Blog Posts

Skipping to the Good Part

7/15/2018

Two hares lamp from Belgium

The best part of home renovation has to be shopping for the items that fit just right once all the hard work has been done. A good deal of the hard work has been completed on our tiny house in Lonlay L'Abbaye. We have walls and floors, and doors are on the way, but the house is still not habitable. We seem to be missing a bathroom and a kitchen, for starters.

Nevertheless, when Joseph and I passed a curious shop on the street in Paris recently, we stepped inside and wound up buying a few things we could not resist. We rationalized this by telling ourselves that they will certainly be put to good use in Normandy.

First up, a table lamp with two hares (photo above). Not sure if this is vintage or a copy of an older lamp, but there was something inextricably appealing about it to both of us (at least it has new wiring!) We are enjoying it right now in the city, but nothing says "country" like a lamp with two rabbits. Please note that one of them may be wild, and one tame. I say this because the one on the left has a collar. Her nose has a bit of extra shine, as if the bronze has been rubbed for good luck.

Early 20th century wine glasses

Joseph spotted these wine glasses before I did. They are not as large as they appear in the photo, but hold about 6 oz., suitable for red, white, rosé - or even orange juice. You can have whatever you want when you come to visit. The young lady in the shop said they were likely from the early 20th century. No markings I can see, but they do not appear to have been machine made. The style reminds me of the 1920s or 1930s.

Quatt hedgehogs

Last, and maybe least (but don't tell them), are these ceramic hedgehog salt & pepper shakers. They are new, not vintage, and have a stamped label that says "Quatt." If anyone knows where they are made, I would be interested to know, as I forgot to ask in the shop. There were several other animal pairs, but I have long had an affection for hedgehogs, so the selection was easy for me. I was surprised that Joseph liked them too. So I can put them on the table and not just hide them away in the cupboard to use on boiled eggs.

The Castorama brochure: the "Essential" sink & mirrored cabinet will fit - but not the additional side cabinet

Now back to the basics. Last month we made a quick train trip to Castorama just outside the city of Caen to meet Jim and Nicola, our builders. Castorama is one of the huge warehouse type stores that sells nearly everything you could need to renovate or remodel your home (but no hedgehogs, wine glasses or hare lamps). The "big box store" concept is very American, so one we are familiar with, as is the somewhat quirky suffix "orama" added onto anything commercial. Back in the 1950s and 1960s in the U.S., advertisers and sign makers had a field day with it. There was a "Food-o-rama," "Car-o-rama," "Skate-o-rama," and "Burger-o-rama" around every corner. At about the same time, the idea that every store should be a "carnival" took root. So there would be "Carnival of Books" next to "Drug Carnival" (a pharmacy, rather than what you were hoping for). The carnivals and "oramas" preceded the duller spate of "(Blank) R Us," as in "Toys R Us" and "Mufflers R Us." But I digress. Castorama is a cute play on the "orama" form because Castorama has to do with building supplies and tools, and a "castor" in French is a beaver.

There is a Castorama store in Paris, but with space at a premium, you cannot view most of the selections in person. We had seen some items online that we thought might work in our very small bathroom-to-be, like the sink and mirrored cabinet combination above, but we wanted to actually see the materials and get a better feel for the dimensions. We also wanted to purchase everything for the bathroom in one fell swoop, so our builders would have everything they need to install a working toilet, shower, and sink, along with the tile for the floor and shower stall.

The "Essential" sink in real life. Ours can only be 60 cm across.

Our choices were quite limited in terms of the bathroom sink. Jim had originally told us that we could only have a sink that was no wider than 60 cm and no deeper than 40 cm! The only sinks we could find that were 40 cm or less in depth were more like shallow lavatory sinks however, and we could not picture having that as our main bathroom sink for any lengthy visits to Normandy.

The Castorama "Essential" checks in at 45 cm in depth and does come in 60 cm width. Jim allowed that we could fit in the 45 cm sink on the left wall (the extra 5 cm is only 2 inches more, but every inch counts in a tiny bathroom). The sink can still only be 60 cm wide however, as otherwise we can't fit a shower stall against the back wall. I think the sink and under cabinet pictured here is probably 70 cm. Depth is more important than width when you are splashing around washing your face!

