April at number 42
…I’ve been up a ladder cleaning the facade. Up a very tall ladder-and it was incredibly frightening. Between not falling off and holding the power-washer gun (big and heavy) with one hand/arm, I’m exhausted.
The garden is gearing up for spring. Some of what I planted last year is coming up nicely. I just love these flowers, but I can’t remember what they’re called.
Things are also starting to pop up in the greenhouse. That’s baby bok-choy.
And the camellias continue to flower furiously
…I’ve also power washed the garage which was nearly black. It looks like a cute little orangery.
And I still haven’t decided what to do with the old chicken coop. Suggestions are appreciated.
My Mazamet 
One word for you: scaffolding.
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Later on we’re have the house re-surfaced, so my ladder adventures are over for now!
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I would say health and safety.
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Okay, four words then:
Scaffolding = Heath and Safety 😉
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Agreed.
The brother may not have won face masks, working without gloves and other necessary PPE.
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Worn*
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Since when did architects get concerned with the wellbeing of the builders? 😉
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All the time. Anytime I go to site, I stop work where I think the workmen are at risk until it is rectified.
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We need more of you, my friend.
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I refuse to climb ladders these days having fallen off or been left stranded holding a gutter more than I care to remember.
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…and it was actually *my* insane idea.
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Oh, the coop? Retirement Home for fowl-tempered birds?
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I like the idea of retirement home for old chooks. Give some rescued battery hens a new lease on life?
As for the ladder situation I’ll just say the same to you as I do to the Man of the House when he starts getting organised to do something like that, “Is your life insurance sorted? Yes? Good. Let me hold the ladder for you…” Pretty much always scares him out of it.
Ladders are dangerous things, you probably won’t die if you fall, but when your head hits the ground… Multiple sad face 😦
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Ha! I asked Mike if it was dangerous… he said *no, not at all!*
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he lied my friend
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Did you peer into a window while you were perched precariously out there? Was Mike inside tapping away frantically on the computer adding an extra zero onto your life insurance policy???
I don’t know if he lied makagutu, perhaps Pink was too high up to hear the sarcasm properly… 😉
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My friends keep chickens to eat the grasshoppers and other insects that attack their garden. That way, they don’t have to use pesticides. The fresh eggs are a bonus. It’s what I would do, were circumstances to allow it.
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(Forgot to hit sub…)
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I’m not sure I trust the dogs with chickens.
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If the dogs feel ownership over the chickens, they’ll protect them, rather than eat them. After all, they are (or will be) the family chickens.
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fritillaria
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snakeshead fritillary.
Daring young devil you are, working on that ladder!
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Thank you! I’ve reached the point where I completely forget what I planted until it comes up… And then remembering the name is near impossible.
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I had to look that up. No botanist I. At first I thought you were suggesting he turn the chicken coop into a frittata stand.
The coop? – Chickens, of course. But you’ll have to pull out an old ball gown to wear when you feed them, like the late Dowager Countess of Devonshire:
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Correction: Duchess.
I know you are no fan of the aristocrazies, but she was well worth the Google. Fascinating lady and family.
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That whole family is fabulous. Including the gay one who I knew many years ago 😉
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I do believe that unknown flower is a pink flower. That’s the extent of my knowledge of flowers.
Ladders are dangerous. You deserve extra time off for risking life and limb for a clean façade.
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Ladders aren’t too dangerous as long as they are set up correctly. As a kid I painted houses for summer work and always used ladders.
The problem is that after a while you lose your fear of heights, which makes you lose your common sense and start getting sloppy.
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Just what I need, an expert! So on this setting up, what do I need to know; and how high can I go? Can I open the ladder all the way?
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The main thing is to make sure the feet are securely planted. The feet should be set away from the building 1/4 the height you have the ladder at, so if it is 12 feet, have the feet 3 from the wall.
Don’t open it all the way. It is a matter of comfort more than anything. The more open it is the more it shakes.
If you really want stability, park a car behind the base and find a way to tie down the top to the building.
Other than that, just don’t be dumb.
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No wonder you’ve been quiet lately. Just looking at that photo of the ladder makes me feel queasy. I’m with the scaffolding idea…along with a safety harness and perhaps one of those safety nets trapeze artists use…
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I always knew I was going up in the world! Not necessarily 7 metres up on a wobbly ladder, but certainly up 😀
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7 metres? It looked high but I didn’t realise you went all the way to the top. You’re mad, completely mad. 😦
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Had to. It was the only way to *sort of* clean the top half of the house. We’re only going to have it resurfaced once the apartments are done and I don’t want it looking unkempt til then 🙂
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-face palm- Unkempt? Um, months in traction would be worse, methinks. 😦
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Meeks, all I can think of is poor Molly Meldrum, and his Xmas lights were only three metres up… 😦
We’re going all mum on you now Pink, sorry about that. At least we’re too far away to see the annoyed eye roll, otherwise you’d be so grounded… 😀
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lmao – what she said, Pinky…you are SO grounded. 😀
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Yikes, that is high up. I’ve never been really comfortable at heights but as I get older I’m liking them less and less.
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You are mad to even think of using a power washing whilst up a ladder…even if you were only a few feet up. I find it hard enough to control our basic power washing when I’m on the ground. But then, along with spiders & monkeys, I also hate heights. The house looks good after your hard work, but please, take care when doing dangerous things.
I love your pink fritillaries. We used to have lots of them, & they grow very well in our heavy soil, but this year we only have some pretty pale cream ones, as I suspect the squirrels have eaten the pink ones, along with lots of other bulbs.
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I planted them last year the week we arrived (they were on sale at Aldi)- then not a single one sprouted, so I just forgot about them. Didn’t even add them to my garden map- which meant it was a great surprise.
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Ditto on the scaffolding.
1. What do you mean by resurfacing the exterior? No clue what that is or how it is done.
2. what is an orangery?
3. You can get chicked even with dogs, just get a rooster. The rooster will,protect the chickens. Say didn’t you say Mike and all your neighbors for 6 houses down like a rooster crowing at 5am every morning, LOL?
4. You mist have some ideas about the old chicken coop. Storage is nice, storage for the lawn mower and the garden tools, bicycles etc.. Do you enjoy pottery or would like to get into it? A potters shed perhaps. What does Mike like? Maybe focus on converting it to something he enjoys.
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In this part of France instead of paint buildings are coated in “enduit”. I’m not sure what the exact English translation would be, but the best way to explain it is “tinted render”. A very fine paste of cement, sand and tint which is applied to the surface of the house. The advantage is if done properly it can last many, many decades. Consider that the exterior walls of number 42 has never been painted since it was first built 😉
An orangery is where you move your citrus trees to in winter. Usually with big windows so they get sun but are protected from the frost.
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