Whirlwind Week

Summers are so full of activity, our feet hardly touched the ground in mid-July. I'll whisk you through just one week.

First there was a flamenco evening with wine tasting in Alignan du Vent. Hans and Christa were offering their delicious wines from Domaine Bourdic. We pitched up to support them and ended up having a perfectly pleasant evening watching the dancers on the outdoor stage. The next night Alex took us to Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert for a concert of eastern Mediterranean music in the 11th century church.

For le quatorze, our friends Greg and Alex made the most exquisitely delicious Thai meal. Their house has a large stone wrap-around terrace reminiscent of an old Tuscan villa, a perfect place to watch the Roujan fireworks. This one's either a bit arty or a message from another dimension.

We went to Orange for Carmen at the old Roman theatre. The singing was competant, but lacked star quality. Still it was a beautiful night, the chorus was rousing, there were sexy male flamenco dancers, and 4 horses were trotted across the stage in the bullring scene. One of my favourite moments occurred afterwards. We were waiting for the arena to empty, still near our nosebleed seats, in the endless line to clamber down the ancient stone. There was a Pavarotti-esque fellow sitting there, obviously searching for his moment. When only a few hundred spectators were left he launched a big tenor voice into the void, singing an Italian folk song. I know that feeling, let's see what my voice will do in this space. He got a round and a few cheers from those of us remaining, lovely.

The next night we went to the movies outdoors in Alignan. I was concentrating on the French, yet every so often, it was wonderful to look up at the stars. Very Cinéma Paradiso and an absolutely perfect night for it. So simple, yet one of my favourite evenings. Henny loves it when afterwards everyone pitches in to put his folding chair away.

There was plenty else going on including aperitifs with friends, swimming at the barrage, a nice little concert at La Maison Verte, and then on Friday, the Tour de France blew right through the centre of town, but that's another story.

Progress Report

A happy day indeed when the newly painted shutters went back into the tower window. Henny deserves all the credit. Her smile says it all, or is it also slight relief that we managed to reassemble the shutters we'd taken completely apart?

Meanwhile, the bathroom is progressing. Freddie invited Henny to lay the cornerstone tile in the shower, a bit like the Queen (of the Netherlands, of course).

We're being severely delayed by a delivery problem. The mosaic tiles have been on back order for over 6 weeks now. Something about a striking lorry and a number of other lame excuses. Freddie's tiled up to where they're needed. Here's an interim shot to give you an idea.


Yes, that's a working loo! You can tell by the appearance of this giant bog roll. Even with the delivery delay making a mess of his busy schedule, it's good to see that Freddie hasn't lost his sense of humour.

Tower Tiles

In my first LFH, things got more exciting as you went up, the roof terrace being its crowning glory. But this house can compete -- and win! We've created a fantastic room at the top of the pigeonnier, small but perfectly formed. The floor tiles went in today. They haven't been grouted yet, and the decorating isn't finished, but it's so exciting to see a vision realised, I couldn't wait to show it off.

It's hard to photograph, because you can't get the different angles. Before, it was such a rotten little room, covered in a low pine ceiling, plastic wallpaper, crappy linoleum, scary wiring in hanging conduits, with an enclosed staircase. I had high hopes for its potential and it hasn't disappointed. We tore every single thing out of it, opened the staircase and bared the beams. The window in the picture is new. It faces east. There's another window that's south-facing. When you come up the now beautiful wooden-nosed staircase and see the views, they look almost like paintings. Aaaah...

Shutters

LFH being virtually a complete re-build, we don't have venerable old shutters with the cracked paint of ages you see on postcards, or at our neighbours. Here are our newly painted shutters. A huge improvement over their 100% white plastic predecessors.

We held up so many paint swatches my eyes began to roll around like a kid's kaleidoscope. Everyone I know who has painted shutters presents them with a slight colour qualm. "They were supposed to be darker" or lighter or whatever. We thought ours would be more grey. Initially we were a bit surprised, but we're getting used to it. I like the way the colour changes in different light. Covering the raw wood has suddenly made the house feel much more like a home.

P.S. ET your request for interior shots has been noted.

Bienvenue

My June visit saw a few changes at LFH. We cleaned, painted, organized and made our tile choices for the bathroom. I promised Henny this would be the last trip to the tile shops for a while. I'm not sure she's buying it, but I think it's true. Not until we talk kitchen and who knows when that might be?

The aim is to stay at the house when I'm there for 2 weeks in July. It will be the first time in nearly a year. Fingers (and legs) crossed for a working loo.