So while we might have preferred a less modern style of sink, this one will work for us. We ordered it, along with the matching mirrored medicine cabinet, a slightly old-fashioned faucet, a generic toilet, a generic clear glass sliding shower door, light gray tile for the floor and plain white tile for the shower stall walls. Because it is so small, we'd like to keep the bathroom space simple, even if it is a bit plain vanilla. We can always paint or wallpaper the remaining wall space to bring a touch of color if it lacks personality. Or the hedgehogs can visit and sit on a shelf. I've decided that hedgehogs work wonders in every room.

We also looked at kitchens at Castorama, but will discuss that next time. Meanwhile, we are waiting with bated breath for the devis and a schedule for fitting out the bathroom!

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Winter Into Spring

5/26/2018

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Commons green at Lonlay l'Abbaye

Our last visit to Lonlay l'Abbaye was at the end of February. While it was chilly and rained a bit, the sun came out some days to promise Spring was not far off.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=13AVqj0XGfw&feature=youtu.be

Misty morning view

The old cider press in the commons area

But even in bleak midwinter, Lonlay was picturesque. We always enjoy spending time in the village, even if we sometimes spend more time indoors. We stayed again in the charming AirBnB run by Sarah and Geoff, cooking up cassoulet and enjoying some of their carefully selected red wines. We also had a few satisfying lunches at the village's restaurant, Le Relais de l'Abbaye.

View of the abbey and mairie from our AirBnB

Lichen on the walls of the abbey

Rather than take the train to Caen and rent a car there, as we had for previous visits, this time we opted to take a train from Montparnasse station to Flers, a town that is only about 20 minutes drive from Lonlay l'Abbaye. Joseph arranged to have a driver pick us up at the train station and take us to Lonlay for a reasonable cost. The downside was that we did not have a car to explore with, but we were happy not to have to drive at all, and planned to spend most of our time checking on the state of the tiny house, reading and relaxing at the AirBnB, and walking about the village anyway. That all worked out so well, we will likely travel this way again.

Our tiny house on the corner of Place Jules Levée - February 2018

Wide angle shot of bedroom looking out into small study and bathroom door

So, on to the house. We were very pleased to see that the walls, ceilings and doors had all been put in place on the upstairs level. The bathroom door was sticking a bit, but no doubt that has already been remedied by our builders. All of the electrical outlets are in place now too, and two electric heaters have already been installed - albeit they are not functioning yet because we need a new electrical panel.
Some of these pictures are darker than others as they may have been taken on different days. The weather was rather fickle.

Far side of bedroom with electric heater

The two bedroom windows with our new walls and ceiling

Window bay in bedroom just inside and to the right of the door from the study

Another view from inside the bedroom looking out into the study

We chose to have the door into the bedroom open inwards because the bedroom is bigger than the study. Conversely, the door to the miniscule bathroom will open out into the study because otherwise we probably could not fit a sink into the bathroom!

Looking into the bathroom-to-be

Top of the stairs looking into the study and further into the bedroom

Recessed wall in the study to the left of the door to the bedroom

Study

The slightly widened study now has room for shelving or a library on the right. We were constrained in this area by common walls that belong to our neighbor's portion of the original larger house - and also by the fact that some of the floor here is part of their downstairs ceiling.

We plan to have recessed lights in the study, but likely only a chandelier overhead in the bedroom. Lots of "prises" (electrical outlets) in each room for additional floor and table lamps, and the ubiquitous electronics. The outlets in the study are not actually red, they just have a temporary plastic covering over them.

Ground level - the decrepit door to the side street

Water damage at the foot of the decrepit door

The only bad news we had to face related to our doors. The main door into the kitchen from the square was no longer holding securely and had to be screwed open and closed. It looked very much the worse for wear. And we had already known that the other old wooden door to the side street had to be replaced as it was rotting out, but now we could see some water damage into our ground level living room. Time and the elements, particularly this past harsh winter, made it more clear to me that both doors would have to be replaced.

Our builders, Jim and Nicola, had previously gotten a bid for a replacement door in wood, but the cost was exorbitant. After speaking with our mayor and seeing what other villagers had done, Nicola told us that the only alternative would be custom-made aluminum doors. Not my first choice, and they will still be very expensive, but at least they are better than PVC, and the tiny house will be very secure with new doors.

Because our house is in close proximity to the 11th century abbey, a listed historic site, we had to request planning permission to change out our doors not only from the mayor, who is always helpful and reasonable, but also from the architects of the notoriously demanding Bâtiments de France. At the same time, we took advantage of Nicola's suggestion to have them approve two skylights for the roof as well.

