Bob the Builder - can he fix it?

Has it really been over one month since I last tapped the key board and updated Perigord Vacance?

It is certainly not down to laziness because I have been doing plenty of other things and maybe it reflects the stage we are now at here in our farm house.

When things were moving at a pace and we were captivated by the excitement of the deadlines, I felt there was something of interest to keep readers popping back.

However, I am sure that no one wanted to hear what toothpaste we used and how many times a day we passed wind so the posts died down again.

I suppose that we are now comfortable, working and 'living the dream' so in a way, we have achieved the goal and maybe this blog will find another direction. It has served us rather well and has proved a rather useful tool for some out you that have found it.

I know that I have missed a great opportunity in creating an excellent resource for anyone wanting to start a new life and is looking for information.

I could have put up more pages with links to French departments, building resources, swimming pool information, schools and telephone suppliers etc etc but what I have gleaned, and I don't mean to sound conceited here, is that the people who have contacted us have found a certain inspiration from our project.

We have had a lot of highs and lows and tried to share them all, warts and all.

The sink is in

Anyway, back to the sink - it is now installed after the trials and tribulations. Castorama in Agen has not been easy to deal with. We ordered the sink on the 8th February and did not pick it up until the 24th March.

Whilst we were in the store on Easter Monday, Neil Morrisey, of 'Bob the Builder' and of Men Behaving Badly fame, was shopping for home improvement items with his partner.

It is amazing how many 'celebrities' have homes close by. Jimmy Hill has a house near St Vivien and I have seen Chris Packam at Bergerac and recently travelled on the same flight with Sally Taylor from BBC South Today back to Southampton.

Anyway, I digress, - we are absolutely delighted, despite the sleepless nights and anxiety about cutting into the oak surface, that the sink is in it and looks stunning.

Having never done this before I took advice from a couple of friends and cut a template from thin plywood (This has to be done by turning the sink upside down). I then transferred this to the surface and pencilled in the shape.

I then cut well within the markings with my jigsaw and, using clamps and a straight edge, cleaned up the rough cut with my router.

I then placed the sink through the opening from the top (only because I did not have the space from underneath) and secured it with two braces secured against the internal walls.

I then cut separate borders so that the we could 'oversail' the ceramic edges and give the appearance that the sink has been offered up from underneath.

What is also achieved this way, and I think is an important detail, is having a contra direction and contrasting direction with the grain of the wood - I hope you can pick this out in the photo (click to enlarge).

I just need to sort out the taps and the water connection with the drainage and we are away.