28 Sept 2008 painting

The day dawns sunny so I get the washing done and hung out. Feeling a bit better than yesterday so I start putting paper round the beams in the bathroom ready for painting the ceiling and walls this afternoon, and putting paper on the floor to protect the new tiles.
I have been clever and bought monocouche bathroom / kitchen paint. One coat paint. The tub feels a bit light and when I open it that is because it is only half full. S tells me on the phone later that this is because the French like to add water to their paint. I stir the paint as per instructions and apply it using a brush and a roller. This paint is like plastic. It quickly dries on the brush making for a nice streaky effect. The roller too leaves a disappointing finish. One coat is definitely not going to be enough.
The paint makes me want to throw up, so I open a window in the bedroom and things settle down a bit. It shouldn’t be a long job, but I am only running at 40% capacity by the time I finish about an hour later. It is only a small room and mostly tiled to between 5 and 6 feet high, but the beams are a real nuisance.
Tomorrow will have to do for the second coat.
Unfortunately I have not been to go to Lavelanet to help celebrate the nut fair. Still, one less nut won’t be missed.
I think there was a celebration of the potato somewhere a few weeks ago. It is also the time for the transhumance to start. That is when the livestock, probably mostly sheep, are moved from the low pastures to the high in Spring and vice versa in the Autumn. In many villages you can accompany the shepherd and his flock as they set off. Sometimes there is a communal meal as well.