We recently received the official blessing - really more of a statement that no one opposes what we want to do. It looks wonderfully formal and came in an envelope with a nice photo of the village. I'd keep it as a souvenir, even if we did not desperately need it.

So now the doors have been ordered, but will take some time to be custom-made and fitted. We are anxious, as ever, to complete the rest of the inside of the house and have made a plan to meet our builders again in early June.

This time we will meet in Caen and go directly to the building supply stores to pick out workable materials for finishing the bathroom. I have found it too difficult to tell whether something will work just from looking at it online, and only Jim and Nicola can tell us if our selections are realistic.

Meanwhile, as we always do this time of year, we are remembering the sacrifices of the Allied soldiers and the French resistance - particularly those who fought and died in and near Lonlay l'Abbaye in 1944 - a great turning point in the war. We will always remember how much we owe them for this beautiful and free corner of France.

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Back to Work

1/24/2018

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At the end of last year, work stopped completely, for a while, on our tiny house. The builders were engaged in a large building project elsewhere, and Joseph and I were away in the U.S. and Australia for family matters - the happy graduation of our daughter from university in Melbourne being one of them! In the interim, the builders presented their "devis" (estimate for a contract offer) for the next phase of work in Lonlay l'Abbaye: building out and insulating the walls on the middle floor of the house, including electrical lines and outlets, heaters and doors.

We accepted the bid, but heard nothing for awhile. Then near the end of December, we received a set of mysterious photos with strong shadows cast by a work light. The days are short in December, but at least this meant that work was underway. Still, those dark shadows were kind of creepy.

We could just about divine where in the house each photo was taken, but I could not help but be reminded of the lighting in the Netflix series "Stranger Things."

The stuff of nightmares!

Plumbing photos can also be troubling to contemplate when you have no idea which end is up.

BEFORE - Exposed attic beams and old fireplace opening

AFTER - New ceiling and walls

We recently received a few new photos that cheered us quite a bit, as it seems a lot of progress has been made this month. Our builders told us that the walls were taking a bit longer than usual to sand down and finish because the damp and chill was adding to drying time. In this photo above, you can see that the nonfunctional fireplace near one bedroom window has disappeared, and we are having plenty of electrical outlets ("prises") installed for lighting, computers and maybe a tv.

BEFORE - Tiny narrow study between bathroom and bedroom (wall to right removed)

AFTER - New wall expands storage and living space in the study.

As promised, the builders have expanded the small room that we are calling the "study" at the top of the stairs to include an indented wall we can use for bookcases, cabinetry storage, a working desk area, or a combination thereof.

BEFORE - Bathroom or storage shed?

AFTER - Lovely new seagreen water-resistant wallboard, ready for its closeup

Even the dreaded bathroom has been given a new outfit and prepped for the next stages. Looks smaller than ever, but somehow we believe we can fit a shower into the left corner, toilet in the right corner, and sink on the right wall.

BEFORE - Just inside the bedroom door

AFTER - Looks brighter already with new walls and door!

I'd like to think that the house is happier by the minute as it gets restored and refreshed.

(Inside joke for "Stranger Things" fans)

So, lots of good progress and some transformation. We are looking forward to seeing Jim and Nicola, the builders, in the near future to thank them for this work and to plan for the next steps. Next up: Lighting?

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Festive Times at Lonlay l'Abbaye

9/3/2017

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The end of August is always a splendid time to be in Lonlay l'Abbaye. Not only is the countryside green and fulsome, the weather mild, but the village has its annual "vide-grenier" and festival. We were lucky to be there this year for some of the best fireworks I have ever seen.

We stayed at Sarah and Geoff's AirBnB, a restored house near the small river that runs through Lonlay. In this picture, it is the brick and columbage house with sea green windows and door and the open skylight. Velux is the best known brand of skylight in France, so rather than use another word, a skylight is usually referred to as a "velux," the same way we might ask for a "kleenex," rather than a "tissue." Their renovation was very well done. They have kept much of the original woodwork, including an old hardwood staircase that is similar to the one in our house. Perhaps the houses are of a similar era.

At least some of you are thinking of commenting right now about how great our place in Lonlay l'Abbaye turned out. Hold that thought, please. I must remind you that the lovely spaces depicted above are of the AirBnB we rented in August, not our place! We are still on the proverbial slow boat to China, but...

