Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym

Popped into the gym today at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool for a great leg work out, doing 6 sets of squats up to 120kg followed by a couple of sets of straight leg dead lifts to work the leg biceps.

Looking forward to my next chest work out as my shoulder is feeling so much better, just goes to show that training around and injury seems to be better than not training at all.

The gym at the Brittany holiday cottage is available to use all year.

Brittany holiday cottage with pool and gym

I stopped to speak to the guest currently staying at the Brittany holiday cottage with pool and gym yesterday and they told me they had enjoyed a great game of golf that day and the previous night had a wonderful meal at Le Cheval Blanc.



Tonight for the New year festivities they requested that I pre-book a meal at a local restaurant and they will enjoy a special set menu, drinks included at La Taverne which is located just 2 miles from the Brittany holiday cottage.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

The guest arrived yesterday at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and were welcomed with a roaring log fire on arrival.

Supplied with fire wood I talked them through how to use the wood burner and showed that with a slide of a switch the fire went from roaring down to a calm burn and back up again.

I explained that the most economical way to keep the cottage warm is to keep a fire burning slowly throughout the day, once the thick stone walls are warm the cottage retains its heat for a long time. I gave the cottage a boost at the start of the day with the central heating to make the whole process easier, the guest have said they will let me know if they need the central heating during there stay at the holiday cottage.

They have brought there golf clubs and are aiming to enjoy a few rounds of golf during there week at La Forge.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym

After a week of dieting at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym, I gained 2 lbs when I weighed myself Monday morning....not good, but then I would hate to know how many calories I ate on Christmas and Boxing day...looking at it on a positive note if I had not been dieting I might be 7 plus lbs heavier.

The diet restarted this Monday following the Christmas gluttony.

Trained chest and triceps yesterday and increased the weight I'm benching by an additional 10 kg, still my shoulder hurts but its getting better week by week.

Looking to buy some new equipment for the gym at the Brittany holiday cottage for 2011, ideally a leg curl/leg extension machine.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

Today was the clean day at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool getting La Forge ready for the arrival of the guest this evening.


The guest staying at the cottage arrived at 7pm after driving from Caen taking a Brittany ferry to cross via Portsmouth and took advantage of the 20% discount on the ferry crossing by booking La Forge.


Book La Forge or La Veille Maison and receive a 20% discount on your Brittany ferry crossing making staying at the Brittany cottage with private pool even better value for money.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

Just the other side of Chapel Nerve which is 3 minutes away from the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool lives a friend who looks after Elsa when ever I'm away and it was my turn to look after their animals today for a week while they are away.



With a dog, 2 goats, 3 hens and 3 ducks to look after I tend to be there for 45 minutes each day giving them all food, fresh water and the dog and goats some time.



As a bonus for me I get to collect all the eggs while they are away.



I will buy some new hens for the holiday cottage in February so children staying at La Forge or La Veille maison can collect fresh eggs each year. I will increase the height of the fence to prevent the birds wondering the garden as I do not want a repeat of this year losing a bird to a cat or fox.

Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool

This year at the Brittany holiday cottage with private heated swimming pool, the pool was closed at the end of October and just to finish on the jobs involved with running the pool, I'll run through how the pool is closed.



Firstly it is given a good clean, making sure if any algae is present it is wiped of the walls and then thoroughly hovered. Before this Ive timed it that the chlorine in the pool has gone and the heater has been off for a week and the temperature is around 10 degrees, I then cover the pool with the winter cover and then introduce a double dose of Chlorine tablets to kill any thing that's present in the water.



The pump is then just put on a timer to run between 12am - 7am taking advantage of cheaper electricity then a few weeks later i reduce it further down to just 4 hours per day.



That's it, very straight forward and when the pool is opened in March ready for the start of the swimming pool season its crystal clear.



The heater is switched on 2 weeks before the start of April or my first booking at La Forge.

