no longer living the dream

The dream is our reality.

Well since I last posted we have been invaded by the South East Massive some 16 riders and bikes plus a support vehicle. http://85.92.73.245/~southea/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1955

here is a comprehensive page of pictures of the weekend well long weekend as it was the May Bank Holiday - www.whereistonynow.co.uk/sem08.htm - it was quite hard work for Wendy with all the cooking and cleaning to do but she carried it off like a professional everyone was well impressed with how she coped and the meals were exceptional even compliments from the Vegetarians. The weekend was a great success mainly down to Wendy...

The 1st rider turned up as expected on the 2nd May Scott who quickly found that the thermostat had ceased in one of the bunk room shower so we had to quickly source and fit a new shower tap unit - once fitted it worked like a dream. Saturday saw the rest of the part arrive. PaulR, Ian, FazerKev, Suzibabe & Nabber, Symbol, SuffolkGeezer, Bigbadmad, Jon, Delectable-D, PA&SV, Plus John soon to be known as The Hostage as he was not part of the SEM Group but a solo rider who was also staying with us - everyone accommodated and bikes secured we settled into one of Wendy's superb curries.

Sunday and we took a ride out to Oradour-sur-Glane, through some of the best twisties in the region, where we met up with Rainman who was the last to arrive. Once home we settled into a BBQ and the gazebo we had erected came into play.

Monday saw us ride out again and the departure of Scott - Tuesday and the main party departed leaving symbol, Suziebabe & Nabber, Rainman & Jon, and John to ride out again some fantastic ride-ing roads. Wednesday saw Jon depart leaving the rest of us to ride again.

Thursday saw Rainman, Suziebabe & Nabber depart for home and we were lft just Symbol and John, we left them to ride the roads of their choice until Saturday when Symbol the last of the SEM started the long journey home to the UK and the congestion.

John is still with us until Saturday and we have been out o Mt Dore for a ride the remainder of the time we have been out in the garden beating back the jungle and dodging the rain storms.

We have had a couple of serious storms one of which fried my modem so we are restricted to using the laptop to connect to the net, not ideal as all my applications are on the main computer.

I had a small accident today with a new strimmer one with a metal blade very powerful cuts down most things in its path making the old one look pathetic well I got a little too close to the bike trailer today and Bang! ripped the tyre wide open. bugger.

nearly forgot Joan and Tony popped in for a couple of nights - they are looking really well for their 4 month holiday chilling in Spain - check for yourselves...

Brilliant sunshine today...

Yesterday we had an afternoons riding with some other Brits around the region.
Guess what we did today...

Wendy also had her hair cut and I managed to cut the field again...

Working outside in the Rain

Well the rain is still with us but we just have to crack on so we have been out in the wet prepareing the ground for a harstanding to park the bikes on when they are not in the garage, as the only other place is on the road or in the mud (grass when it isn't raining). Plus it's tidier...

This is ready for concrete on Friday

I had a bit of a surprise in the post yesterday in the form of two speeding fines and that was just on the way to collect the kids on journey 1 so 3 more journeys worth of fines to come - I wait with impending doom.

Took the FJR to Tulle and the Yamaha dealers to get the front end looked at and the consensus is that the front tyre is deforming... so ordered a new set of Bridgestone BT-020's Shock Horror on the french prices but will be happy is the bike rides and handles as it should do.

Nothing to report

Well I have been feeling run down recently must be suffering from the "SAD" syndrome and feeling more like a fish everyday - when is this rain going to stop, we have much work to do but it is all outside now so pretty much stalled by the rain of late.

It even rained for the entire time the kids were over. Such a shame as they could have got up to so much more... I must admit the return ferry trips to collect and return took their toll on both me and the car (we will get over it) flying is the obvious answer just seems to elude Bethany's mum or probably more realistically she too realises it and take pleasure in refusing to allow Bethany to fly just to put me through the purgetry of 3 days on the road and ferry there and the 3 days back again...

I managed to squeeze in another mowing of the grass during a dry spell but incurred a puncture on the sit on mower for my trouble - I am hoping that the "puncture repair gunk (Ultra Seal)" I used to fix the slow puncture on the FJR will do the same on the mower though to be fair it is on the wall of the tyre so much more difficult for the liquid to get at. I have removed the wheel and given it the best chance and seems to be working - only time will tell.

I am having a problem with the FJR feels like I am riding on a flat tyre which points to the Headstock bearings so I rode the 100 KMs round trip to Tulle Yamaha dealership in the torrential rain today only to discover that they close on a Monday, Well at least I got out for a ride and re-confirmed my waterproofs still worked.

Mark and Kay are over for a long weekend so a bit of socialising is on the cards - something which is always welcome ;).

Tomorrow we start to lay out the border for a hardstanding to the side of the Pigsty so we can park up bikes and the car out of the way of traffic, Jimmy is coming over to give me a hand, and we will be using readymixed concerete so will be getting a quote once we have it all laid out and the hardcore down. will need some strengthening though as I suspect Joan & Tony will see it an ideal spot for a Campervan Park. - well we will have to keep our fingers crossed for dry weather or there is no cance any concerete will set in this rain...