... our hardwood floors are in! These are photos from opposite ends of the long ground-level room that will be our kitchen and living room/lounge. We are pleased with the rustic look and color of the wood. The finish is brushed and oiled in a natural way that is compatible with a country village house. The slight color variations give it some character.

Upstairs: If I look pensive in this photo, it's only because I can see lots more work to be done! We are anxious to get the attic insulated and finished off as well. The hardwood floor on this level for the main bedroom and small study is a bit darker and more formal. Stained but not varnished, the solid oak planks have a slightly reddish tinge. They are slightly more narrow than the honey-colored oak planks downstairs.

Our builder Jim was clever enough to use some of the extra oak from upstairs to build us a first step that was needed on the ground floor.

The next step in renovation will be to put in framing, electrical and plasterboard walls to finish out the middle level. Above is my amateurish sketch done to show the builders where we would like electric outlets (lots!), lighting, and the dividing wall between the study and the bedroom. Two electric heaters with internal thermostats will be placed here under windows to combat the cold.

And, of course, the bathroom must be tiled and outfitted. Because it is so small, we are asking our builders to have the door open outward, rather than into the bathroom. That should leave us room for a sink on the right with the toilet in the righthand corner. The shower will be built into the left hand corner, and we will have a heated towel rack (a necessity, not a luxury, in Normandy) on the left hand wall.
Now, let's go back outside!

Lonlay l'Abbaye, at the end of summer, was in its glory. The apple orchard that surrounds the old cider press near the center of the village was beginning to bear ripe fruit.

We took Bullet for a walk across the old wooden bridge that spans the Égrenne river to the ancient abbey. There were flowers everywhere and the river was splashing along happily like a stream.

This ancient crucifix is so weathered that it seems more of a pagan representation. It is very close to the old abbey. On another visit, I will try to find out how old it is.

The Abbey at Lonlay l'Abbaye was first consecrated in the early 11th century. Its doors were open to the public all during the festival weekend.

Inside the abbey, it was peaceful and cool. Recorded choral music added to the atmosphere. The church has many treasures and surprises.

Some of the statues are over 400 years old.

Outside in the village square, a kiddie carnival ride was set up, food booths were opening for business, and the main street was turned into a mini-midway.

The warm-up band had to play during the daylight hours and attracted a small, but growing fan base. As darkness fell and we got closer to fireworks time, another band took the "stage" and the village got more lively. There was beer and wine, grilled sausages, a "guess the weight" raffle, and a team of dedicated village volunteers who kept everything running smoothly. We saw Mayor Deroüet, but he was surrounded, so we did not get a chance to say hello.

Then suddenly, the fire department marching band appeared...

The children were given paper lanterns on a stick with lighted candles placed carefully inside (would not happen in the U.S.!) and of course, they were enchanted. Then the marching band led the children away into the dark like pied pipers, along with most of the village adults as well. We had no idea where they were going, but could hear them winding away down the narrow streets.

We followed the sounds and caught up with them all on the village green - just in time for those stupendous fireworks!

After the fireworks, we went back to the house to check on Bullet and relax, but we could hear the merriment and could look out the window to see dazed tiny kids whirring around on the lighted ride until way after midnight in the warm air while their parents laughed and talked with each other.

The next day, Sunday, found every street and corner of the village turned into a huge market, mainly of second-hand goods, vintage items and antiques - the famous "vide-grenier" (empty attic) type of rummage sale. Even our own house - in the photo just above - had squatters with a yellow sun umbrella in front. I did not spot anything I could not live without, but it was good fun, and we had a delicious steak at the village restaurant, Le Relais de l'Abbaye.

View of the abbey and Mairie from Sarah and Geoff's AirBnB

Besides the charming village fête and vide grenier, we also had time to let Bullet explore the orchard (whilst wresting her from wormy apples she was determined to eat), and we drove to La Fosse d'Arthour, a small natural site close to Lonlay l'Abbaye, associated in legend with King Arthur and his Queen Guinevere - but I'll write about that another time.

We do hope to be back soon.