The front looks much more welcoming. There's a doorbell, a new post box and a sign to tell you you're at the right place, all topped off by our comeback kid, the vine.

New Terrace

You may remember this little balcony that came with the house. Here we are summer '07, my mates cosily kenneled in, barely room to set a glass of wine down on the crazy paving, and no access from balcony to garden.


We've fixed all that! At last we can spread out. It may look a bit stark at the moment, but with some planting, the new terrace is sure to become part of both house and garden in no time. You can now walk out from either door of the living room. I can't wait to sleep here some swelteringly hot summer night.

Blossoms

The garden's been rather neglected due to the building works, but just the same, spring has sprung. For friends who ask, what have you got in your garden, the answer is loads! (Some day I'll know more names). These photos were taken on a grey day, but still they make me long to be there. Sadly I have work commitments in London, so will miss the lilacs and the wisteria this year. There were lilacs all the way up the driveway at the house where I grew up. I love them, but their thrill is short-lived. This year I'll see them only in pictures. Thank you Henny, and of course, leave it to a Dutch girl to find the only 2 tulips still existing, for now, in the garden.

New Gate

The new gate was chosen from a catalogue. The basic shape, the colour, but we weren't convinced by the look as a whole. Mr Kelly did a very dangerous thing. He brought out another book full of add-ons for gates: finials, arrows, fleurs de lys, cherubs, you name it, in all shapes and sizes. Anyone who knows me knows I could have obsessed about this for days. Yet a decision was made quickly, not least because both Henny and I immediately went for the same conical spearheads.

Although ordered ages ago, the gate was one of the last things to be delivered. "Still waiting on your points," said Mr Kelly with a slightly raised eyebrow. There's a lovely feeling of security now that it's in place. And the little points were worth the wait.

Tiling begins

Here's one for Elina who wanted to see every tile being laid. I'm normally not one for diagonal tiling, but in a house where no angle is true, it's much more forgiving. You also get a sweep between the two rooms, hopefully giving the illusion of space. Henny says, try as she might, the colour in the pictures just isn't right; in real life it's warmer and prettier. But you can see, we opted for the lavande.

Insider trading

My tip to friends was to buy shares in a glass brick manufacturer before the order went in for my house. Sorry folks, now it's too late. Signed, sealed, delivered, all 128 of them.

Small Surprise

A little balustrade was required on the tower window to be totally legal, to keep us from tumbling out. Mr Kelly showed various standard options from a style sheet. Noses were promptly turned up, which Mr Kelly has come to expect. This is my 2nd house with him; he's gotten to know my tastes. He'd figure something out that resembled the existing balconies. I didn't know quite what to expect, but I think the result is sweet. New shutters have been delivered, paint colour yet to be determined. The house is finally looking less trailer-like.

Subtle Differences

We had a site meeting in the pouring rain on Monday. We told Mr Kelly how much we liked the new zinc gutter on the front of the house. We were thinking of doing the same at the back. Today when Henny watered the plants, bingo, it had already been done. Whether it was in the budget or not! But it's so much prettier than the former plastic, and we can admire it more often from this vantage point, it's surely worth it.

Another difference, the scaffolding on the tower is gone. The last job was to remove the rusty old bracket that used to hold the electrics supply. You can see this has now been re-routed to the front of the house. Dealing with EDF on this matter was a protracted nightmare, so I'm sure Mr Kelly's delighted it's behind us. We have an up-to-date legal supply now too.

'Round Back

At the back of the house, the bedroom window was enlarged and the lovely iron balcony we lost from the 1st floor of the tower has found a new home here. The living room window's security bars were removed and it was elongated so you'll eventually be able to step out on the terrace. New glazed doors will be delivered soon. The little housing for the gas bottle was taken away leaving many snails and insects homeless. And that's me, checking out the wonderful view from the new window in the tower.

Inside Progress

There's been a lot of work on the interior. The plasterers are in. The torn-down ceilings have now been insulated, leaving the beams exposed. There's a big cement support in the living room we obviously had to keep, so we made a feature of it. There will be 5 downlighters in this soffit. You can gauge the ceiling height from the top of my head!

The kitchen is taking shape too. This is the new aluminium sliding door.

The house is being completely rewired. Check out the fuse box on the right. Where you see Francis the foreman standing, there will be two more rows of glass bricks to let some light into the bathroom.

Safer Stepping

The stairs in the pigeonnier weren't well done. They're reinforced concrete with uneven risers, all different widths, a real dog's dinner. I had to proceed with great caution, side-stepping to keep my big boats on the treads while gripping the insufficient handrail for dear life. Going downstairs was not a happy journey.

