Search results for: a house is not a home

A house is not a home….

25 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by in Reflections, The background story, The continuing adventure, The good life

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Sealsea- (2)

Three years ago yesterday i moved out of my beautiful house, by the sea, to start this adventure. I loved this house, have always said it was the most beautiful house I would ever have the privilege  to live in. Edwardian, with so many original features….

Sealsea-1

I had put my heart and soul into it, worked so hard on it renovating and decorating and making it into our home.

We were so rushed when it came to moving day I do not even remember closing the door for the last time, but I do remember sitting in the pub that night with tears rolling down my face. When my book comes out you will understand why the house,  for Rich (and now, as time has gone by I realise  for me also),  had become contaminated; it could never be the home we thought it would be; and as three years have passed I have come to realise that.

So then we found our house on the pinnacle of the rolling hills that are Ambrieres les Vallees, and we fell in love. For me it was bittersweet, it was not the house I had left, it was not the house that had taken part of my soul. But over the three years, despite the well running dry, the crappy cesspit (literally, all over the cellar floor sometimes!!) and the mold on the walls; it has shown me this …….

I sit in my bedrom and I look out at this my favorite tree and I feel at peace

imageimage

And over the years I have realised that a home is about love, companionship, laughter, and tears; it is not the house, it is the people in it. I look at my husband, and he is happier here. I know neither of us could go back to a house where you could reach out and touch your neighbour, surrounded by people and noise. We are too used to the peacefulness that surrounds us; and I have finally come to realise that I do not miss my old home, it was ONE of the most beautiful houses I lived in; but this is the most beautiful home. It has not taken my soul it has replenished it.

A chair is still a chair, even when there’s no one sittin’ there
But a chair is not a house and a house is not a home
When there’s no one there to hold you tight
And no one there you can kiss goodnight

The late great Luther Vandross..

Have a good Sunday folks.

Moisy

You may want to check out my other blog

http://makingthisbetter.com

It may surprise you, and it may give you hope.

Making A New Life: Home

04 Thursday Feb 2021

Posted by in Change is a coming, coming home, For the live of dogs, Ireland, Irish Adventures, Learning and Evolving, Making our own way, My home, The continuing adventure

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Our possible new home, and yes the land comes with it!

Buying a house was one of our priorities after arriving in Ireland. RD and I have always been home makers, we don’t do well without a house that is ours. Many years ago, just after we married I had to sell my previous marital home and we moved into rented accommodation. Luckily our landlady was a gem, and allowed us to decorate and make some changes, but it’s not the same as being able to make big changes or hanging pictures, or shelves.

Luckily we were blessed enough to have a guardian angel who allowed us to buy her house at a time when prices were rising faster than dough. Trust me I am grateful for that every time I buy a home. But that’s not to say that we haven’t worked bloody hard renovating properties, and making them our own, to get us to where we are now.

A selection of our homes over the past twenty years

We love to pull things together and even now we’re not afraid of hard work, but we also know that we’re not getting any younger so with this in mind and due to my leg injury we both agreed that this time we wanted single floor living.

In the early autumn we sat down and each wrote our idyll of what our next house would be, it was a helpful thing to do, enabling us to stay focused this time round and not allowing the romance of a building take over our decision making.

Learning from previous decisions we wanted somewhere that was in a quiet location but within walking distance of community and the pub (of course!) In addition we didn’t want too much land. So by the fifteenth of January we put in an offer for the semi-detached bungalow in the picture at the beginning of this blog, and it was accepted!

It is a tiny house, but has plenty of potential with a half acre paddock at the side, a courtyard and scope to develop if we want to. Situated in a small community it is also only two kilometres from a village with enough pubs, shops and amenities that we can walk to; it is also only seven kilometres from two large towns, and half an hour from the biggest towns in Donegal, whilst also virtually on the border to Northern Ireland, meaning more job opportunities.

In the beautiful county of Donegal and only thirty five minutes from the beach, it holds all we need, we knew that location was essential. We have loved living near the beach, and so have the Welshies, so easy access to the beach at weekends is important for us, but it was also important to be in a quiet place, but not too isolated.

