Monday 26 September 2011

Lighting woodburners as dark nights draw in.

September 2011
The woodburner installer returned to show me how to operate the levers on my brand new woodburner and keep it burning throughout the night.
I'd followed instructions carefully,  gradually increasing the size and intensity of the fire over several lightings since June. This is important so as to not shock the enamel.  I had also been slowly building up a bed of ash.  He thought that I had not been charging the fire sufficiently with plenty of paper and small kindling wood before adding the oak logs.  Once the fire has been going strongly for about an hour, I can close the vents.  The steel pipes that go up into the chimney to meet the flexible pipe need to be hot. The same thing at night.  Before I wish to go to sleep I must charge up the fire so that it is burning brightly and fiercely, then close the dampers.  He says it should stay in overnight if I do that.  In the morning again charge it with lots of paper and small pieces of wood again until the fire is fierce before adding the small logs to begin with and then the larger ones.
I was also instructed in how to open the front door and side door. Basically because I have a side door I should not have to open the front door once the fire is well lit. However I still feel that the fire is not drawing enough draught.
My second woodburner is the same brand but a smaller version.  I bought woodburners which are made by Dovre with the Seguin brand name on them. Nothing else is different except the price!  This woodburner in my Oval Room sounded as if it was dead when I lit it on two occasions.  The second time I managed to confirm that smoke was emitting from the exterior of the woodburner into the room! Oh horror.  The doors had to be opened and left open to get rid of the smell of smoke.
However, the charming and helpful Monsieur Jerome Lachaume arrived and solved the mystery by sweeping my pristine new enamelled steel pipes visible in the room and the flexible piping within the chimney itself.  No, it was not blocked with rags which we thought might have been left up the chimney during the previous winter when we were renovating, trying to prevent heat from the electric radiator escaping up an open chimney.  No, it was not a wasps nest.  He said it was a spider's web and has seen this happen before even in huge chimneys.  The silk prevents the air passing through! 
He lit the fire.  Problem solved. There was no smoke coming out of the air vents and entering the room. The fire sounded alive and burned brightly.  Like the other one I must over 4 or 5 days charge it so that the enamel does not get shocked and again to build up a bed of ash.
The larger one is singing away to itself as I write.  Hummmmmmm!
ADDENDUM: several days later I still have room full of smoke when I lit the smaller woodburner. Something is wrong! 

