In Canada

We started with two day's visit to Paris (fabulous) where we stayed in a studio (very small but he did give us a bottle of wine) in the 15th arrondissement which was very good. First afternoon we headed for the Bibliotheque Nationale which has four huge towers, supposedly like open books but as we dashed for cover from a thunderstorm we saw that it was built around a huge (about two football pitches) with fully grown pines and birches. Ate heartily at La Cantine des Tontons.

Next day a cruise on the Seine, a great Thai lunch and found the Picasso museum closed for refurbishment so went to the museum of the history of Paris where we saw Proust's bedroom (amongst other interesting things). 

A wander through the Jardin des plantes brought us to a Bryony!

The flight to Montreal with Corsair was fine, better than our last two Lufthansa experiences. Had forgotten that Montreal was the world's second largest French-speaking city so everything in French, but that's OK. Also, no leaves on the trees yet, it's just the end of winter!  And we've just left summer in France!

Very different from Paris with more litter and people begging on the street, but also a wider range of ethnic restaurants, little wine (too cold) and lots of beers. Like in the USA prices are before taxes and tipping is obligatory.

The hostel we're in did a guided walk around the old town then we headed for the hill (233m) of Mont Royal with great views over the city.

Managed to get two tickets for Cirque du Soleil's new show called Kurios which was stunning, especially as Montreal is their home.

Saturday was rain so we planned two museums but only managed one - just too much to see at the Musee de Beaux Arts. Then train to Ottawa where we are sitting in our one-bedroom suite. Conference for Chris today (Sunday). Walking tour and orientation for J.

Nearly there!

So March and April have been busy around the house.  The jointeur took longer than expected to finish all the joints (we reckon a plaster skim coat is much more sensible) 

but that gave us the chance to work outside tidying up the trees (hazel) in the hedge that we started to do last summer.  That's done now and hopefully will just grow for the next few years.

Then we took advantage of the gap to make a dash to the UK to empty the last things from our house in Yelverton which we are fairly sure is sold.  So hired a van, spent the day driving to Caen, overnight to Portsmouth, drive to Yelverton, load up, overnight to Roscoff, drive back next day!  Nicky and Glyn were staying with his parents in Bere Ferrers so they came to help us move stuff (well, Glyn did) which was a great help and it was good to see them all if only fleetingly.

We then spent 4 days painting the big room downstairs, two undercoats and two top-coats of about 170 square metres each - ouch!

But it looks great and the next week we laid the floor (bamboo planks).  Monday we got the first four rows straight and let the glue dry.

Tuesday we laid 13 more, Wednesday only ten because there was a tricky doorway, then finished Thursday with another tricky doorway.

Couldn't do it all because we had had to cut a channel in the floor for the external air supply for the wood-burner.  As we didn't know which one we were going to have we didn't know where to put the hole.  But all sorted now and we'll wait for the replacement bit of floor screed to be properly dry (in May) before we finish off the floor.

We have the floor all down in the kitchen bit so we went to IKEA in Bordeaux to order our kitchen.  That will be delivered on 26th May just after we get back from Canada then it's a week or two of flat-packs.  We have a carpenter friend who will come and help us, especially fitting the worktop, but who knows how that will go?!

The journey to Bordeaux wasn't just for the kitchen as our friend Denise from Cottenham flew in that day to stay for a week, so we've been doing touristy things with her and just bits of work on the house. Her first day was spent on a walking treasure-hunt organised by the Condom walking club.

 About 150 people on the walk and at the lunch which still hadn't quite finished when we left at about 4pm.

Monday we dined with our friend Helene in Condom, then Tuesday we had to go to Agen to collect the wood-burner.  Wednesday we walked to Fources for lunch through great spring-time countryside.

When we got there we discovered that the auberge was fully booked - how dare they!  Fortunately we had arranged to meet friends there and so they drove us back to Montreal where we ate at the restaurant in the square which is under new management and has had a complete re-fit.  The food is good too.

Friday night we dined with friends from the Montreal walkers and helped plan a couple of walks.

We finally got the lights installed in the big room, quite complicated but it looks great.  We bought the ceiling lights ages ago and couldn't really remember what they looked like, but we're still very happy with them.

We've been without lights in the big room since we moved in in October 2011, so this was quite an event!

Have been tidying up the garden so it doesn't look too awful while we're away in Canada.  Leaving here on 22nd April, two night in Paris, fly to Montreal (not the one we live in, obviously!) for three nights then Ottawa for a conference.  Then three weeks of travel and, no doubt, more blog posts!

Baby Bryony is growing well and Nicky seems to be surviving her first shift alone while Glyn is back at sea.  Donna is booked to come here in early June so life goes on apace!