Happy New Year

 

We wish everybody a Happy New Year.

May all your wishes and dreams come true.




Prosit Neujahr.

 

Winter time

 

This week was all but quiet. All of a sudden the municipality of Prayssac found a second breath and started works around the house to dig in the electric wires. Although in the end it will be a nice thing to be done this wasn't a nice surprise at this time of the year.
Because of that a trip to Belgium was cancelled and the Christmas festivities that were planned were celebrated without me.
Next time I'm gonna write to Father Christmas: I prefer not to have presents at all than such kind of presents.









Moreover they couldn't progress as they wanted as contrary to the weather forecasts it snowed in Prayssac. Yes, indeed. You don't believe it? See for yourself.
First it drizzled on Monday but then in the night of Wednesday some ten centimetres of snow fell and it is still there. A nice change.







We from Mas de l'Houvande wish you all a very nice and white Christmas.

 

Winter break (2)

 

The winter 2010 has started yesterday morning : it has frozen all night and the weather forecasts announce till -6° on Tuesday. Next week will be cold, no snow - but sunny.



Luckily last week was rather warm so that San Nicolà - you know the Holy Man from Bari, Italy - found all the way to Prayssac.



Working and amusing myself a bit on the computer - learning new software programs - I managed to get my computer an infection. So calls to family and friends abroad with the computer are for the time being impossibile.
Instead I was able to clean the garage so far that for the first time since the beginnings of the house the garage can be used for what it is meant for : the hosting of the car - just in time for winter.



See you next week.

 

Retrospective 1 : Montcuq

 

What do you do on a Sunday in the Lot when you are on holiday - or when you are alone - or when it is Santa Claus - , the weather is fine and you want to see something?

Yes, right, you go to Montcuq, visit the market, have a walk through the historic city and yes, have your coffee on a terrace.

I hope the photos below will bring back some nice memories (thanks to Gerd & Michael).

  



  

  

  

  





Have a nice sunday. And a nice Santa Claus.

 

Winter break (1)

 

As the planned works were finished last week nothing much has been done manually. So time was free to take up again a bit of my former activities with the computer. I created a kind of wall on netvibes for everything that has something to do with our bed & breakfast and could be interesting for the guests of Mas de l'Houvande. The address: http://www.netvibes.com/masdelhouvande#General . It is just the beginning - so still very imperfect. If you have any suggestions please let me now by return mail.

In Prayssac they started building a ecological house of straw. As I don't know anything about this way of construction I follow the developments on the construction site with a lot of interest. Here are the first pictures.





On special request : a picture of Bibi, the beautiful wild cat with only three legs that keeps Trottinette alive and kicking.

 

Waiting for ... (24)

 

It was a lovely week : sunshine all day, so a lot of work was done in the garden, esp. mowing the grass and weeding the vegetable garden.

But before that I finished the varnishing of the wooden timbers in the attic. This room is now ready too.







Another thing done is the hanging of our nameplate : Mas de l'Houvande, in beautiful Jugendstil font / letters. So now everybody can see the name of the place (thanks to Toon & Leen).





As work is done, that's what I gonna / wanna look like in the near future, taking a winter's nap.



PS Oh yes, I almost forgot : an information just for insiders, esp. for Stefaan : I managed - at first try - to convince Fabienne to taste her products. Yamiyam.

 

Waiting for ... (23)

 

This week again Stefaan and I worked from morning till dawn (of course without forgetting the apero in the evening).

We finished the plaster board false ceiling in the garage (which is now ready for the winter).






Moreover the local technique (our little grenier or attic) was painted, cleaned and made cosy. We even put in a big ward robe with mirror - a matter of recognising vampires on costume balls and Halloween parties.






Winter can begin now, but also - let's hope - un pò di dolce far niente after three years of building and construction. Stefaan started right away: with a good Belgian beer and an Italian detective story by Andrea Camilleri.




The rest of the works is left for next spring. Or could it be that some doors still arrive this year?

 

Waiting for ... (22)

 

It's been a hard week's night,
And we've been working like dogs.
.....

All week Stefaan and I prepared the garage to receive the insulation so the plaster boards can be put to make a false ceiling - ready for the winter.












The only pleasures - to compensate the work and make up for the rainy weather - were the pleasures of the mouth and the palate: we tried some very nice wines and products of the region : viognier, chardonnay (en vin de table), Prestige, Essentiel, Bastille (en vin AOC de Cahors), paté de canard, dry sausages pur porc, stuffed chicken with olives, cuisses de canard au vin rouge, watermelon jam, ice with homemade red wine orange sauce, etc. etc.
You have to have something in life.