Ladies and gentlemen I give you, 'les poutres'

The new beams are in! Well, okay they're placed but not completely secured. Today the 'boys, aka Seb and my father-in-law, are mixing concrete to secure their placement. Exciting!! The next step will be to put the ceiling boards back. So, that's where we are on the workfront.

We were very ambitious thinking we'd install the new toilet in this same week. Meanwhile, the 'boys' tore out the other toilet stall, graciously leaving the lone toilet and no sink. See the trouble is that's the ONLY toilet in the house. It's just temporary of course, (common phrase 'round these parts) but it will be fun brushing our teeth in the shower and cowering behind that one tiny wall for privacy. So yes, camping with a mortgage but in this case camping is probably better.



And as for the real camping this week, we ended up back home on Monday night. The little mobile homes in the campground are cute, clean and well equipped but we decided we missed our bed so we came home. My mother-in-law wasn't very happy about our decision, but we're sleeping in a very quartered off portion of our house, completely protected from dust. Best of all we're in our own bed where we all can sleep better. We're especially doing this for Baby S, whose new name is 'Travelin Baby S' because the little guy has been on the road for over a week now traveling between Annecy, the campground and home. He nearly earned the Grumpy Baby of the Year Award at the GB Awards, but was beat out at the last minute by another even grumpier baby who obviously travels much more often and lives in an even dustier house. Our poor lamb is long overdue for the baby version of a tropical vacation.

So, baby S's routine during the day this week is that we let him sleep as long as he can in the morning, and miraculously he somehow does. He sleeps through buzzing saws and crashing rocks and above all my father-in-law's animated voice (perpetually enthusiastic, the man is incapable of talking in a tone any lower than a shout). At a lazy 10 o'clock he's shuttled off with his very concerned grandmother to the mobile home in the campground where she spoils him all morning with cuddles and strolls in the park. We should be so lucky to have such a routine!