Category Archives: My home

Small steps, can make all the difference – as long as you listen and understand

08 Tuesday May 2018

Posted by in My home, Reflections, The continuing adventure

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

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

A long while ago someone once gave me, at the most difficult time in my life, a good piece of advice; she said “Small steps.” At the time I did not understand her advice, but came to understand it over time, often as I fought against something I could not change, and tried to make things improve quickly, when only time, and small things would make the difference.

It was a lesson that I learnt well, and I am grateful every day for the advice my dear friend Avril gave me.

So fast forward to today, and we said goodbye to the hundred year old door, (see previous post with that title) and a new one has took its place; a set of UPVC French windows (or are they just double windows over here given that we are in France, and, thereby all the windows are French!)

As I said in my previous post we had no choice and had to be practical. We had a new frame built and to tie it in with the rest of the house we painted it blue, but decided to leave the door white to show that the house has stood the test of time and this is its latest addition.

Since having it installed we have had cold and windy rainy days and it has been a joy to stand in front of it and not feel a puff of the wind that was ferociously blowing at our house. The light it allows into my kitchen is fantastic and now when I stand cooking I look out at this…

I love it. But more than anything we finally feel as if we are getting somewhere, achieving and really starting to get our life on track in France. It is a small thing having the door fitted, but it is something that makes us warm and makes us feel empowered.

Another reason for my post was that someone asked me about my recent post, ‘it all depends on how you look at things I suppose’; She asked “how do you know that when bad things happen to you, that it means that life is not telling you to give up.” I asked if by that she meant was life telling us we should go back to England, and she said ‘yes it was.’ My immediate response was to explain that we could not go back even if we considered it (which we are not) because, apart from not particularly liking the way England is now, we would have to rent at our time of life, which would be a nightmare in England with animals, and our money would not last long from our house if we went back.

I have thought about this since then and have surprised myself that I answered her in such a materialistic way. In fact after considering it here is my answer…

When I say life shows you the way, I think it shows you the way and teaches you lessons to enable you to move forward; yes sometimes the lessons are hard but they are ALWAYS about moving forward (although we may not feel that at the time) and never about going backwards, after all what would be the point of that?

I do see life as a journey, my biggest inspiration has been ‘The road less travelled’ by M. Scott Peck, and as you learn things in life those lessons should make you stronger to enable you to keep going, and be able to deal with adversity in the future.

I suppose my friend was saying how do you know life is not telling you to change what you are doing, or where you’re going, and go back to what you know, how do you know life is not telling you that you have made a mistake? Again, what would be the point of that? I believe that if it is, then the lessons will become harder until you listen, but they will always be about moving forward and not back.

Importantly life does not only send you hard lessons, it sends you good things as well, to tell you that you’re on track and need to keep going; and I know from some of the lovely people we have met, and others who are now in our lives that we are on track. I listen to all my lessons not just the hard ones!!

As I said in my previous post it all depends on how you look at things; Do you look at it from a positive angle and ask what can I learn from this to carry on? Or do you look at the negative things to use as an excuse to give up, and go back to what you know? That is not an adventure my friend.

Where there is good there is bad, and where there is bad there is good. Everything goes in a circle, but if you just focus on the bad then that is all you will get because you fail to see the good, or allow it a way in. Negativity begets negative things. If we are being told to give up this adventure then we would not have been able to get the door. I know we will have the roof before the winter, I believe!

I will say this though: When you really want something badly and it does not happen then listen, because life is telling you it is not the right thing for you, no matter how hard it seems that you cannot have it. Something else will come along instead if you just believe and keep the door open…..

Moisy

Homage to the 100 year old door, time to say goodbye.

07 Saturday Apr 2018

Posted by in My home, The continuing adventure

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

One of the first jobs I undertook when we moved in was to paint our old oak door before the winter kicked in.

Little did we know just how much the winter would kick in, and how much the howling wind would hurl the rain, and sleet at this old door. We love old things you see, believe that that they are a memory of times gone by, of good workmanship, and that they should be protected where possible.

So I tried to strip the door only to find it was an impossible task because it had been painted with destemper, a paint that has such a high content of lead in it you simply cannot shift it. Undeterred I managed to paint the door in the beautiful blue it is today.

But sadly the door could not protect us and as the last three winters have taken their toll the oak has split, the rain has seeped through, the door sticks, the handle falls off and cannot be repaired, and quite simply it would would be easy to break in, with just one kick.

As you can see the mold has taken hold, the water actually comes through and we have to use the handle Rich attached to pull,the door shut. But our biggest worry was that someone could steal our precious dogs,

and we decided that the door had to go.

So here she is, on her final day of protecting the house for over a hundred years.

