Topping out

The masonry is practically finished with only the last lift of the textured concrete wall remaining to be done. The main timber rafters as well as the secondary timbers have arrived on site. All is ready for the roof to go up. This is good news as a topping out ceremony has been organised and it would have been slightly embarrassing not to have a top to top out.

In France the event is celebrated with a 'gigot bitume' which consists of cooking a large joint of lamb (please forgive The Architect any technical errors concerning meat as he is vegetarian) by immersing it in a cauldron of hot asphalt. The result (according to carnivores having partaken) is quite surprisingly good and does not taste, as one would expect, of asphalt. The water and airtight nature of the cooking process means that all the 'jus de cuisson' are sealed in keeping a maximum of the flavour.

Our roof is in zinc so there is no cauldron of steaming asphalt to do the job. As a substitute a selection of 'amuse geules' on a Portuguese theme will do the trick.

Et voila, pour les lecteurs français, on annonce le fin des Gros Oeuvres avec le début de la pose de la charpente bois de la toiture. Un gigot bitume (sans gigot et sans bitume) est en cours d'organisation pour marquer l'occasion.