Gate Building

Gate Building




Over the last few weeks, we have been building a replacement gate: The old gate was a bit rotten!




Last year we built three new shutters for the "salon" downstairs, we had bought some wood which was too thin, so we did not use it.




I came up with the idea of using most of this wood with a frame to make a new gate, and thought that it would be a good project for my nephew and I to do, since we had worked well together last year.




The idea was to build a frame, screw the wooden slats to one side, and have diagonal "Z" 's inside. It was taking a while to do, everyone was telling us to hurry up and so on!!
We decided to scrap the diagonals, since it was going to take AGES to do, and it was going to be strong enough without! That saved us at least an extra day!




This is it, with just one slat to put on, and the second side will be complete; sandwiching the frame on the inside.
My nephew wrote a "message" on the inside, for ... Posterity? ... He wrote: "Uncle Roland smells!" and the date! I added: "No I don't!"




We saved all the metal-work from the old gate, painted it with anti-rust paint. (I think it was lead based, but never mind!)
We fixed it all temporarily to see if it all fitted, and measured/marked where the latch could go.
It actually looks quite good with the bear wood, and dark grey hinges!




View from the "inside" taken from my bedroom.




All assembled and two coats of grey paint!




Final assembly, all painted!
:-)))




As I mentioned before, we had built three shutters last year, but ran out of paint for the last one, so I managed to find some old jars of leftovers and stretched the paint out... Hoping that I would get some more paint this year and finish off the job.
However, when I was putting everything away on the last day, I nearly kicked some big pots which were on the floor, and discovered that they were grey paint for the gates! "Oh bother!" I thought! "If only I had spotted those before!" or other slightly more colourful words!




So this year, while I painted the new gate, I gave the last two coats to the shutters... It was a completely different colour! But from afar, it is all "grey"...




Here are the last two shutters in place. It was debatable whether they needed the "Z" 's, but the last ones needed some extra support to stop the slats sliding against eachother and drooping!
That will be a problem for the next generation I hope!
:-)))

Saturday - Departures, traffic, friends for dinner!

Saturday 4th - Departures, traffic, friends for dinner!
(sorry, I'm really late with the blogs!)

Today saw the departure of my nephew. After an early lunch we took him to the TGV railway station, he was catching the same train as my sister had, and we will on just over a week!
On the way, there was a traffic warning before we got on the motorway. My sister (driving) thought that we would be off the motorway before it, but, alas, it was just at our exit, for some reason!! Panic!!
However, we had allowed plenty of time and caught the train. We met the same conductor as last week with my sister!
We will probably meet him again when I go home with mum!


On the way back we stopped at the Livron bridge over the river Drôme to see how much water there was:
Here is a video of the water flowing:

It's so easy to add my youtube video!
:-)



I had bought some telephone wire and connectors so that we could have the broadband upstairs.
I spent ages wiring it up, passing the cable through a ceiling ... Before I could connect up and try, I was called because the guests were about to arrive, which they did, but half an hour later! So I could have finished!
When they went, I connected up the router, and got 3M on a speed test!! Don't know why it's better than in the primary socket, but hey, it's fast enough!!

We had invited some friends for dinner, one man since he was on his own, to cheer him up, and another couple. They arrived at the same time... But there were FOUR of them! Panic! The first chap brought his wife along!!
Fortunately, there was enough to go round. And we managed to sneak an extra glass in ... But after they were all poured, the lady said she did not drink alcohol! She could have said before they were poured!
Huh!
Number 33, supplied by guests!

During "after dinner chat" we heard the beginnings of a thunderstorm so brought in all the washing, and chairs!

Lumpy bed!

Lumpy bed!
No particular day...




Maybe another shot:




No, it isn't that it's not been "made", it is genuinely lumpy!
For the last month, (and every summer for the last 15 or so years) I have slept on this bed!
It is a sprung base, and a cotton filled mattress - fortunately not straw! We have put a (thin) plank of wood under it, to make it harder, but it is too flexible, and hardly helps!
Another thing is that the top sheet is just not quite wide enough to stay tucked in, and I gave up trying to do that weeks ago, so it is a pseudo duvet!
But, nevertheless, I seem to sleep okay in it, - with back-stretching exercises in the morning, but look forward to my bed at home!!
:-))


Early morning (well - about 10ish) shot of bed having been stripped on our last day!
:-((

Friday - Broadband, and pre departure of nephew!