It is time for it to retire, and we have to be pragmatic and fit a double glazed, upvc door to protect us from the wind and rain. In addition I cannot wait to put a mat down so that we can wipe our feet.

I am sad, but in the words of George Benson ‘everything must change’.

Moisy

Winter….. Cold cold winds and a smattering of snow

07 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by in My home, The continuing adventure, The seasons

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

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

So the cold has us in its grip, my feet are like ice and I cannot warm them up, and I am currently sitting here writing this post with my feet on a hot water bottle. The room is warm but chilly old me, once my extremities get cold then they stay cold!!

The snow did come in a smattering and we have been wondering whether the pipe that is currently carrying water to our house, and above ground is going to freeze; but if we don’t keep thinking about it then we don’t give it credence and there bye  it won’t.

The chickens are loving the sunshine that has arrived with the cold, but not so much the fact that their water had over an inch of ice on it and Rich had to break it up and give them some drinking water in their Chicken Hilton Hotel. (Where there is good there is bad, and where there is bad there is good.)

image

I have got loads of washing almost dry (although a tad frozen when I have brought it in) and we have embraced the cold and started to work on the garden; whilst wearing two fleeces and a woolly hat (I look so attractive sometimes, but then I look at Rich and so does he!!! Good jobs we loves each other!)

I have cut back my clematis that were starting to grow and were in a bad need of a hard cut; I also fed the hydrangeas that I bought last year, and went about the garden picking up the many many huge branches that have been blown out of our trees this winter during the wet and windy hooleys.

Add to that the precarious ones that were still blowing (unattached) in the wind…

image

It made me realise just how much you are provided for if you just decide to get off your arse and get it!! As many philosophies say, if you just let go and stop looking what you need will be provided for you.

So Rich and I are now ahead of the game where wood is concerned, and will actually have a stock of wood for the next winter, and some still to be seasoned for the winter after. We have a ton of pine that needs cutting and we can intersperse that with other wood and use it safely if we do so.

I never thought I would be walking around my big garden picking up twigs to use to light my fire- but one of the biggest lessons I have learnt out here is waste not, want not; and now we have more wood to add to our pile and  enough kindling for the rest of this season.

As I was doing this I was thinking to myself and wondering if I had more money, would I still do this, would I still not waste things anymore? The answer was I would still do this; in my old life I would come home to my centrally heated home, it had real fires and we used the logs that could be bought already seasoned! Our’s are seasoned, the ones we picked up we had seasoned and, no, they are not pretty but they are real!

So yes, no matter how much money I have in the future I will still break up what my garden provides for us to survive the winter; it sure beats working in an office; and I know that I would rather work for nature than for my last employer!

It is a good feeling to  be ahead of the game for once, and we do finally feel as if we are getting there.

When we eventually came in from the garden, hands and faces stinging, the house was warm and welcomed us. I believe it is warming up every year because it knows we love it, each other, and all our furries; along with the friends and family who have stuck with us and shown us so much support; it knows we love living here; and love all the lessons we have learnt

8c74353797607ada81cc62544ba2936a

 

And we do.

Moisy

 

 

 

 

Memories, the best gift of all……

01 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by in Friends, My home, People, The continuing adventure

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

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

So they came (for those new to my blog you may want to read my last post) Karen, our dear friend, and now a member of our family, and Tom our darling son who we have not seen for three years.

Tom was his typical narcolepsy boy (as we used to call him as he always fell on asleep when in transit on anything that moved including the back of his Dad’s motorbike once!!) So he said to Karen “put the heating on full and it will make the puppy go to sleep, guess what?

26056904_10159851342405475_1163329347_n

So Karen entertained herself by shouting “Tom! Tolls” every time they came up to a toll and he had to pay, she had a great time what with that and talking to herself!

I was so excited to see them and when we met them on the bridge in Ambrieres, with the youngest member of the family Dylan the Welshie pup…

Dylly Dyls

we cried. We cried to see each other again, we cried for time lost. Then we went to the pub!!! (We are English after all!!)

As always the French people of out town welcomed us, welcomed Tom wished him bonne anniversaire for his birthday the next day, and made a fuss of the three welshies in their midst – not least the cutie above.

Then we were off home, where frivolity, drinking and eating took place (after unloading Karen’s Citroen with all the goodies they had brought over from England.)

On Christmas Eve it was Tom’s birthday, so we took him off to a little town near us to look at the Christmas lights. Now France is a Catholic country so little is open on a Sunday but we thought that given some of the bars in our town were open the bar in Ceuce would also be open. But no!! The Boulangerie was open (as always in France bread has to be available it is the law!) but no bars. So we decided to look at the lights that the won had made an effort to put up.

