August notes

August ended with a feeling of comfort for me. I dislike the phrase 'a comfortable life', it has a touch of middle-class smugness. 'The children have marvellous careers, there's a decent car in the garage, pensions are doing really quite nicely thank you and a cheeky little Merlot is ready for Sunday lunch'. It's hard to explain but I realised how much contentment life in Corrèze gives me and how comfortable it fits with me. I didn't realise quite how much until we returned from holiday last weekend.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. August was always going to be a busy month. Work on the house progressed well, Andrew thinks he is still on schedule for his electrics deadline at the beginning of October. It's not just a question of pulling cables (so far 2.5 kilometres), sockets are needed in walls that don't exist and so they have to be built. If it's lighting, he needs to know exactly what type of lights, for example the chandeliers need special fixings. I know I am boringly repetitive but I genuinely don't know how he holds all the information in his head.

I was a little frustrated as I wanted to get the pointing finished in the entrance hall before friends came to stay but I didn't quite make it. I have returned from holiday with new enthusiasm and I've nearly done, maybe another 6 or 7 days to complete the walls and under the stairs. I really enjoy doing it but it would be nice to move on to something new, I think I'll be back to painting duty, windows and radiators maybe? As you can see the original windows are in a bit of a state (toy horses Andrew found under the floorboards so I thought I'd get a bit arty!)

The windows really do need more than a lick of paint!

August is the month that my oldest friend and myself have birthdays and we try to get together to share celebrations. This year was a significant one for both of us and, despite Covid and the threat of quarantine (which did happen), she and her husband drove over from England for a visit. Although they were not here nearly long enough we managed to do some sightseeing, a trip to Emmaüs and some great meals. I was really grateful that they made it and hope it will be for longer next time.

My original birthday plan was to celebrate at home with friends and then a family holiday at the beginning of September to Italy. Understandably family were concerned about flying and so the trip was cancelled. We were always going to drive so for us it wasn't an issue. We found alternative accommodation and decided to spend my birthday in Lake Como instead of Corrèze. We broke the outward journey with an overnight stay in Chambéry (I certainly want to go back) and so had time to take the mountain pass instead of the tunnel. The views were spectacular and I would certainly recommend it.

Lac du Mont-Cenis

We've visited Bellagio previously so didn't feel the need to rush about doing a load of sightseeing, it wasn't what this holiday was about.  We went to markets, spent a lot of time reading and just chilling. I don't think we realised quite how much we needed a break from work but we did know that we needed to try and switch off for a week. We didn't even have to get up early to dog walk as Mortimer stayed in Corrèze being looked after by kind friends, so nice not to have to worry about him.

Morning view

We did the return journey in a day, it's about a 8.5 hour drive for us, and went straight to friends to collect Mortimer. I'm not sure he'd even noticed that we'd gone! He'd been taken to the lake for walks and swimming sessions, had been groomed everyday and looked a very happy dog. We took an extra day off, the journey had been quite tiring, and then of course the usual unpacking, sorting and washing to do. It was on the Monday evening as I walked Mortimer through town that I realised how comfortable I feel living here, Corrèze suits me. The ancient walls cocoon you, I could hear families chatting as they prepared the evening meal and there was the odd snatch of music. Children were playing outside and I got a "bonsoir Madame" as I walked past.  It's a beautiful place but not Disney polished, people are friendly (we can tell who are the  holiday makers as they rarely say 'bonjour'). It's not what I do, or what I look like, it's how I am and how I treat people that's important here. It was a lovely holiday but coming home is like putting on a favourite jumper. I'm happy here.

Our holiday was exactly what we needed and we've started back on the renovations with a new vigour. It has helped that the weather has been perfect, blue skies and not too hot at 22 - 26 degrees. Nights are cooler and I have been able to put the summer duvet back on the bed instead of just a linen sheet. We know that we have a lot of work to do over the next few months but we're enjoying it again.