Sunday 25 September 2011

Symphony for an Autumn Solstice

September 2011
In the Tourist Office is a poster for a concert featuring Doublebass and Symphonien - hm..looks interesting!  What better way ‘to glam up and do something different'.
The concert was advertised to be in a village where I know several people, therefore the opportunity to converse in English was inviting. The name of the property sounded rather grand and being as there are some beautiful properties in Boussay and I'm going to an evening concert, I chose a little French black dress, my Wallis black jacket, black court shoes, my Sri Lankan necklace and I felt confident, happy and a woman! However….standard French attire in this region, meaning trouser, jeans or slacks would have been more appropriate!
It was to be a 30 mile return journey so I googled (such an interesting modern verb) the venue and yes, it was quite some way further north of the village!  Google does not lie, but in disbelief, as surely Boussay has a forge, I proceeded to the village.  Dusk is falling. No one is visible. I stop at the only house where I can see a flicker of humanity and ask for directions. Sure enough Google is correct! Would you believe that in the few moments that I'd parked my car and crossed the road to speak to the gentleman, another car arrived to enter the dark cul-de-sac!  Never assume in France that there is no one about! Onwards, past l'eglise and le chateau, alongside castle walls and head down smaller lanes, eventually crossing the disused railway line, over two river bridges, along narrower lanes and there it is clearly signed "La Forge", un Salon du Thé, which appears to be in the middle of nowhere. I drive in the narrow entrance and park alongside one other vehicle and enquire of the small huddle of people whether there is a concert here tonight.  Mais oui!
We pay for a ticket to a most charming lady and we wait in the open barn which clearly is a tea room!  Chairs around a white linened table are covered with old French cotton smocks / petticoats.  The table is laid with some food. Other chairs of various styles and age are scattered around the pea-shingled earth floor. There is a huge, fairly modern, cooking range against one wall and interesting paraphernalia.  Fascinating.  These days in my life I try not to pre-judge because I am always attentive for the French surprise!  Feeling overdressed but not bothered by this small matter, I wait calmly and patiently because the hour that the concert should start has well passed.  Eventually as the chouette (owl) hoots, we are ushered up a grassy slope at the back of the barn, where we emerge  in the upper floor of the barn for another surprise. The French would say "chouette".  A medley of seats are arranged in a huge attic not dissimilar to mine.  Wow… there is the double bass and there is a table arranged with drinking glasses filled with different levels of water. This is the Symphonien!!!!!!! There were about 35 various shaped glasses filled with different levels of water, all tuned and arranged like a piano keyboard.  It takes the musician an hour to tune them.  He started to learn with two glasses eight years ago!  We listened to their version of  “Autumn Leaves”,  "Gymnopiedes no 1",  "Caravan".
I was in awe at the talent.  Quite remarkable.  It gave a whole new meaning to when my father and uncles would have their scientific experiments and play with glasses and water to amuse us children!
And now the wonder of the internet brings us other glass music:
During the concert, a warm red blanket was gratefully received to cover my bare legs!  It's Autumn and the barn was exposed to the cold night air! After the concert and when everyone had had a chance to wet their fingers and rub the glasses, we returned to the ground floor where we sat and chatted over a glass of wine. The artists had their supper which seemed to be nettle soup, a savoury tart, cheeses, salad and small tea cakes. I excused myself at a quarter to midnight. Everyone had been so convivial. I'd approached people, spoken in French and one gentleman appeared to be impressed with my level of French pronunciation even though I am still making huge grammatical errors.   The evening concert WAS an extremely different experience.
Can you believe that when I need it, I never have my camera but all was not lost as the owner of the house sent me these.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Boletus Luridiformis?

September 2011
One would not wish to eat this mushroom as red indicates poisonous, but not always so.
Possibly it is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus_luridiformis
It was extremely beautiful with its greenish, yellowish stem.
I'd found it on the roadside verge at the edge of a mixed woodland.

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Cleaning up

September  2011

It might not seem much to anyone else, but the exterior workshop attached to the house in a most bizarre manner, received a spring clean on the inside! It was not the best of jobs but now it's ready for the next bout of chaos-producing renovation, making space for the tools to return.

Sunday 18 September 2011

Brocante in Angles sur L'Anglin

September 2011
Not much left by the mid-afternoon!
Whether one calls it the end of Summer or the start of Autumn "Les estivales" have ended with the seasonal brocante.  A brocante implies that the stalls will veer more towards antiques than car-boot objects but I don't think anyone takes notice.  My stuff was certainly vide-grenier grade!  I truly did go up to my attic late last night and sort the items which I had reserved for the day when I would become courageous enough to sell in French!  The day had come.
A french friend had suggested that I could if I wish have a table in front of his garage door. I was to sell hist items but he only made one sale!  Unwittingly, he'd given me inspiration, courage and a reason for 'the kick up the pants' I needed to try and sell the saved junk from when I bought this house plus a few of my own rejects included.  My daughter also had a say in the matter and advised me that this should be a priority for my weekend.
I was suitably surprised and at the end of the day I was somewhat richer and lighter than I had been in the morning. There was no time to feel anxiety on my first ever in my lifetime vide grenier/ car boot sale because action required loading up my car, driving the short distance, unloading, returning the car to chez moi and setting up the table display.  There was no one to recognise or cause me embarassment about what I had on the table and ground!  In fact, surprisingly after a short while I did not feel at all ashamed of my things and a lot of the "rubbish" found new homes!   I priced it all low, so low that at one point I heard someone say in French that 5 cts was no price at all and it was therefore as good as free!  I also had a gratuit box which amused some and astonished others.  I am glad to have given things away for free; no one would have purchased what I gave away so the joy was in my pleasure because I did not have to take it home!  The box gradually emptied. One person even gave me a euro because she could not accept the 6 glasses for free.  Clothes went well at 10 cts per item, although I priced a jacket at 1 euro!  Some of what is left will be taken to Emmaus and some will go towards the next Brocante/Vide Grenier which will probably be in the Spring!
I was very tired by the end of the day as the cold wind had become bracing taking body warmth with it! Rain spotted during the afternoon.  By 5pm the clouds were beginning to look foreboding! Even though I packed everything away before 5pm, walking home to get the car, packing the car and taking it home again took almost another hour.  Then the friend had to take his dog for a walk and close the gallery so we were just in time to get a beer in "La Place" before they also closed their doors for the night.
At one point during the day I had a chance to reflect.   Yes, it was interesting to people-watch and when there were few people, it was almost meditational to sit and do little except wait for the next transaction.  The French are getting good at bargaining! Savvy vendors know to price UP the product because some buyers WILL price it DOWN!  There was only one object that I would not reduce; it was a tiny, decorative, brass watering can for a very small cactus or pansy; later the chap returned to pay the 50cts!  It seems I made less than 6 euros per hour so I was not jumping for joy but neither displeased; in fact, it was my pleasure to have empty boxes! Ho hum...... I know there is more emptying of my attic to do!
I learned that I did not need anyone to help me sort, carry, set up, and sell stuff.  I could speak in French, be understood and there were only a few occasions when parlance was not understood and we had to search our heads for other phrases. Everyone was so polite, even those who recognised from my accent that I was English.
I've come along way on my journey in France and today gave me pride, pleasure and self-esteem.

