to Portsmouth, via a visit to a family friend, and the overnight ferry.

Back home it was back to rebuilding the old bakery as the weather permitted plus other jobs and walking the dogs. Then it was help get ready for Halloween and of course the Halloween dinner. Also another helper as joined us for a few days so I had to plan some work for him.

Therefore, today we built new and much needed replacement compost bins - out of wood that were the old joists in the barn (now gite). The old bins were a temporary affair and have done well to last three years plus we now have three bins which make it much easier for turning the compost every now and then.

Bakery Re-built and Oops!

Posted by Simon

I have recommenced working on the old bakery, having decided that major renovation works are now required. So having taken the unsafe sections of wall down I have also taken the roof off.

I had planned to replace it and was taking it down in a systematic orderly fashion but decided that it was too dangerous to get to the last bit by ladder. Therefore the digger was used to help and I'm glad I did as the whole lot came down in one of those OOPS! moments. I was hoping to keep the centre beam in place but that came down as well. I suppose a 3cm thick rotting 'lintel' across the little opening wasn't offering the best of support then! It was no surprise really considering the selection of nails, screws, wire and baler twine holding it all together. Added to this the pieces of old, mainly rotting, wood supporting it all.

Now it's a case of rebuilding and I have started on one of the walls today plus I've made a temporary roof for the freezers which we are having to leave in place. The forecast is not too good but at least this job is moving in the right direction.

First Guests & Thank You

Posted by Simon

Well I'm sure you want to know how things went with our first guests and now we have recovered from the rush to get everything ready and have done a few other jobs that needed doing I have a bit more time to write a post.

The guests, a Dutch family of 4, arrived minutes after we had finished and were pleasantly surprised to see the garden area was completed - their last look on the blog was on the Thursday when I was about half way through building it (and before the digger broke down). They were over the moon with the gite and settled in quickly.

Their two boys were soon playing with our boys and in the end the family only went out for two of the days they were here. The boys were having such a great time here playing, with plenty of space, that they actually had trouble getting them to go out on those days. Mum and Dad had time to relax and pursue hobbies throughout the week.

From the feedback they gave us they had an excellent week, loved the quiet and the beautiful countryside and watching their boys having a good time. They made a couple of small suggestions of items they would have liked to have had (a tea cosy, a toaster and a door mat for the living room door), otherwise were very pleased with the gite. And are planning to come back next year.

For us - they made all the hard work worth while and it was great to see the gite used and the whole family having a lovely holiday and we were rewarded by receiving two lovely paintings - one of the gite and the other of the play area and view - as a present. We are over the moon with these and trying to decide the best place for them.

And finally a special thanks to our first gite guests, especially for trusting us that it would be finished and making our first week open very rewarding. Also a huge thank you for all those who helped us - a list too long to mention everyone - but we could not have done it without you.

Now for the next project - well soon.

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.