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It's good to be home

Progress report: The Notaires House

Hello? Anyone there? I suspect you've all abandoned me by now. For someone who thinks blogging should be a weekly affair then this is a pretty poor show! I have no excuse, Mortimer has not eaten the wifi cable, floods and tempests have not swept through Corrèze, it's just life really. And deadlines. Now I know that a practitioner of slow living shouldn't really be concerned about such things as deadlines but sometimes we have no choice.

Our focus over the past few months has been twofold, for Andrew the house rewire and for me the pointing. I understand that these don't sound too bad but trust me they are. How Andrew has remained focussed I have no idea, he is blessed with dogged determination and the ability to think in 3D. A rewire is a big job anyway but a huge undertaking when nearly every room has at least changed shape and quite often form and function too. What do I mean? Well take guest room three a.k.a. the Artist's Room. This has been created through the merging of a corridor, the old kitchen and a loo, with the ensuite being half of the original bathroom (see image below)

The birth of a new bedroom

Mainly for the kitchen - about 11 circuits

There are hundreds of decisions to be made, I have to know where furniture is going and preferably specific pieces. Why? If we take a bedside cabinet for example then the height could effect the placing of sockets and switches.  What will guests want in a room? heated towel rails? underfloor heating? Do we have a range or two ovens? How many sockets do I want in the kitchen and where are they going? T.V. internet, wifi, hubs and ethernet!!!!! And so it continues. On one day alone over 250 metres of cable was laid and that was mainly for the kitchen.

More hacking

It's not just where sockets/switches are placed, it's where they switch from. Is it a two or even a three way? Do I put a dressing table socket on the left or right? Andrew can't wire if he hasn't got walls in place so they've been built too but of course some of these will have plumbing in them... Fortunately Andrew's graphic design skills have been invaluable as he can get all this down 'on paper' with accurate measurements (although there are times that I still insist on chalk marks on floors.) Before anyone comments the dotted lines show the switching links and not the actual cable runs.

Downstairs

Upstairs

I know he is my husband and I'm biased but Andrew's skills and abilities amaze me - how he does all this, how he knows what to do, how he thinks so many steps ahead I really can't comprehend. I am involved in the planning particularly with furniture placing and functionality but it's not that hard to say 'oh yes I need a dressing table here with a socket for a hairdryer' is it? Or to choose some paint and wallpaper.

The kitchen layout bugged us for almost a year and we've finally put that one to bed. We then moved on to our suite. We've kept the sitting room on the first floor with the three chambre d'hôte rooms and separated ourselves downstairs, creating servants quarters behind the kitchen! I know this sounds a little odd but it means that we can keep some personal space if we feel that we need some time apart from guests. Our area is a bedroom, ensuite and dressing room as well as a pair of comfortable chairs and small table in the kitchen. Breakfast à deux in the dining room, table for 12, under the chandelier would seem a little odd!

Kitchen colour scheme (not necessary at this point in time I grant you!)

Just trying it for size!

My focus has been the stone walls in the dining room and entrance hall. Originally plastered with the addition of concrete and wall carpet, these two rooms suffered from damp (they were originally stables). Stripping everything off and exposing the stone gives the walls a chance to breath. I'm not the fastest pointer in the world, although I've definitely sped up, but it is a time consuming job. I do enjoy it though and it's nice to think that once it's finished we will never have to redecorate.

Three metre high walls take a lot of work!

There has been life outside of work though. The summer season is in full swing with night markets, concerts and vide-greniers all back. We've enjoyed socially distanced apéros with friends and the occasional coffee out.

Egletons vide-grenier

It's been very warm and with only about 3mm of rain in the last month which has meant a re-ordering of our day. Mortimer's evening walk has become quite late, rarely before 9 p.m. but we love walking through town at this time. Many of the houses are filled with families on holiday, windows are flung open to let the cooler evening air in and you can hear the chatter and laughter. Sometimes music is playing and I take sideways glances into houses that are usually shuttered up.

Mortimer's summer river walk

This week I'm downing tools though as my oldest (not in age but we have know each other for nearly 50 years) is coming to stay. We share August as our birthday month and her husband surprised her with a trip so we can celebrate together. So apart from some fairly major housework tomorrow the rest of the week will be spent enjoying summer in Corrèze.

