Cry for help!

Day 4 - the window panels

The panels around the window needed quite a bit of work. We decided it would be easier to take them off and I would sand them outside. Brian does want to fit them back slightly differently, as we are having the radiators moved about 4 inches away from the window. Currently there is just some insulation inserted behind each of the two radiators, but Brian wants to board the insulation in. When we first moved in the radiators were covered over with a lattice cover, so you couldn’t see the silver insulation. But we removed these covers as they prevented a lot of heat entering the room.

I’d set myself up outside, and have to say the job was a lot easier than when I’d done the shutters last year. It really didn’t take me too long to get the window panels sanded. However we did have one casualty.

One of the panels, just fell apart in the sanding, first one end, then the other, then the sides. ‘Hun, I think you need to look at this’. Brian knew that my ominous cry for help meant more work for him.

With some wood glue, screws and his trusty clamps, he soon had it hanging together again. Still a bit of work needed to make them look good though!

Perfect spot

Day 3 - preparation.

This morning we were up early. I wanted to get some mouldings undercoated for Brian to attach below the existing coving. There was a small gap, between the coving and the wood panels, which we wanted to cover over. So last night we popped out to Weldom to buy the mouldings. It was such a glorious morning, but chilly. I decided I would like to paint them outside. A perfect spot to be painting.

Once they were dry, Brian soon got to work fixing them in place, just below the coving. It has really tidied up the edge, which we are both very pleased with. Still a long way to go though.

‘I have a plan’

Day two, addressing the coving.

One of the most challenging jobs in the room is rebuilding the coving. At some point in time the coving over the windows has become damaged and been replaced with lots of plaster, and last year Brian had to remove a chunk of it as it was loose. Today he had to decide how much more needed to come down, and how much he could save.

Over the months he has been thinking long and hard as to how to approach it, and today he needed to put his plan into action.

After he had removed the coving that could not be saved, he cleaned up the hole that was left, and screwed into place two batons to help secure some strips of plasterboard.

He screwed the pieces into place, then plastered over any gaps. This will all be sanded back once it’s dried. He now needs to replace the moulding.

For that he has another plan.

Dust

Day one is sanding day.

I had attached the sander to our old vacuum cleaner, so to start with I was able to keep the dust to a minimum.

But the cleaner didn’t reach the higher areas…

…or fit the little mouse sander.

We made sure we were all masked up though, and tried to ventilate the room as much as possible.

Sanding is definitely not my favourite job, but it’s one that needs to be done.

Getting started

We started off with a breakfast of banana pancakes this morning. We had lots to do so wanted to start the day with a hearty breakfast. Brian loves maple syrup with his.

It didn’t take us long to clear the room. We were able to move most things out, with a couple of exceptions - one being an old chest of drawers, which is in need of some major TLC and our new Bookcase.

We have moved these to the middle of the room and covered them in plastic.

We have also put plastic up against the doors, to try and minimise the dust in the other rooms. We can but try….

Why we are decorating the Salon

We took this video a few days ago, but I needed Brian to edit it before I could share it. However, once he got started on the job it’s been hard to stop him!

The last major room for us to decorate is the salon (lounge). We knew it would be quite a messy job, so we didn’t want to start it whilst we had guests. So we decided to take March out of our booking calendar, to give us time to decorate it, and be ready for guests again from April.

I think the video shows you some of the reality of the room and what needs doing. Over the coming weeks I will share with you how we’ve tackled the jobs.

Vibrant Spring

Being in the garden yesterday was glorious, so looking forward to those long days of summer. But I’m certainly not wishing the year away. I so love spring, and this morning, when I went outside, I had a wonderful surprise. The little blue irises I had planted to remind me of the ones Mum had planted were now starting to pop up everywhere.

The snowdrops were still out, and the warmth of the sun had started to bring the other bulbs out of hiding, showing off their vibrant spring colours.

They return

Today whilst out in the garden, we heard in the distance the chuckling of the storks, they just chatter and chuckle with each other as they fly overhead. They are heading to the Lac d’Orient, probably 5 minutes flying for them, but about 30 minutes by car for us. It is so nice to hear they are on their way back. It is just such a beautiful sight, and brings a big smile, I don’t know why, but it does.

Arch on a march?

There were a few little jobs I wanted to do in the garden today. Thankfully the clouds were breaking up and blue sky appearing between them. I could really feel the warmth of the sun when it managed to poke its head out and say hello. Spring is definitely on its way.

I could have spent all day outside just pottering around, picking off the dead stalks, and tidying after the cold days of winter. I wanted to at least begin this years care for the roses. They are such a delight through the year, they just need a bit of tlc to help them strengthen up. They are starting to sprout their leaves, so I’m keen to start pruning them. It is quite a big task, but I just take my time with it, and slowly it gets done. It provides a lot of joy.