The deposit has been paid, so hopefully all will go smoothly and quickly. It will be the smallest house we have ever lived in, but we know it will be home.

Watch this space. But for now we will be enjoying the here and now.

Rosie

A Little Bit Of Paddy Has Finally Come Home.

03 Sunday Jan 2021

Posted by in Change is a coming, Ireland, Irish Adventures, new adventures, New Paths, poignancy, Reflections, The continuing adventure

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

The View From The Boat As We Docked
In Rosslare Ireland

I have so much to blog about not least the journey to our current home in Donegal, Ireland (such a nightmare, but also funny if you have a sense of humour). But first I want to write about my dad, who was a big factor in how we ended up living in Ireland.

It’s taken me a while to write this because I wanted to pay homage to my dad, and every time I thought about what I was going to write my eyes would fill with tears; they are now, but here goes.

My Dad was Patrick Joseph Walsh, you couldn’t get a more Irish name than that! He was a Tipperary man, the youngest of a large Irish family. He lost his mother early when she was sent away due to a sanatorium for mental health issues.

My dad Paddy was a clever man, but education was not an automatic right in the forties in Ireland, and further education was not available to everyone. But despite that my dad won a scholarship to go on to further education, it was a huge prestigious opportunity. Sadly whilst the education was free the uniform and the books needed were not. Despite going cap in hand and asking for help nobody would fund my dad, so terribly disillusioned he left Ireland and set sail for England where he boarded in my nan’s boarding house, met my mum, and the rest they say is history.

When my Irish grandmother (who I never met) was sent away to a sanatorium it was my Auntie Maureen who became my dad’s surrogate mother and so whenever we visited Ireland it was Auntie Maureen that we went to. I still remember today her breakfasts of Irish herby sausages, eggs with the brightest yellow yolks, and her homemade soda bread. Of how she would listen to me (a small gobby child) with a half smile on her face, but she would always listen, a little bemused. Looking back now I realise that perhaps she could see my dad in me, and that is why she always listened. I was always full of ideas, the difference with my dad was that I was more confident than my dad and have always had the ability to not show that I cared what people thought. As I’ve got older I now just don’t care.

Sadly my dad never returned to live in Ireland. My mum wouldn’t go, she wanted to stay with people she knew, no matter how vile some of her family were to her and my dad.

One of my awful, ignorant arrogant uncles would call my dad stupid (let’s not forget he was a ‘Paddy’ after all!) you can probably tell I am not a fan of my mum’s family (with the exception of one aunt). I know now that was insecurity on the uncle’s part, because my dad could see through him, and knew he had more intelligence than the arrogant uncle would ever understand. Ever the ‘quiet man’ my dad said nothing, because he also knew that was the only way to deal with insecure idiots.

Looking back now there was my dad, highly intelligent having to put up with those arseholes, how he must have longed for ‘home’.

So on New Years Eve as the boat was docking in Ireland all those travelling with their dogs were asked to wait on the dog deck, and there we stood with the Welshies, watching as Ireland became a reality. As I stood with RD I could feel a lump rise in my throat and my eyes brimmed with tears, I felt such an overwhelming feeling that I had finally come home. RD looked at me and just got hold of my had, he knew.

It’s hard to explain that feeling, it was so totally unexpected. The last time I visited Ireland was in 1985, when my dad brought us all over for a family holiday. I knew it was beautiful, but I was too young to appreciate just how beautiful it really is.

As I stood on deck I found myself hoping that my dad was standing beside me, with a smile on his face, approving because finally a little piece of him had come home, in me.

This one’s for you Paddy.

Rosie

Diary Of A Move: Dismantling The Home We Made.

29 Sunday Nov 2020

Posted by in Change is a coming, Goodbyes, Learning and Evolving, My family and other furry creatures, My home, new adventures, New Paths, poignancy, Saying Goodbye, sunrises and sunsets, The adventures of living life in the French countryside, The continuing adventure

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

November Sunrise In Ambrieres les Vallees France

As you can probably tell I am trying to cherish every beautiful sunrise that I see. There are not many left here for me to cherish. I know there will be new ones, I am not sad about our decisions, but those new ones are not here yet, and I firmly remind myself to live in the here and now.