Now I love living here, but sometimes things can be weird like the mannequins that were put in in the town (unsure what they had to do with Christmas!) and also all the farm machinery and implements that were displayed with lights around them, mmmmmmmm…… Not sure about those either. Tom thought they were hilarious and weird, and we all thought that they were a little creepy especially the mechanical ones that stopped what they were doing and turned and looked at you. They looked as if some in-breeding had taken place as all the mannequins looked the same apart from the men had beards and the women had breasts!!!

 

I walked around the displays with the words “worst birthday ever…. where did your mum take you for your birthday Tom? To a weird town with mannequins that stared at you and you couldn’t get a drink!!” ringing in my ears. It became one of the catchphrase of the season “worst birthday ever!” And we think we might make it a tradition if he comes next year!

On Christmas day we were invited to our French friend’s and neighbours house for an aperitif at eleven. As always we were made so welcome, and it made me realise how much French I can speak now as I was the translator for all. I think it made Tom feel reassured about our life out here, he could see that they loved us, especially when they hugged me when I became tearful when I tried to thank them for all their help and support. They really are wonderful lovely people and we are blessed.

After consuming three bottles of champagne and cheese aperitif’s we made our way back home to have the biggest dinner in the world (not until 7pm) and open our presents.

It was a different Christmas to any before, Rich and I did not buy each other gifts, we could not afford it and also realised that it did not matter. We have each other, and after all our hard work over the years we cherish what we have.

So we had small gifts for Karen and Tom and they had small gifts for us. Loved ones from England had sent us thoughtful presents, treats for the cats (so I won’t have to buy them) Baileys, Shortbreads, warm socks, and not least a beautiful opulent hamper from Fortnum and Mason’s. It was the kindness and thought that had gone into those presents that meant so much.

But the best gift I received was when my son (who did not want us to move here, and loved our old house by the sea, as I did) stood in our living room and said “It’s good to be home.”

tom it is good to be home

The time flew too fast with much eating, drinking, giving Tom dirty looks for taking photos of us eating……

 

To sleeping….

 

That puppy was pooped a lot of the time

Dylan Pooped

The little dogs had such fun, forming a pack very quickly with Harley being alpha, Wiglet being mummy and the baby being told!!

 

The last day came round too fast, we went to Mayenne,our nearest large town, and Tom finally got that birthday drink in a bar (well he had a coffee, we had a drink!) On the last evening we all posed for memories (although they will always be with us)

 

and Tom told me how he loved the house, how it felt warm and cosy despite the mold on the walls and there only being an open fire. I knew why, because our house is full of love, and nothing can buy that.

When the day came for them to leave, Tom off to another adventure in Italy visiting his girlfriend for New Year, Karen and Dilly Dils back to England; I busied myself making them sandwiches for the journey, and we all cried as Karen and the pup left. Then came the time to say farewell to Tom and he hugged me hard and told me how much he missed me, but he knows now that home is still waiting for him, always. It is just in another place.

I sobbed as they went, Rich taking him to Laval for the train and the house seemed empty, as the ghost of Christmas present finally gave his last. I cried my way through the washing up and wiping down, and the dogs sulked on the chairs.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas also, this one made us realise that Christmas should never be about the presents but about the presence of loved ones, and the memories that are left are all the gifts you need.

Happy New Year, lets hope it holds all you desire, even if you don’t know it yet.

Moisy

 

Visit my Etsy shop petiteFrenchfancies you may find something special

 

The beauty and poignancy of Christmas decorations, my favourite part of Christmas

19 Tuesday Dec 2017

Posted by in My home, Reflections, The continuing adventure

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

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

Ever since I was a child I have loved decorating the Christmas tree. My mum (God bless her soul) would bring out our white artificial tree (so 60’s and 70’s, but back in vogue now) and all our old deco’s accumulated over the years. The vivid green elf with his red hat, grinning maniacally it looked like something from a horror film!! The carefully wrapped long glass baubles with gold inside (probably worth a fortune now, as so vintage).

My favourite, however, was the fairy. My mum had improvised one year, got one of our tiny dolls and dressed her in a dress made of pink loo roll (with the tube from the middle stuffed up her skirt to ‘give it volume!) Then we sprayed her with gold and sprinkled glitter over her and then, just to add to her indignity, stuck her on top of the tree with the tree stuck up her arse!!!

Every year that doll came back out, had different coloured loo roll put on her, depending on the fashionable colour of the time; and each year she was sprayed with glitter paint, silver, gold again, bronze one year, she looked like she had spent the summer holdaying in Bermuda!!! But I was hooked, I loved Christmas decorations.

As the years wore on my decorations have become more subtle, but I have never been one for those sterile trees, where all the baubles are the same, round and all one colour, like the types you see in shopping centres; for me they are soulless. When I first left home I bough some expensive decorations, and this year thirty two years later, I have used them again. They bring back memories of when I first left home and moved to Wolverhampton, or a small village nearby, of the lovely old neighbours I had, of the excitement I had of decorating my own tree.

