Tag Archives: terrace

Terrasse

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…………

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Hot Dog

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…

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The flower of my dismay

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

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More

It doesn’t take much to make me happy. Really. I return from a Troc Trawl (more on that later) and on the spectacularly ugly and completely unimproved back wall of our hovel is perfectly level and perfectly fitted new guttering. … Continue reading

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slub silk – dupion v shantung

OK, this post is a bit “niche”, but I had to share the thrill of unpacking more bargain buys from French ebay. These vintage curtains are made from silk dupion (dupioni) in a typically subtle ivory cream with cream and … Continue reading

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My dog just is….

By special request, we have an update on the Fur Baby. Bronte is now Water Baby also. Every time we do the river beach walk she has a little swim. Then she likes to roll inĀ  some cut grass or … Continue reading

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Piilu et mon potager

We have our first peapod. Yes I know, it’s only 2cm long. This is a big deal for us though. I have never attempted to grow vegetables on a roof terrace, small pots out front or window ledges before, having … Continue reading

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temporary pets- and some plants at last

I should have started buying plants earlier in the season but at last we have some foliage on the terrace. I rescued this hibiscus “Lavender Chiffon” from a Vide-Grenier. It was an unhappy yellow but is now photo-synthesing away in … Continue reading

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temporary pets

I think it may be time to get Trevor a pet. This is the man who “didn’t do pets” when I met him and is now morphing into the Creature Whisperer. The Bride and I found this almost adult Hirondelle … Continue reading

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The Terrace Bedroom- La Chambre Terrasse

Never let anyone tell you that you can do nothing with a room 2.3 metres wide and five metres long, except perhaps turning it into a bathroom. Remember this painted door from an earlier post? That’s on the other side … Continue reading

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Episode 155- Chez Nous le dimanche

The reality of being here in France, and not having to fill every waking day with work on the house because we go back to the UK tomorrow, is kicking in. Little milestones (we will have been here a month … Continue reading

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All manner of pretty things

You are going to see lots of posts like this. If you aren’t keen, look away now; I am not at all offended if you un-follow or un-friend me or whatever it is you can un-do. In the middle of … Continue reading

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Episode 154- The Big One

I am on the terrace with a large glass of Gamay. Trev is in the shower; I can hear the groans as he unfold the kinks in his back from the long drive. It would have been a much more … Continue reading

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Oh Fuite-ing Hell!

OK, what is this? Let me just confirm that it’s not one of my paint effects. It’s on the dining room ceiling. What’s above? The terrace. Dern, dern dern, dern, deeeerrrrrnnn……..

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Friday French Fix- Quelques idĆ©es pour les petites piĆØces

On the basisĀ  that size isn’t everything (there’s a talking point) here’s some small French rooms. http://www.hgtv.com/design/rooms/bedrooms/10-creative-headboard-ideas-from-rate-my-space-pictures The textiles are a bit twee here for moi, but the palette is great and SOMEONE here has had the chutzpah to rock … Continue reading

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Episode 146- Another retrospective- French house dining room- working with a narrow space

I am trying to remind myself that progress is being made at the village house, as well as giving newer followers the heads up on what we have actually achieved to date en France. The photo –left- is not exactly … Continue reading

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Episode 144 – In which we muse upon time and chaos and order and how long it takes for paint to go out of date

So, a few of you might recall that, although we thought the roof was fixed, there was evidence of water ingress earlier this year , mainly in the form of some small damp patches on the ceiling lambris in the … Continue reading

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The Thursday Three – la chance

This post was delayed out of respect. Many, many moons ago (maybe ten years?) I bought this slub silk and velvet cushion just because I liked it. For me, that’s usually sufficient reason to buy anything. Currently, I am trimming … Continue reading

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Making part medieval French village houses work

For those of you interested in the Demolition Derby clearly in operation on the last post, I present two earlier posts which explain. To clarify- the photo top left of first post below (with the weird wardrobes)Ā  shows FRONT of … Continue reading

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Me and Room Service (baby)- The Thursday Three

You may be familiar with the Jackson C Frank song “Blues run the game“, covered by Counting Crows, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake. Anyway, it was played on the penultimate episode of “Vinyl” a couple of weeks ago and has been … Continue reading

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The Thursday Three – hand knitted throw, Edwardian picture, vintage fabric

I know, I know, my Thursday Three posts have taken a serious back seat recently. Too many things going on, only one me. This picture came to me free. I was looking at a couple of pieces of furniture in … Continue reading

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The Thursday Three- more essential textiles