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Working in August - Floors going in

8/4/2017

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New oak flooring being installed in the bedroom - August 2017

I answered my French phone last month and heard a man's voice making a rather strange proclamation: "Bonjour, c'est Le Parquet." My first thought was that I did not know anyone named Parquet, but then it dawned on me: it must be the nice salesman from the flooring store! Parquet=flooring. Quite rightly, he assumed that I would have been even more confused if he had introduced himself by his last name, so he identified himself as his product. So much of our transaction had been through email to that point. Email is a godsend for language cowards like myself, because I can use iTranslate or Google to correct the written word as best I can before I hit "send." He was calling to let us know that our special order of solid oak was ready. He would tell the delivery company to call us so we could set a date for delivery to Lonlay l'Abbaye.

A few days later, after having heard nothing, I had nearly given up on the delivery company, and was about to make the first move to call them, but I delayed out of abject telephone fear. Finally, a cheerful man called and we chose a date. Then I gave Nicola, our builder, the delivery company number so that she could call them and coordinate a time. The boxes of flooring were duly received, but then needed to be opened and acclimated to the ambient humidity in the house. Typically, this takes from one to three weeks, and we knew that would take us to August.

Ah, August, when time stands still in France! Despite the internationalization of so many other business customs, the great majority of French workmen still take month-long vacations in July or August. Office workers as well. Our vet and his staff have decamped. The butchers and cheese shops and the fishmonger are closed, and we hear very little morning traffic on our street. A few days ago, we were having lunch at a tandoori restaurant and stood to greet the owner of our local laundry and dry cleaning place who was there with a friend to kickoff her "vacances."

Our builders Jim and Nicola thought that their team could begin installation of the floors near the end of July, but I had visions of brakes being applied to the project as soon as August rolled around. So it was a pleasant surprise to hear that they had started on the upstairs floor this week. And we got photos to boot! The photos are so reassuring, because we can see that the wood is the color and finish that we had wanted.

Main beam and older floor to the left

Our upstairs (middle level of the house) is where our bedroom and bathroom will be. The French refer to this as the first floor. The ancient beam that supports the original stone walls had to be sanded down so that the new floor could be laid level.

New oak floor to the edge of the stairwell

While the wood flooring is brand new, it has the look and texture of the old floors we had to tear up. We're trying to retain the feel of the original house as much as possible. Looks like the new flooring complements the built in linen chest that our builders worked so hard to preserve too. We're very happy about that!

Built-in linen closet as seen September 2, 2015

Above photo is a picture of the old built-in linen cupboard as of September 2, 2015, the day after buying the house. While I was still hoping then that the floor on this level would not have to be replaced (the downstairs wood was riddled with a zoological compendium of insect damage), I knew that I definitely wanted to preserve this cabinet. Fortunately, the harder wood that the cabinet was made of (perhaps chestnut or mahogany) was resistant to the insects. The same was true of the staircase, so our builders were able to save both. All the wood flooring had to be replaced, however, as did the electrics and plumbing. Fortunately, the whole house is a relatively small space.

In the video above you can see the whole of the "premier étage" (French first floor) of the house, including the built-in cupboard and the "vétuste"(decrepit) pine floors, as I did my walk through back in September, 2015. Yes, the bathroom is definitely next on the list!

From August 24 through August 28, Joseph and I will be visiting Lonlay l'Abbaye. We are very excited to make this trip because we will get to see the new floors and make plans with our builders for the next steps: bathroom and kitchen. As a plus, the weekend of August 26 and 27 is a celebration weekend in Lonlay l'Abbaye with its annual "vide-grenier" (literally, the "empty-attic") where all sorts of vintage goods will be up for sale. The village will be abuzz with food stalls and visitors from near and far. We've found a lovely AirBnB rental that was just recently renovated by some folks who live in a nearby town. We love their sympathetic renovation of the ancient cobbler's house, and hope to meet up with them during the festivities! Here is the link to the rental if you'd like to stay in Lonlay l'Abbaye sometime:
www.airbnb.fr/rooms/18046218?location=Lonlay%20l%27Abbaye%2C%20France&s=BGpqBU5l

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THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING - "THE PARIS PLOT"

6/20/2017

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Special Edition of the Blog today - Joseph Aragon's new novel "The Paris Plot" will be available for free Kindle edition download on June 23 and June 24!

My husband, Joseph, is an amazing person in more ways than one. Turns out that fiction writing is one of his best talents. His debut novel, a political thriller called "The Paris Plot," was recently published on Amazon and has received all five star reviews. This Friday and Saturday only, June 23 and 24, you will be able to download a free Kindle edition of the book on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Paris-Plot-Joseph-Aragon/dp/0998161209. If you are looking for an escapist beach read with settings in France, this is your book.