Friday 16 September 2011

Digging a trench


In May 2010 I had to exercise “un droit d’echelle”. This law means that a neighbour can access another neighbour's land for maintenance and repair of property ensuring that any damage to their property is corrected, that is, left in the state that you found it in.
We needed to dig a trench along the length of the exterior wall of my property which is in my neighbour’s courtyard.  The exterior level of the land is one metre higher than the interior level of the house. We had to make sure that the walls could breathe outwards!  We discovered that they were damp because cement from previous building work had been dumped alongside the exterior wall. This was not allowing water to drain away. No wonder the wall by the chimney breast was very damp! We also discovered that rainwater was overflowing from the gutter and although the waste-pipe took the water through the thick stone wall to my garden, when it arrived there it was just being discharged straight onto a different wall and down onto the ground!!!!!
First of all we scraped away the top layer of gravel from a width of about half a metre.  But our tools were not 'man enough' so we had to hire a jackhammer to break up the earth, cement and concrete, before scooping out the earth, stones and cement down to a depth of one metre with old saucepans using old saucepans and our hands!  Useful large stones were saved to back-fill the trench.  The rest of the rubble was taken to fill in holes on a public chemin where tractors had caused ruts. It was scorching hot and thirsty work so we had to start before the sun burnt our backs.  Once the trench had been emptied we purchased new gravel of the right size and poured this onto the layer of larger stones that we had returned to the trench.  It was a good job that we owned a trailer but the jackhammer necessitated two journeys of 34 miles to collect and then return.  It was noisy, difficult and dirty work but we did it!  At the time we hoped that the work would be one factor towards a dryer internal stone wall. I think it has paid off.
There are some photos when I locate them. 


 

Sunday 11 September 2011

Along the lane

Reflection on a dizzy dream from May 2010





Along the lane is a dream residence with aura and ambience.  It could become a beautiful, bijou ancient-cum-modern ecological residence.  I visualise myself sitting in front of the house reading my book, listening to the nightingale as I face the sun. 
Dreaming!

Bathroom and Bedroom as they are today

In June 2010, the bedroom walls and ceiling were painstakingly filled and painted. Electrical sockets were improved in May 2011.  Now it is habitable but awaits the oak flooring to be laid on the existing concrete floor. Then skirting board has to be fixed.  French doors / windows await double glazed units and draught insulation. The radiator has to be replaced and some boxing in of plumbing pipes needs to be achieved. The ceiling is beautiful.
The bathroom awaits completion.