Friday (3rd August) - Broadband, and pre departure of nephew!

I rang France telecom to ask why they had sent us the router, when we had already bought our own... It turns out that there must have been a mix-up when I changed what we wanted, and we will probably keep it, as it is cheaper than sending it back for a refund, if we actually get charged for it...
(It came with two ADSL filters which I will need, and I can't find anywhere else, so it's all good anyway!)
Then the lady tells me that we already have the broadband and don't need to wait for the 7th!
:-)))))

When I get everything connected and try it out, it all works!!!
Yeayyyy!!!
But we do a speed test, and our download speed is about 560kbs and the upload is faster! (which never happens!)
So that is very disappointing.
:-(((
It should be "up to 8Mbs", (16 X faster), but we do have old wiring for the telephone...
I get 20M at home, soon (july) to be 50M as promised by Richard Branson, but still not as yet!

Swimming today in 30'C pool!!


Pre departure of nephew!
(#32)

Thursday - Visits and birthday

Thursday (2nd August) - Visits and birthday

Today, we had a visit by one of our cousins, her hubby, one daughter, and her two children...
They came to "pic-nic" at our house for lunch, ...
Which actually means that they brought some food, by we made that up to a full lunch!
At some point, someone mentioned that they could "talk about that over 'aperitif' ..." so we had to supply that too!


So, #30, with the nibbles too.
After lunch we went for a swim in the pool, it has been consistently at 29'C for some days now, with temperatures in the shade of about 34'C.
The kids were great fun, very confident in the water, the boy had learned to swim without armbands only a few days before!

In the evening, OF returned for dinner, and an official re-birthday...


So, #31!
We almost had two bottles, but it had been a long day...

In the morning, we got letters from Orange (France telecom) and a package, which turned out to be an ADSL modem router, and the login codes, ready for the switch-on on the 7th August.

Wednesday - Gas ran out again

Wednesday - Gas ran out again
(1st August)

Not much happened today, that I can remember except the gas running out again.
The bottles last about two weeks with a "full house", they ran out on 21st July, so, just a bit quicker. I think it will be touch and go for the new ones to run out before we go back to England.
Normally we confirm that they have gone with a little "indicator" which goes red.


We have never seen it "half way" like this!
When I had my "after swim" shower, I coped the cold water, but I persuaded myself that it was hot!!
BTW, the pool was at 29'C!!


I had to take this one of the laundry basket collected pile almost toppling over! ... Now that we have a new machine.
:-))

Tuesday - Departure of sister and arrival of Washing machine

Tuesday - (31st July) Departure of sister and arrival of Washing machine.

The new washing machine was delivered this morning.


The guys were supposed to install it and take the old one away. However, I could not turn off the water tap, to disconnect the pipe. In the end, we had to turn off at the main valve for the whole area!
They set the thing to do a quick 30 min wash while empty to get everything working and went their merry way.

During lunch, in the kitchen, we had it doing its first official wash, so my departing sister did not feel left out. (long story) It seems to be much quieter than the old one.

We left straight after lunch to take my sister to the TGV station for a 14:16 departure. She got home safely after a total of about 8 hrs door to door, to be ignored by the cats ... "Oh! So you're back, are you? Hmm, well, I'm just going out ..." ... I'm sure that when it comes to "Biscuit time" at 10pm they will be all "We really missed you mum! ... Can we have our snack now? Purrr! Purrr! Purrr!"
After we dropped her off we went shopping in Valence main town, I didn't buy anything, but the others bought lots of clothes.


There was a merry-go-round in the town.
It was very hot, and I needed the shade!

I "stole" some Internet time from the McD, so could update some emails, scrabble words, and blogs! ;-))

We decided to come home sooner rather than later, for some tea and a swim in the pool... Only at 29'C, but before I could put my trunks on, mum asked me to help put the washing on the line. She had managed to put the second load in and start it all by herself! Way to go mum! Using the brand new machine with completely different controls! It seems silly to say that, but it is unfamiliar territory for her, and she did well!