My first idea was to rip them out entirely and start again, trying to reduce the pitch by stealing a bit from an already meager landing. Mr Kelly did the maths. He showed me that we would gain very little and it would cost a fortune.

He suggested an alternative. They jack-hammered the treads to even out the risers as best they could, taking more off some, less off others. Then he custom-made wooden treads that gave a little more depth to each step. The wood is beautiful and they did a superb job. Add to this some new handrails and the stairs have become a much safer option. They're still covered in dust and not quite finished, but imagine when cleaned and decorated.

By my third time down, I'd gotten a bit cocky. Actually taking my eyes off my feet for a moment, I stood up straight in the stairwell for the first time. And promptly hit my head on a low-lying lintel. Well, you can't have everything.

New Wall

Someday I'll blog what's going on on other sides of the house, I promise. Right now, the front's where the action is. Here's the new wall. It may look a bit stark for a while, but hopefully that vine will be back in no time. That's Edith going in, our friend who is an estate agent. I tremble with fear that she's going to tell me I've way over spent, so I don't ask.

How it's Changed...

Before:

And After:

Yes, the glass bricks are in. Generally, I'm in two minds about them. They're not my favourite building material, but here we chose them for security and privacy. With the prior solutions, the neighbours, who are a terrace higher, could see straight into the windows. But what I hated most was that green security grille, now gone forever.

Last Minute Decision

There's a danger in putting on a new roof, but it's not what you might think. We'd gotten used to having no roof on the kitchen, gazing up at the clear blue sky, which has recently been particularly gorgeous. I wished the roof could be made entirely of glass. We decided then and there to put in a previously unbudgeted skylight. I'd always wanted one. Those of you who picked up on the gap in roof tiles in the previous entry will now understand. May I present our all-singing, all-dancing Velux window.

It even has a rain sensor and will apparently shut itself at the first hint of moisture. Once the electricity is again up and running, stay tuned for the day I plan to test this with a plant spritzer.

The Roof Goes On

My sincere apologies to those clamouring for news of Top-top. Work is progressing at such a pace, it's going almost faster than I can blog. This picture was taken when I was still there, 28 January. Four lorries lined up, all working at my gaff. I can hardly believe it. Nor can my bank manager.

The two big beams, reclaimed timber beauties, were going in to support the new kitchen roof. The first time I saw them, they were strapped to the lorry at Kelly Projets. The next time, two hale and hardy fellows were lifting them into place on scaffolding that was swaying like a skiff on a high sea. It seemed so precarious I couldn't watch. We went for lunch. When we came back, fait accompli. Mr Kelly laughed. For him these beams are just tiddlers.

The next step is the insulation panels which slot in very quickly. I include this picture to show the man himself driving the first nail.



The seams between the insulation panels are then waterproofed before the roof tiles are laid directly on top. I love the zinc detail where the new roof and the existing meet. Yes, I do love my metal.

Missing the Vine

In order to make the house more secure and to give us additional privacy, we decided to build a proper wall where this gate is. Last year I was grateful to Lizzie and Josh for putting up the green screen as a visual deterrent, but truthfully, an athletic young fellow could hop over this gate quicker than you could say, well, "Josh".

Formerly a steel pole went across the top of the gate. It supported the long, heavy vine, which in summer is lusciously leafy. It grows so fast, you practically have to fight your way back in after a quick nip to the boulangerie. However, in winter, as you can see from the previous picture, it doesn't provide any cover. More reason for the new wall.

Mr Kelly knew we were keen to preserve the vine. To that end, Henny noticed a few days ago that it was pruned right back to the woody trunk in preparation for removing the steel. But yesterday, sadly, the vine was almost gone. I'm sure it became too problematic to manoeuvre once the steel was out. Here you see the beginning of the new frontage, which will also support the roof. The steel pole was bang in the way.

I'm sorry for the vine. It was given a very radical haircut, but the root system and the half that hangs over the garage are still in place. I hope it will come back and we can re-train the tendrils over the new wall. Any comments from my green-thumbed friends?

Top-Top No Top

A different view. Taken from the 1st floor tower. Before, if you stood here, you would see the plastic roof below. Now that it's gone, you get a good look at the courtyard, garage, leafless grapevine and street beyond. You won't see it from this angle for long. New roof coming soon.

Full Steam Ahead!

The permis de construire has been granted! As you know, we've been itching to get started. The permit came through just in time; any longer and my job would have fallen off Mr Kelly's busy schedule for months. So, Raymond sent the boys round and we're off with a flourish and a big bang! Only a couple of days in and already there is much to see, or less really -- there's been even more destruction.