Demolition, debris, reconstruction


WASHROOM FACILITIES
Demolition commenced in May 2010. We removed a wall which separated a long thin bathroom from the large bedroom, removed the nasty shower cubicle and vanity ware. Then the wall was resited.  At the same time the oak beams above a false ceiling were revealed for a bedroom.
In the winter the electrician installed the wiring for the new bathroom and work should re-commence in October 2011.




































To this day, October 2011, I still have no functioning internal bath or shower room. The functioning toilet is in the exterior block.  There was a shower in this block but the gas boiler was condemned so it’s cold water only!  I’ve managed like people did years ago. The kettle is filled and boiled several times. A system of bowls and buckets or a strip wash suffices  and when I can I use a friend's bathroom facilities. In the summer the 50m hose pipe contained water from my rainwater cistern. This heated to such an extent that one could stand in the garden where neighbours could not see and have a good 2 or 3 minutes worth of sufficiently hot water for a shower! That was great fun!
Whilst two men did the manual labour, I cleared the junk that had been left in the rooms and in the attics, keeping potentially useful items, and creating "mountains of material" for the dechetterie (recycling yard) and bonfire.  Unfortunately I didn’t take photos of the unbelievable piles of cardboard, metal, wood, polystyrene, bedding materials, hooks, nails, wardrobes, clothing, tools, kitchen items, and old furniture that just had to go from the house, the attics and from the garden! This wood never made it as a bonfire because a lot of it was laminated cupboard units...eventually it was sorted and taken to the tip. The cold frame was moved to a more sensible position.
WALLS
I began to strip wallpaper from every room. The hardest was in the salle de sejour where brown vertical strings had to be pinged off the paper before the steamer could remove the paper. The walls are high and it was just as well we borrowed some scaffolding from a friend.

Friday 9 September 2011

My very, very, very fine house

May 2010
My very, very, very fine house
It consists of two buildings joined to make an L-shaped property:
1. the original long farm house with a centrally placed chimney / fireplace
2. a barn conversion
A neighbour, who used to live in this house, remembers the farmhouse section being one room,   The position of the entrance doors and chimney confirm this.  She used to wash in a lead bath in the room behind what is now the kitchen.  That room now contains the oil fired central heating system which I'm not using.  It was a very grubby, damp and unpleasant cellar type room.  I now call it the buanderie (laundry room).  It's interesting because this particular part of the property is on the Napoleon cadastral plan.  The neighbour also remembers the house being divided into three small rooms. What is now my ‘small room’ was once the kitchen and what is now the kitchen was once a bedroom. And what is now the oval room was once the living/dining room and still is.
The barn conversion has a bedroom and bathroom and a large living room with a staircase to the attic plus access to a workshop and the rear garden.  The house decoration and barn conversion were made in 1985; the date under the removed wallpaper confirms this!  The large French-brown gates can be closed on the outer world for privacy in the courtyard or be opened wide!
This photo was taken in April just before I bought the property.
The neighbour's garden is behind my barn. The workshop has been constructed of old doors and windows but the footplan is concrete so it will be easy to gain permission to convert it into a pretty verandah. I have a huge water cistern in the ground which collects rain water from the gutters. Looking at the photo the building on the right is not mine.  Out of view is a scruffy shed area and a hen house. No I don't have any inclination to keep chickens.  The garden is L-shaped. It's a wonderful garden because it is very private!

A heritage song comes to mind:  
Crosby Stills Nash & Young - Our House (Live 1974) with thanks to YouTube

What happened to sensibility?

May 2010

To begin with, disbelief set in. I remember feeling disconnected with reality, attempting to pretend that the property was not mine! For a week or I was on avoidance by acting as a tourist at the local medieval event and then circumstances were such that I had no transport to travel the 30 minute drive to 'my house'.   Then my adult son, invited by both my partner and myself, arrived with strong arms, energy and expertise.....wake up RestlessinFrance and get your teeth into WORK! 

Within a few days I knew that I needed extra TIME to consider what I wanted to do with the house  but there was no TIME other than time to labour.   I adhered to the recommendations that one should not plan too much before becoming the owner of a property and also that one should inhabit a house for a while before making changes.  However, I could not have lived in the house in the state it was in.  It had a lovely ambiance but the wallpaper itself and the French brown woodwork would have driven me nuts!  I plunged in!

