More arch news!

Even though Clive has broken his finger on his right hand, he's still cracking on! Brave man.... Suzie has been zooming through the pointing - she's halfway done on the outside! Dave & I haven't done much this week cos D has been to and from appointments at the hospital about his poor old limpy leg (if anyone's wondering, it's his old ligament injury playing up) and I've been playing chauffeur. Anyway, here are some pics what we took this week.....

Guest bedroom! The plumbing is all going in for the bathroom now. Exciting.

Ludovic (plumber) and Clive have a tea-break in our soon-to-be living room

Dave & Clive play shadow-dudes in the new archway

The extension going up at the side! Eeeek!

The arch really is gorgeous - can't wait for the doors to go in

Injured Soldiers.....

Oh oh, the boys have gone and got all injured! Dave has a horrid swollen knee from an old ligament injury and Clive got his hand crushed by a falling rock. Good job Suzie & I are young and fit ....... Anyway, work still progressing and here are some more pics:

Dave in front of the freshly pointed front - good job Suzie!

Clive & Dave show how brave they are!

Suzie working hard - oh the glamour!

Clive standing in the ensuite (shortly after the rock landed on his hand - hero!)

Those Pesky Templars.....

Apparently, our stone mason had a good old nosy at the farmhouse yesterday while we weren't there and got very excited about some of the stone. According to him (and some French friends of Clive & Suzie's) Cras had a Templar house and a chateau many moons ago. Oooh! He reckons that some of the stone used in the farmhouse came from either the chateau or the grand house, simply because of the size of the cut stone. Cor blimey, we have some history there and no mistake! Have been doing some research and it appears that indeed there were Templar knights in Cras (current population, about 40 people) around 1260, but the info is all in French so I need to do some serious translations! In the meantime, here's a pic of one of the large stones in the side of the farmhouse.

The Arch!

Got to the barn today (after a day off yesterday) and look, JUST LOOK! We have an arch over our soon-to-be front door! OK, you can't see too much at the mo cos it's going to be propped up and unfinished for another week or so, but look!! It's just gorgeous......

Soldiering on....

Clive and Suzie have been working hard! Just look at the size of the hole in the side of the barn! It is there for a reason - the walls for the extension start going up next week...

Family portrait - Suzie, Clive and Maddie pose by the big hole.

Clive taking out a "big-boy" stone from the wall. We stood back a long way, just in case....

Sorting rocks into size order - loads of fun.....

We even had a bit of snow!

Rush hour chez Kate n Dave. Good innit?

Interiors

It's starting to look like a proper house and everything! (Albeit a very cold, concretey-floored type of house....)

Dave pretending to cook in what will be our kitchen - ooh, its a bit like watching Brian Cant making pretend food on Play School!

In our bedroom. It'll look a lot better once the French doors are in!
(or, as we call them in France ...... doors)

Dave standing by the steps down to the kitchen - we're very excited about this split-level thingy.

Staff Christmas do! We went to the local (ish) place in Nadillac (nearest village to Cras) and it was very very nice - had a ton of food for not a lot of cash! Be our local soon....

New Year, New Post!

Happy New Year Folks! Sorry its been so long since our last update - excuses include being busy in Australia (too much having fun), the festive season (too much imbibing of the festive liquid stuff) and being a slacker (sorry).

Anyway, lots of progress made thanks to Clive and Susie while we were holidaying in the sun!

All the trenches have been dug for various electric/plumbing stuff (kind of like the old Carling/Carlsberg advert when all the services guys decide to dig up the road together - remember?). Anyway, it means we'll have leccy and water - hurrah!

Mum's bedroom! (the hole should be gone before anyone comes to stay....)

Suzie looking all glamourous while she points the rear of the barn.
(cue Dave making some smutty remarks concerning pointing and rears)

The lovely fosse sceptique (big poo tank) is ready too - mmmmm, lovely.

The interior - with walls and everything!!