November Sunset in Ambrieres les Vallees France

When I find my new home I will put up a collections of the sunrises and sunsets that I have had the blessing to see whilst living here in France. It’s been a part of my life.

Life has took off now, we have less than three weeks left in this house. I have been packing for the last two weeks, and now every cupboard is empty apart from the stuff we’re using. The home we built is now being dismantled. I have held onto my sparkly lights until next week, just to feel as if we are still at home, but I know I will have to relinquish them eventually.

I have been mercenary, even selling our vintage Blue Willow plates, bowls and side plates, they are just not my thing, I prefer my plain white plates. It was only after I sold them that I realised that I had packed all our other plates and now we have no small plates or dinner plates, just platters! When I gave Daisy the cat some milk and cream she looked at me as if I had grown another head when I poured it out for her on a platter!

Our Beautiful Bedroom. I will create a new one. I always do.
Dismantling

The shelves are coming down, our antique French mirrors are packed away and my bedroom that I lovingly put together is slowly being dismantled, but I am still trying to hold on to my sparklies in every room for as long as I can.

Our beautiful French buffet is now in storage along with our armoire, both have already gained scratches but I knew that was coming. No stress they can always be repainted.

The fourteen mirrors we have throughout the house are coming down. The old grandfather clock has been taken to storage and when I woke this morning waiting for it to chime out the time, I suddenly remembered it was now chiming away in our friends summer house. I hope the mice appreciate it, and don’t feel the need to re-enact ‘Hickory Dickory Dock’!

Our furries are stressed to the max, the dogs are getting tetchy with each other, and the cats have finally started to snuggle together after being at odds for years. We feel really guilty about our animals, poor Wiglet looks afraid all the time after her terrible start in life, and we have to keep reassuring her that everything will be okay, that she is coming with us. Harley pretty much takes most things in his stride but even he is getting arsy with Wiglet.

I feel sad because I know they all love this garden, and because I know they will have to move again from our rental into whatever house we find; and God knows what condition that will be in. I do know that the first job will be to fence the garden to protect them all. Despite my guilt I know that part of our decision is based on finding regular work, because we have responsibilities to them, and I know that they will love Ireland just as much as they love here.

We know in our heart of hearts that we are doing the right thing for us all; and we also know that if you want an adventure part of it is discomfort, and apprehension, and poignancy. But we’ve done it once, we know we can do it again. This time we’re just letting more stuff go, and going into the future with our eyes open, using all we have learned from this adventure.

As I packed up this week it suddenly came to me that the last five years have all been about learning things to prepare us for our life in Ireland. We know that life is mapped out, we accepted that a long time ago.

Life’s all about learning and facing your fears ay?

Rosie

Sunsets from my French garden in France

Changes: Not least how much I change my mind. More renovations.

27 Sunday Oct 2019

Posted by in My home, renovations, Simple things, The adventures of living life in the French countryside, The continuing adventure

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Way back in 2016 I shared with you the renovations to our bedroom (I cannot believe that was three years ago!)

We chose that particular bedroom from the two because according to the house details it was marginally bigger. But what we hadn’t taken into account was the chimney breast that was in the room, and just how much space it and the small alcove that it left at the end of the room, took up.

We made the bedroom our sanctuary and I renovated all of the furniture, and it was a sanctuary for us.

But over the past year we have started to question whether the other room was bigger, and why we were not using it for us. You see this year has been the first year that we have not had visitors (although that may change at Christmas) and it has allowed us time to think about our home and how we should be making it work for us, and not for ghost people of the future, who may or may not come out to visit for a few weeks of the year. Why do we all do that? Consider if we have seating for perceived visitors in the future when in fact we should be living in the hear and now?

Spurred on we measured the chimney breast and alcolve and worked out that in fact we were losing two square meters from our bedroom, we were sleeping in the smallest bedroom! So we decided to take action and lose the double bed in our spare room, that took up so much room, waiting for someone to sleep in it! Madness!!

We have a day bed that we use as a seat as well, mainly when I am writing and RD comes up to chat. We also have the old mattress available for anyone who visits in the future, but we cannot live our lives waiting, we have to live with here and now.

You may remember that I shared a blog showing how our spare bedroom went from this

To this..