Indecisiveness had been an ever increasing problem for about 6 years, as a result of losing my career, bereavements and a major operation.  It's weird how the mind can be affected!  The  trauma resulted in mental and emotional dysfunction causing low self-esteem and it was difficult to manage in a mature way.  Now, on a steep learning curve, the men-in-charge needed me to make decisions and direct them as to what to do!  This pressure caused further anxiety when I had become used to deferring to others, and in doing so denying self-responsibility.  I always seemed to need multiple choices to see which one to choose!   It only caused disorganisation!

My son tried to teach me to have courage in the face of adversity.  He'd experienced a nightmare from hell renovation project when he and his girlfriend bought WendyAnn2 to convert to a house-boat.   If you read the start of his blog, dip into the postings and see today’s results you will marvel at their grit and determination to succeed where others would have given up.  It was character building.  I took heart from him.  There he was parenting me and encouraging me to think positively.   Mantras were necessary:
“I must tell myself I CAN make decisions.
I must NOT be worried about this and that.
I CAN do it.
I WILL do it.
 It will be OK!
     Don't give up!”  
I could see the enormity of work having removed the rose-tinted spectacles.  Depression on the Road to Hell was setting in!  Already it was clear that ambitions exceeded available funding and care would be necessary even just to update the ground floor.  
Initially the project was thought to be a make-over, however “maquillage” is camouflage.  My son was amazed at how I could think that the project could be achieved in a summer.  I didn’t want ‘to paper over cracks’  and gradually I realised what style and standard I wanted to achieve.  Oh dear, My mother always said I had ideas above my station.  A whole new spin was unknowingly developing inside my head whilst I stripped wallpaper from every room whilst I cried and fought internal as well as external battles!  My memory of this is etched on my brain!The top layer of stringy brown wallpaper revealed the paper firmly stuck to the plasterboard below.  It looked to be a long and painful endurance test to expose the bare walls but after several soakings with water and washing up liquid then applying the steamer kettle with one hand and scraping with the other the task became easier.  Little by little, it will be achieved!
My project carved itself into life. Physical exercise woke up the unused muscles which in turn began to creak at the end of a long disciplined working day.  It was essential to keep up the daily grind.  Social activities became fraught.  Life became ...'fall out of bed, rush to work, be active all day, rush home, have bath, cook meal, beaver away at domestic duties and fall into bed....late!'  Bizarrely, I loved the energy it gave me!  I had really slowed down and now I had the rekindled the kind of energy I had in my career days,  even if it did appear manic to those around me! I was also getting a good night's sleep free of anxiety! That was oh so GOOD!

Shopping for building materials re-entered our lives.  This became frustrating in its apparent consumption of time.  Travelling, purchasing and transporting goods in central France is not a quick fix!  N.B. When buying a house in Central France, ensure you have a DIY store nearby! I forgot about that on my list of criteria for buying a house!

Thursday 8 September 2011

Restless at the start

April 30th 2010


 













Once the four brothers and I had signed our names on every page of the Acte de Vente my anxieties were replaced by others but a supportive little bird, held my hand and said "Bravo".  I was so happy,  realizing the importance of this momentous occasion of buying a house in France!  I was not to be restless!  There was to be no more house searching, no more worries about whether a choice or decision is correct, no more money sitting in the bank,  here I was with responsibility creating a whole new stress curve,  just so I could have the security of owning "bricks and mortar" to make a home of my very own. 

My purchase included: 
1. one house with a courtyard and a garden on one plot of land 
2. one garage / stable building with planning permission to convert and extend into a dwelling. 
September 2011
During the last 15 months I've been through a gamut of emotions which are far too difficult to express or even explain.  Colourful it has been!  I'm not sure that I want to delve deeply when it has all been set down and the past is now the past!  
But set down I have been, set down to be in my very own "home" in the present!
 Perhaps it's just not worth the time and energy to try and answer why things are as they are!
This is this and I am lucky to have this as it is.
I am fortunate.
                                              

Wednesday 7 September 2011

My house and home

On 30th April 2010, I signed for the purchase of my very own property situated in "un plus beaux village de France".  It had been my dream for 7 years since first setting sight on this delightful village and although I had looked at many houses they were always rejected because they were not pretty enough or were without a garden or were without exterior or side windows!
I'd been RestlessinFrance for many years having sold my beautifully renovated 400 year old former English inn, and being Cancerian, needed to have property of my very own.  This is part of my "empire"and I still don't understand why I have it!  I repainted the shutters which were previously brown.