The main job however was to move the metal arch we had brought from Kent. We’d put it in a temporary position, and I was concious it was not where I intended it to stay.

I recruited Brian to help me. We knew roughly where it was going, but we were unsure of the ground, and were mindful there could be a lot of stone that could prevent us positioning it where we wanted it to go. However, luck would have it that with a little gentle persuasion, and the removal of only one large stone, we soon had it repositioned.

We then thought we’d try to take some cuttings from the wisteria to see if they would take. I had some rooting powder, which helps promote growth, so we just popped about four cuttings either side of the arch into the soil, after preparing the stems and dipping them in the powder.

Now let’s see what happens. It will be great if they do take.

Clairvaux revisited

On Sunday we went back to Clairvaux, the Cistercian abbey and prison. Earlier in the year we had visited it for a market of products sourced from monasteries all over France. This time we were going back to make the tour of the Abbey and the prison. To be clear, it’s not the part of the prison that is still in use, but the part that was closed down some 50 years ago. The actual prison is due to be closed next year, and the prisoners will be rehoused in other maximum security establishments. Only then will they decide on what to do with the buildings.

It was a bit of a wet and cold day, which somehow made the experience even more sinister. I’d told the others that the tour was mainly inside, but what I hadn’t realised was that being inside the stark, stone buildings would be just as cold as being outside…if not colder! It made you think about just how much of an awful place it would have been through the winter.

On arrival you have to deposit your ID – passports for overseas visitors – at reception. These are handed back at the end of the visit. We are told that there is absolutely no photography allowed whilst on the tour, so apologies I cannot share any pictures whilst we were inside. What I can share is that it is a really worthwhile visit. It starts with about 30 minutes of scene setting. This was all in french, but we had been given an English fact sheet to help us understand the history. Clairvaux was a place of silence, built 900 years ago by Saint Bernard who wanted to build the biggest abbey in the Cistercian world. It continued to be developed as a religious site until 1808, when it was bought by Napoleon to convert into France’s largest prison – during his reform of the prison system.

After the scene had been set, we were taken to the Convers building, which was where the Lay brothers (manual workers) lived. This had undergone a spectacular renovation by the Ministry of Culture. Its vaulted ceiling is stunning, and it is just amazing to consider the accuracy of the 13 vaults, which were built some 900 years ago. Strangely enough, the acoustics in this part of the building are perfect for music recitals, I will keep an eye out for some scheduled ones which I know they perform through the summer.

We were then taken to the Great Cloister, which dates from the 18th century. This was converted to the main building of Napoleon’s prison, and housed 1,500 condemned prisoners during the 19th century. During this time the medieval abbey church was dismantled by the contractor as they needed the stone elsewhere for the prison walls and buildings.

So that the prisoners still had a place of worship, the refectory in the great cloister became a chapel. We were also able to visit this, and it was such a surprise when the guide opened the door from the grim prison cells into this stunning refectory room, which looked like you were walking into a hall in a chateau. It had beautifully painted panelling, stucco trophies, and a crisp, white stone floor interspersed with black, square tiles. The prisoners would access it from one end, restricted to balconies overlooking the chapel.

The most chilling area of the tour, was that of the cells created in the Great Cloister, where up to 30 people at a time were locked up. The conditions were pretty grim, and you could easily understand why many prisoners died during imprisonment. A law was then passed that demanded that each prisoner should have a minimum of 4m². The answer to this at Clairvaux was to create ‘chicken coops’, made with wooden walls and ceilings, and with iron barred fronts, and stacked side by side in long rows. which we also got to see. They were still being used right up to 1971.

I have included the link to the official website here, which does show some photographs. I think over the years we will return to Clairvaux to see how it transforms, once the present day prisoners leave, and the ministry of culture hopefully decide to reclaim more of this beautiful and important historical story.

https://www.abbayedeclairvaux.com

One or two?

We woke to a very misty morning, but by the time we’d had our showers the sun was burning through and the mist was clearing. I’m feeling a spring in my step and a desire to get out into the garden, but first we need to go shopping, so I thought we’d have a quick crumpet or two before heading out - definitely two.

Little flavours

Our friends brought us a wonderful hamper from the UK, packed full of yummy goodies. Little flavours and things that we have missed - just a little bit.

Can’t wait to crack open the Molten Brown black pepper body wash, and the cookery magazines.

Any chance?

When we brought the bookcase home, which we had bought at the auction, we had not been able to lift it out of the trailer. It really was quite heavy, as well as a tight fit in the trailer, so having two strong blokes to help out was much appreciated. Philip and Alan very kindly volunteered to help us out and move it into the house.