From then on I bought decorations every year. Anyone who knows me will tell you I love things that glitter and sparkle, that ‘catch the light’ they mesmorize me. So over the years I have accumulated a lot. I progressed to garlands and they became more and more elaborate. I would have frost themed garlands, with colours of the sea when I lived by the seaside in England, or garlands laden with fruit decorations (very Georgian).

So this year my surroundings and circumstances have influenced me again. With the colours of the surrounding countryside, and the cold; the fact that our house is damp and drafty and over 200 years old, I was inspired to make up a Dickensian garland. It has berries, and deep red flowers, cherubs, and iced ivy leaves, with poinsetta running through it. There is a sparkling icicle garland that I picked up somewhere over the years, and the beautiful vintage candleabra that my lovely Mother in Law gave me, covered in crystal droplets. It just makes me think of Miss Haversham, sitting at her Wedding feast, where the ivy has grown i to the room and it is covered in cobwebs.

 

Since living here Rich has always wanted a real tree (which are inexpensive in France) and a dear friend gave us a gift of money so I finally relented and we bought one. My garland inspired me to carry on the idea and I got out my beautiful red and gold ribbons and threaded them through the tree ..

 then I added all the red and gold baubles that I have not used for years (I tend to be a silver type of girl, it sparkles more!) I added to that some of the hundred or more crystal droplets I had also accumulated and now I love it. (Although I have to confess that the first ginpme I did it I had a few wines and was doung it in the dark! Add to that just as I finished a set of lights right in the middle went out and I added some over the top! Mmmmmmmmmm……..when I got up the next day it looked like someone had thrown things at it!!! So I took it all apart and redid it!)

As I hung the baubles I remembered the lovely purple glass one had been brought from Woolworths, now long gone, in Herne Bay

The gold round glittery ones, bought from Beatties Department Store in Wolverhampton, sadly also now long gone. The ribbons were inspired by my beautiful Edwardian House in Herne Bay, now a holiday home. The sparkling red baubles that glittered on the tree when my son and I snuggled up together as I read him ‘The Hobbit’ by lamplight. I was a single parent then with electric on a meter, so we had a blanket over us as we sat by our red shaded lamp and the lights of the tree twinkled, and it is a memory that will live with me forever.

Even the star is the first star I bought thirty two years ago, again from Woolworths, God I miss that place, and I miss my mum, who was with me at the time.

i look at the garland and remember going late night shopping with my mum when I found the iced ivy garland, now on my fireplace in France; and I think of my mum, who is no longer here. Or the garland on top of my armoir, simple with greenery (good old Woolies again) and silver stars, which were bought in France when Rich and I came over the first Christmas after our wedding. God! Little did we know then what we would endure, only to come out stronger the other side (but you will need to read my book for that story!)

The artificial black tree, smothered in crystals, including a crystal garland, and white decorations, makes me smile because I think of the little kitten that is Diddyman who would climb up into it, because after all she matched it’s theme! She was the kitten that helped to save Rich and I, and she would peek out at us from the foliage, and make us laugh.tDaryl and Tom

 

Someone said to me this week that I had missed my vocation, i should have been a professinal Christmas Decoration dresser, or window dresser. They are probably right they do inspire me. But what is important to me is that Christmas decorations should inspire memories, and create memeories for the future. So that when people, or a time, or places are gone we remember them and they make us smile.

This year our dear friend and her puppy are coming to stay, and my son, who I have not seen or hugged for three years is also coming with her. It will be especially memory making because his birthday is on Christmas Eve, and because you never know what life holds for you I intend to cherish every moment.

I urge you all to do the same.

 

Moisy

Many moons ago I was told to do something…..Perhaps we should all do it!

15 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by in My home, Reflections, The continuing adventure

≈ 8 Comments

As some of you know, from previous posts (a little bit more about me) I am a ‘doer’ and just kept going until in the end I had a breakdown. (Why do you talk about this? Some people say!! Because we should NOT sweep it under the carpet, I say, it needs to be brought out into the open. ) I am not ashamed of this, from it I learnt so much, not least reading the Tao and realising that when it comes to my mini bus of life, someone else is doing the driving!

Well this week I was reminded again of many things and I thought that I would share them with you on this sunny, warm, October afternoon:

image

Firstly I was told by my counsellor that as part of my recovery, and to understand myself, I had to write down everything I did every day in list form; and I mean EVERYTHING! I had to write down that I had put a load of washing into the machine, and then that I had pegged it out. That I had emptied the dishwasher and reloaded it, that I had put clothes away, fed the cats, took the dog for a walk, posted a letter, made the bed, paid a bill, made my husbands sandwiches for work, and on and on and on. ……

The reason for this was because I could not see what I had achieved. I did all of these things and would then think “right I need to get some work done now.” Or “I have not got anything done today.” When in fact when I looked at the lists that I made I had got shit-loads done!! But because I had always just kept going I no longer saw the every day things as work, or as achievements, so I loaded myself with more and more to do. (Sound familiar?!)