"The Paris Plot" received a stellar write-up from Kirkus Reviews. www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/joseph-aragon/paris-plot/. They call "The Paris Plot" "a fast-paced international adventure featuring engaging characters," with an "exhilarating underground pursuit..."

I certainly agree with that assessment, and find the book very exciting. "The Paris Plot" will be a great movie if we can get it in the hands of the producers!

Some of you may remember that Joseph was doing final revisions of this story last October when we stayed in Washington, D.C. for a month. www.atinyhouseinnormandy.com/blog/archives/10-2016. Joseph had previously lived and worked in D.C. (where we met) for many years, including two years in the West Wing of the White House as a Special Assistant to President Jimmy Carter.

American political intrigue sets "The Paris Plot" in motion, but most of the action is set in Paris, and a few other fascinating venues. What I like best is that the protagonist is a woman - Isabella "Izzy" Stone of the Secret Service.

Here is an excerpt from a press release that went out today to media outlets:

"[A]n ultra-nationalist French magistrate, Malevu, orders the president's arrest for war crimes, resulting in a deadly confrontation on the Champs-Elysées between the president's security team and French forces obedient to Malevu. Now Izzy Stone, head of the president's Secret Service detail, must do the near impossible to save him. She brilliantly devises a dizzying escape through Paris's secret underground networks of ancient catacombs and sewers, bursting forth from iconic landmarks in the City of Light. But will it be enough? Danger and violence forge a bond between Izzy and POTUS that neither had ever expected.

Kirkus Reviews says, "Aragon keeps up an impressive pace throughout the novel. Its short sentences and chapters are packed with intriguing details…. Izzy is shown to be astute and resourceful..." Aragon says, "Izzy is a kind of wonder woman with a Secret Service badge."

Free digital edition June 23 and 24 on Amazon.

Could an American president be arrested in France for war crimes? "The Paris Plot" lays out a conceivable chain of events grounded in international human rights law and the singular power of the French judiciary. "We've seen things recently come to pass that were once considered to be in the realm of fantasy," says Aragon, "but we are living in an extraordinary, fast-moving, volatile time where all options are on the table and the abuse of power is a constant peril. As Izzy Stone tells her team, 'It's a big world with lots of moving parts. Expect the unexpected.'"

The complete press release is at: www.pr.com/press-release/720331. You can find a few more interesting details and sample chapters on Joseph's website www.theparisplot.com. We do hope that you will take advantage of this chance to download the book and enjoy it. Please feel free to tell your friends!

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WOODEN FLOOR

6/14/2017

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So apparently there is a Windows horror video game called "Wooden Floor." The creators describe it on their website (http://www.indiedb.com/games/wooden-floor) in this manner:

For those of you who are renovating an old house, this sounds a lot like the way you might feel after several months of discovering that the simple wood floor you had in mind just does not exist, or is so painfully expensive to source and ship that you have to surrender. We've been in a Catch 22 situation for awhile now because we could not find the flooring we wanted, and we could not begin to buy materials for the kitchen or bathroom until we had the floors down.
First, our builders obtained a quote from a local wood mill, but the price for unfinished wood planks was just too much, because we would still have had to have them stained and finished. Even then, we could not be sure that they would be the color we wanted. Our next hope was to look online at the flooring available from Leroy Merlin, Castorama and the other big box stores in France, but they had no flooring that we liked.
The problem seemed to be that what we like is not fashionable at the moment. The flooring that is trending at these popular venues falls into three categories: light yellowish wood, dull grayish wood, and wood that appears painted over in white or black. The grayish and whitewashed woods are all right if you have a specific design scheme, but I could not see living with them, nor with a black floor, for decades. Not terribly versatile.

The lighter colored wood is nice, but we had that flooring in our place in California (above).

For Lonlay l'Abbaye, we wanted something warmer and more traditional - in a medium brown stain like the Parisian floor in the photo above. Why was it so difficult to find?
In the U.S., we found flooring we liked that was acacia wood (known as robinier in France), and shipped a sample to our builders, but it was not readily available from any French supplier (sigh).
What else could we do but move to France to sort this out? So we did! I retired at the end of March, and we moved to Paris in April.

