I was up early to take advantage of the cooler mornings, and after wiping the deck of the accumulated overnight dew, I finished the deflaking process, and then started washing the cabin roof with the detergent we got from Iain many years ago when I last painted Kanumbra. While I was doing this, Rita headed off to St Nicolas de la Grave to discuss gig arrangements for August 17.

In the afternoon, we got a visit from the Boiler Man from the UK who was doing a tour of France, servicing boilers on a range of barges. In Moissac, he had just done Hilda May, and now it was our turn. He spent about 90 minutes stripping it down and testing various components, and doing a final test on the composition of the flue gases to ensure there was not an over-concentration of carbon monoxide in the exhaust. He ended up providing us with a new gasket and a new combustion jet, but otherwise everything was in good order. This was not surprising since we hardly ever use the boiler down in the South over summer, but we thought it prudent to get a complete check before we head up north.

In the evening, we headed out to Puycornet for Nico & Miyu’s first big party at their house. About 40 people attended, and it was great to see that they have so many friends in the area already. We all took some time to check out Nico’s new project; the restoration of the old building which will become their temporary house while the main house is restored over the coming years. Eventually, this will become a two-story house with three bedrooms upstairs and living areas downstairs. Although there is clearly a lot of work to do, we all have faith in Nico. The view over the valley from the back of the house suggests it will be a worthwhile project. Once the main house is restored, this little house could be used as a Gite.

The stack of timber in the yard gives an idea of the style in which the little house will be developed.

Before long, the assembled musicians started to get itchy feet, and so Barnard started warming up, to the approval of the doggy guest. Soon, all the musicians were at it.

After a few rounds of drinks, it was time for the BBQ to get started, which led to the eternal question: how many Frenchmen does it take to get a BBQ fire started? After they gave up and walked away, the fire decided to start itself, which just goes to show that a watched BBQ never lights.