In fact when I first went to the Counselor she asked me what I was going to do to relax and I said paint the back of my house!!!

What made me think of this now? Well over the past few weeks I have been setting up my Etsy shop petiteFrenchfancies; and encouraged by incredible media savvy friend this has also involved linking it all together, as a brand. This blog, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pin interest. It has involved sharing pictures of my house (people tell me that they love it and my style -but more of that in a minute.) and hours of research for the items I am selling as well as adding them to my shop. It has meant relentless promotion of myself, which I have always found alien to me (more of that in a minute) and it has all taken a lot of time. But what did I think? I haven’t got anything done!!!

You see when I sit a computer, or on my iPad (other tablets are available!) researching I think I am sitting on my arse not doing anything!! I have to stop that, and remember what my counsellor told me. Because now I have a paint shop following me on Instagram as well as some companies and I have made my first sale with a reservation as well. Not bad when you think I have only been really promoting it over the past month!!

So my message to you – write the list of everything you do in a day, from pegging the washing out, to watering the plants, and you will be shocked. Stop beating yourself up!

Secondly I have always believed that if you want something you have to focus on it and just keep working until you get it. But do you? If you are so focused on one thing how many other things are you missing that are being thrown at your head by life?! Where does your driver take you and what things does he show you, but you just ignore them because you are so focused on just achieving that one thing?

What made me think of that? I have been writing a book for some time, but clearly that is not ‘earning’ me any money. But if I don’t write it (and I have nearly finished it and sent it off to a publisher for review in the last month) and just focus on doing work that is earning me money, then it will never be published and I will never earn money from it and will just have to keep doing what I am doing because I need money!! Get it? If you just keep doing what you are doing you are always going to get what you have got!

So my mini bus driver decided that he would take me down the road of Osteoarthritis and I now have it in both my thumbs. This means that I cannot keep doing what I have been doing because my hands won’t let me. So I have continued with my Etsy shop, worked had adding photos and stories and promoting it and I have had my first sale. Do you think someone is trying to tell me something? I could have thought ‘no I need to do work that will provide money now, not in the future’, but then I would be stuck in the loop, so life took it out of my hands (literally!) and proved to me (again) that we do not always have to go on a straight road.

Thirdly, everyone who knows me will tell you that I am extremely confident person; and I am in some ways. But  although people have always loved my houses, (even last week my lovely husband looked at me as I dusted and rearranged out things and said “I love how you make a house a home.”) and I have been told many times that I should go into interior design, because I have an eye for the eclectic,  for some reason I have never had the confidence to believe those people.

I have always listened to the n’er do wells that have said ‘mmmmmmmm’. But last week an email popped into my in box quoting the late and wonder Dr Wayne. W Dyer. This email was about understanding how our mind can make things happen if we just believe; and then my wonderful friend Linda, who lives in America but follows me on Facebook, asked me what the letters in this picture spelt out…bliss

Bliss.jpg

When I replied to her she gave me the most wonderful comment about how she would love to relax in this room. Someone was telling me something!

So, after I had received some criticism this week about my abilities, I decided that f**k it! I was going to believe in me and what I was able to achieve; and I went ahead and did what I thought was right.I closed my eyes and I said ‘ I believe in me.’ since then things have took off. …..

I now have over  two hundred followers on my blog, and they are growing all the time from all over the world, and from my various sites;  as are my followers on Instagram, and my shop has now had just under 300 views.  Many friends have also shown support and encouragement (and  a big shout out to Karen for that one!) My mini bus driver stopped and picked Ms Livermore up, so that she could help me believe in myself, and then others have joined in as well. Someone is definitely trying to tell me something.

And then finally today. Today I opened a message in messenger that was explaining about the negative things we say every day that impact on our subconscious and therefore how we approach life; how the words actually act like blockers and stop good things coming through. For example how many times do you say:

‘I have to……’

Do you? Do you really HAVE to? Or do you want to? That is something entirely different. If you HAVE to then is your subconscious saying that really you don’t want to?

“I have to go to the shop to get milk.” No you don’t! You can choose not to go, but then you can’t have a cup of tea with milk, but you don’t HAVE to, you want to because you want tea with milk!

I have read this to Rich and now he picks me up every time I say it – see! Because I am a doer!! And he is right I must (oops not must!) I need (oops I don’t need!) I mean it is beneficial to me to understand that I choose to do what I do, and if I choose not to do it I will probably get it done a lot quicker than if I keep telling myself that I must!