We dragged the Kids around Treignac

This is the last day the kids are here so we dragged them around Treignac...

Took the kids to see the village of Oradour-sur-Glane

Well on Sunday and Monday I drove just short of 2000 kms to collect Bethany, her Friend Eden, Bobby and Chelsea to come spend a week at Riders rest.

But before collecting them we managed to get all the painting anf fixtures and fittings completed in the Barn now formally the Bunk Room or Club Room whichever you prefer...

The Bunk Room with bedding

Looking from the patio doors

The Bathroom looking from the door

The same bathroom looking from a seated position on the toilet

Thursday it stopped raining so we went to the village of Oradour-sur-Glane...

Oradour-sur-Glane is truly a unique memorial and one that genuinely evokes the meaning of one of the awful events of that time. Story

Saturday we went to Payrat Le Chateau as there was a bike French bike weekend intended to culminate with a mass bike blessing on the Sunday - however the weather has been so bad it was cancelled last week, never mind at least I was out on mine with Bobby braving a pillion ride through some great twisties in the torrential rain...

Just 1 more

coat of paint and the bunkhouse bathrooms will be finished... Phew! needless to say that will make me very happy. Mark and Kay arrived out here Monday with some Dulux vinyl Silk Pure White paint so we could finish off.

Sunday I am off on a round-trip to the UK and back to pick up Bethany and a Friend (Eden) and Bobby for a week or so over here hopefully the weather will stay as it is now - sunny and warm (still chilly at night though) they will be able to get out and about a bit otherwise it can drag a little if it rains all the time...

Be good to see them and Bobby as an extra pair of hands will be usefull clearing some more of the jungle, out there, up. Also I need help to move some building debris left by the previous owners and to level a few mounds...

We also have to clear an ants nest away as we will be utilising that part of the garden for a patio or BBQ area - found these the other day moving in. I incinerated them today but expect them back in a few days lol...

Well the snow has pretty much thawed and the rain has disipated for a whilewe have managed to cut the area to the back of the barn and the front garden area before a massive thunderstorm hit us. This phot is Wendy using the timer facility on her camera pretty good considering I wasn't in shot when she set it off, she claims er timing is perfect. It really depicts an old couple pottering about in the garden not sure where I was...

Good news is that the bookings are rolling in at a reasonable pace and to say we are pleased is a minor statement ;) so if you are intending on coming over you had better book real quick.

Easter Sunday

and everywhere I look is white...

At least we will have a collection of photos for next years christmas card:-

Now where did I put that polly bag...

A bit of a rest

The last few days have seen me taking it real easy... In fact I haven't been near the barn for 3 days and I must admit it feels strange. The reason is simple really. Andy or Drewster as he is known on the motorcycle forum planned a 1 night stop over on the 17th but stayed 3 nights - and I felt it would be damn right rude if I didn't take him down some of the twisties near here and show him the scenic route to Oradour-Sur-Glane (the reason he was here of course) - so I had 2 days glorious riding 1st on the FJR and then on the R111.

on the road from Payrat Le Chateau to St Leonard Noblat

Back gate to Oradour-Sur-Glane

The A89 Viaduct viewed from Tulle

Drewster Headed for Montipllier

We also managed to do some shopping for bits and pieces, shelves, door lock, Electric socket face plates and some floor mats which are all fitted or assembled and in place.

Wendy booked us a Doctors appointment for yesterday which was quite entertaining - our Dr is a lady who speaks very good english but can confuse her words enough to entertain us both, it cost us 44 euros for the visit but and now we have to work out how we register on the French Health system so we can have some of it refunded.... We are entitled to the 1st two years here (2.5 years but we have already been her .5) with the NHS paying our costs but after that we will need insurance as the French have recently changed their ruling on forigners using their health system for free, Brown should take a leaf from their book...

We also registered RidersRest.Net as a bonifide Chambre D'Hote which means we can legaly do B&B for up to 15 people at a time... Saves us getting into trouble once all the bikes start turning up doing a ton-up down the D16.

Wendy is as I type painting the bathrooms in the barn, and I am computing well surfing and stuff, it is also my turn to make the brews and the egg banjo's something Wendy usually does...

The weather really cannot make its mind up as we have been alternating between Snow blizzards, blazing sunshine, Hailstone and torrential rain - and that was just today... so much for global warming.

Time for bed said Zebedee

You guest it (yes it is spelt wrong but then there in lies the pun)... We have put up the bunkbeds and aranged them in the bunkroom - needless to say we are pleased as they are very sturdy (they are going to need to be) and they are 3 foot wide so will be a comfortable sleep, also the matresses will fit. So it is all coming together.

Wendy has started to paint the bathrooms and has a coat of white on the 1st one, hard going as they are much smaller than the barn or hall and they have flat ceilings...

For those of you who have noticed the generally dirty and falling to bits trousers I have worn throughout the telling of this blog, I can report that they have been given a decent funeral today and we shared a few memories whilst they were cremated, well it was getting cold around the nether regions and hopefully I have seen the last of painting for a while (till christmas I suspect). Still they lasted 6 months solid (and in the end they were).