(No) Chaos at the Chateau!!

Pigeonnier - another gite ;)

2007-04-04T21:50:00.000+02:00

Well at last, what we have previously been describing as a “romantic folly” (the old tumbled down ruin fenced off behind the sandpit) has been de-ruined!

It’s been a long term plan to restore the pigeonnier, for no other reason than it needed doing, but as it wasn’t high on the “to-do” list it hasn’t got done, until now.

It’s hard to justify restoring a building that will be no more than a shed (or a little menagerie for some birds was a plan) but looking at it everyday got the better of me.

I have been building the walls back up (when I had some free time) on and off for the last 6 months.

We had a cold snap at the start of March, and this was my chance to lock myself in my workshop with my new Jet supersaw and get whittling.

Fortunately there are loads of examples of pigeonniers within 5 km of here, so before I started, off I went with my digital camera and sketchpad to work out the design details.

Although there is a huge variation in roof pitch, height, angle of “skirt” etc. The joinery techniques internally, are all remarkably similar. What at first seems a tremendous load of over–engineering and messing about, gradually starts to make perfect sense once you build one!

Thought I would post some pictures of the tower all naked, before I start tiling – more pics to come when I have finished

Chaos at the Chateau

2007-03-29T17:18:00.000+02:00

Spring has arrived at sunny Chateau de Gurat. Saturday is market day in Villebois-Lavalette, it's when everyone from the surrounding area has a chance to get together and say bonjour. Less of a shopping frenzy and more of a social get together.

In the spring the "chicken man" comes to market with his live chickens. People come from miles around with their cars full of little wooden cages for their new purchases.

We have been meaning to get some chickens since day one, and today was the perfect opportunity, unfortunately we didn't have any little wooden boxes, or (more importantly) anywhere to house then when we got home!

So, 1st priority of the day - BUILD A CHICKEN HOUSE!

Nicki and the kids love then, so I imagine that there will become family members, rather than meat for the pot <sigh>

To Do.... Done!

2007-03-28T21:47:00.000+02:00

Woohoo!

That's another one off the list, finally got the blog off the ground (well to be honest, I did do one ages ago, but it was quite frankly.. pants)

Welcome!

2007-03-28T10:17:00.001+02:00

Hi.

Welcome to the Chateau de Gurat blog. The aim of this site is to enable us to share information / opinions about anything we want to!!! If you want information about our Self catering gites in Charente visit our main web site