Roofers and visitors definitely gone this time but weather wet all morning. Did a bit more tidying until it stopped and then in afternoon set about battening.

Made pretty good progress although a bit slow at first as double checking all measurements as don't want any surprises when I get to the top. Weather set fair tomorrow and brother here so aim to get the battening finished tomorrow and maybe make final preparations for the slates.

Beauitiful evening with not a trace of rain clouds in what seems like ages and worked until 10pm, photo taken about 9.00pm with late sun showing the amazing greeness of Brittany at this time of year as seen from rooftop.

Roofers and visitors all left at midday and suddenly have place to myself. Time to get place tidied, bottles to bottle bank (many many bottles) many sacks of refuse to the bin, did some laundry and had another go at fixing van.

Found a new possible source of the van problem in the fuel filter body and fiddled with it until happy air leak eliminated. Looks good, can't break it but said that before.

Then as weather cleared, up on the roof for a few hours, intended putting on some more slate battens but noticed some dips in the eaves line and spent all my time investigating and fixing them. One more to go then can move on to battening in earnest tomorrow as weather looks lot better.

Hey surprise surprise the crew of the ferry are on strike and everybody arrived back in time for tea. No time to cook so off to restaurant in Gourin. Nice.

Nasty rainy day. Got some bits done though, Ryan and his lady roofer friend got some slate battens up so rest will be easy. I spend few hours knocking hole in gable wall so will have drain from bathroom soon as I get piece of pipe.

We all watched a lot of TV with the British Grand Prix and Wimbledon final keeping us occupied in front of stove most of afternoon.

No new photos but here's one from yesterday, look closely at top of roof.

The Tour de France is the most amazingly huge spectacle I've ever seen. The cavalcade (or caravanne) lasts for a good 45 minutes before the bikes arrive, and the number of spectators amazing. Noise, vehicles helicopters etc.

Actually did some work though in spite of roofers being a bit tiddly after our pre Tour aperitifs. Roof now fully felted (the back) and nearly ready for slates.

Tomorrow I'll figure out a way of linking my loyal readers to the video of the race passing the house.

Weather shocking wet and windy so not much work getting done but spent a bit of time working on hole in wall to give us a drain for the kitchen.

Van died again on way to shops - really taking the piss now and almost out of ideas. Its getting busier and busier in the vicinity with many many camper vans appearing and parking in every piece of open ground by roadside in readiness for the Tour de France passing the house tomorrow.

Link to the tour website here to view the route and then "time schedule" at the top to see when it passes us in Spezet. I make it around about 2.30pm local time +/- 10 minutes when it passes the house, that's 1.30pm UK time watch out for us a couple of miles after spezet, big house with a half blue plastic roof! Its live on TV not sure what UK channel though..

Today's photo, rainy day watching TV and playing pool with the fire lit.

Pretty early start as had to drive Cammy to Brest airport for flight home. Had to borrow brother's car as van not repaired after I tore out the fuel tank to get to bottom of fuel starvation problem. Weather threatening and some showers but everyone keen to get as much done as possible before the heavy rain forecast for weekend.

On return from airport urgent trip to builders merchant to collect more materials as lot more rotten timber found, but as it was lunchtime had time to fix van before going. Fuel tank had various pieces of wood sloshing around. Taking them out seems to have finally done the trick.

Weather stayed not bad until evening and good progress made but now we'll be lucky to have reached the stage of actually sticking on any slates before roofers go home.

Its now Tuesday and I'm surprised to find that althgough the roof team have been here since last Friday I've been too busy to maintain the blog. Especially as uncle Ryan accuses me of mincing whenever I'm not wielding a hammer or a saw.

As usual the jobs a lot more difficult than hoped as roof timbers in poor condition and need replaced or strengthened in places.

However, we've now stripped off, repaired and laid the underslate felt on about 2/3 of the back of the roof and subject to weather should be in position to start putting slates on by weekend. Photo is the team unloading the van.

Bit of a wet and windy day for trip back to UK and bit of a bumpy crossing. Cammy a bit off-colour and spent most of time in cabin, but all back in time to get to the local pub quiz.

Good news started by winning free beer, bad news need to get a job to pay for next stage of project.

Blog now suspended until next trip to France.