I loved it, I wrote my book, and started my blog in that room, but it is a much bugger room, and we needed to utilise it. So last Saturday we got stuck in: RD had a week off until he starts a new job, and the plan was to work on the house and the logs in the garden. To start with we dismantled all the beds, and realised over the next three days that we are now too old to sleep on the floor even with a mattress! And in no time at all our pretty spare bedroom looked like this

It was necessary you see because, being people who don’t do things by halves, we decided to paint what would be our new bedroom floor, so everything was stacked in what was our bedroom and we slept on the living room floor. Imagine us, wrestling a kingsize mattress down our narrow, curvy French stairs, with the sole intention of throwing it away afterwards. Then we changed our minds and had to wrestle it back up the stairs, which was even harder without the assistance of gravity! Fighting a big bendy mattress, which nearly won, was immense fun (not). But I do think changing my mind, and accepting change is probably something that keeps me alive.

Although we like to keep Sunday’s free last Sunday RD painted the floor, and I managed to give it a coat of varnish. We wanted it to look old, not pristine, to look worn as if the paint had been walked on and worn over the years. I think we succeeded….

RD also painted three of the walls white, and the plan was to give a final varnish on Monday, and the final coats of white to three of the walls.

But as always best plans always change the cesspit took a whole day (they finally finished in the dark at 7.30pm!) and despite my best efforts in varnishing the floor a second time, whilst running up and down the stairs to mop up poo water and bleach my floors, we slept on our mattress on the newly painted floor that night. R D wanted to put the bed together, but he was exhausted and I wouldn’t let him.

One of the things we have realised (I have realised) was that I was trying in some ways to recreate our old home in England, when in fact I need to embrace this home as something new. It has only taken me four years! So as Tuesday came we but our bed back up, and we gave the walls another coat of white. I have never had a predominately white scheme, so have decided to go for it, and do something we have never done before. So all of the furniture in our new room (which feels huge in comparison) is going to be painted white, and one wall has remained blue.We have new furniture in situ (look out for another post) but all of it will be painted white and there is a lot of work for me to do next week.

All will be revealed, but for now here is a glimpse of what’s to come, with my French vintage lights and mirrors in place (but only half painted!)

I can tell you though that on Tuesday night, as I lay in my bed, I gave thanks that I am blessed to have a bed; and it reminded me of a quote from Mark Nepo, in the book of awakening

‘We all walk around within the numbness of our habits and routines so often that we take the marvels of ordinary life for granted.’

Trust me, having a bed to sleep on is one of them.

More to come.

Rosie

To always have hope – Feels like home

16 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by in Change is a coming, My home, Reflections, The continuing adventure, The seasons

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

When we moved here, three years ago last month. our pampas grass was small and not growing well.

It was squashed between numerous pine tress that overshadowed it depriving the poor pampas grass of any light; add to that Harley would lay in it as if it was a little nest and it did not stand much chance. Despite this it continued to live, but no grasses would appear in September and stand tall and majestic with their fronds blowing in the wind.

I love pampas grasses. I always wanted it to grow, lived in hope that one day it would have huge grasses, the size of paddles, blowing in the breeze and framing our beautiful view. Well this year we choppped down most of the trees – we had to some were dead, some posed a risk to the electricity cables – and the pampas finally got the light that it needed.

‘It won’t grow’ said Rich when we talked about it one night, ‘Harley still lies in it and squashes it!’

But I held on to hope. I had started to get the vibe that this old French farmhouse, and it’s ghosts of the past two hundred years, had finally accepted ‘Les Anglais’ and realised that we loved the house as much as they had. Being French they knew that, although we had not had much money, we would do our best to look after it; and, suddenly, things started to go our way: The trees were chopped down, the front door was replaced, the gate was replaced, the water connected, we now have French vehicles, our roof will be done before winter. We have the support and help from good friends, some considered as family, and help from those who care, and as the year went on the pampas grass grew and grew.

So here we are now and this is our pampas grass

Things are changing …..

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’

Bob Dylan

Have a good weekend folks never give up, always have hope

Moisy

img_2115

A murder in the henhouse

06 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by in My family and other furry creatures, The continuing adventure, The good, the bad and the ugly.

