Wood Burning Stove

We have now had the wood burning stove fitted in the living room area.  As I've mentioned before, this is not something that will be of interest to summer visitors, but will improve comfort for us in the winter months.  The chimney was originally a source of cold air when the open fire wasn't lit, and when it was, most of the heat went upwards rather than out into the room.

We did use it one evening - just getting the hang of it.  We will probably be using it properly towards the end of the year.  Will update then.

Easter at La Matha

We've just come back from Easter Weekend at La Matha.  Bits and pieces of DIY to be done, but despite working, it's always great to be out there.

One thing we were keen to see was the progress on the refurbishment of the swimming pool.  Visitors over the last couple of years will have seen the problems our pool maintainance men have had in keeping the pool clean.  They concluded that the cause was the deterioration of the surface of the lining.  We've owned La Matha eight years, and the pool had been there for at least 10 years before we bought it - the lining was getting to the end of its life.  The deterioration was allowing fungal growth, which was proving difficult to keep at bay.

In order to resolve this, the pool has been emptied, the mosaic tiles removed around the sides and the paint sanded down.  Here is a photo of the progress so far:

In the coming weeks, BLM Piscines will clean all the sand and dust, and coat it with a polyester lining.  This should last around 20 years - crystal clear water again!