If you can't wait another 4 weeks for the next update(!) then feel free to join us on Facebook or for sometimes very random photographs of daily life in Corrèze then we're here on Instagram

Slow living in France

I'm often asked why did we chose to live in France? The answer is not simple, so many reasons really. For inveterate house restorers like us France gives the opportunity to buy beautiful buildings in stunning locations. The food was a major draw - who can resist a French market? The people are delightful and have taught us so much, but above all it was the opportunity to try and live more slowly that made us want to move here.

Regular readers will know that I've touched on slow living before. It started in Italy during the 1980's as the Slow food movement, promoting an alternative to fast food with the emphasis on preserving traditional and regional cuisine. Since then it's developed to embrace a slower way of living but that doesn’t mean doing everything at a snail's pace but rather defining what is important to you, concentrating on that. It's doing things at the right speed, treading gently instead of charging about. It's not an easy thing to achieve, habits formed from decades of living a hurried life are hard to lose. So how are we trying to make it work for us?

Andrew and I like to do things together, it's just how we are, and sometimes that means getting up just a little bit earlier to achieve this. We still set a working week so Monday to Friday I'm usually up at 6 ish so we can breakfast and walk Mortimer together. Sitting at a table for meals, all meals, is really important to us, as is setting it properly. Friends know I have a bit of a table linen obsession so even weekday breakfasts involve a laid table with the requisite napkins.

Set for breakfast

Our renovation project is big, and we really want to be open for business next year. We would achieve more if one of us leapt straight into action while the other walked Mortimer but we rarely do. For us, the morning dog walk is important, we get a chance to breathe before the day really starts and we get time to observe our surroundings. The Santiago de Compostela route goes through Corrèze and most days we walk some of it, reflecting on the centuries of pilgrims who have trod these paths.

Santiago de Compostela route

Hydrangeas in the village

The village is full of hydrangeas, I hadn’t realised quite how varied in colour they were all before and capturing the different varieties has become a morning challenge. It’s this awareness of where we are that makes us really appreciate the life we have here.

Once we’re back home we sit and have a coffee before work, no rushing to start. We always break for lunch and it's usually for an hour. Our finish time will vary depending on the tasks we've been doing, if one of us wants to get something completed then occasionally it's a solo dog walk but that's not often. The evening walk is a good time to reflect on what we've achieved and our plans for the following day. If we stop and have a chat with friends, or share a bottle of wine with them well, does it really matter that much if supper is delayed by 20 minutes?

Talking of supper it’s quite often a joint effort. I defy anyone not to be inspired by French food shopping. We both find cooking relaxing and like to try out new recipes. These are usually not overly complicated, spending hours in the kitchen type of dishes, but trying out a different way of cooking with familiar ingredients. We're now coming into peak soft fruit season so I've started jam making again. Our local shop had 5 kilos of apricots for 8 euros last week - that was a lot of jam! It's certainly something that can't be rushed.

Moving to France and the changes we have made meant we could lose a car, we only need one now and if I'm honest we can go a week without using it (longer if I didn't insist on Emmaüs runs!) We chose to live in a village with shops and amenities that we can walk to, it certainly made life under lockdown easier. Our supermarket shop is fortnightly and we buy fresh food locally. We try to be more organised so that when we do go out in the car we do several things in a journey rather than a lot of mini-trips. I feel quite guilty when I remember how in the U.K. I used to get the car out just to buy a couple of rolls for lunch.

We're not perfect at this, we still get stressed when we try and pack too much in a day but we're learning to relax more. We still have goals to achieve, we still have to work hard but sitting down  enjoying a cup of coffee together isn't really going to make much difference to the schedule but it certainly makes a difference to our wellbeing.

If you would like to enjoy snippets of our slow life in Corrèze then feel free to follow/friend us here on Facebook or on Instagram

A special spot on the Corrèze

Join us in the garden?

Come in, come in - the gates are open. Can I offer you a glass of wine? Let's take it down to the table at the end of the garden.