Henny, intrepid foreign correspondent, sent these pictures this morning. She called first, "Open your email, I want to hear your reaction when you see this."

Holy shit! Plastic roof gone! Let me refresh your memory. Straight ahead is the former "hobbit door", which was once the main entrance to the house.

same view, before

The plan is that this room will become, in modern British estate agent parlance, a large kitchen/diner. What used to be a window --

--is now an entrance to the living room. Here it is from the living room side with a view of the great outdoors, I mean kitchen.

Scaffolding is going up. The little balcony has been removed. The 1st floor window will be made smaller (sadly) to accomodate the pitch of the new roof, which you can just make out by the 2 red chalk lines.

Here's the rear view. The men on the roof are preparing to make the opening for the new tower window which will have the most wonderful views. The rusty bracket holding the power line is going. Instead the electricity supply will come into the front of the house, out of the way, and as Raymond points out, then it will actually be legal.

My lovely friend Elina wrote from Maryland, "Please tell Henny we will NEVER get tired of photos of the ongoing work at Top-top. Personally, I want to see every tile laid."

Girl, we hope you were serious!

New Year's Day 2008

There were 14 friends round the table at Henny's for New Year's Eve, an international affair, in Alignan-du-Vent. By the time we'd wrapped up the leftovers, it was 4am. The next day, Hans and Christa rang to see if we were up for a walk to clear our heads and possibly jettison a few calories. We piled into the van, plus Lara & Louis, the Domaine Bourdic dogs, and headed for Vailhan. Hans and Christa are Swiss. When they're with Henny, the 3 of them usually speak French. But to give me a little language breather, we had a German-speaking day, which I still find easier. It was a splendid sunny day for a walk in the hills.

You can always see this peak when you drive around the area, but not from this vantage point.

On the way back down, we stopped off to visit this statue of the virgin, high on the hill, with her commanding views. When we got down to where the car was parked, looking way up, I was rather impressed we'd been there, and that my knees had let me make it back down.

Happy New Year!

Not Tile Shopping

One day we set out to find the last big tile store in the area that we hadn't yet exhausted. Henny decided we'd make the trip the long and gentle way round, so we stopped off in Capestang for lunch. It's on the Canal du Midi. How's this for a beautiful setting on the way to the shops?

Tile Shopping

Our new favourite pastime. Not. What a decision to make. You've got to get it right. The pressure! I'd love old, beautiful re-claimed tiles, but they're not so easy to find and if you do discover them in good shape, which is the key, they're expensive. I dreamed of polished concrete until Mr Kelly handed me the estimate. Back to the tile stores.

So here are some possibilities. Nothing is definitive, save one. I lined them up for comparison. Henny deliberated, "I'm not sure, I kind of like the one in the lower left hand corner." I replied, "Good. They're the ones that have already been laid on the bedroom floor!" (To be fair, they're completely hidden under cardboard for protection during building works and we haven't clapped eyes on them for ages!) But it is confusing, the different choices from the various suppliers, trying to keep within budget, and when nothing is screaming out "I'm the one!"

The lavender ones are strong contenders. I don't know if they "do it" for you in the photo, but they are lovely and subtle in real life, and surprisingly neutral. We've held them up against almost every colour under the sun!

It's a bedroom!

Still waiting for the big contract to begin, but meanwhile, there's a development to share with you. The ground floor has once more been divided into living room and bedroom. And better than ever before, this nifty new wall actually goes from floor to ceiling! So for the first time, the bedroom is a real room. Thanks to Freddie and his dashing young apprentice, Josh, who was on work-experience that week, so we took complete and utter advantage of him.

I'm assured that propeller will go someday. It was the extractor fan in the former kitchen!

One man's trash is another man's treasure...

Otherwise known as our forays to the brocantes, marchés aux puces, or flea markets, regularly held all over the area. My friends Lizzie, Alex and Erzsi are particularly adept at ferreting out the bargains, or adding to their collections of way cool stuff, always showing you something amazing they scoped for 2 euros. I never seem to find cheap treasures. In addition, I'm plagued by minimalist tendencies, but I do love to have a mooch.

Here's the scene on a crisp Sunday morning in October at the semi-annual brocante in Pézenas. Lizzie with her wonderful wooden horse tucked safely under her arm and Michelle with an excellent champagne bucket.

Here's what I bought, much to Henny's dismay. But you never know when you may need a fish tureen.

And just because she dissed my fish, of course it currently resides at her house, where she gets to look at it each and every day.

I can see my minimalist ideal slipping away when there are scores like this to be made!