“I HATE that it gets dark earlier now.” Do you really hate it? Seriously or do you just wish that the evenings were lighter for longer?

“I would NEVER do that” I know what my book is about, and I can tell you that you can say never if you like but until you are there, you just don’t know and will probably surprise yourself!

I thought that I would share this with you all, because I know that some people will really think about what I have said, and then apply it to their lives, and I am confident that they will benefit from it. But then there will be the ones that don’t but hey ho, I tried!

So my message to you this fine afternoon is from Lao Tzu and the 57th verse of the Tao

‘Let go of fixed plans and concepts,

and the world will govern itself

How do i know this is so?

Because in this world,

the greater the restrictions and prohibitions,

the more people are impoverished………’

‘I take no action and people are reformed ….’

‘If I keep from imposing on people

they become themselves.’

Have a good week – and please share and comment, or rate this post, I really do love all feedback, it means I have touched an emotion and as an aspiring writer – that is all I need!!

 

Moisy Little_money_box.jpg

 

The renovation continues:My eclectic, bedroom inspired by nature and all things vintage

06 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in My home, The continuing adventure

≈ Leave a comment

In the same vein as my earlier post in the week, nature and the sky has had a huge influence on my decorating styles over the past months. You cannot be influenced by such a beautiful place.

My spare bedroom (which some of you may remember I started some time ago) is now nearly complete – apart from the floor and the shabby chic’ing of the grandfather clock that seems to have made it’s way in there!!

To just update people this was the room with the mad clowns on the wall (tasteful) which had suffered terrible damp last winter. It needed to house our daybed,  a double bed for when people came to stay, and act as my office. A reminder of what it looked like when it was clearly inspired by the film IT!!! (The French do like a clown or two!)

As you can see it had become a dumping ground, the lights were hanging out of the wall and it was in desperate need of some ‘Moisy’ style renovation.

Now some of you may have noticed that grey tends to be my favourite colour!! And you would be right! But blue is also a favourite of mine, and I tend to lean towards a little bit of pink; however with this renovation life showed me the way. I had lots of pretty things that I wanted to incorporate into this room, and it needed to be multi-functional as it is also my inspirational writing room; so I started by deciding where the double bed, and the day bed would go,  that took nearly day in itself as we moved furniture around again and again like a weird waltz that you do with furniture instead of another person!

Once I had decided where the double bed would go I painted the wall behind the headboard grey – nothing new there then!! But then a strange thing happened……

I painted the other walls with  what was meant to be a colour paint from the grey spectrum, but it was blue!! So I went with it, because it really was a beautiful sky blue and after painting the walls I stood at the doorway to the room and   I saw this…

image

It  looked as if the bedroom just went on out into the garden and I realised why I had randomly bought a tin of green chalk paint (I have never used green in my decorating before!) It was a revelation, go with what nature does best!! So I did. I painted my tatty old bureau pink and shabby chic’ed it up…. (handles to be added soon!!)

Bureau.jpg

Painted by 1940’s metal desk mint green, with a blue top……..

Desk.jpg

I call this inspiration corner because it has all the things that inspire me around me, like the beautiful butterfly card from my mother in law, settled on the corner of the mirror that I hand painted…..

Butterfly.jpg

And many moons ago I posted about the chest of drawers that I had painted cream, and then I painted them pink,,,,,,

gun-cupboard

Well now they are green and back upstairs!!!!

Pink_to_green.jpg

Rich does say that you have to be careful in our house because if you stand still long enough then you will get painted!!

There are no longer lights just ‘hanging’ out of the wall because my  clever hubby fitted some beautiful 1940’s French lights that I purchased from a vide grenier, and look how stunning they are when lit (for those interested I am selling similar in my Etsy shop petiteFrenchfancies, go take a look) with the flower shape cascaded up the wall, so eclectic, so original.

New_wall_lights_.jpg

The daybed in it’s place by the window is perfect, you can sit on it, as I did last night. and just see the views down the valley. It is my oldest cats sleeping place during the day as I write. (The Teddy Bear is vintage in itself, my mum bought it for my son when he was born and he took it everywhere for the first four years of his life, he used to call it Mummy Ted, and she is twenty seven years old.)