In deference to WBFM who thinks that my textile buying is out of control (debatable) I will now justify these three entirely necessary purchases. Right and left- My very long crochet and cutwork detailed salon second layer curtains. I will … Continue reading

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More musings on colours and designs for the French house

Look at these colours- found on Pinterest, link below Home Similar to the colours that I am using in the salon. The doors are a little bright for me but I do like softer turquoises. Note the painted lines punctuating … Continue reading

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Episode 123 – more on the door

It’s not as easy as 123, by the way… And, yes, this is probably Most Bizarre Photo Of 2015. What’s going on with the end of his nose? Who needs a Punch & Judy show? Trev still had a sense … Continue reading

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Episode 122- August achievements, and some bad impressions given

With almost three weeks in France, we got lots ofĀ  niggling small jobs done.These might not seem madly significant to those undertaking Grand Designs, but they gave us a great deal of satisfaction. Putting up coat hooks in hall- until … Continue reading

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Now you see him , now you don’t

Although we are some way off “completion” at the French village house (which I think may be an abstract concept anyway) I cannot resist looking at lighting for the near finished terrace room and salon. I spotted this great lamp, … Continue reading

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The nearly Thursday Three

Likely to be busy tomorrow so here we are “mecredi”. You can catch a glimpse of terrace bedroom paint effect above, plus I have decided to use the terrazzo skirting reclaimedĀ  from tulip bedroom in here. It has little chips … Continue reading

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Episode 105 – Quelle couleurs?

The question of colours and finishes has bugged me right from the start of our extended project. How do you bring one sad village house in the lovely Languedoc back to life without spoiling it’s character, particularly as much of … Continue reading

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Painting furniture, paint recipes?

So what paint is best? well it depends of course on the purpose and position wood,metal, inside, outside, used daily etc etc These get left outside on the terrace for most of the summer and are going to need a … Continue reading

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Episode 96- Will France work? Will I work in France?

Renovation, restoration, distraction My view here from my home office in the UK is somewhat marred by the industrial units on the far horizon So, will I even be able to work in the French village house without being distracted … Continue reading

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Episode 94- Hidden historic details #2- Beams and roof timbers

Regular readersĀ  will recall that half our house (the bit that isn’t the barn) is supported by three huge beams,which clearly received only the most cursory attention between being trees and holding our hybrid hovel up. 1) The rather beautiful … Continue reading

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The Thursday three- “Rough luxe” embroidery, vintage shop display, something new.. but just right

Ok, what is rough luxe”? Apart from being a hot new buzz word in interior design ( which doesn’t really matter to me,as you may have deduced from my random style) it seeks to epitomise the spirit of “authenticity of … Continue reading

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The day after Thursday Three

What are these little gems? Left & Right- Crochet wool with silk linings, at about 9″ x 6.5″ way too small to be nightdress cases. Maybe made for handkerchiefsĀ  or funky clutch bags? I have to find a use as … Continue reading

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The Thursday Three- French Chic & Perfect Period Pastels

After lots of thought and a few experiments the palette for the village house in France hasĀ  been set. Although we have increased the total area of usable/habitable rooms from 80 to just over 120 square metres approx I still … Continue reading

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The Thursday Three- A floral theme today

I really should stop buying stuff that does not have a definite use yet, but I saw this heavy vintageĀ  runner-left- with the right colours for the terrace bedroom and thought it could be mounted as a panel on the … Continue reading

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The Thursday Three- C is for chic: crochet lace,ceramics, chinese characters

Whilst it may be true that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, it is also true that you don’t know what you want until you see it! I have been looking for a light antique or vintage … Continue reading

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Episode 81- Food for thought

Renovation, restoration, alimentation….Fresh trout from the river, vegetables that taste of something, cherries, peaches and naughty patisserie, home made ice cream, cuts of meat that you would not normally touch even with a robot arm, a drop of violet or … Continue reading

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Episode 80- Then and now and when and how?

Renovation, restoration, contemplation We have just had a great break in France. Very calm very chilled very tempting to just burn all boats and stay here but this is simply not possible quite yet.Or is it? Question-What happened to my … Continue reading

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The Thursday Three- Mission impossible?

The year we viewed the French village house, before we had even bought it, I went into a UK chain of shops called “The Pier”, now sadly defunct. I bought a wonderful long patchwork table runner made up of heavy … Continue reading

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Episode 79- two weeks of life in France- a little bit of work

Renovation, restoration, relaxation- As we need and must have a proper rest we didn’t do a lot on the French trip. I did finish the seven layered paint effect in the terrace bedroom and yes, it was worth it. The … Continue reading

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