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

It finally happened! After nearly eighteen months, we were down to two chickens and Claude, my beautiful cockerel…..

Wiglet the Welshie got into the henhouse! After eighteen months of barking, digging, chewing at the fence, watching, and, occasionally getting hold of a chicken through the fence by it’s arse,she finally got her wish. Here’s the story, is life showing us the way?

We had no idea how old the girlies were when we got them, we just wanted to give them a good home. But over time four of the girlies have died, and the others had stopped laying.

We were in a dilemma, we have to demolish part of our old goat’s shed, and utilise the remaining half, so the chickens have to be evicted. But we decided we couldn’t give them away to someone who would ring their necks, especially that of my beautiful Claudy, as his days would be numbered for sure. But we were not sure what to do, build a smaller chicken run and house perhaps?

Over the past few days we have been clearing out our barn ( but that us another story) and were not in the garden. One of the remaining girls had been off colour and Wiglet, the huntress, knew it. It was the same poor chicken that she had tried to pull through the fence by her arse on a number of occasions, I suppose her days were numbered really. And today that day came; as we were in the barn Wiglet chewed through a weak piece of fence and was in with the chickens!

We heard the commotion and screaming and clucking but by the time Rich got there the chicken was dead, and Rich could see Claude being dragged into the henhouse. He thought quickly, Wiglet does not like loud bangs so he banged loudly on the henhouse wall with a lump of wood, and threw a rock at it, all the time we could hear Claude screaming, but as Rich took action Wiglet came running out.

Rich had told me not to go up there, and I was so sad for my beautiful Claudy, I did not want him to go into the pot, and now he was in Wiglet’s jaws and I cried.

I knew that I had to face it, and as I walked up to the chicken enclosure Rich was beside himself; the hen lay dead and Rich was convinced that Claude had been mortally wounded and that he would have to put him out of his misery. He went to get a bag for them whilst chasing Wiglet off, and I stood guard at the gate.

But when he entered the henhouse he found Claude hiding, and after checking him over, apart from the loss of his beautiful blue tail feathers he was okay!

So now a temporary fix is in place, with the chicken wire we had bought for the new enclosure, Wiglet has been scared off by a banger firework, and change of plan for the weekend: Rich will be building the new enclosure.

Let’s see how Claude fares, but we cannot be angry with Wiglet for long, she is only doing what nature intended.

It’s all go here…….

Moisy

Another gate opens, another ship sales from dock, and the crew is getting bigger all the time

14 Thursday Jun 2018

Posted by in Change is a coming, Friends, People, Reflections, The background story, The continuing adventure

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

FD49ADF1-DE03-4F38-97C8-7D8D4C92A332

When I first started this blog, I chose the tag-line carefully….

I said in my intro to this blog that I was writing it for all the people who were wondering ‘What if?’ Or, like us, were thinking that there must be more to life than this – and not necessarily material things. who were thinking about making change, about people who were thinking about stepping off the path that we are all led to believe we should follow, and going off into the woods to see what life may hold.

463D33B0-FAA5-40EA-B04E-23AF5A47769D

I have written about serendipity, one of my most favourite words, and something I believe in: A series of events that we were not looking for that add up to make something wonderful.

03389575-9C88-42A2-AAAB-2D03A405AA38

I have written about our mini-bus of life, and asked who is on your mini-bus, how many people do you allow on your bus, give them a seat only for them to try and  influence you  to do what they think you should do, often because they want to feel safe in numbers, and need to know what they are doing is right?

img_1246

How often? When, in fact, you should not let them influence you at all. How many people have told you that your mad? That you need to keep doing what you are doing even if it is clearly killing you?

9867394B-A681-412C-AA49-E400E2C811AE

I have had people contact me from all over the world to tell me that I have made them think. Not least when I share my experiences with regard to mental health (I am not going to call them issues, they are not issues they are just another part of the body that sometimes find’s it hard to work with all the shit we are bombarded with!!) Some of those people have made me cry, to know that my words have resonated with them. Some have made me smile when they start to make change.