The_day_bed.jpg

On the wall above the bed I have re-used the old kitchen shelf that I shabby chic’ed two years ago.  The bliss letters I have had for over fifteen years, so I painted them pink and they now sit on the shelf, because our surroundings are bliss.

image

I have also taken an old drawer and with the help of hubby turned it into a fantastic, eclectic shelf, with the a pretty crystal handle still attached.  I love it so much, with the decoupage at the back that I am going to do some more and sell these also on my Etsy shop, each one will be unique and a pretty addition to any room in the house.

image

Our home is finally turning into our home as we use more and more of the pretty things that we have accumulated over the years, not least the moon on the shelf, or the Noddy plate, a christening gift for my son, I am just keeping it safe for him.

image

There is the rusty sky hook on the bureau, with recent additions of the old French photo, that I could not bear to sell, or the India Star petrol lamp on sale in my Etsy shop. You may also notice the set of pretty pictures that my sister cross stitched for me as part of my fiftieth birthday present. Their colours fit perfectly in this room

The curtains have been lost in a bag for many a time, when in fact they were crying to come out and be seen, with their bright red roses, and green leaves they were destined for this room when I bought them all those years ago……

Curtains.jpg

Still never ceases to amaze me how life comes together when you need it to!

I just love this room, with all of the little things that we have acquired over the years, from my hand painted pen jar, on my desk, to my shaker angels that Rich bought me many years ago…

To my stars and hearts bought for me by friends over the years, and a new addition a tiny metal French children’s money box, in the shape of a van. Sadly it does not have the key and the roof is not attached just comes off  or I would have sold it in my shop; it is so quirky, but now I get to keep it and it goes perfectly in this room.

So many little interesting things, with the addition of the blue sparkling lights that I spent over an hour fiddling with as I twisted them around the bed headboard.

Blue_sparkles.jpg

Just got to do the floor now!!!

I love putting things together, and my house is a house of vignettes; when people come to visit they always love it and say that there is so much to see, but that it all goes towards making it feel homely. Last weekend as I was tidying and rearranging things Rich looked at me with tears in his eyes and said I just love it how you make our houses home.  But that has not stopped him banning me from keeping anything else, although I am sure that I will get around him!) so I have turned my attention to finding pretty things for others homes. I have been told that I have an eye for things so have a look at the new things coming to my shop soon. Some are currently living in my home, but it is now a one in one out policy!!!

I hope you enjoyed the show, and please comment and rate the posts I love the feedback.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oops we’ve done it again!! The renovation continues….

29 Monday May 2017

Posted by in My home, The continuing adventure

≈ 4 Comments

So where have I been? I give you three posts over as many days and then nothing! Nada! Here’s why…….

Do you remember the kitchen my lovely husband built me? (For those new to my blog look in the my home tag)……

image

It was backed up against the pantry wall and we decided that our kitchen was just too dark because we only had small high windows letting the light in. So the Sunday after my last post about Eurovision (and perhaps due to the amount of alcohol we had drunk during Eurovision!!) we decided (as we do!) sod it!! Lets knock the wall down between the pantry and the kitchen and have a big kitchen with more light. Let’s strike whilst the iron is hot!

Did we care that we were also beginning the renovation of the spare bedroom, with the tons of furniture and God knows what in it? Not us! No! Why should we care…. Even though the clowns were screaming to be ripped from the walls and the room looked like this…

imageimage

So the boy went for it, hangover and all, and here he is starting the chaos!!

imageimage

And here he is after four hours hammering and drilling shoveling the debris…

We like to be spontaneous so we left the fridge, the ornaments, the shabby chic cabinet (which is now a little more shabby chic after lumps of concrete fell on it, trust me it just adds to the overall picture!) in place, gung ho! We say gung ho! (We must be bloody mad!!)

And here it is now after he got his kango out (Noo…. all you Kenneth Williams wannabees it is a large drill for those who may be thinking it was something else!!)

imageimageimage

Please note the Welshy posing for you, to add enhancement to the look!!

The boy did good, but we have had cement and rubble everywhere and at one point, because we were busy with clients, I had rubble in my kitchen for over three days, my house looked like a “before” house prior to the obsessive compulsive cleaners coming in to clean it, and I think that they may have run screaming from the scene!

But it didn’t end there because behind the wall were the open stairs to the cellar so Rich had to put a floor in to cover them, again the boy did good…

image

But it still does not end there (No! I hear you cry) because for those who have been reading my blog you will know that Rich and I don’t want a traditional off the shelf kitchen, we want it to look as if it has evolved, we want it to look like a traditional working country kitchen. So we are not putting fitted cupboards in but we do have the table that Rich made (many moons ago .. see my posts for October 2015) which was kitchen worktop we had left over and that is being screwed to the wall, the bookshelves have been put on top and all will be shabby chic’ed to the max in a lovely pale grey. We have spent most of today moving furniture around to get it right and allow space and the maximum amount of light to come through the windows (as well as some cats that have also taken to coming through the windows to avoid the Welshies!!)

And we chose to do all of this in temperatures of over thirty degrees, as well as work, meet new clients and try and fight through our garden due to hedgehogs and Welshies(look out for the upcoming post, that is another story!)

We are knackered!!

But the light in my kitchen is brilliant and although I don’t have time to decorate in the near future I love the space I have. Rich now has to block the wall up that was over the stairs that lead to the cellar before the winter and we all freeze to death.

