Xmas is coming

Amanda has excelled herself, and made up a superb tree with all the trimmings. We are going to be here in Lavausseau over Christmas all on our own, but that is no reason not to make the best of it.

The weather is turning

The morning was very fresh, with a dusting of frost on the grass. Though the day became sunnier and warmer, it still benefits from a good log fire. We have an abundance of logs - we inherited a number of log piles, and have built a huge one from the 3 trees that were cut down last winter. However, log fires do need a lot of attention, as the fireplace has to be cleaned out thoroughly every morning. Also, there is a glass screen that has be scrupulously cleaned too, as the soot staining is very noticeable after each fire. But it is a real benefit to have the fire burning, even though the central heating deals quite adequately with the chilly temperatures. It is warming just to see the colour of the fire, and we feel snug as a bug in a rug!

Tony's office is painted

At last the office exterior walls have been painted. The drab concrete has been transformed into a gleaming white. That pretty much takes care of the exterior of Bas Etang 2 for now. The side will have roses climbing all over the wall in the summer. The photos show the before and after, so the transformation is clear to see.

The water is rising here

We were away in England for a week, returning a couple of days ago. It rained in Lavausseau incessantly, raising the water level by about 6 inches. It has cleared the detritus of fallen leaves and mosses that grew in the summer. What a pleasure it is to see it free flowing. All the tributaries are filled, and flowing well. The muskrats and coypu are still well embedded in their river bank emplacements, and can be seen swimming between the various points.