Happy New Year! January has already given us four seasons in one month: a touch of frost, high winds and storms, downpours, sunny spells and glorious sunshine. Today we have drizzle. Nothing has stopped us either sporting sunglasses or donning our waterproofs to brave the elements and stretch our legs. The coast is one of our favourite destinations for the weekly family outing: we have the beach to ourselves and a seafood restaurant is always near (and Betty, exhausted, is fast asleep in the back of the car).

Back at the new place: well, it’s been a bit on and off with the plastering but the guys reckon they will have finished by today. When the sun came out they disappeared to work on some external walls on another site so it was a reason to be cheerful when the rain came. Their machine also means, when they are there, they get a lot done in one session.

One afternoon we were downstairs and found what looked like three tupperware containers connected to the electricity box. I touched one; it was warm. They explained it was their lunch heating up; what a great idea!

On top of this they add another layer by hand, a very white chalky layer. It has transformed the house adding so much more light.

Meanwhile the barn is getting filled with ‘stuff’. Not only do we go to the second hand markets and buy on marketplace but we also frequent the many warehouses that sell old stock from shops or restaurants, as well as second hand shops. The barn is slowly filling up with chairs, and cupboards, and mirrors and lighting…

So now we have absolutely no idea what is going to happen next. Will the main working trio return? Will the windows be installed? The flooring? The tiles? Let’s see…