The swimming pool is open between April and September at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool but can be extended into October if requested.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

As it was boxing day at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool today it was time to cook the turkey.

Last year at the holiday cottage I ate one of the chickens I had, but cooked it the same as shop bought only to find because it was not full of water and was very lean I over cooked it. With that in mind I slow cooked the Turkey at just 200 degrees for 3 hours, basting every 30 min, it was covered in bacon and for the first 2 hours was also covered with foil.

The bird was smaller than i hoped once all the feathers were taken off and weighed only 6 lbs, it was cooked to perfection and tasted wonderful,very different from any I have bought in the shops before. It looked and tasted very much like a game bird.

Next Christmas I am offering a complimentary Turkey for anyone booking the Brittany holiday cottage with pool over the Christmas week period.

Brittany holiday cottage with private heated pool

I have just got back too the Brittany holiday cottage with private heated pool after spending a wonderful Christmas day at friends living just the other side of Baud.

We had a spectacular Christmas feast with the table full of food, finished with several deserts and Christmas cake, its on days like this, that makes you realize how lucky you are to have such good friends.

I'm home now with the fire lit in La Veille Maison, feeling very stuffed watching ' Murder on the orient express'.

La Forge is available to rent all year.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

Its Christmas morning at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all past guest staying at La Forge a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

I'm looking forward to greeting the new guest that arrive next week to see in the New year in France at La Forge and the new season ahead.

La Forge is currently booked for 4 weeks next year which at this point was the same as last year , we then went on to achieve our highest level of bookings of 21 weeks for 2010.

The Brittany holiday cottage is available to rent all year and we do provide special long tern rental rates in the low season for those wishing to stay longer than 2 weeks.

Brittany holiday cottage with heated pool and gym

Its Christmas eve at the Brittany holiday cottage with heated pool and gym and as the shops will be closed tomorrow and Sunday I popped down to the local Carrefour in Baud to stock up on last minute bits for the festive season.

It was really enjoyable walking around the super market seeing all the festive delights tempting people to over indulge over the weekend.

La Forge is available to rent all year and we offer a special deal if you book the 2 weeks to see in the new year as well as for Christmas.

Book Christmas 2011 at the Brittany holiday cottage for 2 weeks and recieve a complimentary free range turkey as well as a 20% discount on your Brittany Ferry crossing.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym

After a days rest I will hit the gym again today at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool, it feels great to be back into a regular routine.

The diet is going well, although I did slip up yesterday, hopefully one day will not make a big difference on this weeks results, I will weigh myself Monday morning. My starting weight at the beginning of the week was 16st 10lbs.

My upper body is feeling nice and sore this morning after the 2 upper body work outs this week and my arms feel nice, full and tight.

I'll do 6 sets of squats today followed by 3 sets of straight leg dead lifts for my leg biceps, very light.

As its a bright sunny day at the Brittany holiday cottage I'll train around 3 pm so the gym will be warm and I would have had sufficient food in my system to give me the energy to train. Ive never had good weight work outs in the morning, I always feel so much stronger after a day of eating by the evening.

Brittany holiday cottage with heated pool

With just 2 days to go before Christmas at the Brittany holiday cottage with heated pool the time had come to dispatch the Turkey, its a job that I never relish and always get upset afterwards, but at least I know it was quick and the Turkey had a good life being free range and enjoyed a good diet.

This part of having birds is all part of rural French living in my mind and its the same as growing your own veg, planting fruit trees and becoming more organic. All of which I do.

Next season my intention is to buy 3 hens for eggs for the children staying at the holiday cottage to enjoy and 2 turkeys, one for my Christmas next year and the other to gift anyone booking La Forge for the 2 weeks at Christmas next year.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

With a bright sunny day here at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool I decided to spend a little time in the garden clearing up and then popped along to Pontivey this afternoon to visit a friend in hospital there.

