You're Having a Laugh Chap!!

Timeline: Thursday 12 July: We’ve now got our new ouvertures, or openings for the windows and tomorrow, Friday the 13^th, the delivery of eleven double glazed purpose made timber windows is due. I received a phone call latish in the evening from the delivery chief saying he would be here early next morning at 07h00, but modified this to a range of between 07h00 to 07h30 when he sensed some surprise in my voice! Fortunately, I was up and had cleared a large space in the workshop in time to hear a large truck pull up outside the gates at 06h50, so was able to surprise the delivery chief by opening up ahead of time. He was a most jovial chap who had friends in the village and having inspected the space I’d prepared, informed me that he’d need some four times the floor area of my precious workshop!

However, by 07h20, all was safely stowed away in my original space and we retired to the kitchen for the paperwork and coffee. My new friend then reminded us of the GP Retro race event being held in the village the following weekend as he thought we might be interested having seen the TR3 in the workshop and said he would look out for us. He also asked if Paul was my dad with and with a cheeky grin, called him papa! Paul called him a cheeky blaguer, or something similar!

Anyway, all was now ready for the installation team and we even got some ivory topcoat paint on the more difficult to reach windows when they’re installed.

Monday the 16th arrived, but window fixers did not, same thing on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, so Wednesday afternoon saw me at Lapeyre with a smile on my face and their written confirmation in my hand of delivery and installation dates, informing them that their fitters had gone AWOL. They seemed upset with this news and took my situation very seriously and two of their people started ringing the numbers for their sub-contractor and eventually got through and didn’t seem at all happy with the excuses they were getting. Apparently, there was a problem with an ouvrière, or worker. Frankly, I was expecting some problems with the ouvrières as Saturday the 14th was Bastille Day, the most important national holiday and major party across the country. I was however a bit miffed that they were still seemingly not yet over a Saturday night party by Wednesday!

I left the shop however, with a firm indication that the windows would start to be fitted the next morning and by the time I drove home. Paul said that the phone had been ringing almost constantly, with 8 missed calls. I answered the 9^th and the window chap was apologising all over the place and said he’d be with us by 10h00 the next day. Hmm, still not recovered from the Bastille Day party then, but at least I could have a lie in!

The windows were all fitted rather well in a day and a half and the quality of the windows is outstanding and should give a lifetime of pleasure. Only one item was missing and that is due in early September and I hope they turn up when they say they will this time, haha.

A bientôt,

LC

Pas mal !!

Stair balustrade is now made, just awaiting paint and fitting

Full House

Timeline: Thursday 14 June: We are a busy site of six chaps and a dog today, as the mason arrived prompt at 08h00 to cut all the new window openings, shortly followed by a roofer who set about relaying lovely old canal clay tiles over the grotty corrugated cement covering what will become the site laundry room.

Coco, Kevin the roofer’s dog, making herself at home

Meanwhile Paul is finishing off the wardrobe to the grand maison front guest room, while I’m revising the roof specification with the aim of getting the roofs to the maison d’amis and barn underway as soon as practical.

Meanwhile the bride finally made it back to the UK late yesterday after waiting four hours to get her aeroplane fixed. Why on earth the airline couldn’t find a mechanic any closer to Tours than Paris is a mystery, particularly one who seemingly must only travel by bicycle! Bonkers!!

Anyway, all is well and building work progressing a tad faster with so many workers and as the days roll by, a new routine has developed. I’m up at 07h20 and up to the bakers for breakfast croissants, back and with two pots of coffee on and the main gates open for the mason’s arrival. Paul and I have our breakfast and the masons have the second pot of coffee before starting promptly a few minutes after eight.

After I agreed the price with the head mason, a lovely man called Eric, I had imagined upon their first arrival, they would unload the stones from the truck, all carved at their workshop and begin cutting the openings and installing the stone surrounds. Oh silly me, no, the first thing the masons did was to take over the garage space of the barn and set up their workshop, while the boss went off to bring a large quantity of beautiful golden coloured tuffeau blocks to be carved on site. This was marvelous! The sound one then heard over the next few afternoons was the gentle tap, tap, tap of the stone carver’s mallets as they cut and shaped the stones into cill and jamb sections ready for phase 2. Meanwhile, the other part of phase 1 was in the mornings, when some very large holes indeed were cut through the stone wall of the ancient maison d’amis. The large size was necessary due to the sheer mass of the stone surrounds to be inserted once the stones had been carved and the openings formed.

A wardrobe with a secret!

Stonemason's tools, just the same as hundreds of years ago

Big scarey hole!

Getting there

Cleaning the old stone made a huge difference

Now for some terracing, well the BBQ's got to go somewhere!

The masons were with us for three weeks and every day we marvelled at their skill and cheerful joy of doing what they did well. I have come to know the proprietor of the company much better and he has shared so much with us and been remarkably helpful in many ways. His wife runs a gîte just outside the village and he was happy to share some good advice to us novice would be gîte operators and unlike one might have expected from a competitor, he wished us every success and I’m sure we will remain friends and indeed work together again.

We’re now looking forward to the window delivery on the 13th July and the installation on the 16th. Progress!

More soon,

LC