Up in smoke

 

We created a huge bonfire by gathering all the fallen branches, sweepings of leaves, and cuttings from pruning in Thomas's Field. Today we had a big bonfire, in lieu of celebrating Guy Fawkes. 

Bas Etang 2 in Autumn

 

The trees are beginning to turn a beautiful colour. The weather is still very mild, so the leaves are firmly attached to the branches. No doubt they will be falling down very soon, once the frost begins to take hold. 

Autumn is delayed

 

Here is a very healthy looking montage of flowers that are blooming right now at Bas Etang. 

Lounge ceiling repair

 

A constant problem with our house has been the leaking ceiling in the lounge. The roof has corrugated sheeting, covered by tiles. The problem is probably caused by the fact that the roof line is almost flat, and capillary action and cracks combine to allow the leaks to occur. So we are now having the sheets raised, and a sealing compound injected underneath. Hopefully, this will cure the problem. 

Flashing, but not as you know it!

 

Another casualty of the recent storms was our bedroom ceiling, which began to show damp patches. The culprit was the roof line that had no lead flashing. So, our local builder swung into action to cure the problem. 

The house has got a hat on

 

A few weeks ago it rained heavily, and water poured down our chimney, and onto the dining room floor. Thank goodness the floor was tiled and not carpetted. So we've had this new cover put onto the chimney to forestall a repeat performance. 

MG TF in repose

 I have only driven 32,000 miles so far, but it is needing some TLC lately. It has to have a new head gasket, accompanied by a bout of skimming. I understand it is going to take 6 hours to manage this process, with the skimming done at a specialist shop, so I am expecting quite a hefty bill.