Being Constructive!

Oh how we love to get our hands dirty and really get stuck into something. The next day we slept rather late. Perhaps the time difference of 6 hours (forward) was catching up with us. After a breakfast of more croissants and fruit and tea, we took ourselves off to the Apartment we are renovating. Donning our coveralls we set to, spackling the very uneven concrete walls, so that they can be painted and don't look totally munted (kiwi terms for dreadful) afterwards. The spackle is taking a long time to dry, so I go from one wall to the other. There are plenty of walls to spackle!
In the meantime, Waz fits the new door handle...a bit of blue air, but for the most part things go well. We do have to go into Guer to the Hardware Store Bricomarche, to find some bits and pieces before we can go further. We did ok with the language, and found most of what we needed there. We did get a little bit lost getting there, and had to go via the Tourist Information office to ask....not sure why they don't speak English there, as there are so many English visitors to the region! Anyhoo...someone there knew a little English, and with my little French, we each made ourselves understood and got to the Marche. Problem solved!
The problem with these little towns is this: The roads are skinny between the houses, and it is a bit like a maze! seriously! one can literally go around in circles...well, maybe a few circles! didn't we just come down here???yep!

The last person to spend their time at the Chateau 'helping out', did some really 'interesting' things...like extending the door. You can see the original door with the door handle now on the extension. Waz installed that today.

This is the view as you walk into the apartment, straight into the Kitchen, with the large bathroom ahead (ladder in there). Waz has to put three new lights above the kitchen counter...not an easy job undoing what is already done! more blue air!:)

Someone had a nightmare and sponge painted the walls in the bathroom. The only good part of that is that you cannot see how horridly pocked the wall is. This is what I have been spackling...and the part underneath. On Saturday the drywall arrives for the toilet surround, ceiling and behind the shower stall. Waz will be installing that. We have some scaffolding to install to do the ceiling, which will be a large job!

 

This is what the wall looked like BEFORE I got in there with the mud. It took me ALL DAY to spackle this wall. There are four walls in the Bathroom, and three others in the kitchen, to spackle.

 

Looking back to the front door

 

The Caretakers apartment is above the garage. Such a pretty setting with lovely big windows on all sides . You could have a party in the bathroom, it is so large:)

We pretty much worked all day, and felt tired and well accomplished. A long walk down the road after dinner, and picking some wild blackberries! yum! End of the season though, so some of them are a bit old.
More tomorrow!