Beautiful but cold morning and early start to get Buddy to vet for treatment prior to return home. He liked the young lady vet better than the chap. Understandable. On return, still plenty of frost on ground and I took a few nice photos, click today's image to see one I'm pleased with at full size.

Cammy and I put up scaffold and I bodged a fix on the slipped slates, no worse a job than the chap I paid 100 euros did a while ago to repair that patch of roof. Clear I need new one urgently. Trip to recycle centre then few hours of tidying and packing. Back to UK tomorrow just as weather warms up!

Another dry clear day warm in the sun but cold quickly at dusk, time to start clearing decks for coming back to UK and doing few jobs that need sorting beforehand. Got tractors going and cut all the grass, makes place look tidy and respectable and there is nothing more therapeutic than driving a 46 year old tractor round the orchard.

Continued after lunch, and sorted out an annoying leak in garage roof. Didn't get round to slipped slates in house roof or get to recycle centre but should manage tomorrow. Rang digger man and he's coming to see me tomorrow to talk money for new septic tank and other ground work.

Cold but clear day, ideal for gardening. Watched french TV this am during breakfast, delighted to find that while James Blunt is a bit of a figure of fun in UK he's a major star abroad in USA and in France in particular. This collaboration with rapper Sinik is excellent (in my view) click here.

Busy day in the garden and hard work for both of us. Sorted out all the vegetable planting, although soil well prepared it was still a lot of work to dig the earth mounds, carrots, onions and leeks a lot easier. Both starving at end, so celebrated by going out for authentic middle eastern kebabs. Made with lamb, mutton, goat? Not a bit of it - turkey. Tasted great though.

Weather lot better specially in the afternoon. Cammy slept in until midday and I slumped in front of TV trying to shake off some lurgy I'd picked up - aching all over and trying to avoid using all the paracetemol.

In the afternoon we nipped out and did some food shopping then got back to do some more pruning on trees fouling the phone lines, really don't want a repair bill from France Telecom. Bit of a fiddle but went well. Realised late that I'd not taken a snap today but noticed that apple blossom starting to come out pink, didn't expect that, so sharing it with you. Will do a full tree snap before return home.

Weather very nasty again, wind from north and snow flurries in morning. After late breakfast decided to do a bit of outdoor work on cutting down the complicated tree that was fouling the telephone lines. It was complicated as the long branch things couldn't be allowed to fall out over the road and take the wires out, so used tractor to pull them into orchard after first cutting them 2/3 way through, good fun.

After lunch and thaw out, had a bonfire and started getting rid of the thin branches. Only one big one left and it is on the road side of the wires but will wait until there are three people here (one to control traffic, one to sort out fallen branch and other to use the chainsaw). Good day's work today but already below freezing at 6.30pm.

Up early to get to Brest airport to collect Cammy, nice airport but almost no planes must be planning for the future by building capacity now before traffic arrives, unlike back in the UK. Both of us starving by time we got back, great idea from the lad - bacon and eggs for breakfast!

Not a day for major works butdecided that we needed to do something constructive and cut down a bit more firewood, adding to the pile for next year. Few beers and games of pool tonight.

Busy day today and all I did was tidy up and clean things, tired of living in a building site and needed to get Cammy's room comfortable albeit without skirting boards and other wood trims.

Weather was great, warm and sunny and hit 18 degrees in the shade, shame I only popped out from time to exercise Buddy. Still not got my planting done, perhaps tomorrow after lad arrives.

Weather a bit dull at first and got straight to priming walls and ceiling. Finished walls before lunch then gave veggie patch a good tilling to get soil ready for planting later.

After lunch finished ceiling, results a little patchy but surfaces very smooth and straight and will look great with next coat. Then started a MAJOR tidy up going to take some time. Started wth Cammy's room so he will have somewhere nice to sleep.

We get a lot of people dropping in here trying to sell stuff, yesterday it was fine Bordeaux wines today it was potatoes. I was upstairs when he knocked on door and by time I got halfway down stairs he'd opened the door and shouted to get my attention - won't do that again, Buddy scared the merde out of him.

Up early and weather nice, got stuck into finishing a room for Cammy when he arrives on Saturday. Spent couple of hours tidying up joints on walls and then made a dinky little window sill, quite pleased with it, will be first of many. Checked out situation on french septic tanks, very complicated - to find out more click here.

