LE PROBLEM!

We are often asked what are we doing this trip. It's difficult to explain so here is the story in pictures.

After a days work or even during the day when the Tour de France is on or Wimbledon its nice to have some TV.

This, unfortunately, is our reception at the moment.

This is the satellite dish which is too far off the ground for the average technician to reach. Note the mountain in the background hidden by trees, this prevents a signal from English Language satellite reception from reaching us, so when we do get TV it's in French as their satellite is visible apparantly.

The dish can be accessed along this tray between the two roof slopes which separate the front house from the back house. Last year by manipulating the roof A-frames I was able to get the tray to drain away from us. We had a permanent lake before.

I can't allow anybody to walk along the tray at the moment because underneath is this. Wooden planks supported by ribs which are in turn sitting on sloping roof beams. The ends of these beams used to slot into the wall masonry and were all rotten when we bought the house as were the ends of most of the A-frames and cross beams. Most of this is now fixed but that's another story!

In order to give back-up to the ribs after the rotten wood was removed two rows of concrete breeze blocks are being placed along the wall between the two houses. Packing will be added between ribs and wall.

 

This is the wall as seen from the front house. (Ventilation holes at the moment at one end)