I have made people laugh and I have made people cry, but most importantly for me I have inspired people. Not least our friend Karen:

I share her blog often, Dylan’s Welshie World. It is a blog about her puppy and her antics, but it is not just a blog about that, it is a blog about how that puppy has changed Karen’s life, how Karen has stepped off that cliff (or fell off! As she said the other day!) at a time when she needed the love that, sometimes, only a dog can bring.

You should read her story it is a young blog , but it will make you laugh out loud and make some others who have been on the hamster wheel for so long ask themselves if they need to make that change too. Karen has been brave, she had to overcome the worry of opening up to the world – but the response she had has been life affirming.

So I have inspired Karen, she has set up her blog after years as a high-flying editor she went back to writing, doubted herself because it had been so long,  until I convinced her and now her blog has become a hit and she is receiving high praise for her writing. – See, she just had to believe and have someone believe in her, of course she could write!! The things we come to believe!! Because we listen to that spin doctor in our head!

A series of events led Karen and I to being back in touch and closer than ever; sadly Karen’s dear mum died, her last remaining brother died a short time after, and, as death does, it started Karen on a path to looking at her life and the career that had defined her. Then a person who she had known for many years and got back in touch with showed that they were not the person that she thought they were all along, and left her at a time when her life was in upheaval. Just as that happened we got back in touch, I had sold a story to one of the Magazines that Karen edited, and, although we had seen each other over the years, I came back into her life at a time when she needed someone who would listen, had been through something similar, and would tell her the truth. In addition my husband makes her laugh all the time, and she needed that.

So Karen came over to see us, fell in love with our dogs (who couldn’t)….

 

Karen returned home with the firm intention of finding a Welsh Terrier puppy. They are hard to get, and there is normally an eighteen month waiting list, but serendipity clearly had a plan for Karen, and she rang a breeder who had just had a little girl puppy rejected because she had a kink in her tail. The breeder  liked Karen, liked the way she talked about the breed and just knew that, although others were waiting, Karen would love this Welshie with all her heart, and she does.

In the September Dyls came home to live with Karen, and the rest, as they say is history…

As Karen came over more and more and fell in love with the serenity of France, it made her think about her life again. No least watching Dylan run free around our garden like a mad thing helped her decide to come to France and spend the summer here and see where life takes her – she is starting to understand that she is not doing the driving!!

D024A28D-F72C-40EC-9819-A7A56887F14B

So  today Karen packed up the car with the final bits and bobs, and she is now in France, with Dylan, and on her way to our house. On Saturday she collects the keys for her rental and she will be over here for at least two months, maybe more, who knows what we will find in our house hunt.

We have a new member of our family, two in fact, and she helps me in the same way as I help her. We are both straight talkers, and so alike, whoever is driving this bus knows what they are doing!! Not only that Karen loves my husband and his mix of madness, and vulnerability at times.

But it does not end there…. In August Jen, another old friend who we have all got close to again over the past year, is coming over for another adventure, travelling on her own, something she has not done for some time! Who knows where life will lead her; and then there is my other dear friend Mary, who has been inspired to sell her home in Herne Bay and go to pastures new in the countryside of England and take that chance. She says I have inspired her, and for that I am truly honored.

So over these last three years, I have read the Tao, learnt to let my ego go, to still be kind (even to arseholes! Oops!).

I have learnt to unlearn all that I had learnt – that material things are not important, and often make you unhappier, to not plan way in advance – you only have this moment that is all you are guaranteed; I have learnt to laugh in the face of adversity, to know that you can survive even when that spin doctor tells you that you can’t. Of course you can you wake up tomorrow and you are still alive! I know the people that count are sitting on my mini-bus and that all the others, whilst of course allowed to have an opinion, are not the ones whose opinions count where I am concerned.

I am thankful every day.

img_1367-2

I have read others stories as part of my book research, and my heart has broken all over again for those people, and I have learnt to just be me, and happy in my own skin.

But most importantly I have learnt that I can touch people with my words, from all over the world. Whilst it is an honor to be in the top twenty expat blogs in France, it is the people who I inspire who make me want to do more and more. For that I thank you all…..

