Modest progress

We expect the plumber here on Wednesday, and the builder seems able to meet our neighbour's availability next month.  Unfortunately - well, it's maybe just as well - I have a two day event at the unmentionable hobby while the chipping and pointing is due to be done, so won't be able to supervise.  Still, I've seen our Pierre at work, and am confident.  The said Pierre has also salvaged a bit of stainless steel deck plating which he's going to cut down and fit in place of the broken heavy slab that covers the water meter trap.  Each year it has been getting more difficult to lift, and less good at keeping the weather out of the 'ole.  As for the plumbing, we took a ride down to Rivesaltes on Friday, returning with a brace of matching chiottes (see above) to replace the rusty, cracked, badly installed ditto that I bought with the house - getting on for 15 years ago, when I regarded their replacement as a priority.  A glance at the photo perhaps confirms that we were wise not to go for the sporty little convertible.

Another purchase in Rivesaltes was a robust weeding fork.  I have hoiked out a sackful of weeds from the tiny bed under the dining room window, and could barely carry it along to the poubelles afterwards.  The mint has failed to assert itself over the weeds, but I've planted a few bits out the length of the bed, and we'll see what happens.  The beds were full of mint back in 1998, but periwinkle (vinca major) seems to have the upper hand in the bed to the right of the door.  The weeds will be back within a month, but with unlearning optimism, we've planted some sage, dill and a bit more mint, and sown eschscholtzia seeds.  We gather from the chap we bought the herbs from yesterday in the brocante up on the Prom that this is being a particularly weedy year because of the wet spring.  I'd mentioned the wild flowers.  We've never seen them better.