Its the first time I have been to the hospital and it was very easy to find with good car parking, my friend said the difference he see's in comparison to hospitals in the UK is in France if your not well they keep you in and don't send you home until they are sure your well, unlike the UK where it seems the idea is to empty the bed as soon as possible, that's assuming your given a bed in the first place back in the UK.

Pontivey is just a 20 minute drive from the Brittany holiday cottage.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym

After finishing the decorating in the twin bedroom of the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym I decided to venture back into the gym again.

Back and Biceps tonight, did 5 sets of wide grip pull downs up to 80kg using a 60 inch bar behind the neck, followed with 5 sets of slightly narrower grip, front pull downs with 100 kg on the machine.

It felt great getting back into a split routine system this week, allowing more effort for each muscle group, then went onto just 5 sets of alternate dumbbell curls.

The diet is going well having eaten under 1800 calories each day this week, my stomach feels less bloated already, judging by the amount of food I am eating now, I guess although just eating good food Ive been eating around 3000-3500 calories per day.

I'll just diet and do the gym work for now and start the cardio in the new year. I'm currently 16st 10lbs, I need to get down too 12 1/2 stone by September.

The gym at La Forge is open all year for guest to train.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym

Despite the shoulder injuring still giving me jip I decided to pop in to the gym at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool this evening to train chest and triceps.

Its the first session that Ive split in the last 5 weeks and will recommence training 3 different workouts from now onwards. The diet started yesterday and Ive started writing down every thing I consume throughout the day eating 1850 calories yesterday over 4 meals, I went to bed at 12pm and was a little hungry, I guess my stomach needs to shrink down.

I thought it prudent to start the diet before Christmas to stop me piling on more weight and to make the whole process of loosing the 4 stone easier for September.

The training session this evening was short and sweet and I could only bench press 60 kgs, but it was good to get back into the gym tonight.

The gym at the Brittany holiday cottage is available for all guest to use.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

With just over a week before the next guest arrive at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool I finished painting the ceiling of the twin bedroom today.

It's the final room of La Forge to be decorated as the whole house now has been painted and refreshed over the last 12 months. The most important part of running the holiday cottage for me is making sure its clean and presentable at all times so I'm always checking the walls in between guest stays to see if they need sprucing up due to scuff marks.

La Forge has now been booked for 21 weeks this year a new personal best, increasing occupancy each year, my goal is to hit the magical 25 weeks booked for next year.

The holiday cottage is available to rent all year.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

If you enjoy kite flying you would have been in your element today at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool with strong winds through out the day.

Down on the coast you can find kite boarding and kite buggy's zooming along the beaches or surf especially along the rugged coast towards Quiberon.

The Brittany holiday cottage with private pool has something for every one.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

Well I managed to get up at 7 am this morning at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool with the determination to get down to Etel for a look at whats taking the bait.

With 8 layers on my upper body and 4 on my legs I felt confident I would be really snug no matter how cold it got down on the coast. I drove to Vannes first and popped into Decathalon with the aim of getting some rag worm, what a waisted trip that was, just 1 box of large worms left and when opened it looked like the dead had been removed and what was left was half a dozen worms at the outrageous cost of 5.50 euros. You would think if they had removed the dead and were aware it was short the price would have been reduced, but no, so I left without the worms with just the mackerel for bait.

I arrived at Etel at 10.30 and was pleased to see no one else was fishing and the sea wall had been reinforced creating a shelter out of the wind for me, high tide was at 3pm and the coefficient was 57.

I fished one rod out in the main channel about 100 meters out and fished the other only 20-30 meters out.

The sea was rough and the waves high, I had to keep my rods up high to reduce wave motion rather than my preferred set up of having my rods low and parallel with the shore.

I guess it does not matter how many layers you have on if you get wet, you just cant keep the cold out and with heavy rain all morning I was drenched and cold for most of the trip and by high tide and no bites I packed up. If only I had some worms....that's what I kept telling myself.

