Grey gives a breath of fresh air

My Workawayers were the most loveliest of people...I have been so lucky!
I had already met A in my daughter's home town when I visited UK in March/April. Such a small world! We had already agreed an exchange of labour for accommodation and food, so to meet beforehand was re-assuring.  I planned various smaller tasks but in actual fact PRIORITY A absorbed the week, however, when wet, cold weather on Wednesday prevented painting, PRIORITY B was achieved sufficiently to secure broken posts and holes in a wired fence on PLOT 13!  Bravo S and A for removing the dead tree and sawing it for logs! PRIORITY C was to move the piano and filing cabinets, to sand and paint the skirting board behind.  GREAT! Three jobs done!
It is absolutely amazing to have beautiful grey linen-fold shutters (see comments) rather than nasty brown, badly varnished, ingrained with dirt, blotting the view on my lovely house shutters.  The cream on the cake was to see grey from the inside when looking out.   So uplifting!
I had no idea it would take so long.  I worked too at sanding and using the special expensive undercoat that seals and prevents resin and varnish permeating through the paint!  I knew how difficult it was!
When I was at work in my career I would often join the persons working according to 'my instructions' to see if it should take that long! ... or to see if there was a better way of doing things.  I love it when people have initiative, as S & A did ... I love being open to being wrong (hard as that is) and that someone else has a better or quicker approach because of their own experience or knowledge.
S & A were unimaginably energetic and proactive. I can see how being younger makes a difference! They started work at eight and continued for five hours each day.  A was so lovely that she painted the third top coat on the outer leaves of the shutters on the Saturday morning which was more than she was required to do.  I need to paint one or two more coats on the inside!  They have pride in their work. They were fantastic company and yet we did our best to respect personal space. We shared the love of good food, music, wine and quiet moments to rest. They used the bikes and explored the village.  We went to La Place but after 5 hours work each day, with inclement weather as the week progressed, it was not conducive to sit and watch the world go by.
They were very motivating and encouraging and so I have promised to take certain action!
Thank you to Susan for telling me about WORKAWAYERS.

Spring 2010 - old single glazed windows with brown shutters folded back

Summer 2013 - change tp double glazed windows without battens

Summer 2014 - grey shutters closed

Summer 2014 - double glazed windows with battens and grey shutters

Summer 2014 inside to outside

I have another young lady coming from Ohio who will arrive in several weeks time and the PRIORITY will be sorting STUFF!

POSTNOTE:
Maybe the correct terminology is 'folding wooden shutters' ... or maybe they are bi-fold...

However, despite advice from builders, painters and decorators that the correct method would be to remove and paint flat, as in 'horizontal' ... we ignored advice on account of the peculiar flexibility and size of the doors.  In our opinion it was easier to open, close, fold in different arrangements to paint on both sides.  Initially, I was going to leave hinges unpainted but I did local research by wandering through the village on an bservational walk!  Hinges were left un-painted with nasty brown varnish but painted when les volets / the shutters were painted!

For those who are interested: we sanded the doors by hand as machines just jumped about...( maybe being on a flat surface would have helped but we didn't want the problem of not being able to get the doors back in situ!).  That took us 15 hours!  We removed all the shiny varnish and lumpy blackened dribbles. We did NOT sand to bare wood. Then we painted the doors and hinges with a product called Zinnsters B.I.N. which keeps the resin and varnish where it is!  It was recommended by Farrow & Ball for brand new pine skirting board.  After that S & A used modern vinyl brushes especially for water-based products and rollers but the brushes worked best.
The paint I used was being sold at a 40% on the last promotional day at LeRoyMerlin:
RIPOLIN EXPRO 3 for exterior wood and extreme weather.  I have enough for the gates but wish I'd bought more for the other type of shutters. The OUCH factor on my bank account nearly caused a heart attack!   THANK HEAVEN for WORKAWAYERS! I am now in Paradise when I look out of my bedroom and living room!