The Summer Season is in full swing and we are fully booked until the end of September. Time was a bit tight on refurbishing Villa Lucques but a few long working days soon got us back on track. We were just finishing planting up the flower pots on the terrace when the first guests arrived. We didn't have time to take the publicity photos - we had to do them the following week on changeover day.  I am now awaiting the photographer, or should I say Bryan, to process them. I don't know what is taking him so long - It's not like he is busy !!!!!

We moved into our house little by little in May. We had no hot water, shower, kitchen ….. the list goes on. But it is nice to be in and little by little we are moving forwards. I have now adapted to cooking by candlelight on the BBQ. I have even mastered cooking home made Pizza on there. 

Work outside has now stopped for the summer ( its too hot) and we are continuing inside. The next job on my list is to create 3 bedrooms before the beginning of August when our 2 daughters arrive with some of our grandchildren for a visit.  We are so looking forward to a catch up.

The vegetable garden is now in full tomato production. It looks like it is going to be a good season. We also have peppers, courgettes and so many green beans, which I am picking, blanching and freezing daily. It is lovely in winter to open the freezer and have our own home grown produce to eat. 

I think we may get a little fed up of courgette soup though. 

The Season Commences

We are back from our family visit/holiday, over the jet lag and preparation for this year's guests has started.  Villa Picholine is almost ready and we are awaiting a visit from Etoile de France to give it a rating.  The first guests arrive next Saturday.
Villa Lucques is not yet ready - we are still living in it and will continue to do so until May. We then have to re-furbish and prepare it for a summer season that is fully booked.




Inside our house the liquid screed has been poured and we now have a floor - albeit a floor that needs tiling.  The upstairs walls have been plaster-boarded and now await the partitions building to define the rooms. Bryan's main job over the last couple of weeks has been filling and sanding all the joints in the plaster-board downstairs and I am in full painting mode. The whole of downstairs has to be painted out before the tilers arrive at the end of April.  The en-suite floor has been tiled by Bryan earlier this week and in between outside work we will start tiling the walls shortly. 

Villa Picholine and Garden

Outside - The pool house foundations have been laid and we have started to build the walls around the pool. A new patio has been laid in Villa Lucques garden ready for the new garden swing and we now need to re-seed the lawn. We also have new solar panels on the roof of the garage which is running the electricity in our house.   The vegetable garden has been dug over and is ready for the planting of potatoes, beans and peas.  The weather has been cool and wet so we need a few days sunshine to warm up the soil. The tomatoes are planted and sat in a sunny position in the garage. I still need to find time to sow the courgettes and peppers. Maybe I will do it this afternoon as the sun is shining.

I now have lists of lists and any spare moment is spent sourcing furniture & fittings for Villa Lucques and also things for the self build such as heat pumps and ventilation systems. My knowledge of these is growing daily.....

A man & digger has just arrived so it looks like outside work for today.

A Bientôt