Unfortunately when it rains in Provence it really rains, Wednesday was no exception , and with the builders all working inside the house together with the plumbers there was no room for us so we took off for lunch and an afternoon wine tasting with the New Zealanders who have been staying in Les cypres for the last 6 weeks. We returned to find Thijs had installed our Wood burner, he was particularly pleased to have beaten the plumber in giving us some heat!




The problem after the rain is the mud, which goes every where, beleive me it is no fun living on site in the rain!



We have just learnt that the company doing our pool have gone under or should I say sunk!! Thank fully Greg here has taken over and seems to be doing a good job.



Ali is closing in the chimney which will be plastered Monday ready for us to paint - I thought we had finished the Lounge!




Our Terracuit floors have been laid in the Hall and study.Toilet should be finished Monday.




Thank goodness the sun is back out today, 22 degrees although going to be 8 by wednesday and as yet we still do not have any proper heating in the house. We are planning to move in Wenesday /Thursday of next week.

A huge amount has been going on over the last 10 days. Our house is fast becoming a home! the floor is finished in the lounge and dining room, both upstairs bathrooms are almost finished, our dressing room rather prematurely has clothes hanging in it and the front door now closes seamlessly! Even the wine cellar is being stocked!
But it has not been with out its problems, our long standing Austrian worker Johann knocked open a water valve causing the bath taps to pour water into the bath which over flowed causing a nice water feature in the lounge ceiling!



The pool at Le Chene day 2!


The company building our pool in Le Chene appear to have gone bust after starting , so we are now trying to sort out who this chap is that has turned up and is building the pool, not with out demanding money though!

The Electrician assures me he has almost completed wiring Le Chene!



And the plasterer starts work tomorrow!



The pool has been assembled and concrete is then poured around it, we are then going to raise the ground level in line with the pool height.



My Cave - still with plenty of space for more!



Our fireplace is being installed in our lounge which we hope will be finished by Friday as we are planning to move in next week, as yet we also have no heating, again all due by Friday!



And finally I had two clients out viewing houses around Menerbes and Bonnieux so took time out to capture the Autumn colours.

We had a few words with our builder and have given a deadline to move in the the house by the end of October, just 4 months behind schedule.It seems to have had a very positive effect with lots of progress this week so far.



This is my cellar, the perimiter will take the wine racks whilst pebbles in the centre allow the floor to breath.







At Le Chene the swimming pool is being constructed.In a matter of hours it is taking shape.


Our Dining room floor is at last being tiled.



And progresses remarkably rapidly




The shutters are being added, the plasterer starts tomorrow, the Electrician is almost finished.

Sunday - A nightmare for any Frenchman!- at 11-20 our boulangerie had run out of bread unheard of! so we headed to the market in Coustellet where word had clearly spread! Spot me in the queue - no that is not me in red with the bag!



Another lovely day, the tips of the cherry trees are turning red as are the vines.

Le Chene will change hugely in the coming weeks and months. The Electrician and Plumber has just about finished, the plasterer starts Monday week as do the company installing the swimming pool, that just leaves the rendering (enduit) and Karen and I to do the decorating during January & February, the garden will be landcaped in Spring ready for guests in May!

Have not had the chance to update lately - simply too much going on! The second house, now called Le Chene, is going well. Here the terraces are shuttered before the concrete is poured.



The hole forms part of the sceptic tank drainage system. Note the chateau in the top left.


Most of the activity in our house has been concentrated on the interior with our bathroom tiled and ready to receive its sanitory ware ( which is not yet in stock!)


Last weekend we took the weekend out to celebrate our 3rd anniversary of landing in France and were joined by Ian & Sheena and Neil & Karen. We managed to squeeze in a few sites (and glasses of wine too) . Sheena took this of us at Gordes- don't give up your full time job Sheena!



We currently have New Zealanders staying in Les Cypres for 6 weeks, they are a really nice and very hospitable bunch so we had a bbq and christened the terrace - our first do before we even live in the house - not sure the neighbour was too impressed!



The terraces are poured on both Le Chene and our own house - changes are happening!




The weather is still lovely in the day about 22 degrees but cooler at night down to 5 tonight and still no sign of our Heat pump so no heating!


The last few days I have been consumed by paperwork having to produce for our accountant every receipt for every detail on the construction of both house! oh joy! I am actually looking forward to going back to my sander next week!

The walls are built on Le Chene to retain the terraces.

Well our house is starting to look like a home with the kitchen being fitted this week. These are the work tops being trimmed to fit.More dust!

I think I have worked out why the French are so protective of their 35 hour working week.we have just bought a car that has been imported from Germany. We have to register it here in the area we live. And so we went to the 'prefecture' in Apt last friday morning at 8-30 am, the office we had been told dealt with such formalities. We were promptly told we were in the wrong place and instead should be at our local Marie which does not open until 1pm. So we went to one of the builders merchants to sort some floor tiles which took almost two hours by the time the chap repeated himself half a dozen times (at least it helps us understand!)and so an early lunch then off to the Marie. We arrive to be told we need an import exemption certificate! where do we get that? Apt at the Impot Office next to the Prefecture!So we head back, they of course are at lunch till 2-30 by which time there is a large queue. We sit and wait, as each new person arrives the entire queue nod and acknowledge each other with Bonjour. I wander off to explore the building only to find a desk with a sign above it 'import certificates'!no queue! so we gt our certificate and sneek out the building to avoid being seen by the 'queue'.And back to the Marie, by this time it is 5pm , and of course we have to wait a month for the documents to arrive. So that is a working day lost to administration - so French - yet we love it.


Meanwhile work slowly continues with the foundations for the terraces in front of the lower house under way with the pool being installed in just 4 weeks time!



In our house we were joined by Martin, who answered our advert for painting holidays in Provence! In exchange for food and wine he spent the entire week with us painting the hall stairs and landing as well as the second bedroom - much appreciated.



As often happens when Martin comes the El Perry effect clicked in with the weather, another dramatic storm deposting 60mm of rain in under two hours, just what we needed! this was Thursday morning

Our 10 week spell of sunshine was well and truly broken last night when at 1am we were a woken by torrential rain,lightening and thunder. 50mm of rain fell in two hours, a thunderbolt hit closeby knocking out our electricity and phone lines.
Our builders were still on site at 7am turning our plot into what looked more like a speedway track!
When our pool was dug out monday & Tuesday some Clay was found so we took the decision to cover the floor area with concrete to prevent water getting into the clay which could cause problems later, luckily we managed to get this laid Wednesday morning and dry before the rain came.






Today the foundations were prepared for the pool house.

Day two, more digging and more dust! we also managed to persuade Thijs to move all the materials, pallets and various other items from one side of the plot to the other so we can start planning and executing some landscaping in readiness for next year.


I am looking forward to photographing the pool,with the stone wall and gites behind.
We also learnt today that the plasterer will not be in the second house, now called Le chene, until November, which means we will be in there in january and february decorating, the pool goes in later this month or early october so lots going on! never a dull moment! And on top of this I have two buyers coming from South africa looking for houses so might have to divert my energies to this1

First cut is the deepest! Work starts on digging out our pool. Construction will start soon although the winter weather will prevent the final finish being applied until Spring,


At the end of day one we have the outline dug with work continuing to complete the wall

On Tuesday we went to Bormes Les Mimosa on the Cote d'azur where we stayed at the now rather faded Grand Hotel,good value though and a stunning view.



It is quite close to St tropez, where we went in the evening to promenade.



There are some serious yachts not quite feeling the credit crunch!


After a day on the beach and some fine dining we headed home via Sanary Sur Mer and Bandol.