Pipkin guarding newly delivered boxes from the postman - end of February, 2022
Early in 2022, our now habitable village house had fresh painted walls and finished woodwork, overhead lighting, heating and plumbing, but was still in need of basic furniture and housewares. Bringing furnishings down from Paris on the train or in a rental van was impractical and unnecessary, so we started to see what we could have delivered.
At a bare minimum, we needed a convertible couch, a table and chairs, a bed and a mattress. Ok, mostly available to order online, and we were able to try out the couch in real life at a Paris store. What else? Bedding, towels, plates and glasses, silverware, and basic cooking pots and pans.
You try to imagine living in the as yet empty rooms, remembering what you have used most in vacation rentals and what you cannot live without. That leads to looking for a coffee maker, a toaster, and a hair dryer. The list gets longer. Can't forget the corkscrew! What about a vacuum cleaner and smoke alarms?
Finding that it was nearly impossible to narrow the deliveries to just a couple of dates certain in Lonlay, it was determined that Pipkin and I would go for a long stay at the end of February, beginning of March, and do our best to meet scattered deliveries from our multiple providers. Joseph had to stay in Paris for some appointments and to supervise some work in the U.S.
Before we left, Joseph went with me to the Paris Ikea one day, where I took photos of all the items we liked and thought we might order, along with their quirky Ikea names.
At a bare minimum, we needed a convertible couch, a table and chairs, a bed and a mattress. Ok, mostly available to order online, and we were able to try out the couch in real life at a Paris store. What else? Bedding, towels, plates and glasses, silverware, and basic cooking pots and pans.
You try to imagine living in the as yet empty rooms, remembering what you have used most in vacation rentals and what you cannot live without. That leads to looking for a coffee maker, a toaster, and a hair dryer. The list gets longer. Can't forget the corkscrew! What about a vacuum cleaner and smoke alarms?
Finding that it was nearly impossible to narrow the deliveries to just a couple of dates certain in Lonlay, it was determined that Pipkin and I would go for a long stay at the end of February, beginning of March, and do our best to meet scattered deliveries from our multiple providers. Joseph had to stay in Paris for some appointments and to supervise some work in the U.S.
Before we left, Joseph went with me to the Paris Ikea one day, where I took photos of all the items we liked and thought we might order, along with their quirky Ikea names.
The Madeleine - 8th arrondissement
Only in Paris would this be the view from the window of your local Ikea store!
Only in Paris would this be the view from the window of your local Ikea store!
Ikea Arstid lamp - a useful addition
Early mornings on the village green with the old cider press illuminated
On-line ordering and delivery has improved over the course of the pandemic years, but there are yet many challenges in France to having large items delivered, and a lot of confusion about when to order smaller items to fit a delivery window as well. I started to get email notices and texts every day from different delivery companies, letting me know approximately when they would be coming, but they never said which item they were delivering, or from whom it was sent.
On several bitter cold mornings, I had to get up while it was still dark to walk Pipkin and have some coffee, sometimes running into the bakery for a croissant, then we would dash up to camp out at our house from 8:00 to 12:00, not knowing if someone would arrive with a mattress or a toaster!
I had only one old chair to sit in, and a limited number of treats and toys to distract Pipkin, who took umbrage at having to wait hours for someone to bark at.
On several bitter cold mornings, I had to get up while it was still dark to walk Pipkin and have some coffee, sometimes running into the bakery for a croissant, then we would dash up to camp out at our house from 8:00 to 12:00, not knowing if someone would arrive with a mattress or a toaster!
I had only one old chair to sit in, and a limited number of treats and toys to distract Pipkin, who took umbrage at having to wait hours for someone to bark at.
Lots of cardboard to go to recycling
There were the usual mixups - early deliveries, late deliveries, a damaged pan (speedily replaced by Ikea), supplicating phone calls in my garbled French to Amazon, etc.
Small to medium-sized packages were often delivered via "Chronopost," which actually is just a service of the regular post office. Efficient and friendly, our postman was probably relieved when the stream of small appliances he had to deliver to me came to an end.
Larger items and specialty orders were delivered by a hodge-podge of companies. Most were very professional, sending updates on their locations and expected time of delivery, but one company was so clueless and impossible to contact that I was forced to cancel the order altogether.