Can you tell I'm happy? Living here is a dream come true. And in Paris, we finally found a flooring store that had the type of wide plank, warm-toned flooring that we wanted.

Ground Floor: This is the flooring that we have ordered for our downstairs "rez-de-chaussée*." The store we have purchased it from is called "Carrésol." They already have this flooring in stock. It is what Americans call "engineered hardwood" (a thick veneer of hardwood on top of a compressed wood base). Supposedly it is more resistant to moisture and can be fitted together and glued directly to our floor base.
*For those of you who are academically inclined, Joseph tells me that the term "rez-de-chausée" has Latin roots. The "rez" is from Latin "rasus," past participle of radere - which meant "to shave, or plane or run against closely" - referring in this case to the level of the house that was evened out to the level of the "chaux" (lime), from the Latin "calciata."

Upstairs flooring: This will be the flooring for the upstairs bedroom level (premier étage). Because they need to be nailed directly to the beams, these will be solid oak planks, just a bit less wide than the downstairs flooring, but in a similar color. Unfortunately, this flooring has to be custom-made, so we will have a three-week wait for it. Once it has been delivered to the store, we can arrange for a date certain to have both sets of flooring delivered to Lonlay l'Abbaye. We hope to visit around that time to see that the product is what we expected, and to find out more about how the floors will be laid.
There seems to be no way around a certain amount of delay in building projects, but we are very hopeful that our builders will be able to make our tiny house habitable in the next few months. We would love to spend some time there in the fall and winter this year.

Meanwhile, we've already been to Ikea for some kitchen inspiration!

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Further Adventures in Normandy

1/1/2017

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Domfront is just a few miles from our renovation project in Lonlay l'Abbaye. We visited the remains of the ancient chateau there for the first time together. I'm not sure how old this particular standing wall is, but there has been a chateau on this spot since the 11th century, a site which changed hands several times in the middle ages as the French and English clashed during the Hundred Years War. In 1169, King Henry II of England received papal legates here who wished to reconcile him with Thomas Becket. One feels that ghosts abound.

The chateau in the town of Flers is considerably younger, and has interesting domed rooftops.

Au Bout de la Rue is a great little restaurant in Flers where we had a splendid fish dish for lunch with a half bottle of Chablis.

The five pictures above are of the B&B I mentioned in my last post, Le Presbytère in St. Bomer les Forges, and part of its back garden. This beautiful place has been tastefully restored by its present owners, Tom and Antoinette (Toinette) Jack, who are delightful people, and Tom is an excellent chef as well. The delicious breakfast includes very fine fresh-brewed Italian (don't tell the French!) coffee. Our several days' stay there was a highlight of our trip, and we hope to stay with them again this coming year.

The church in St. Bomer les Forges is a characterful structure and is lit up at night, which helps lead you back to Le Presbytère, just behind it. Across the street is the Relais de St. Bomer, where we ran into Jim and Nicola, our builders, on our first afternoon. Even though they planned on meeting us at our Lonlay l'Abbaye house the next day, it was a bit of a shock for them to see us, I think - as it sometimes is when you run into someone in an unexpected place.

We had fine weather our first few days in Normandy, and got to take a few more pictures of our half-house, inside and out. The last day we went for lunch at the Relais de l'Abbaye, where we ran into the Mayor, Monsieur Derouet. As we were leaving, a cloudburst hit, so we offered the Mayor and his friends a ride down to the Mairie. He was so nice, and insisted that instead of just going back to the office, we should go to his house for coffee! His home is in the countryside, about 10 minutes outside of Lonlay. Along the way, he pointed out the fields that his parents owned for raising dairy cows. His home is a lovely stone house, recently restored, with a monumental fireplace. He told us that he had had to replace the main overhead beams, which must have been quite an undertaking!

Meanwhile, we were able to see more signs of progress at our place. The walls are being finished, and we have a new electrical box downstairs. As it resembles a hydra, and we did not know which wires were live, we gave it a wide berth. The staircase walls are not going to be covered with wallboard, just relimed. Our next step is to choose the hardwood flooring we want installed in the ground floor and the upstairs middle level, but we have yet to find the right combination of color and durability in flooring at the main French supply stores.

