Maybe this time

A long overdue ‘Hello again’

I wonder how many times in the last couple of years I have attempted to restart my regular blog posts only to be hijacked by events? Too many. I am sure most of the people who once read these posts have moved onto better things by now. There are plenty of blogs to read, many centred around renovations in France, Italy, and other places. My intentions are good but time has a habit of being swallowed by the needs of others, work, renovation tasks and life in general. So here I go again. Maybe this time?

So I started April, my birthday month, with brave plans. April has always been a bit of a New Year moment for me. Getting through January and February in a crucifyingly cold house, starting Spring jobs in March all seem to take priority each year. We have also had a bumpy journey with my Mother who managed to fall in our kitchen, narrowly missing the giant woodburner, and gave her head a good crack. The kitchen looked like a battle scene. We have become veterans of A&E, which I have to say was amazing. She is back on her feet after a few further problems and life is settling down again.

Now we are in June, May hurtled by, April a mere memory. My best laid plans changed again. We have had some lovely warm days, and some chilly days. We have also had some periods of very strong winds – the Autan – blasting through our terrace at up to 85km/ph. Quite scary. This year seems to be bringing frequent thunder and lightning storms too and with it powercuts – thankfully brief so far. The rescue pet menagerie hunker down, Bear is particularly fearful of wind and storms. Some mountain dog!

A couple of weeks ago the area was hit by an incredible storm with at least 10cm of rain overnight. It was literally like being under a giant bath being emptied. The garden was under water, water was pouring down the driveway from the fields – the drain sounded like a waterfall. It is taking some time to soak away as the water table must be quite high – even the pool pit struggled to drain! A casualty of the large amount of rain we have had, including before the storm, was our pretty lollipop of a Laurel tree on our terrace. It gracefully lifted up its roots and lay down. Heart-breaking as I believe it has been there for a long time. Even worse we had birds nesting in it. It changes the outlook of the terrace enormously and is taking some getting used to. It opened up a huge cavity right by the house so we had to call the builder to see what the damage was. I had visions of finding myself in the garden the next morning as the house gave way too! The panic was fortunately short-lived – the roots are very shallow so no real harm done, apart from the tree and nests – and my washing lines!

We are inching into summer, one day 32-34°C, the next 19-21°C. Spring saw the forsythia we bought last year in memory of a lovely friend flowering happily in its central spot in the rose garden and I am finally the proud owner of a small mimosa and managing to keep it alive for now! The wisteria was amazing, now replaced by the climbing hydrangea which has finally decided to climb evenly and looks magnificent this year. We are also now enjoying a plentiful supply of strawberries – nothing better, enough this year to make jam too! All the fruit trees look like they will bear fruit this year so a promise of things to come.

Max and I have been hard at work on the house. Whilst we had hoped to finish the kitchen in February, the walls did not agree and it took longer, with the added distractions contributing. We still have one wall to go and various cupboards to paint, along with doors and windows but we are almost there. The wall behind the woodburner is next in line as we have finally reached the point of not needing a fire in the evening, as the house is beginning to warm her bones. Then on to the dining room. The salon is almost there – I have a couple of chairs to cover and a mirror to put up – then the big reveal! We are also working our way through the myriad pieces of furniture we own, have acquired from various brocantes and trying to find a space for everything. We might have too much!! In between though we have painted what is now my Mother’s sitting room and today the woodwork in our guest bedroom gets a new colour.

In other news, I have treated myself to two short breaks this year, well 3 if you count the trip to the UK for a work interview. This happily coincided with my younger son’s birthday so I did stay in Manchester for that. This is my new approach to trying to find some time for me in amongst everything else. At the beginning of February, needing a break, I took myself off to Sète, on the Mediterranean coast, for a long weekend. What an amazing place and a great time to go as it was so quiet.  A few days away from all the stresses of renovating, caring and work really help – even if the pressure is to stay and keep going. I am beginning to learn that this approach is very counter-productive! I then had a few days in the UK, caught up with some friends and got to spend time with my younger son. Then more recently a weekend away with some girlfriends which was great fun. I am definitely going to plan more.

Back to the blog and its future – I am intent on getting it back out there. I know I have said this countless times in the last couple of years – but here goes once again. Plus we will shortly be launching a new venture – watch this space.

Thank you for your patience. The adventure continues.

A bientôt

Ali xx