Come in - the gates are open

I'm really sorry it's taken me so long to invite you over but with all the work converting the barn and now the house restoration the garden gets somewhat forgotten. Also I'm not much of a gardener, I love having one but I don't spend hours planning and working in it. I know a lot of people buy property in France so that they can get a couple of acres and become self-sufficient but not us, in fact this was bigger than was ideal but it's really easy to maintain. The French call it 'park style' which doesn't necessarily mean acres of parkland but it has a lot of trees and few flower beds.

The previous owner planted lots of specimen conifers which give beautiful shade in the summer. Yes you're right, that is a monkey puzzle tree. I'm not overly fond of it, it's become a little squashed by the other trees so is lopsided, that and it has quite vicious spikes. However it is a perfect place to hang the hammock from!

You didn't expect that view did you! I know it's a surprise isn't it? When guests come in they are drawn down the garden to the seating area and the view of the river (I took this photograph last autumn when the Corrèze was full). It's not until you come back up the garden that you see the view of the medieval village.

View of the River Corrèze

Corrèze town

The garden is an L-shape around the house, to the front and side with nothing at all to the back. The door you can see leads into into the grandly called summer kitchen (although how a room with just a sink and carpet up the wall qualifies for this I have no idea!)

Side garden

We will make it the dining room, in fact I was researching chandeliers when you arrived. We are planning to put a terrace along this side, design and timing is still under marital discussion - although I would love something like this:

We inherited several of these with the house, apparently they are Franco-Roman funérarium, where urns containing burial ashes were put. I have no idea if that's true but they are quite common in this area.

Franco-Roman burial stone? 

The watering can? Yes that's old too, must be at least 60 years and I use it all the time. It belonged to my grandfather who was a keen allotment holder, frequently winning prizes. Behind it is a Victorian rhubarb forcer.

As you will have seen we have quite a lot of wild flowers, I keep some areas unmown until the end of May. You're just in time to see the laburnum come into flower, such a beautiful tree. I remember there were a lot when I was a child but they fell out of favour as the seeds are poisonous, such a shame.

Wild flowers in the garden

Laburnum trees

Seen enough? Let me top you up and we'll go and sit and look at the river. We'd love you to stay in touch, we're here on Facebook or on Instagram

Perfect spot for aperos

Sorry - what day is it?

Since we've lived in France we haven't had 9 to 5 office jobs so giving structure to the week is important. If we don't, time has a habit of going either of two ways, a day may drift as something catches the imagination and before you know it Mortimer is demanding his evening meal. The other option is that we work on the house restoration seven days a week which is tiring, physically and mentally.

We try for a working week of Monday to Friday, alarms are set and there is a regularity to the days. Saturday is usually still for jobs but a gentler type of labour - gardening, maybe some research and even occasionally some household chores! We have a couple of good markets nearby so they may get a visit. Sunday we always try for a slow day, breakfast is leisurely and croissants replace cereal. It's when Mortimer gets an extended walk and long, relaxing meals are enjoyed. In the summer we may go to a vide-grenier or explore some of the beautiful countryside that we have in Corrèze.

The river Corrèze this week

Although we set our own weekly structure, living in the village also helps. I wrote this post a while back and up until three weeks ago it still held true but not anymore, since lockdown the village rhythms have changed and it's quite disconcerting. There is definitely less traffic in the morning, the college is closed and fewer people are working. The small gatherings of people lallygagging are not there, no longer can I hear the 'ladies who coffee' chatting in the restaurant. At about 10 past each hour the college plays a short burst of 'Under Pressure' which echos across the town but that is now silent too (actually not a great loss!) The church still chimes on the hour but the long 10.45 peal to call Sunday mass has stopped. We live just a few doors from the tabac which is now only open in the morning so afternoon traffic is non-existent. Without the ability to leave the house we are having to try even harder to not work seven days a week.

