Le Printemps Est Arrivé or Spring has Sprung.

1000 apologies for the long lag between posts.  But we have been busy working on the house, dealing with French bureaucracy (successfully) and generally living life in Puyloyer.  So much has happened…and so much lies ahead…but TODAY it became abundantly clear that Spring has arrived in the Charente. We were standing outside

and were “pleasantly distracted” by the perfume in the air.  We don’t even know what

many of the plants around here are (but using social media and the internet to find out).

We have done a bunch of work to get the potager (vegetable garden) ready for planting-

-We increased the fencing to enclose the raised beds (and prevent dog jumping plant destruction); rotovated to turn the soil, added paths and weeded, weeded and weeded.

Since there still is a possibility of a late “killing frost,” we haven’t planted yet but have acquired seed potatoes, mint, carrots, cucumbers, squash(es), beans, strawberries, etc.

It is going to be SLAMMIN’!!  Plans are in place to have friends share the garden space with us and help eat and distribute the anticipated bounty.

We are also working on hardscape…newly installed cobblestone steps are a great “upcycle” using stones from the road between Paris and Roubaix, Belgium. The road is the course for a famous/infamous bicycle race (famous/infamous because of the risk of riding very fast on cobblestone!  Many riders refuse to risk life, limb and equipment and many others are STOKED to ride it.).  Way better than the former gravel and dirt.

Soon we will be replacing the roof on the main house, in order to add Velux skylights (so the attic can be used as studio/work space and a gym and to bring light into the new

master bath (to begin…sometime…TBD), as well as adding wool insulation under the roof tiles to condition the attic space and make our heating system even more efficient.

The roof project is big on many levels, including getting permits and permissions from the village and regional officials for “old buildings.” Hopefully, we are finished with the

“surprises” and will have a relatively “pain-free” re-roofing experience.  We will back…

soon to give y’all updates.  Stop rolling your eyes…we will post again SOON.