Some orders arrived days in advance, sending me scurrying back to the house when I thought I had time for a walk. Our main room was soon awash in cardboard cartons to be cut down and flattened to go to recycling.
Small to medium-sized packages were often delivered via "Chronopost," which actually is just a service of the regular post office. Efficient and friendly, our postman was probably relieved when the stream of small appliances he had to deliver to me came to an end.
Larger items and specialty orders were delivered by a hodge-podge of companies. Most were very professional, sending updates on their locations and expected time of delivery, but one company was so clueless and impossible to contact that I was forced to cancel the order altogether.
Some orders arrived days in advance, sending me scurrying back to the house when I thought I had time for a walk. Our main room was soon awash in cardboard cartons to be cut down and flattened to go to recycling.
The bed frame boxes were quite large.
"La Redoute" sent only one man to deliver the collection of boxes whose contents were supposed to make up our bed. He took one look at our narrow staircase and announced, with a sad shrug, that it was not possible for him to take the contents upstairs. Fortunately, our French builders stopped by a couple of days later.
I thought they would have to take the boxes through the upstairs' windows somehow, but the two of them took the headboard out of its box, and managed to wend it up the stairs without a scratch to their fresh paint job. Later on, one of them assembled the bed for us, along with a table for our living room. We will open the compressed mattress on our next visit when we will bring a mattress cover to put on it.
I thought they would have to take the boxes through the upstairs' windows somehow, but the two of them took the headboard out of its box, and managed to wend it up the stairs without a scratch to their fresh paint job. Later on, one of them assembled the bed for us, along with a table for our living room. We will open the compressed mattress on our next visit when we will bring a mattress cover to put on it.
Cupboard 1 - Before spacesaver
Cupboard 1 - After spacesaver
Cupboard 2 - Before spacesaver
Cupboard 2 - After spacesaver - room for some foodstuffs!
As we have only two cupboards in the kitchen in Lonlay, I discovered very quickly that if I filled them with dishware and pots, we would have no room for groceries. Sure, we have a big refrigerator, but what about canned goods, olive oil, coffee, tea, dry cereal, pasta, salt and pepper? We won't keep much food in at a time, but there has to be some space for it.
Not being remotely domestic, I was quite pleased with myself for thinking to order some extendable metal shelves that have temporarily solved the problem by freeing up a whole shelf. The instructions for installation that came with them were not at all necessary, but amusing.
Not being remotely domestic, I was quite pleased with myself for thinking to order some extendable metal shelves that have temporarily solved the problem by freeing up a whole shelf. The instructions for installation that came with them were not at all necessary, but amusing.
"Bid farewell to trifles and reject installation fees" - my new motto
Our house on Place Jules Levée - February 2022
Before we finish up at the house, let's look at some of the country walks that Pipkin and I were able to enjoy whenever we weren't stuck waiting for a delivery. We had a lot of very cold weather, as it was the end of February, beginning of March. Several days were overcast, and there was some rain, but we also had several bright sunny afternoons. The air was always fresh and delightful to breathe. I felt I could walk for miles.
Below are some still photos and a short video from our walks, all within about half an hour from the village center. With the trees still bare, I could more readily see the courses of multiple streams and springs that all seemed to run into Lonlay - aka "the long valley." Sources of water that have been crucial since ancient times for humans, their crops and their animals.
I started to notice some white painted circles along the roads, and was curious as to their purpose. On closer inspection, they appeared to be representative of a large drop of water, and I soon realized that they appeared to denote where a smaller spring or stream was running underneath the road to join a larger stream or river. Clever!
Below are some still photos and a short video from our walks, all within about half an hour from the village center. With the trees still bare, I could more readily see the courses of multiple streams and springs that all seemed to run into Lonlay - aka "the long valley." Sources of water that have been crucial since ancient times for humans, their crops and their animals.
I started to notice some white painted circles along the roads, and was curious as to their purpose. On closer inspection, they appeared to be representative of a large drop of water, and I soon realized that they appeared to denote where a smaller spring or stream was running underneath the road to join a larger stream or river. Clever!