It's very peaceful at the moment

I have quite a lot of upholstery and furniture projects to do for the bed & breakfast rooms, last count there were at least eight chairs and I'm not even looking at chests of drawers, dressing tables and beds. So my plan is that on Saturdays this will be my task. Well it's hardly a chore as I really enjoy doing it. I'm going to start with the chairs, strip them down, sort the woodwork out if necessary and get them all up to calico stage. I haven't allocated them all to rooms yet and with design schemes still to be finalised it seems a good stage to get them to. Also the house will continue to be a dusty building site for a good few months so putting final fabric on would be pointless. The weather this weekend was glorious so I took two chairs into the garden to start. The first one was easy, it had only had one set of covers so no multiple tack holes which is a bonus. It was easy to strip and not much of the woodwork needs repairing. The second was a different story entirely. A much older chair that had been recovered with some petit point work. I took the back off first to find dozens of dead moths! The stuffing was a mix of horse hair (which was OK) but also some really nasty rotting wadding. Really pleased I was doing this outside and with a mask on. The tacks are proving really difficult to get out but I shall persevere, I have a few tricks for this task. Moral of the story, if you are buying old chairs to recover, always try and strip down as many of the old layers as you can - you just never know what may be lurking there!

Mortimer supervising my work

We have also had a breakthrough on the kitchen design. Regular readers may know that this has been an ongoing issue between Andrew & myself but with work on the electrics having started we needed to get a layout finalised. Again we both hit the design boards and finally we have agreed a design. We've both made compromises but the design is better for these. I do however confess to have gone a little pale when I saw that Andrew had a label 'steam punk table' on his!

I have finally got round to starting on Instagram, it's taken a while and I won't be flooding it with posts but if you would like to take a look then we're here. I'd love to see what you share too.

I couldn't resist these that I found tucked into a hole in the wall

This week is Easter and we're going to take a long weekend. The weather has been good and with a forecast of warm and sunny weather ahead it looks like week four of lockdown isn't going to be too bad. As always you can keep in touch with us on Facebook as a follower or friend, it's been lovely to make new friends, catch up with old ones and to be part of your lockdown life.

Beautiful blossom on our morning walk

Living the dream?

Living the dream. It's not a phrase I particularly like although it's been said to us regularly, especially in the early months of our life in France. Yes, I had been plotting and planning a move to France for quite a few years but my dream of French life was far from reality! My 'idyllic French life' was a strategy I developed to help me fall asleep when the demons arrived in the night and kept me awake. My perfect French house had a courtyard out front with a leafy tree providing shelter over a rustic table, the site of long lunches. Originally this tree was a fig but, even in the middle of the night, I realised that wasps feasting on squashed fruit was not conducive to a relaxed meal so I swapped it in for a walnut. The house itself was double fronted with a beautiful door. The hall had terracotta tiles, on the left was a country kitchen and to the right a comfortable sitting room with soft, squidgy sofas. It was all planned.

Maybe one day...

I didn't stop with the house. Oh no! In my French dream I wore silk and linen in the summer, cashmere and velvet in the winter. We ran a small, stylish and highly successful bed and breakfast where we were complimented on our hospitality.

Beginning to see where I'm going with this? Regular readers of our blog may have an inkling that 'living the dream' isn't quite like this, maybe you would like to share a week of it with me?

The week kicked off last Sunday with a fairly late breakfast (it's the one day we don't have an early start). The downside is I get a little twitchy as to what may be left at the boulangerie if I don't get there before 8.30 a.m. Sunday is also the day we take Mortimer on a long walk but it was chucking it down with rain so this idea was swiftly quashed. Andrew sat at his desk planning the electrical runs for the house restoration and after I had finished the ironing I got the household and restoration accounts up to date.

Monday we arrived back home after the morning dog walk to find our roofer in the drive, an unexpected sight. Our roof is beautiful but with old slates and zinc flashings. It's fine as long as we keep it maintained, which we do, and our next bout of work was to replace the flashings and ridge (it's one of the few jobs Andrew won't do and I really don't blame him). This curtailed Andrew's plan of starting on the new steps leading up to the kitchen, which have to be done before the new doors are installed.

