Page 330 - Demo

326one third over the living area. When I got to the living area end I was quite expert and I also bought a large tarpaulin to cover the roof if it rained, which luckily it seldom did.Putting the tiles back was a bit of a problem. Between each ridge tile in this area the French cemented what they called a pigeon. So instead of the ridge being smooth, it was made up of cemented pointing bits between each ridge tile. I made a mould and created the pigeons with a stiff cement mix in their fashion, but I could only reach so far along the ridge to take the mould down once it had set. This limited me to about 4 ridge tile lengths each day which was probably enough anyway. The velux windows that I wanted in the front were easy enough to fit in although I did have to reposition the joists to get them to fit. However, the lucerne windows in the back were a bit more of a problem. I had the frames made out of oak by a local joiner in kit form. My plan was to assemble them and then position them on the roof, but they were way too heavy. I had to position the upright bits and then try and hold them steady with clamps and things while I got the top horizontal piece in place. It was hard work balancing on the roof while doing so. I had decided to use new tile at the back which were easier to fit but I wanted the front of the house to look as it had, more or less.I did work hard at the roof, but also found time to do a bit of gardening. I made a bit of a vegetable plot and also a flower bed at the back of the house. We had allowed Pierre to keep his sheep in our field but now started to cultivate it. I looked at various ways of cutting the grass and eventually bought a lawnmower that I am still using today. The problem with the sheep was that they attracted flies, and these were a huge problem in the summer. You could not put a beer glass down without it collecting flies. We tried lots of things to keep them down but with little effect. We used a chain curtain over the doorway to help keep them out