Thursday to Monday 4-8 June 2026

There were about 20 planks left from the old woodshed, so we made a kindling box. There was one screw left and a few split and broken half planks. A complete recycling of all the old corrugated iron, zinc-aluminum roofing and timber planking.

Sunday and we are still putting final touches to the project but it is nice and hot again. After our wonderful feed of Ill d’Oleron oysters last week, we decided to get some moules from the marche. They were small compared with NZ or Tasy mussels, but they were clean and fresh. Will a kg do? Give it a try.

Well, sweated leek, lots of garlic, some vermouth, a little Chardonnay, some parsley and chives from our kitchen garden, oh and butter of course. A squeeze of fresh lemon and steam the little beauties. Consumed with the remaining Chardonnay and a fresh, buttered baguette to mop up the sauce. Happy campers! Some in the party suggested that mayonnaise and frites would be good. They sure would have but we’re doing it French style not Belgium. Alas, no frites. Oh, and a kilo for two was just perfect.

We bought another gigantic steak from Intermarche. Bone-on rib. Over 2 kg and only 22€.  Flashy broke it down to 2 massive steaks and the rest went into a curry. Pataks curry paste, onions, capsicum, beetroot relish, tomato paste and a big spoon of honey. Slow cooked for 6 hours. Sauce reduced a bit and Jasmin rice. The knife work was the only thing French about this meal.

The builders are here again. The slab work and foundations are pretty extreme. A 400 x 400 reinforced trench to take the reinforced 600x300 foundation concrete blocks creating an enclosure for the steel reinforcing for the actual slab. You could build the Eifel Tower on these foundations.

Old shed gone.
A good bit of steak right there!

new shed


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