Why don’t I have time to decorate the kitchen because I have also spent three days over the last few weeks stripping the clowns from the bedroom wall and have this chaos to deal with before friends come over mid June!!

 

My job also includes finally starting to shabby chic my floors as I have done for someone else, because I love the look and if I don’t do it now I never will

I promise I will be posting again this week, I have a reflective post that is dear to my heart and it is on it’s way.

Have a good week

Moisy

 

 

 

The Good Life continues, but we are trying a different format

23 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by in My home, The continuing adventure, The good life

≈ 4 Comments

I know! You’re shocked another post in as many days!!

Remember the vegetable plot? How excited we were after spending six hours (over two days because it was bloody hard work because Rich had put his back out) digging up my lawn, and  how we used logs from our garden (very rustic) to boarder it, we were so excited.

Do you remember how I lovingly put in my chillies and my cucumbers, that turned out to be a triffid courgette, with courgettes as big as marrows but no bloody cucumbers? How I planted my spring onion seeds and sweetcorn seeds? And then we had one of the coldest starts to the summer on record, followed by a heatwave and it turned into this!!!!!!!!

image

Then you will not be surprised when I tell you that the  vegetable plot is no more! I have given up on it! The logs have been moved, the grass is growing back!! I need to be realistic!

I think it is a common thing when you move, to France in particular, you have this idyllic picture in your head …….

You will get land, lots of land (don’t! An acre is enough if you don’t have livestock, or plan to set up a farm, remember you have to maintain your land and trust me it takes us over two hours to mow just under an acre!) anyway I digress…. there will be vegetables growing, chickens  clucking around your feet, a sun hat on your head, a basket in your hand as you waft between rows of potatoes, runner beans, tomatoes, sweetcorn, with your dress flowing out and gently blowing with the breeze. The reality last year was that the sweetcorn did not grow, or my spring onions, God knows what happened to them! Don’t get me started on the peppers, after hours of watering and feeding three plants I got three peppers! Whoop Whoop! No cucumbers, just monster courgettes, and about twenty tomatoes from six plants. It doesn’t help when your Welshie monsters keep jumping in the patch and peeing up your plants! So your idyll turns into something resembling Armageddon!

image

Seriously I was crying with laughter when I reviewed this picture. I remembered all the scrabbling around on my hands and knees weeding, wondering why my cucumbers were growing so big, and only when they were the size of a marrow you would put into a show did I finally admit defeat and realise that my cucumbers were not to be. Apart from one, that grew like a fat round tennis ball, that was it!!

So we have given up, but not completely; my terrace reaches temperatures of over fifty degrees in the sunshine so the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are being put into big pots and put on the terrace, the peppers should even go red! Having said that I have already bought two of each plant and my two cucumber plants have died already and I haven’t even potted the bloody things up yet! But I will persevere because there is nothing like the taste of a home grown cucumber. Although I feel that I may be jinxed.

The chickens? Well we thought it would be impossible with two Welshies, one of whom likes to kill any small thing she can lay her teeth into, bless she was so proud when she killed a rat and brought it over to show me, add to her repertoire a pigeon, a rabbit and nearly two of the cats and you can see where I am going. But we are about to re-home six  chickens and hubby has been building them a big run, using the stumps of the trees we cut down for part of the perimeter. We have bought metal rods to hold the fencing down, and the large logs will also be used to stop the naughty, murderess from getting in to them. We hope!

imageimage

image

As you will see she is just casing the joint this afternoon, and you can also see that they have a log playground, until we find the time to chop them up for this winter!!

Also please note hubby dressed in his finest!!!

When we viewed the house there were goats in residence so we are going to use the existing goats shed as their coop, and, seriously, they will be the most spoilt chickens in the world.

imageimage

It is still a  work in progress folks, it will be higher on all sides and chicken wire is also being added, you will see it in it’s finest next week.

I had to re-home the chickens you see because I know them personally and have come to have a soft spot for them, so when I knew that they had to leave their current home I also knew that serendipity had stepped in again to say “you have them.”

As for eggs, well they lay well at the moment but I am not sure how well they will lay with two Welshies staring at them all day, with a look on their faces of “come and play with me little chicken, lets play kill the chicken, I will let you run away first!!” But we shall see, we hope that The Wiglet will get bored, we know Harley will.

I will name them, we won’t be able to eat them, as I said to my dear friend Jan “I cannot eat something I have named.” To which she replied “Then call one of them dinner, and one of them stuffing!!”

But it has always been our dream to own chickens, and whilst the idyll of the floaty dress, hat, and basket has been lost I do love to hear them clucking away.

Here is to next weekend, and a better harvest this year. You never know I may dress up after all!

Moisy