CF0A6D67-67AE-4540-AAC3-BDCFC4D5A9AC

 

Moisy

There is nothing more humbling

29 Tuesday May 2018

Posted by in The continuing adventure

≈ 1 Comment

There is nothing more humbling than knowing your place, not where the human race is concerned, but where Mother Nature is involved.

One of the biggest things I love about my life now is that I live on the pinnacle of a hill, where the wind, that is a feature of our life often, whips around us, whilst our two hundred year old house stands firm, I get the feeling she loves us now, as we love her.

We have storms that build up around us, and even if they do not come directly over us we can see them for miles around, and when they are coming to visit we can see them rolling in; last Saturday was no exception.

It had been a hot sunny day, Karen had been visiting (more if that adventure to come in the next few months) for a few days and we had been busy. So we decided to chill for the evening in the warm sunshine of the evening with a glass of rose, a verse of the Tao and a discussion about how to put the world to right (well in our minds anyway!)

There is nothing more rewarding than watching Welshies zooming round a garden in the sunshine, when you see that you know you are truly blessed.

So as we chillaxed we began to notice the clouds rolling in and heard a distant clap of thunder.

Within minutes the clouds had started to merge and became blacker and darker, the wind started to build around us as the dogs ran around like mad things barking at the wind as if they could stop it and the chickens clucked their disapproval as they ran for cover into the ‘Chicken Hilton’. We quickly began to gather up the various glasses, champagne flutes (for the prosecco) small wine glasses (for the rose) and large wine glasses (for the red) and take them indoors as they all started to blow over in the storm.

As my mad friend ran around the garden taking photos and panoramic shots of the impending storm we quickly laid the deckchairs, that were now blowing around the garden, down and tucked the chairs under the table in the  hope that the wind would not take them; and any loose plants that had yet to be potted up were tucked behind bigger pots. The umbrella was quickly taken down as the heavy spots of rain began to hit us, and the dogs made a run for cover as the clouds were now travelling down the lane towards us, with lightning forks snaking out of them as if looking for prey.

Rich shut all the open upstairs windows, and the shutters for good measure but was too late to save the toilet window that slammed shut and smashed!

But the little Welshie puppy thought it was all a game and did not understand the dangers, so she just ignored us as we called her in, no surprises there! And Harley ran back out into the storm and rounded her up and ushered her in. We stood at our new open French windows and watched as the storm literally came down the lane towards us – I felt the need to say ‘There’s no place like home’ and click my heels together – sadly no red shoes!!

With that the rain came lashing down and the storm was upon us, the doors were shut, and the thunder boomed above us with black skies all around us and the lighting was striking out in the fields. And that is why I love living here! Nature reminds me again and again of how insignificant we are, and how all the petty things we worry about are nothing at all.

Within ten minutes the storm had moved on over the hill and we went out into the light rain, the smell of the air something I cannot describe. Some of my poor clematis were damaged but have already begun to grow new to replace that lost.

This one was literally blown off it’s stand but is still flourishing today.

Later in the evening we went out and sat on the now damp chairs, the air was still warm and we were still drinking wine! And the next day the sun was back out.

As I am writing this the thunder is all around me!!

I love my life, it is all about the small things that money cannot buy.

Moisy

Little o’l eclectic me – inspired by my home I have opened an Etsy shop

12 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by in My home, The continuing adventure

≈ 2 Comments

image

 

So folks I have been caught up in finally stocking and opening my Etsy shop!!

For many a year people have told me that I have an eye for interiors, I am not a ‘shopping centre, matching furniture’ type of girl’  (no surprises there then considering I have decided to up sticks and move to the middle of rural France with a cesspit that overflows, no kitchen roof, a wonderful husband, menagerie of animals and two mad Welshies.) I have never been one to follow the crowd and I have always loved things that are unusual, old, rustic and different; and yes I am finally starting to believe that I have an eye for mixing and matching. From my first home with Rich, sixteen years ago …

Mill lane living roomMill lane kitchenMill lane garden

To my Edwardian house by the sea, that I left to move here…

Sealsea-5Sealsea-1Sealsea-2 (1)

To the one we have now with little vignettes all around

including the vintage Singer Sewing Machine and table that I bought, couldn’t get to work, but couldn’t bear to part with it. So now I use it as a table to house pretty things, and as a novel way to store our logs! – It is just too pretty to let go.

