La Chatte Gitane (or The Gypsy Cat) was the name we chose for our cottage in France at the time. We chose it while on the road, moving house the first time round, from Ireland to France with 2 dogs and 7 cats in the car.
This blog began its insignificant life as a recipe book for friends and family who would ask me repeatedly for a recipe of this, that and the other.
Since then it has taken many different directions, like we did and like gypsies tend to do. Sometimes making a U-turn and revisiting familiar roads and taking a break when necessary.
You'll find recipes here, but also musings about the places we've called home, the gardens that we've established, not always successfully, the homes we've improved and the environments we've lived in. Currently, after yet another stint in Ireland, we're back in France @ Le Mas d'Ayen

Friday, October 23, 2015

One Job Done, Another to Begin

Forword : After writing this post, I was doubting whether I should post it or not. Looking over the photos, I found that the 'finished-for-now' stage looks like the dog's dinner. A cacophony of windows, wall finishes and a whole lot of everything else. 
I left this post in draft for a few days, before deciding to post it anyway. It is what it is and this blog is not supposed to portray a perfectly idyllic life with the picture perfect house and frou-frou cottage garden. Even if I strive, in my dreams, for our life and all it entails to be just that, it is the process to get there that brings you more satisfaction in the end.  So bear in mind, this is not the finished stage of this project. It is just one step closer to what I envisage for this house.


I wasn't expecting our new build addition to our house, to be painted any time soon. But Bert made arrangements with a local decorator to do just that.
I'm happy.
They started on Monday and finished Tuesday afternoon.

That is our garage and garage door. It used to be the kitchen door. Not in that spot, but around the back of the house.

 We like to save some pennies and reuse and hoard save what we can.

Come spring that door will be painted white !



The colour we have chosen is a strange one. Sometimes it looks grey, other times a little brown, but mostly, what I like to call, in a posh accent, 'a muted purple'





The front door (that is the one on the right) will be painted soon in the same colour as the newly painted rendering.
By the way, have you noticed we added a solar panel on the roof of the addition? It is not a photo voltaic one for generating leccy, but for hot water, especially convenient during the summer months. And of course, some days in winter.

Among the 'several' things I disliked about the house when we bought it were the brown Upvc windows with the window pane divisions in between the double glazing. Also the brown fascia and soffit.  
If all goes according to plan that will be changed come springtime. I want white window frames, fascias and soffits. It will make the house smile instead of frown. The window panes will be replaced and the frames will be painted with the appropriate products.

Now, about the tidying up around the house.  "Mum !"  

The question still on my mind : "should I have posted this ?"
I would appreciate your thoughts on this here project, so comments are welcomed.
Have a lovely weekend.
Patricia xxx...x

11 comments:

  1. lovely home - agree those changes u mention would make a cheerier impression

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    1. Thank you, mrpaul. A smiling house. Who wouldn't want that ? :-)

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  2. The colour: isn't that what we call 'taupe'? It goes very well with the brick walls of the old house. Well done!

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    1. Thanks Myriam.
      Yes, I guess it is taupe. Although taupe is a vague kinda colour, sometimes used to describe a beige-brown.
      When I look at individual stones of the house, there is a lot of taupe present. But when I look at the house from a distant they look more brown.

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  3. ik vind het een heel mooie kleur echt!!

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  4. The light really affects the colour of your paintwork, it looks a different colour on each shot! A smiley house sound good, I look forward to seeing your changes x

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  5. You were so right to publish this, it's nice to see stages of work as they happen and it gives a good record for you to look back on. It's exactly what I use my blog for, and anyway if I didn't blog about our changes as and when they happen I would soon forget when we did things.

    I understand what you mean about wanting a smiling house, but I have to confess to liking the brown of the fascias and window frames, from a distance they always look like real wood which I really love. Our windows and doors and the whole conservatory are in white and it just annoys me. We are going to paint the walls of the house next Spring though and once it is grey rather than cream, I'm hoping the overall effect will be a bit better.

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  6. I am trying to work-out what part of France you live in; the architecture doesn't look to be from any region I know. Work in progress is always interesting; in fact I think it's more interesting than when finished.

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    1. Hi Cro,
      That might be because we currently live in Ireland. ;-) We have lived in Ardèche, though.
      It is true, the progress is often more interesting than the finished stage.
      Thank you for popping by.

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    2. Woops. Sorry, I thought you were in France. I've not visited Ireland.

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  7. I think progress is coming along nicely. I'm glad you share as you go along, it's nice to see :O) And things are looking good xx

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