Imagine this as an old master painting: "Homeowner Supplicating the Builder." I don't know what I was talking with Jim about here, but I'm sure I was asking for advice about something! Nicola and Jim were good enough to spend over two hours with us discussing the overall project, and giving us an estimate of total costs to tile and kit out the small bathroom, still a gaping hole to my right in the painting (er, photo). To Jim's right is a large stack of wall board waiting to be installed in the middle level and to finish out the attic, eventually! He ordered it in advance so it could be pulled up between the floor beams before the ceiling closed them off. Jim also told us about a great garage in St. Bomer les Forges, where we were able to get air for the tires of our rental car. Every visit we feel more well oriented.

I did not step into the main level on the beams at all, as I was too afraid I would lose my balance and step right through the new ceiling below. Joseph was bolder, and stepped out onto the beams to take the two short videos above - the first of the unfinished bedroom and bathroom (hole!), and the second which shows some of the attic area yet to be insulated and finished.

Happy New Year to you all! We wish you a year full of happy surprises, joyful contentment, and progress on projects dear to your own hearts. Let us each be a messenger of goodwill to each other and to the world.

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Joyeuses Fêtes et Lumières

12/26/2016

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Our Christmas present to each other this year was a visit to Paris and to Lonlay l'Abbaye last month. Paris was already glittering for the holidays on rue Royale and its passages.

From the Grande Roue, an enormous Ferris wheel at Place de la Concorde, we could see all the way up the Champs-Élysées to La Défense, which has grown to resemble Oz just beyond the city limits:

Inside a café on the Champs-Élysées afterward, we had scotch and hot chocolate while we watched the world rush past us.

Then we stepped outside to capture some of the boulevard's lights and traffic.

Our first night in Paris, we stayed at the Hotel du Quai Voltaire. 40 years ago it was the first hotel I stayed in in Paris - in 1976! The view out the window of the Louvre and the Seine is incomparable.

We had bought tickets months before on the internet for a modern ballet performance at the Garnier Opéra house. Always a memorable experience, but Kylián's choreography was a revelation to us.

Compared to the holiday glitz of Paris, the Norman countryside was peaceful and quiet. We were very happy to be there too, and most especially to discover the charms of Le Presbytère, a bed and breakfast run by an amazing couple in St. Bomer les Forges, just a few miles from our work in progress at Lonlay l'Abbaye. www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1232081-d2199957-Reviews-Le_Presbytere-Saint_Bomer_les_Forges_Orne_Basse_Normandie_Normandy.html

More to come soon... Happy Holidays and a festive New Year to all!

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Petit à Petit, L'Oiseau Fait son Nid

11/12/2016

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"Petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid." Little by little, the bird makes its nest. This French proverb is akin to "Slow and steady wins the race" or "Rome wasn't built in a day." The idea is to encourage you to continue to persevere when it seems that you are only making a little progress at a time toward your goal.

Over the past couple of months, our tiny house in Lonlay l'Abbaye has been gradually renovated with all those essential elements that do not necessarily photograph well or provide the immense satisfaction of a big "reveal." The first outside job was to protect the building from the elements by replacing the rain gutters and pipes. Meanwhile, the inside was gutted, the remaining wood was treated against bugs and mold, and our ground floor was recreated and leveled. Framing and insulation came next. Now the electrical wiring has been done, the basic plumbing is in, and we even have some walls there too!

Here are photos of some of the "petit à petit" transformation that help me appreciate all the hard work and planning that goes into making a livable space:

Before: Old pipes and gutters near the street lantern on our house

After: Shiny new zinc gutters and pipes that work!

Before: A year ago, Joseph took this wide angle photo of me in the kitchen area.

The walls were in bad shape. Plumbing and electrical were rudimentary.

As of a few months ago, a big improvement!

The main kitchen wall

Add some lovely blue and red plumbing

Now peeking out from the new walls, along with the electrical. Ready for our kitchen appliances.

Before: In the corner, you could look up and follow the pipes into the bathroom upstairs and the attic.

Now that back corner and the whole ceiling is covered in wallboard.

Before: One year ago, this wide angle photo of the living room shows how much needed to be done.

After gutting and reconstruction

New walls and a ceiling: huzzah! We still want a wood stove in that corner though...

Need to measure this wall for a couch at some point.

In just a few days, we will return to Lonlay l'Abbaye and to Paris. This weekend, we are remembering the tragic terrorist attacks of last year, and the dignity and strength shown by all in the aftermath. We look forward to being a part of the new France - forgiving, embracing, and renewing - but fiercely protective as well.