image

 

I have always loved stars, hearts, all things that sparkle and blow in the wind (like voile curtains), and old things, things from charity shops, I have random cards scattered about my house like this one that sits on my desk (given to me for Christmas by a lovely lady I used to work with) – It is called “A little peace” and at times I can so relate to it.

a-little-peace

Or this one, from my lovely mother in law, which is hanging off the hand painted mirror ( hand painted by me!) that also sits on my old industrial office desk that I have painted mint green, with a blue top, beside the 1940’s vintage lamp that I found in a shop over here.

image

Then there are the hand painted jam jars (painted by me..) like these two that sit on my desk beside me as I am writing this now, with a story book I used to read my son and a vintage tile propped up against the mirror

image

 

As  you can see my desk is a desk of inspiration, and now I am inspired!

image

I finally believe those people who tell me that I have an ‘eye’ for detail, so now I am going to share that detail with you, and all the people who visit my shop; providing an opportunity to own some beautiful little French things that I am going to stock  like this coffee set – it caught my eye because of the lovely lavender colour, perfect for those who love vintage tea parties, or coffee mornings.

Or this skyhook, of a French woodcutter, generating much interest possibly because I cannot source another anywhere;  and they are collectors items. I had him on my kitchen shelf! I just loved his quirky look.

image

My style is so  eclectic, when people visit my home, wherever I have lived, they have always commented on how there is so much to see, and how I put it together so that it just works, instead of looking like a house of obsessive hoarders!

When we moved to France I did not want a fitted kitchen, Rich made me my kitchen and my friend Mary made me the curtains. But as always, with someone like me (bless my husband he loves me so much) things constantly change in my house and as you know if you have been reading my blog for a long time, we have just recently knocked a wall down in the kitchen to extend it. Only this weekend on my Instagram account, with the same name as this blog  I shared tales from my French rustic kitchen, and people loved it.

imageimageimage

21433586_1589604957765828_8873009113315934208_n

image

It is the small things like these metal agricultural signs, this one for first prize for a prize winning breeding bull –  normally displayed pride of place on farmers barns, hence the paint peeling off, and I love them. They are original, there will never be another one, and they tell a story, and I love things that tell a story. Like one of my most favourite items in my house my Victorian wash stand…

image

Found in someone’s garage in Canterbury, with rain dripping down on it. Someone asked me if I was going to paint it, and although I often do renovate furniture (as long time followers of my blog will know) , this washstand tells the story of it’s life and will always remain the same whilst it lives with me.

We have hearts and witches balls hanging from our curtain poles, to ward off evil spirits, and mirrors and sparkly lights everywhere.

So now I finally believe in myself,  and I have opened my shop and the views are coming in quickly In fact I already have someone in America who is trying to buy the French woodcutter balance toy, and boy is it getting a lot of hits; well it is very very rare, and would make a lovely christening gift for a child to treasure, and sell on in the future because it would be an investment.

I love the pretty little glass dishes, bowls, and stands that you can find and I have some creating a pretty little vignette in our bedroom, and housing all of my sparkly bracelets and bangles..

 

Lighting is also my passion out here nearly all the lights (except for the bathroom lights) have been sourced from vide grenier’s including my enamel lights over my butchers block

image

To the ones my darling husband recently put up above my sink, they are so pretty, and nobody else has them..

image

And now I have these beautiful tulip wall lights in our guest bedroom – yes more pictures to follow for those who are following my blog the clowns have finally gone!!!

image

I am in my element in France there are so many beautiful old things available, and although I love them all Rich has told me that I cannot keep them all, of course he is right, so now I am using my eye for things to help others find magical treasures that they can put in their home, safe in the knowledge that they are probably always going to be a one off, I love saying that to people when they say “where did you get that from” and I can say “a small little village in France!”

So have a look at my shop and let me know what you think.  PetiteFrenchfancies

I have found my niche – as well as this blog, and sending my book to a publisher next week!!

More recipes to come folks – sorry I have not forgotten Friday night Kebab!!

 

Moisy

 

As always please rate this blog using the star rating system at the top of the page – and leave as many comments as you can I love to hear what you have to say.