Thursday, March 17, 2016

Bringing my journal up to date...

19th February to present is almost a month. Perhaps I should dance through and recap on just the main bits.

Friday the 19th was a good night as I recall.


Yes, that's Bev bottom left, lost in a sea of sound.


She counted how many fiddle players and guitarists and banjo players and other weird instruments were in the room.



They were even in the other room.



They were everywhere!

It was excellent!! Totally brilliant!! It reminded me of the old days crammed into a small area with surround sound live music. The air was saturated with sound. Superb atmosphere.

Le Bono is rekindling my love of live music although it's taking its toll on my frail old body. We arrived home after midnight...again!


We woke up to discover the new woodstore I created last week is leaking!! It isn't fit for purpose. The gradient is too shallow, so I had to steepen it. What a pain! All done, now! We no longer have to wade through flooded lawn and giant molehills to get wood down in the allotment area.
Those bottles vibrate on sticks in the breeze and are above each mole tunnel. It's working!! No new molehills for two weeks!!


What have we here?


Happy Birthday to me!! I'm off out for a treat.


 Dave and Annie treated us to a Chinese in Dinard.

Important note:  Just one year to go before I retire.

I won at cards at Dave & Annie's place...again!

Today I was practicing at the Gentry household for Saturday's music night.  We finished at lunch-time and had time to visit Le Roche Bernard.






The residents were pretty rude...


...at a safe distance!



They used to guillotine people outside this building

Today (Friday)we had help with moving that bank...


We're getting ready to put a fence here...


...and here. The soil is being dumped ready for compacting.


And there it was...gone!

The boat virtually backed right onto the pampas which extended past the hedge. We cleared the area to put chickens here, but decided against it as the boat will possibly fit into this space in winter, leaving room for our caravan where the boat is now. We'll see.  At least the area is cleared and almost ready

Time to do the first cut of the year.


The music evening that we practiced for went really well...I think! David is a really good guitarist and more than made up for my little mistakes.

The branch conference on Sunday marked the end of a busy week.

Josselin on Monday 29th...Belle and Sebastian in Josselin. Not the Scottish Indie group, but the French film.


We enjoyed it more than we thought we would.


Before the cinema we planted 100's of bulbs and prepared the hard-core base a little more.

We don't know what it will end up being used for, but for now it's a place to dump rubbish stone and slate to bring it up to grass level.

I seem to be spending a great deal of time sorting through and moving slate.

Rennes was our day out.  Brilliant!



I thought it amusing to have a cafe named Babylon right next to a cathedral.


The city had masses of graffiti but most of it was really good.


A converted church...now an exhibition area.  I thought the stainless steel glass window areas were really very good.


How fortunate to catch a man and boy going down a man and boy street.


This is a working drawbridge. The photographer lived in Glasgow for many years.  Small world!



I hope the words aren't rude!  


Bev is looking for a particular building. She's too close to realise it's the one to her right.


Spirit levels weren't around in those days.





Love these! I always knew they weren't good for you.


Right next to the cafe where we had lunch.


These are the occupants of the apartment...pretty cool!



Making the most of building work barriers. There's so much work going on here.


Brilliant player.  I chatted to him for quite a while and found out that the police only move you on if you are either very loud or rubbish!  In any case, the cafe opposite had invited him to play as he was good for business.



We'll have a tour of the Breton Parliament building next time.  It has a story to tell.


Every other gargoyle has a drainpipe...the others allow the water to gush from their mouths to the public below.


So many cobbled streets.



Gardens will have to be next time, otherwise we'll get wet.



Time to head indoors. This is the art college (formally a convent).  I loved the tree made from wood off-cut pieces of timber (of course)...and the plastic washing on the line.


Undergroud was fascinating. I traced the off-cuts to here.


This was just like my space at college...always trying to motivate myself. I wonder why they use English?


We spoke with one of the students who explained the lay of the place.


There was nobody around!


Like it!


I went into this shop to buy some Martin guitar strings and caught sight of a Martin guitar.  I couldn't resist.  The manager said I could pay by card (it was in the sale for a thousand euros).  I bought the plectrum instead and Bev promised me the guitar for when I retire...I'm sure that's what she said :)


Zipping past the Stade Rennais FC at Roazhon Park on our way back home.


The next day Steve came over to talk to us about chickens.  They are going back to the UK and have kindly agreed to give us their eight layers and magnificent cockerel.  Mmn, guess we'll have to prepare an area...


...and do some reading.

Enjoyed a meal and games at Martin & Colette's place on Sunday evening even though I was ill at church and came home early.

On Monday Dave and Josie dropped by on their way back from Spain.  It was good to see them.

Right, it's time to prepare the chicken area (on a very windy day), cut down dangerous trees, buy posts, get rubbish to the tip...it's great to be outdoors.


The laurel was too high and in the way. I've kept the laurel on the road side for privacy (we occasionally have  a walker pass by).


All fenced off and ready for the shed and livestock.


In the back garden, the tree I tie my hammock to had leaned to a dangerous angle so now is a good time to do it.


Brought the trailer round for nothing as we cut everything up...no leaves, yet.


All that's left...and now out of sight.


 A beautiful sunset over Yvon's woods...


The new fence which needs a top on it and staining.


David and Eileens plum tree. It's budding very well and will soon outgrow the daffs.



We've replaced the old fence with this one. It's to be finished another day. You can just see the hardcore area at the bottom of the picture. 


Now for the side fence.


Work in progress, but at least it's in place. I need to extend the back fence to meet up with this one as I seem to have gained a yard or so.

We were shocked to hear of Trevor passing away and have been thinking of all the times we've shared over the years.  He wasn't a close friend, but a friend all the same.  I'll miss him.

Last night was Archery in Josselin...Bev beat me again.

Good news!! Sophie has agreed to sell the outbuilding that she calls the "Petite Maison" and which will eventually become my new studio. The Bread Oven (in the background) will not be suitable as it doesn't have electricity and is best suited as a multi-functional space.


This little building will be ideal and is close enough for the internet. It's the same footprint as the bread oven, but I won't build it quite so high as I'm not really interested in having a mezzanine floor.

My current studio will enjoy a new life.

Exciting times!

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