New Shoots

This year's Easter visit was later than previous years so the weather was somewhat better. Mild and warm with some sunshine but with showers as well. Unfortunately Laura was unable to accompany me so I was on my own for a couple of weeks.

I needed time to recuperate as I have been working part time, three days a week in a Pupil Reintegration Centre in the West Midlands are of the UK. The PRU as it is known is a centre for pupils who have been excluded permanently from school, mostly for violent and continual disruptive behaviour. The work is challenging to say the least even thought the groups are small there are some very disturbed young people at this centre. Many will be returned to scholls but some will be educated permanently at such a centre with little hope of gaining many meaningful qualifications. I may give a run down on this work in future.

At Kerverbel though I managed to clear the essential garden maintenance quite quickly for once as it was'nt as overgrown as I feared, it should not be quite so bad next visit.

I managed finally to clear all of the wire mesh from the ceiling beams of the barn. This 'chicken wire' had been used to support the insulating straw which we cleared last year. The mesh had been nailed above the beams (there is no upper floor boarding) and the rusty, bent over nails were quite a pig to remove. A crowbar and claw hammer finally managed the job but I had to avoid the rusty barbed wire, strands of which were used below the mesh to reinforce it. The next job is to make temporary repairs to the missing slates in order to waterproof the roofs of the 'Cider House' and Barn before too much permanenet damage is done.

The Iveco managed well carrying equipment and tools faithfully. In addition it appears to be more economical than the LDV.

Still no broadband though which makes communication more difficult. The French government keeps making promises about when it will be available but we are still waiting, we will probably have microwave or satellite connection, I just hope that it is subsidised. A dial up connection now seems about as fast as snail mail now that we have become so accustomed to ADSL back in the village at home in the UK. Fortunately at home we have a phone package which allows us to make free calls abroad so Laura is able to phone me as often and as long as she likes, at least at the weekend and evenings. Thank goodness for TalkTalk!