Etel is just a 30 min drive from the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and is just one of many great looking fishing locations.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

With out the rag worms I could not motivate myself to get up early this morning and now regret the decision as its a beautiful day at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool.

So its mackerel for lunch today, the bait I had bought to use today.

It all comes down to confidence, I have always caught fish when Ive used worms and although a bright sunny day I know that it will be freezing on the beach and for me to suffer the cold I want to have the best chance of catching.

I will have another attempt next week at going fishing and try to buy the worms the day before or on the day if its a later high tide.

I have found some lovely places to fish from the beach near the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and will be happy to assist to help guest achieve tight lines.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

Just 25 min away from the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool is the coast and looking at the time tables for this week tomorrow is an ideal day to pop down to Etel to fish. High tide is at 2pm with a coefficient of just 44, so it won't be a repeat of my last trip with a coefficient of 112 that caused us not to fish for the main part because the water was running to fast.

The nearest Decathlon store is in Lorient just 25 miles from la Forge and I pooped along this afternoon to buy the rag worm. As soon as I opened the fridge door in the store I knew there was going to be a problem, on inspection of just the 4 boxes of small rag left, all the worms were dead and looked a mess. The shop also had 3 boxes of large worms and they were alive and looked ok but at 5.50 euros a box are very expensive and from past experience are not good value for money, I'm able to get more full hooks of worms using the smaller worms buy buying 4 boxes at 4 euros each rather than 3 boxes of the large.

With the worms being rather disappointing I left with just a few items of tackle and opted to buy a couple of fresh mackerel instead at the local super market for just 2 euro's.

If I can get up early enough I might have a go at digging for a few fresh worms at low tide.

I am eager to fish tomorrow as I am normally not in France during December and am looking forward to finding out what fish are around for me to catch.

All types of fishing can be found around the local area of the Brittany holiday cottage be it; course, game or sea fishing.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

This year we have guest staying at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool from 28th December to celebrate the new year in Brittany and to enjoy the French festivities.

Unfortunately Le Cheval Blanc was fully booked for the 31st but La Taverne restaurant which is just 2 miles from la Forge is still available offering a set menu inclusive of drinks for just 62 euros per person. The evening starts at 8.30 and finishes at 2 am to see in the new year and being only 2 miles from the Brittany holiday cottage it is possible to walk back after a great night out.

We still have the week available to celebrate Christmas at La Forge, decorated for the festive season if you book the week.

Brittany holiday cottage with private swimming pool

I have been running the Brittany holiday cottage with private swimming pool now for 5 seasons and each year its been a great experience, meeting new guest and making new friends.

Each year the bookings have increased with a new record for this year having reached 21 weeks booked, the average holiday cottage has between 10 - 12 weeks, so La Forge is doing extremely well.

Why do i think its doing well, well firstly I think because its a beautiful property to start with in a wonderful location, I fell in love with La Forge and La Veille Maison as soon I walked through the doors. I think another reason why its doing so well is because each year I make improvements to the house, the garden and its facilities.

I think if your proud about your service then it shows and people pick up on this and hence book.

I always listen to every guest staying at the holiday cottage and if I ever hear a good way to make an improvement then I always implement the idea.

This year a larger television has been installed in the cottage, a new terrace layed around the swimming pool, new exotic plants introduced in the garden and bedrooms redecorated.

My aim is simple to make sure every guest that stays at La Forge has a wonderful holiday and enjoys the best that Brittany has to offer.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

I woke up today to see a crisp frost on the ground at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and as I went out to feed the turkey was delighted to see a clear blue sky and the sun shining brightly.

Its my first December in France and its been a lot warmer than I was expecting reaching day time temperatures of 9 degrees which is great in comparison to the freezing conditions currently being enjoyed in the UK.

The holiday cottage is available to rent all year and I am looking forward to greeting the next guest arriving at La Forge on the 28th December.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

With just the turkey left at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool looking after the bird is no trouble at all. I don't even shut the bird away each night because it roosts up a tree above the chicken run, all I do is provide fresh food and water each day.