Tuesday 6 September 2011

A new story begins of a second new life in France

September 2011 - the approach of Autumn

I can hear the water flowing deeper
in the rippling, rappling river,
amidst the shifting shafts of sunlight sparkling through the bending boughs.

I can feel the brisk, breeze blowing
in my face, hair tingling, tangling 
causing me to shake my head in laughter to see again the view.

I can hear the regular, rhythmic trudge
as I climb the rugged slope,
avoiding rocks and roots of trees for space where feet can be placed.

I can see the change of season
as the browns and greens transform
the track of the leafy, shady arbour where many have walked before.

I can crunch the sharp, black, juicy fruit
of blackberries untouched,
Fronds of fennel, oregano wild and sweet pink marjoram clutched.

I can knock the dark brown walnuts
out of their green protective case,
one stamp and wiggle out nutmeat, to eat as a tasty treat.

I can smell the warmth of history
as I pass the secret garden gate
of a tiny hidden house overhanging forbidden Magdalenian caves.

I can be the buzzard flying
gracefully, regally, high
above the earth-brown, autumn tilled field, eagle eyes searching for prey.

Praise the wind, the sun and earth
for all that it supplies
to give me hope and radiance -  a feast before my eyes.

I can tread these walks of a village I love,
choose a new path every day,
celebrate the gift of life, for tomorrow, we know not come what may.

This is this.
A gift for all my friends.

Monday 5 September 2011

My reasons for creating this diary and blog


A Life of Enquiry



I'm creating a narrative with regard to owning French property, having purchased a renovation project! As a result I think I am 'growing up' in retirement age. I try to conceal a personal, private story apart from a public story but that which I share, indicates a journey in My Life. I'm confronting life-long behaviour patterns and emotions. Fluctuating levels of sanity or insanity arrive as I strive to correct 'mistakes' and yet these have created who I am. Courage and confidence have to be learned. I try not to seek approval or disapproval. I know who I am when I feel happiness being as free as the wind walking on the beach. No beaches where I live!Since the 1970s without influence I developed my own ideas about the primary classroom and that EDUCATION should instil ENQUIRY. One of the most important gifts for the child is to develop confidence. It is learned. It is vital not to become passive nor aggressive, but to become assertive and express one's opinion. Despite teaching this, I did not learn it! Being proactive to make a decision and choice requires confidence. My parents never encouraged me/ taught me to be confident so I wonder if my own children learned their confidence from their life with me? I definitely tried to impart it to the primary children who were receptive in my classroom but with my own children I think I was more strict!
In my later life I
acknowledge that every action, look, word, thought has consequences and that we choose every second of the day what the future will be! My own children seem to have learned this before me and have become self-assured adults. I'm still learning to begin to manage thought and conduct and still I make mistakes. I believe that we have the power to make changes that should not hurt anyone and it is important to be considerate of others. But when sometimes thoughts and feelings are projected onto us, it is more about the person the observations emanate from. It is better to walk away. I try to live by observing the outside-of-me-myself-world and heed my intuition.

I have come to my house to enquire about many things.
It asks me to be patient, calm, active and it would like me to be confident and have more courage.
I love my place in France but I miss my home. I enjoy living in one of the most beautiful villages in France but yearn for the beaches, reedbeds, pretty houses, cream scones and Adnams beer of the Suffolk and Norfolk coastlines.
I miss the sound of the sea.

"A home is where a heart is and my heart is in France as well as near the sea and the East Anglian coast. When I love two or more places, I can enjoy being wherever I am, and when I go from one place to the other I can always look forward to going home!"