I say that, because we are mid way - in so many ways. We are starting on the inside at last, for one. Pierre has done an excellent job in removing all the rubbish insulation and plasterboard from the room above the Snug and has completely re-insulated, put up new metallic battening for the plaster board, put in the pipe work to the bathroom, made the shell for the bathroom, put in the electrics and done such an amazing job on the plaster boarding that the room is looking fab.
Simon spent the best part of the time we were there clearing up the mountain of debris which had amassed over the 4 years...... Stone, wood, tiles etc and the difference is amazing......
There were many more installments for the 'diary'. One involved a 5.5 metre oak beam, which was 30 x 30 cm..... They reckon it weighs about 600 cwt. I was pressing for its delivered in the hope that the first floor in the barn could be started....... Pierre was worried as to how Cheze would even be able to deliver it, as the gap between the houses at the mouth of the Impasse is just car width and the new entrance at the other side is no wider........ Luckily, they obviously have lots of experience with problem locations, as this amazing delivery 'trike' forklift just picked up the beam and traveled sideways down the alley..... In hind sight, I wish I had some photo's but at the time, other things were more important.
We had arranged with Will, Michel and Denis to come around for 3 pm as this was the time Cheze said they would deliver...... Nearly 3 hours later before it arrived. This was lucky really as Madame Benchereau's
(previously aka Pearl because of her silvery crash helmet and now know as Giguite) son had arrived and he offered his help. A neighbour also arrived at their house and Thierry, (Giguite's son) went and fetched him (another Bernard as it turned out) to help too
When the trike delivered the beam, as the ground was very soft and the beam and trike weighed a lot, it got stuck in the ground. Our lovely new access road became a target for the forks on the trike, as the only way out for him was to push himself backwards. We then ran around like headless chickens throwing old roofing tiles into the holes he had created, so that the trike could have some traction to move forwards. Eventually, after a bit of sweaty anxiety on both sides, the trike was freed and went back to the lorry for loading.......
So there we now were, a 5.5 metre beam of oak - We all looked at each other to see who was going to have the bight idea and to figure out how we were going to get this 600 cwt beam the remaining 30 metres. Bernard said he would fetch his tractor and we could drag it to the barn. Small problem.... A pile of stone that had taken Simon 4 days to amass, ready for a wall, lay in the way. Whilst Bernard went to get his tractor ( I think he is now destined to be known as Bernard le tracteur) the remaining group set to work and set about clearing the stones......... 20 minutes, that's all it took to part the stones like the parting of the seas.....
Bernard arrived with his trusty old tractor and proceeded to tie it to our big beam, whilst we placed fence posts which Pierre produced from the back of his van, along the expected path. This worked really well until the tractor reached the limit of the land, before the ditch which currently is taking the drainage pipes from the rear of the house, but which will become a patio. We then had to improvise, using a couple of stout beams to guide the monster oak beam into the barn, whilst Bernard used a third beam to push the monster with his tractor. Finally, as light faded and the rain started, we managed to get the beam into the barn. One thing for sure, no one will run off with that without a fight!!
