One Year on

We've been over here for more than a year now, so it seems like a good time to review how things have gone so far.

At le banque de cheval noir we used to have something called Balanced Score Cards, where you had to come up with objectives and targets to work towards and then, at the end of every year, the bank would move the goal posts, so that you couldn't get a pay rise, or get stitched up even worse than that. This was such a good motivational tool that I left.

However, as this is the only sort of review that I know, I am going to use it here.

Financial planning

So far we haven't done a Viv Nicholson and blown all of our cash at once. We may have overspent a bit on the pool, and I didn't allow for all the tools that I would have to buy. It would have been a bit different if Saints could take penalties, as I would have easily spent a grand going to the play-off final.

Next year, we might even raise our wine limit to €3.50 a bottle!

Verdict : Met Expectations

Entertainment

We hoped to see at least one band this year and we've ended up seeing about 20! Not only that, but we saw one of the best live bands of the year, Arcade Fire, some old favorites like Queens of the Stone Age and Hives, Editors and Maximo Park as well as loads of new bands, Art Brut, LCD Sound System, TV on the Radio and Cold War Kids.

The highlight though had to be not only seeing the Mercury Prize winners (Klaxons) twice, but also seeing the bass player shatter his ankle stage diving! That being said, it would be even better to see Mobo winner Amy Whinehouse being thrown off stage/ into rehab again ...

Vedict: Exceeded Expectations

Garden

It has been a bad year everywhere for tomatoes and spuds, and our tiny veg plot has been no different. I didn't know what the difference was between seed potatoes and ordinary spuds, so I planted three that had started sprouting, and duly got back about five spuds 3 months later!

We have had more success with our courgettes and our pumpkin plant is taking over the world.

We have also had more success landscaping the garden, with two new rockeries both surviving ( the nurseries over here must be good, as we normally kill everything. The grass is growing back by the pool, thanks to hard work by Tina and my Mum and Dad, and Tina is also winning her battle with the hedges.

Verdict: Met Expectations

New Skills

We are learning more and more each week.

Horticulture, where not to plant tomatoes, how much room courgette plants need, how to move tomato plants away from the courgette plants.

Tina is a master at pointing now, so much so that she has even been asked to do some repointing at a friends house.

am now qualified as an electrician, and have installed a working consumer unit and supply for the pool, as well as building all of the circuits in the barn.

We've also tried our hand at dry lining, hanging wooden joists, fitting false ceilings and stone masonry.

Next up is carpentry. We've already fitted some new window ledges and trims and we're now thinking of building our own furniture !

Building

We had hoped to have finished the new lounge by now, but it is a bit behind schedule, what with time out for visitors, Rock Festivals, gardening and building the pool patio.

That said, it is really taking shape. This is what it looked like before we started.

And this is what it looked like in September

Verdict : Behind schedule, but we don't have to keep to other people stupid deadlines any more, so we say Exceeded Expectations.