We then had the cheeky idea of asking them to help us move our wine fridge up to the atelier. It was one we had used when we lived in Kent, and brought over when we moved here. It had been taking up space in the soon-to-be library, so we were keen to move it to the atelier. We were so pleased they were able to help us, it means we can now redecorate the library and salon.

A weekend with friends

It’s been over two years since we have seen some of our friends, and we really missed having quality time to catch up on each other’s lives. This weekend we could finally get together to celebrate a very special Birthday for one of them.
They arrived on Thursday to spend a wonderful fun packed four days with us, which we enjoyed every minute of.

We had dinner at le Garde Champêtre, a wine tour and tasting at Drappier in Urville and also at the Prieuré in our village. We went shopping at the market in Bar-sur-Seine, visited the abbey at Clairvaux and made some beautiful memories together in our home playing crazy games, blind tasting some rather nice Sancerre’s, eating way too much, and just laughing, and enjoying our time together.

It’s been such great fun planning and preparing for the weekend, getting all dressed up for the celebratory dinner, and having the house full of fun and laughter.

They have now all headed home and arrived safely, and we are all looking forward to the next time, whenever that may be, but hopefully not so long a gap as last time.

Locked up

There was a small job that needed doing in the spare room on our floor. Brian wanted to fit a lock to the inside of the door, as we have some friends staying this weekend and he wanted them to be able to close the door properly as it currently swings open a little. The door is very old, so we wanted to fit an old lock. He had the bolt part of the lock but not the catch. He dug around in his little treasure box for an old piece of metal and found a ring attached to a long, flat piece of steel. He sawed the ring off and it gave him just enough material to be able to bend into shape, drill a couple of holes, and attach it to the door.

He then looked through an old tin of screws, which his father had collected many years ago, for 8 similar, old looking screws. He also got to use his new mini file set, which he’d bought a few weeks ago. A perfect fit, and a great little job completed.

Moving house

Over the past week we have been slightly intrigued by a lot of hammering, and sometimes sawing, coming from the Magnum - the room our friend Sharon has been staying in. She told us she was working on a secret project, and that we would see it all in good time. What could it be?

On Sunday morning, the day Sharon was leaving, we enjoyed some bacon butties and warm croissants for breakfast. She then told us that she was going to reveal the secret project to us, and asked us to leave the room for a bit, whilst she moved it. We had no idea what it could be.

My word, it was amazing. She had made us a bird house from champagne corks. It was absolutely brilliant.

The chairs out the front of it had been made from the wire cages of Champagne bottles, and looked so fab. We both just love it, and can’t wait to have a little bird nest in it.

Brian will need to adjust the size of the entry hole, and put a stick inside for the chicks to be able to climb up and get out, as we’d like to see if we can encourage some blue tits into it. Other than that it’s perfect.

I’m so looking forward to seeing it up in the garden.

Sunny river

It was a gorgeous sunny morning to wake to today. Brian decided he’d get in the river to give the weeds a quick clean out. They were only small so it didn’t take him long, it’s a nice job to stay on top of.

In the shade

It was such a beautiful afternoon, cold but bright. We couldn’t resist taking a walk up to the point de vue.

The light was soft, and the sun leaving long shadows amongst the trees. It was picture perfect.

Time to take a picture of our new prescription sunglasses.

Collection day

Yesterday we went to collect our auction items. The house in Châtillon was due to open at 1.30, so I was keen to be there early to get parked okay and be first in. Brian had prepared the trailer and put in lots of straps and foam. We pulled up outside the house about twenty past, and were able to park the car and trailer on the opposite side of the road, up on the pavement. The auctioneer soon appeared and we went in to collect our items. The fire screen was easy, but the bookcase/vitrine was upstairs. I’m not sure how he did it, but Brian and the auctioneer managed to carry it down three flights of stone stairs out the front door and over to the trailer in one go. Phew, I thought, glad he was there to help!

However, we then had the task of getting it into the trailer.

I obviously made myself look suitably useless, as another very kind man then came to our help.

Needless to say, we needed some sustenance before heading off to the opticians to collect our new glasses and then heading home.

Around town

We had a quiet day yesterday exploring Bar-Sue-Seine. It’s our local town which we visit every week, but there are still things to discover.

We started off with coffee and a pastry at our local bar, then headed up to the ‘point de vue’ at the back of the town.

I have to say, the initial part of the walk is a bit scruffy, as you have to walk through an alley and up some steps, which goes through some old buildings. Once you are passed this though you can look back over the rooftops. It’s like being in a fairytale, with little old crooked roofs, jostling for position, and using each other to stay upright.

There are a few new shops opening in the town. All small, individual boutiques. We decided to pop into a new épicerie, which specialises in products from Corsica. The aroma in the shop was gorgeous from all the sausages it had hanging from the ceiling.