Chez moi, we’re about to hit renovation mode and move on with a job that I’ve been longing to do – shutters! When we bought this old farm house it had rattling old windows which whilst pretty, did nothing to keep the cold wind out in the winter. They had to be replaced – all 37 of them. We couldn’t afford to put the prettiest windows in so what we have are quite plain but double glazed which means we don’t freeze when it’s cold out. I’ve waited several years to get to the shutter stage but finally I’ve got shutters and I’m about to paint them the loveliest pale blue. When I’m done, I’ll take a photo for you!
Whilst I’m painting, my other half will be rendering the walls of the pigsty with a French plaster mix which will leave it gleaming bright white. I can’t tell you how good it will be to not be looking at dull grey breeze blocks anymore. As a treat, I got a bargain end of line vertical garden system from my local DIY store to put on the wall next to the pigsty (which is my office now!). Yep, another photo for you when it’s all planted up with herbs and year-round small green plants.
There was a time when I thought we would never ever be finished but maybe, just maybe by this time next year, 14 years (yes, it’s not a typo – 14 years) after I first set sight on this “house of horrors” it will be as beautiful as I dreamed the first day I saw it.
And that reminds me to mention that my book “My Good Life in France” is being published in the US on 25 August, it was going to be 7 August but the publishers had to do a second print run, the first one ran out – woohoo! Thank you enormously with all my heart and soul to everyone who’s bought my book and to those of you who left me the loveliest reviews on Amazon.
This is an excerpt from the weekly newsletter of 5 August 2017 highlighting French berets, saffron farming in France, Montparnasse Paris and more…
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