Season's Greetings to all our guests
Sincere thanks to everyone who stayed at La Basse-Cour in 2007. Your contributions have helped the house pay for itself, as well as fund some improvements, so we're looking forward to welcoming you - and any friends you're happy to vouch for - in 2008. Without exception everyone who has stayed has left the place clean and tidy (and probably less spider-web-y then when they arrived!), and we're very grateful for the care you showed.
This year is drawing to a close, but we're already planning next year at La Basse-Cour. The first job earmarked for David, our builder, is for the downstairs windows at the front of the house to be replaced with modern double-glazed units.
The front of the house faces south and, without the protection offered by shutters, the windows have suffered over the years. The wood is now beyond repair so will be replaced with hardwood frames similar to those in the granary.
If you've stayed at La Basse-Cour when it's windy, you will have noticed how difficult it is to keep the draughts out of the kitchen. Before the back door was replaced, Jean-Pierre remarked that all the wood burner was doing was "warming the birds". The replacement back doors made a terrific difference, but the single-glazed windows at the front of the house are still draughty if the wind is blowing and the new ones should make it even cosier in the kitchen.
The next job, when we can afford it, is to replace the front door. It's only been opened once or twice in the last seven years. It's ancient, very tired and not particularly weather-tight. In fact, you may not have noticed it at all, as all its gaps and holes are plugged and sealed and it's permanently obscured by a thick curtain. As with most houses the age of La Basse-Cour, the door is a non-standard size, so will have to be specially made, as will all but one of the window frames.
Cormolain church from the main square.
