After we got back from our lovely holiday, the work progressed at a steady pace. We put a wall up around the front end of the property, the only part which wasn't enclosed, and had a new front gate for the driveway. Winter was fast approaching and the days were getting shorter. One of the first important things to do in the gite was to get the windows installed, this was particularly difficult as the walls were 50cm thick. Then we could install the windows. The double doors leading to the garden and the front door were easier as there were already openings. We don't often get snow here, but this year we did and managed to get the doors and window in before it turned too cold.
I was still working at the Hotel, and despite asking my boss for less evening work, which was feasible as me and the other guys had worked it out, it became more and more frequent. I hardly saw the children, and when I did I was too tired to do anything with them. The men were very tired too working all hours, but we had a deadline to meet if we wanted to get any summer bookings for the next year, and there was still so much more to do. We had decided that the works needed to be finished for the beginning of June at the very latest so that we could begin advertising as soon as the furniture went in. But that also meant the swimming pool had to be built too, and we were building it ourselves. Once the windows and doors were in and the ceiling insulated and boarded, and the exposed beams pressure washed, it didn't look like a barn any more. Our cowshed was beginning to look like a holiday home....
