Anyone who is willing to trust me with their information, if we can find a way of getting this to me, can have a link to the new blog I am setting up. Unfortunately, if the person who attacked me … Continue reading
Sadly, I have to wrap up this blog, this time permanently. It’s been wonderful to have this community, most of the time; unfortunately, my tormentor follows many of you now and, despite me blocking him, he may find his way … Continue reading
I know my layout and blocks are all out. Stuff has changed since 2020. Bear with me whilst I get back into blogging. Also, I have blocked the person who slandered and defamed me and almost killed my blog in … Continue reading
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Many moons ago, I bought two colonial style fans from UK ebay. One was white with a vile ’80’s gold design on it. So the Autentico chalk paints and one of my classic stencil and transfer books came out. Voila, … Continue reading
Rainbow lustre vintage glass shades. Good old IKEA chrome wall lights , primed and then painted with Autentico chalk paints Sealed with matt varnish…the amount of eye rolling my electrician does is quite phenomenal. He prefers electrical fittings that are … Continue reading
So, I decided against fig and grey. Too much going on in here with other accent colours- celadon, navy blue, magenta, violet …. I used Autentico Versante matt on the plastered walls and Versante eggshell on the wooden panelling and … Continue reading
So, the mystery leak from one of the velux windows in our shower room… The original French builder is not interested . I take back anything kind I ever said about him. I do not wish him a happy retirement … Continue reading
Ok, as I posted only sporadically between late Spring 2018 and late 2020, I think a little backtracking might be in order. We survived the Covid 19 lockdown restrictions here in deepest France; continuing with projects on the house, where … Continue reading
OK, after a three year gap, during which a whole heap of things happened, I am dipping my toe tentatively into the blogging pool again…… Where do I start?
BLEACHED, FADED PAINT FINISH At last, some time to work on our house!! Our kitchen and sitting room are on the first floor. Not unusual in village houses here, but it limits flooring options when your room is thirty feet … Continue reading
I have to do this in the cave….
Trev built us a log store The only new wood purchased were the battens. Rest recycled from house junk and our friend’s old shutters. Part of our plan to turn front of workshop into boot room and entry space. Current … Continue reading
Perfect temperatures this afternoon (40°) to manhandle your new A+++ washing machine into your newly refurbished utility cupboard right by your south west facing front door. ( which was actually going to be the cloaks cupboard) Suffice to say that, … Continue reading
Gorgeous morning, but I really should have styled the terrace a bit better for this blog! Culinary plants now include baby fig tree, avocado plant, lavender, chillies, sweet peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, sage, mint, rosemary, chives, basil, parsley and beets. Better…………
Yes, it is many moons since I did one of these posts… But it is Thursday, and here are three things that I never, in my wildest dreams, expected to find in the Troc in Carcassonne. I have been looking … Continue reading
Comfortable but pig-ugly chairs. Wine Dralon seats. If you are familiar with that fabric, you will be sticking your fingers down your throat right now. After 13 years, paint colour and 19thc French fabric chosen. Probably…
It’s exhausting for a poor dog, watching the humans working on the roof terrace in this heat…. Metal arch now mounted for climbing plants. This old cast iron wall lantern, needing a little repair over exposed wires, goes up next…
Clock case has been waxed and polished, inside and out. Although the two doors require minor attention to stabilise them and their glass reputtied, I could not resist getting some glassware in to confirm the validity of this repurposing project. … Continue reading
Dusty Miller is this beautiful, very pale blue with a subtle grey undertone. One of those nuanced colours that seems to straddle more than one chromatic range. And, though I have only just noticed this, it matches the inside of … Continue reading
Kitchen ceiling finished, this wall almost finished. Brackets to mount under the little white painted wall cabinet Trolley needs new feet to line up with other surfaces Art Nouveau tiled splashback to go up Smaller cupboard to paint Inside of … Continue reading
I never thought that I would see the day, but we are close to running out of wood stocks, both new and reycled! Last offcuts of the floor boards we bought for the kitchen diner are being trimmed down for … Continue reading
So, now Trev has finished panelling in the new wiring in the kitchen, I can fill, paint and finish this wall and the ceiling. My Unfitted French Kitchen story continues on this, the Wall of Worry ( put that into … Continue reading
So here is Trev, up a ladder once more, panelling in new electric feeds and junction box. He only has to cut the 1 cm plywood to fit around the differently shaped beams, all with different sized spaces between. And … Continue reading
Terrifying here in the village. I never thought we would have to barricade ourselves against floods in our street. The river Aude is now 20 feet away from our door, with a strong possibility of water levels rising a further … Continue reading
It has taken me over a decade, but I have now resolved my last issue with our hovel. I have never been happy with our ridiculously tiny entrance hall, photo 1. If we had a cat, there would be no … Continue reading
Stuck with minimal space for a basin, I was rather pleased with this very clean lined 30’s style corner lavabo from Mr Bricolage . The guys were less pleased with the fact that facilitating it’s release from the mould during … Continue reading
Back on the ground floor wet room project again. We had a slightly anxious night waiting for the floor grout to go off, not only because it did not look anything like the carefully chosen grey shade on the packet … Continue reading
So, we have tanking fabric smoothed and bonded to walls, the drains and floor tiles are in, but not grouted. One and a half walls tiled and a functional toilet. Boxing in for corner basin and shower assembly started. 12 … Continue reading
Wednesday-Floor levels are being built up and we seem to be using a lot of this fibrous cement https://www.fr.weber/preparation-et-finition-des-sols/les-ragreages-et-mortiers-de-lissage/weberniv-dur Floor smoothed and skimmed with bed of cement, rubberised film with integral drain glued smooth, then more layers of the fibrous … Continue reading
I now treat you to an image viewed many times before by long suffering followers; the front of our French house in 2006. Although we still have some tidying up work to do and the walls to paint, it is … Continue reading
This is the smallest space in our French house. I took a couple of photos, and, windowless, it really is dark in there; the further photos are flash – assisted. But you get the picture? The external shot shows the … Continue reading
It does. We will start with my new green high tech outdoor wood paint. Lighter and softer than it looks on my twilight photo. Excellent stuff. Stack of my roof tiles on neighbours ridge. Why? Are the French builders coming … Continue reading
A lovely, if rather warm day at Rennes-les-Bains in Occitanie. Our good friend Jeannie too, and “the kids” in wedding anniversary mode. Privileged to have the company of the writer, Henry Lincoln, whose erudite and informed and very interesting tour … Continue reading
Leaks Do you recall a post from a couple of years ago when we arrived to find a mystery black spot on the dining room ceiling? If you have been concentrating, you may recall that this is the ceiling directly … Continue reading
https://pin.it/v4sw4saxfcldow Wow. Just wow. I’ll start one tomorrow…
The house project has been allowed to drift. This is due to a number of factors, not least a creative/business project that I started last September and a second project here in our village. Also, Trevor’s blood thinning drugs had … Continue reading
It’s a glorious morning in Argeles and the birds are singing like crazy in the trees outside. Bronte and Trevor are eating porridge. I am on apartment snag-list patrol. Long time followers will remember some of my previous rants about … Continue reading
Blog-sur-Aude 