After lunch, got tractor out and rotovated vegetable patch while waiting for joint filler to dry, soil should be OK for planting tomorrow, too wet until now. Then did a bit of painting undercoat/primer on walls, don't like this french paint but results OK. Photo when done, meantime happy dog lounging in the sun.

Beautiful day but oddly a bit out of sorts and a bit depressed about lack of visible progress. Decided to have a big tidy up and a bonfire as sun warmed everything up always cheers me up. Didn't get the big drill as decided to check the levels of the septic tank and drains first, good decision.

Started clearing the hugely overgrown area where main drain leaves house, and chance for a second bonfire! Then started to trace height and route of the pipes, very surprised to see the soil pipe and washbasin drain heading in different directions - and neither to where I thought septic tank was. Finally got to bottom of it, and there is good news and bad news, found tank but looks like completely new one needed and this will require a LOT of digging. Need to find someone with JCB.

Nice day and off to plumbers merchant to get pipes, good news they are compatible with old ones so no problems there. Got connections made and rigged up temporary bathroom drain into a big bin, woohoo, shower tonight.

In afternoon set about digging hole outside gable wall to where the drain pipe will exit, good 3 feet deep but went well. Then started knocking hole in the wall, nightmare. Almost three feet of slate to go, took me about 90 minutes to get about 6 inches, and arms aching. Hire shop tomorrow for a BIG drill!

What a day, weather rubbish but brother here to help start put frames up, just one drain pipe to shift before that then first in series of setbacks. First broke the pipe in impossible to access place behind bidet. Bidet now in garden and no showers etc until I get some bits of pipe tomorrow. Then burnt out last bit of the old electric system taking down an old cornice, then found problems with heights in ceiling etc etc, it just went on like that all day.

Good news is that I've decided not to compromise on layout and will invest some time maybe even a couple of days on de-doing the plumbing, bonus, new WC going to replace the bidet. Then need another day or two on electrics but all very important, probably for the best but didn't seem like it at time. Tonights photo is the hole in floor of my "office" where new drains are going to go.

Late night last night down pub impressing locals with pool prowess, really on form and no repeat of the recent debacle. Late start and sore head, weather horrid and windy so cracked on with pipes in main room shifted prior to getting frames up tomorrow. Collected a bit of firewood from the field and used our old Nissan as tractor, worked really well.

Bit of shopping in afternoon and bought some paracetemol, big deal you say but its not that easy here. Back home mose shops sell it, but here its only pharmacists and you need to ask for it. Each time I ask for a packet of paracetemol, but they always ask one or more supplementary questions. For example, "do you want pills or soluble?" or "what size of tablet 500mg or 1g?" All perfectly sensible albeit irritating. However today I was not only asked both, but also a new one "oral or rectal?" Sooner they just put them on the shelves the better.

Early morning call from Donna who told me weather bad in Devon, glance out of the window confirmed pretty vile here too. No matter plenty of indoor work to be done here and spent a few hours tearing down old pipes and electrics in main room in preparation for frames.

Nipped out to shops mid afternoon to look for a new chain for my chainsaw, and some plumbing materials, came home with a TV aerial and digibox. Now you are probably thinking the fool won't get a UK TV to work with that kit - wrong, works just great. This is going to seriously irritate the kids in the summer, French TV.

Weather better than forecast and bright and sunny in the morning. Petit dejeuner at the bollocks table for first time in the year. Had a look at the loft and considered doing some more work there but chest still full of dust from yesterday so decided against it.

Instead, as weather still dry took grasscutter off tractor and replaced it with new toy I bought last year - a Chinese built rotovator. Its an excellent piece of kit for money although I had to make several passes over the unprepared soil as I haven't got a plough.

Prepared a plot over 50 feet long and about 10 feet wide and result was great. Next dry day I'll plant the seed potatoes I bought this evening and some other vegetables.

Weather back to (rubbish) normal but doesn't matter as intended to spend day in loft sorting out insulation for ceiling in second room and connecting up electric spur for that part of the house. Horrid job, remembered why I'd been putting it off. Stuck with it for good 6 hours of taking up floorboards and dragging around sheets of rockwool.