Starting the steps

My role for the week was to start chipping out the old mortar in the hall and dining room. When we bought The Old Notaire's House both these rooms were plastered but had damp problems which the previous owners 'fixes' had not solved. In the dining room (which was the old summer kitchen) cement had been put a metre or so up the wall and then this was covered with carpet. The hall had a metal backed paper put to the same height and then wallpapered over. Both 'solutions' merely caused the water to be pushed further up the walls.

Chiselling out the old mortar

The damp has/is caused by soil being piled too high against the outside walls plus drainpipes that don't discharge away from the house. These two issues are fairly easy to resolve and we've also decided that if we take the walls back to the granite stones and repoint, they will have chance to breathe as well. Needless to say this very dirty job does not involve cashmere and velvet!

One of the causes of our damp

I have had an able bodied assistant for a couple of days who has also been involved in some roof work as well. It was decided that we needed to replace the existing satellite dish and T.V. aerial. If I'm honest this has all passed me by, we haven't owned a television since 1991 but it is felt (by some) to be a necessity for guests. I did take some photographs of the installation and even doing that made me feel queasy.

Wednesday was more of the same except for some light relief in the afternoon. We had inherited with the house the two safes that the notaires had used. We decided to keep one and the other I had put up for free on Facebook and it was being collected today as it had to be moved before the steps were built, we didn't want then chipped. The safe is very, very heavy but fortunately the operation went smoothly. The happy couple gifted me with two bottles of sparkling wine which was unexpected but charming of them.

Details from the old safe

Thursday morning could have been a little midweek treat. Andrew's barber is in Beaulieu sur Dordogne, a delightful small town about 45 minutes from us. I know, it's quite far to go for a hair cut but Girogio is excellent, and fascinating to watch. After the appointment we are in the habit of buying an almond croissant from the rather excellent boulangerie and sitting for 15 minutes with a coffee, watching the world go by. Sadly today we had to dash home as our roofer was still at work.

Giorgio in action

Friday was a mixed day for me, originally a sort of day off. I had a hairdresser appointment in the morning, which if you live in France you know can be quite a traumatic experience. The first hairdresser I went to after relocating had been recommended. I took in a photograph so she could see what I wanted (it wasn't complicated - I always have a bob-type style) and I was very insistent the minimum length I would accept. Smiles and nods followed, as did 10 centimetres of my hair. I came out and cried, yet being English I had still left a tip! Fortunately the hairdresser in our village is much better and never cuts more off than I want but I do miss the cups of coffee and hand massages I used to get at Top to Toe.

An early lunch so I could get to Emmaüs close to opening time. There was nothing in the furniture warehouse I wanted but I had more success in the china shop. My final call was to see my friend in the haberdashery section. Larissa knows my taste well and had saved me an adorable 1950's sewing box. I also found a vintage cushion and throw, perfect for the barn. When she saw it in my basket she said "I knew it" she couldn't save those as well but hoped they would still be available when I came in. There is a brocante nearby which I hadn't been in for a while, nothing of great interest although I did find a Le Creuset frying pan for a euro. It would have been a nice day if I hadn't received a telephone call from my mother in England saying there was "nothing to worry about" but she had slipped over on the ice and broken her wrist. Needless to say the next 36 hours were fraught with phone calls and planning for a possible trip back to the U.K. This still may happen but for the moment I can stay put.

Some of my purchases

Finally the weekend (Saturday was only yesterday but I'm struggling a little to remember). Oh yes, a trip to Gedimat to get more ballast, cement and other items needed for the new steps. Emergency washing and ironing in case I needed to return to England and several telephone calls to my mother. In the afternoon a friend came over with his new dog, a delightful five year old collie, so we gave up all pretence of trying to work and took both dogs on a walk. At this point Mortimer developed a limp which we think may be a recurrence of a shoulder injury he had last year.

So 'living the dream'? Despite the wardrobe aspirations not being quite there (although I live in hope) yes I am and wouldn't change my life in France for the world.

If you would like to read more about our life in Corrèze then feel free to follow/friend us here on Facebook