Ma visite en Angleterre

After numerous cancellations I finally made the trip back England and although nursing a bit of a cold I was determined not to let that stop me from making the most of all the opportunities I had to restock my Etsy shop (which was closed while I was away) and to catch up with friends and family.

The long drive back to England in our van, Piggy, was made less arduous by the company of my Mum and Stepfather who had bravely come to stay in our less than restored house in Cognac for a week or so.

My Mum Barbara, Livi and Me (and doggies) in the Park in Cognac
before the epic journey to England

The last leg of the trip was the worst bit because not only was I tired and feeling really ill I found that having been spat out of Newhaven Ferry Port in England I could hardly see the verge of the unlit country roads at all (guess who forget to get some beam benders!) so that was a bit stressy to say the very least!

Anyway, having finally arrived I decided to start my buying bonanza by visiting an auction in Folkestone which is situated about an hour down the road from my base in Hastings.  One tricky thing aspect of this particular sale was that they had two auctions running simultaneously - one for furniture upstairs and one for petits trucs downstairs. Luckily my Mum had agreed to come with me so I had the advantage of an extra pair of eyes to keep on top of the situation.

The auction yielded mixed results as I found that the furniture was very reasonable and bought a few lovely bits for the house which I will no doubt reveal at some later date but at present are safely in storage.  However, the smaller trucs that I had earmarked for my online shop did not go so cheaply and once I had added the sale room commission and the exchange rate back into euros I think I may have made a couple of boo boos!  Only time will tell.

This lovely silver topped biscuit barrel was one
of my better buys and I can't wait to clean it up

I'm also pleased with this retro barometer and thermometer
although I paid more than I would have liked

These two super little inkwells caught my eye and I was glad to get them

The next stage of my plan was to check out the local antique and bric-a-brac stores to see if I could find some bargains but sadly the prices again were high and unlike the antique TV programmes I habitually watch they weren't really budging much on prices.  One rather sarcastic gentlemen crowed "where's the film crew?" when I asked for his best price on a couple of items - and they say the French are rude!

Back at home I have unpacked and assembled my buys in preparation for
cleaning and will assess which ones are destined for my Etsy Shop
and which ones are to be sold at a local flea market in Cognac 

I look forward to sharing with you over the coming weeks a selection of the trucs I have purchased (once I get around to sorting through them) as well as some of the interesting places I visited during my visit to Angleterre.  But in the meantime I have sledgehammer wielding husband to clear up after who is busy knocking openings in our walls to improve the layout of our house and to let in more light so I'll bid you adieu for now and get the broom!

The horrible boxing in at the bottom of the stairs is gone

and so is half our dining room wall.... don't worry it will all be wonderful
when it's done!!!

Trucs to Finish in 2014

Well it's 2014 and time to start anew with a clean slate and to make some resolutions for the New Year. 

My main New Years Resolution this year is to finally finish off all the snagging jobs on the house that we have been renovating for the last three years.  We are very proud of what we have achieved here but with Spike busy working and with one thing and another we appear to have ground to a halt!

The living room with reclaimed parquet floor

There is always the danger when renovating a house that once the big jobs are done like kitchens, bathrooms, electrics, heating etc. that the little trucs slide. 

Here are just a few examples of what lies ahead for us in 2014:-

Our house still waiting to be rendered... beautiful!

We have put a lovely reclaimed parquet floor down in the living room from a Parisian house that was demolished in the 1950's to make way for the périphérique (ring road around Paris) but still haven't put all the the trim around the edge. 

There is boxing-in to do in the downstairs cloakroom (don't know why we call it that as there is not a cloak in sight!) and the boot-room (lots of boots so that's OK!)

We have been meaning to render the front of the house for some time now but that will have to wait for some warm dry weather... hopefully in the Spring.

I promised to paint the metal gates into our courtyard a couple of years back but have yet to encounter the optimum weather conditions (well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it)

There is also a bit of landscaping to do in the garden because outside the back door a muddy puddle has emerged that regularly gets walked into the house by dogs, cats and the occasional chicken when they give us the slip before we can grab them with an old towel (not the chicken... they shouldn't be in the house at all!)

I'm sure there are more things to do that I can't think of right now, not to mention the ongoing maintenance issues such as touching up paintwork and fixing shutters that are falling off their hinges.  

However, when I think back to the state of our kitchen last Christmas it spurs me on to get these little trucs done once and for all.

The back door last year & makeshift sink!

The back door and the kitchen now

The front of the kitchen last year

The front door to the kitchen now

I am hoping that by committing this list to writing that we will finally get these niggly jobs finished as we are both keen to sell the house and to move onto our next project. It's not that we don't love our French country home but we are ready for a move back to town as having both lived in London for a number of years we miss the convenience of being able to walk to bars, restaurants, markets and any cultural events that might be taking place. 

So my wish for 2014 is to move on to pastures new (or should I say pavements/sidewalks new) and to transform another ugly duckling of a house into a beautiful swan.