Worked back to junction box in garage and connected it all up worked first time. Always wary of that junction box, not just because its electric but anyone who's seen the size of the spider who lives in it would be wary too. Caught a glimpse of it today but didn't get photo, will try again but meantime snap of a rather messy hybrid electrical system - about half of it 40+ years old, but slowly being changed over.

Beautiful morning, so after quick shopping trip and tidy up after the Easter holiday decided to work outdoors and feel the warmth of the sun on my face for first time in ages. Got tractor out and set about clearing a bit of the orchard that's become overgrown by brambles over the years when I've not had time to maintain it.

Driving a tractor with a grasscutter through 10 foot high brambles is a little risky as there can be hazards like tree stumps (expensive) and holes (dangerous and expensive) but was careful and took time. Result is about 100sq metres of free space, other bits too tricky for tractor and will use different equipment. Maybe dig a vegetable patch next dry day, but back up in loft tomorrow.

Weather again a little better, still occasional showers but at least wind dropped. Apple blossom just starting to show its face. Did a variety of bits and pieces jobs like electric wiring and starting to figure out what to do about the various complications in main room (previous electrical and plumbing work all surface mounted - want to make it disappear). Made good decisions with little compromise on the outcome, but significant work needed for example on taking bathroom drain out of gable instead of front wall.

Made some chicken soup with the bits left over from yesterday, house filled with fantasatic aroma of chicken stock, but then disaster. I've never made chicken soup before but knew you put rice in and I did, but had no idea how much. I could elaborate, but to cut a long story short, soup became risotto. Tasty, but a pile of soup on a plate just looks wrong.

Weather bit better but still pretty nasty. Not sure if working on Easter Sunday is bad magic like keeping up Christmas Tree too long, so decided its best to have a lazy time watching rubbish on TV - and there's plenty of that.

Had a nice chicken for dinner and pottered about for rest of day. Fiddled about with air distribution tubes from heating system as never been happy with them, learned a lot about low pressure air dynamics in the process - bored yet? Photo sums up day, all slumped in front of fire keeping warm.

Oddly, hangover not too bad, but weather foul with sleet snow and strong winds - even dog didn't want to go out. Instead made steady progress on the joints (mainly Paul) and I started stripping out some old exposed pipes in the main living room which is next on list, plenty of complications with pipework, doors, windows, staircase etc probably take few days before I can even start putting up the frames.

Looked at how much money spent so far, very depressed, need to get back to England and get a job to pay for this lot. Also decided not to buy the firewood I was intending to, and instead started cutting up the floor of the dining room - it was going to come up anyway. Although number of holes in it, a lot of the wood in good condition as its inch thick oak and I'll keep the best bits for some future project. Rest burns really well though!

Got rest of boards up on walls and sorted out wiring for electric sockets and TV. Joints tomorrow then on to main room.

Off to pub now to celebrate good progress and its Friday. More blog later. Tonight's photo is Easter full moon rise in Britanny.

Dear dear, village jumping tonight in spite of nasty weather, something to do with the full moon and Easter. Apparently its Karaoke tomorrow until 2am but bar open until 4am, still, needs to be done. Had nasty cold today but beer seems to be relieving symptoms, probably regret in morning. Goodnight.

Got some boards up but now that frames are up and perfectly straight its just a formality except the ceiling ones. Agreed with brother that we'd just board walls for this and next couple of rooms then hire a lifter for a day and do all the ceilings. Went to hire shop and checked out prices availaiblty etc - all fine.

Two bits of excitement today, first encountered an articulated lorry in a ditch and 3/4 over on its side just nearby. Driving into ditches (usually on way back from pub) is a very popular pastime here, so driver seemed surprisingly upset that he'd just won the prize for best ditching of the week. Just after lunch too ....

Next thing was finding a different boulangerie with all manner of exotic breads including the one featured in today's photo. Comes in its own wooden box in which it's actually baked - how cool is that? Tastes nice too.

First things first sorted out rebooking journey home and aranged flight for son Cameron to come to visit for a week during Easter holiday. He'll travel back on ferry with me then fly home - amazing Exeter to Manchester for free with just £32.97 hidden charges!

Started work late as had to pick up insulation etc so pruned some more firewood, woodpile looking more respectable, picture in a day or two. Did fine on steel frames on ceiling etc, boards go up tomorrow. Measured up loft, looks a mess at moment but just wait until it gets transformed.