The only concern I do have is cats coming into the garden, as I lost a chicken to some kind of animal in November, the good news is that the Turkey is quite vocal and on 2 separate occasions has called out if a cat was around. I let the dog out and she chases it away.

Next February I will buy 3 new chickens and 2 turkeys at the local Saturday market in Baud so that children staying at the holiday cottage can collect eggs each day during there holiday and 1 turkey will be given as a gift for anyone booking La Forge for the Christmas of 2011.

Book the Brittany holiday cottage for 2 weeks at Christmas and take advantage of our 2 week special booking deal, see website for details.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

Just 3 miles from the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool is the market town of Baud and last Saturday the Christmas lights throughout out the town were lit and as usual the decorations look wonderful.

The holiday cottage is currently booked for one week starting 28th December but we still have the week available to celebrate Christmas.

La Forge is available to rent all year.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

Situated in the small hamlet of Kebourbon this Brittany holiday cottage with private pool enjoys the beautiful Breton countryside but is only 3 miles away from the market town of Baud.

La Forge is available to rent all year while La Veille Maison during the months of July/ August, book either property and receive a 20% discount on your Brittany ferry crossing, making the holiday cottages even better value for money.

The Brittany holiday cottages are ideally situated to explore the delights of southern Brittany.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

New for the 2011 season at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool is that during July and August La Veille Maison will also be available to rent, along side La Forge, therefore the swimming pool will be shared during those months.

For details of La Veille Maison see the link on the home page of the website, change over day for La Veille Maison will be on a Friday.

La Forge is available to rent through out the year and apart from July/ August the pool is for the private use of the guest staying at the holiday cottage.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

The weather has changed again this weekend at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool, after a very cold week last week and one day of snow, we have had rain this weekend but temperatures have risen to around 10 degrees.

With Christmas just around the corner, I was up the ladder today putting up the Christmas lights on the holiday cottage. Over the previous 2 years I have used a fishing rod to fire several lines over the big tree in the garden to hoist the lights up over the tree, it worked well but each year lights were getting damaged when I took them down.

This year we still have the Christmas week available to rent at La Forge, the week after has been booked for a party of four to celebrate the new year at the cottage and in France.

The guest staying at the holiday cottage have requested that I make a reservation for them at Le Cheval Blanc to see in the new year.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool

I woke up this morning at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool to be welcome to a blanket of fresh snow. While the UK has been suffering from the severe weather over the last week, its been bright and crisp each day with just frozen ground in the mornings.

Ive kept nice and warm with my log burner providing the main heat source each day.

The Brittany holiday cottage has a very efficient wood burner that keeps the cottage nice and snug during the winter months.

The cottage is still available for the Christmas week but has been booked for the new year.

La Forge Brittany holiday cottage with private pool is available to rent all year.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym

Before it got dark and the temperature plummeted I decided to visit the gym again today at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym for a leg workout.

After 3 weeks away from the gym I am still taking it easy just doing a total of 6 sets of squats for a maximum weight of 120kg for 8 reps.

I then did 4 sets of crunches for my abbs on the swiss ball and that was the workout finished, just 30 min, job done.

For guest staying at La forge or La Veille maison the gym is available for there use during there stay and I am always on hand to give advice or assistance if required.

Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym

With the ground frozen in the garden today at the Brittany holiday cottage with private pool and gym I ventured into the gym for an upper body workout.

With my shoulder injury still giving me jip I opted to bench press a very light weight with the view its better to train light than not to train at all. I just used 40 kg on the bar and completed 5 sets, then went on to do 5 sets of wide lat pull downs, followed by 4 sets of dumbbell curls and finishing of with 6 sets of tricep push downs.

Initially my shoulder screamed out but by the third set of bench pressing it felt so much better, but I felt it more prudent not to increase the weight.

The gym at the Brittany holiday cottage is open through out the year as is La Forge.