Le Coteau de la Pointe, Maison Troglodyte

03/12/2024

Day 35: a quick clean-up visit. December 2, 2024

11/08/2023

Day 34: Much the same as a year ago. This time Austin, Reed and I arrived late morning on 10th August, 2023. We started to clear up. The patio first, then the ‘boys’ cut w**ds on the slope while I worked inside.
In the afternoon we toured the Chateau de Poncé sur le Loir. The grounds were lovely, and no other people there. There’s an amazing columbarium, one of the best in France.
Then we enjoyed exploring a nearby village of troglodyte dwellings called Troo.
We stayed overnight.
11th August: Amboise, La Closerie de Chanteloup, le Clos Lucé, vouvray, le Musée de Compagnonnage (Tours).

04/08/2022

Day 33: it feels longer than 14 months since our last visit. With Covid restrictions, and housing Ukrainian guests, it’s been very hard to get down here.
A recurring theme is the cleaning of the patio. This time we discovered some serious damage where a heavy vehicle has driven on, and smashed two of the pavers.
Austin came to help. We both worked together, attacking w**ds on the lower slope, cleaning the patio and sweeping and cleaning in the cave.
We are staying the night: Austin in his tent, and me on the couch. It’s 18°C inside. And it’s been 28°outside.

08/03/2021

Day 32: such a lovely day. The weather was beautiful: sunny, 10°C, and Spring bursting forth everywhere.
Olly Jones, Austin and I came for the day. A little maintenance, but mainly for a nice day out. The terrasse needed cleaning again after the autumn leaves had settled on the paving.

10/09/2020

Day 31
Looking back, I miss day 30. I wish everyone was here again today 😏
It’s been over a year! We’ve been trying to get back here for months, but with Covid and so much to do at the school, it’s been so long.
Austin and I came for the day. Our goal was to see what work needs to be done, and try to clear the undergrowth from the slope.
Both w**d whackers broke down in one way or another! So we didn’t get far with that. But we cleaned up the patio very nicely.

29/03/2020

It’s ironic that this cave would be the ideal place to self-isolate and hibernate, but we aren’t allowed to get there!!

23/01/2020

28/08/2019

Day 30 (27 August): a hot muggy day, with thundery showers. We all assembled at the cave house for a bbq. After a few hiccups, we all managed to get it together and enjoy a lovely day of together time.

21/08/2019

Day 29: next week we plan to have a family bbq here, so wanted to check all was ok. It’s interesting to me how nothing stays the same if left alone. There was rubble on the floor, the patio covered with leaves and stained, and of course, a lot of w**ds. Nothing too bad though.

23/09/2018

September 22, lovely visitors today.

18/08/2018

Day 27: en passant vers Tours. I spent a couple of hours finishing some tiling.
Not everyone can boast having a slug to match their wellies.

04/08/2018

Day 26: it’s been over a year!
Blistering hot day (92F) so I was thankful for the 59F inside the cave. The reason for the visit was to meet the technician from the electricity company so he could install the new smart meter.
First picture was ‘before’, second picture ‘after’ my clean up.

27/07/2017

Day 25: July 26. A wet day.
Flying Visit with family to see progress, have lunch and drop off a propane cooker.
Nearly got the car stuck up the lane in front of the cave.

11/07/2017

Day 24: showery day and breezy. I arrived about 8:30 am with a laden car. Brought bed frames with me.
This was the first work day visit since last summer. I was not unhappy with the state of things. I was interested in the effect of the humidity on fixtures and fittings. Not too bad.
Today I achieved my goal of covering some electric cables that run along the length of the main cave. They are now well-disguised.
I also cleaned up the patio and vegetation.
I forgot to take an 'after' photo of the patio.

12/05/2017

April 11: finished patio.

02/01/2017

Day 22: for some reason I woke before 5am. You can't see your hand in front of your face, it's SO dark!
As there was no ice on the car, I thought it would be safe to go the shortcut over the hill. On the far side I hit black ice (fortunately only doing 30mph) and the back of the car spun round 90°. And I narrowly avoided the ditch. It got better after Le Mans.
I worked hard all day on completing the floor tiling, and the teaming side of the bar, plus the inside of the bar. I didn't get these grouted though. Before leaving, I did have a chance to tidy up, and I finally feel as though the kitchen side is starting to look habitable.
It was 5°C inside the cave.

23/12/2016

Day 21: Jerry, Bethany, Olly and I went to the cave for lunch. Cave inside temperature was 7C/45F. Olly lit a fire and soon we were enjoying a hot stew (brought with us) in front of the fire. It was a quick visit just to show the kids the cave for the first time. I couldn't find the cork screw 😏, and olly was injured in the course of duty (trying to open the wine 😔).
The day was completed with a flying visit to our lovely friends in Tours. Other than Christie Nuell, they are my oldest friends (nearly 60 years👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻).

12/09/2016

I'm a very happy woman tonight!!! The half finished patio that we had to stop because a neighbor thought we needed a permit for, is actually permitted. We don't need to get permission. The show can go on. Yee Ha!