Awoke to another gorgeous blue sky. It is so foreign waking up here. The first clue is a peal of church bells at 7:45. We then look out the window through part-open shutters, through the curlicues of the window railings and across the square. Over the other side there are the stone walls of the building opposite, with funny little windows. Our view is over its tiled roof to the tops of the huge plane trees and the sky above. There are doves cooing and often clip-clop steps across the square and French conversations. At 8:45 each morning, the baker just beyond the square opens his oven and depending on the drift of the breeze, the apartment fills with the smell of fresh-baked bread. It is all a delight.
A bit of an easier day today. We
spent much of the morning tidying up the place a bit and doing the washing in
the bath as usual. Onto the end of a painting brush again, this time Karen
undercoating the doors. I managed a few minutes’ worth too before transferring to
the fireplace, which has been a nice surprise. We thought some of it may be stone, but it turns out that all but the sides are of a fine black stone,
including the hideously varnished hearth. The latter cleaned off easily with
just a scraper, then some steel wool to polish it up.
.jpg) |
| Stunning views from one more story up |
Another funeral today. The roofer
and his gang had to completely desert the square - crane, truck, skip and all,
so they missed part of the day’s work. While they were away for lunch (lunch is
a big thing – you don’t just snatch a sandwich on the job) we went up to the
roof to see what was going on. What a revelation! The attic room above starts
at about 2.4m at the back and slopes away to 0.5m with some tiny quatrefoil
window/vents, so the front edge is about thigh-height. At the moment it is
completely open to the sky, and the views are superb. It will be such a waste
with the roof going back on as it makes a perfect outdoor eyrie. Our place is
lovely, but it does make us realise what it is missing.
Our main room is beginning to
take shape with the windows almost done. I’ve hung our big Céret photo montage
over the fireplace.