Water drop marker showing underground path of a stream feeding into a larger waterway
Further out on the road to Beauchêne
The "moulin neuf" seen from the road to Beauchêne
A country lane heading in toward Lonlay l'Abbaye (abbey in the center distance)
Street lantern
Vegetation on an old wall
Ancient wooden door in an old cut stone doorway
18th or 19th century (?) gate
Water trough in a small field overlooking Lonlay l'Abbaye and the abbey
Hilltop perspective of the village green
Downhill village green
Uphill village green from children's play area
Houses and a tower near the Relais de l'Abbaye viewed from behind on the village green
In addition to the green areas, we also walked along the sweet curving streets of Lonlay itself, always interested to see any changes. Flowers that could resist the cold weather were in their boxes around the village to brighten things up. In an empty storefront on rue de Centre, someone had created a historical display about an old flour mill that had once been a flourishing business in the village.
Enlargement of a postcard showing villagers proudly posing near the old mill
Artifacts from the old mill business
More work was being done on the mayor's big project not far from our house on Place Jules Levée. Having sought information previously about the namesake of our "place" without success on the internet, I was intrigued to see a broken plaque that gave me more of a clue as to who Jules Levée actually was. I knew that he had been deported during WWII, and was likely Jewish, but could find no other information. I assumed he had lived at or near this location in the village.
Part of the worksite at the corner of Place Jules Levée
Broken plaque dedicating Place Jules-Marc Levée next to the worksite
The plaque, apparently broken in half, had been likely found by the workers at the new worksite and propped up against a wall. From the broken plaque, I could divine that his full name must have been Jules-Marc Levée, and that he was likely described as an "homme politique" due to his leadership locally, perhaps in the Resistance. The date of 1945 was probably his date of death, with the birth date missing.
Why had this plaque come off the wall of the buildings at Place Jules Levée at some point? Was it through neglect, as with the derelict buildings that the mayor was now seeking to restore, or was it vandalism? I could not know, but I could now search for the man with his full name. I was able to find out that he was deported in 1944 to Buchenwald and died at age 29 on April 21, 1945 (just a few days before his April 25th birthday) after the liberation of the camp in 1945. Terribly sad. I am assuming he was politically active and likely a member of the Resistance. Perhaps I can find out more at a later time.
And now we have another war in Europe. Putin invaded Ukraine the day after I arrived in Lonlay l'Abbaye. I did not have a wifi connection, but was able to keep up with some print media like the New York Times and Washington Post on my phone, and also knew of some of the early atrocities from talking with Joseph, who was keeping up with BFM TV and CNN.
A bit surreal to be in this bucolic little village while hell was opening up daily under the Ukrainian people. Not so long ago, in the last century, Lonlay l'Abbaye knew its own version of hell. American soldiers and French citizens here spilled their blood to render it free.
One early morning around 5:30, I awakened to my alarm and saw an email come in from a dear friend in Los Angeles, distraught about Putin's war. I had no great consolation to offer her, but it was oddly comforting to be able to connect and share our mutual distress across so many time zones.
Why had this plaque come off the wall of the buildings at Place Jules Levée at some point? Was it through neglect, as with the derelict buildings that the mayor was now seeking to restore, or was it vandalism? I could not know, but I could now search for the man with his full name. I was able to find out that he was deported in 1944 to Buchenwald and died at age 29 on April 21, 1945 (just a few days before his April 25th birthday) after the liberation of the camp in 1945. Terribly sad. I am assuming he was politically active and likely a member of the Resistance. Perhaps I can find out more at a later time.
And now we have another war in Europe. Putin invaded Ukraine the day after I arrived in Lonlay l'Abbaye. I did not have a wifi connection, but was able to keep up with some print media like the New York Times and Washington Post on my phone, and also knew of some of the early atrocities from talking with Joseph, who was keeping up with BFM TV and CNN.
A bit surreal to be in this bucolic little village while hell was opening up daily under the Ukrainian people. Not so long ago, in the last century, Lonlay l'Abbaye knew its own version of hell. American soldiers and French citizens here spilled their blood to render it free.
One early morning around 5:30, I awakened to my alarm and saw an email come in from a dear friend in Los Angeles, distraught about Putin's war. I had no great consolation to offer her, but it was oddly comforting to be able to connect and share our mutual distress across so many time zones.
Pinterest photos selected by Giancarlo Pelle showing American soldiers in Lonlay l'Abbaye during WWII, and the same street in modern times
My phone was a lifeline for me. Without any computer or internet connection other than the 4G my phone could access, it was my connection to the whole world. Phone calls with Joseph, delivery updates, news of a death in the family, news of the Ukrainian war, it was my all. I always had it charging, and panicked a little when I thought how utterly bereft I would be if I lost it or broke it, or if Pipkin decided it was a chew toy. I needed it to arrange my pickup to go back to the train station, to take pictures, to call Amazon, to arrange visits with our builders, to know what was happening in the world.
I was happy to be able to use my phone to contact the lovely woman who comes to clean our place and check on it once a month. Thanks to her, the place was spotless when I arrived, though I had to leave it a bit of a mess with all the packing materials. Not only did she come for a nice visit, but she also brought one of her artworks to show me - a sweet painting of a little dog, and a gift of a half dozen wonderful fresh eggs from her own chickens. The eggs were very large with rich orange yolks, and a real treat.
I was happy to be able to use my phone to contact the lovely woman who comes to clean our place and check on it once a month. Thanks to her, the place was spotless when I arrived, though I had to leave it a bit of a mess with all the packing materials. Not only did she come for a nice visit, but she also brought one of her artworks to show me - a sweet painting of a little dog, and a gift of a half dozen wonderful fresh eggs from her own chickens. The eggs were very large with rich orange yolks, and a real treat.
In the end, I managed to get delivery of everything we needed most before I headed home in early March. We still need dining chairs (a long story), some occasional tables and bookcases, and more lamps, but we are on our way to full habitability.
I cleaned out the cobwebs from our upstairs armoire (once I had a vacuum cleaner), and sorted through some of our daughter's school memorabilia in the attic, amidst deliveries and our walks around the countryside.
Our convertible couch arrived fully assembled, as did a heavy wooden chest that we will use (with cushions) as a window seat in the living room.
Joseph helped me select a cement color for our entryway, which our builder put in before we returned to Lonlay l'Abbaye at the end of March with our visiting daughter. He also saw to a whole set of other details, including mounting our curtain rods and filling in a gap in the stairs.
I cleaned out the cobwebs from our upstairs armoire (once I had a vacuum cleaner), and sorted through some of our daughter's school memorabilia in the attic, amidst deliveries and our walks around the countryside.
Our convertible couch arrived fully assembled, as did a heavy wooden chest that we will use (with cushions) as a window seat in the living room.
Joseph helped me select a cement color for our entryway, which our builder put in before we returned to Lonlay l'Abbaye at the end of March with our visiting daughter. He also saw to a whole set of other details, including mounting our curtain rods and filling in a gap in the stairs.
New cement entryway
Curtain rods up over all the windows and doors - Must order curtains now!
Our visit to Lonlay with our daughter Andelys was quite brief, though she had two weeks with us in Paris. We had just a few hours together in the village to see the house and have lunch at the Relais. She was enchanted with the work that had been done, and even approves of our blue couch. We were thrilled to have her with us, as we had long been separated by pandemic restrictions, particularly restrictions on travel to and from Australia, where she lives with her love in Melbourne.
While at the Relais, we ran into our builder and his lovely wife, and it was fortunate that we did, as we had left our Lonlay house keys in Paris!
Before we left Lonlay on the day of Andelys' visit, we stopped for a quick glass of wine at the boulangerie/bar at the foot of the hill. I was surprised and touched to be given a bouquet of tulips by one of the owners! She remembered that we had brought her some tea from Paris on our last visit, and was so thoughtful and kind to give up her flowers to me instantly on a whim. How can you not love a place with people like this?
While at the Relais, we ran into our builder and his lovely wife, and it was fortunate that we did, as we had left our Lonlay house keys in Paris!
Before we left Lonlay on the day of Andelys' visit, we stopped for a quick glass of wine at the boulangerie/bar at the foot of the hill. I was surprised and touched to be given a bouquet of tulips by one of the owners! She remembered that we had brought her some tea from Paris on our last visit, and was so thoughtful and kind to give up her flowers to me instantly on a whim. How can you not love a place with people like this?
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