What to do next?

We’re in limbo. All the while estimates keep flocking. Three for each kind of skilled workman, or ‘cordes de métier’ as they say: couvreurs and charpentiers, plaquistes and maçons, menuisiers, plombiers and électriciens. The roof insulation is the key factor: glass wool, hemp or wood fiber, cellulose wadding or alumium sheets? And should the existing panelling stay or be taken down?

If opinions on what material to use diverge – keenly praising one item at the expense of all others – the attitude toward the existing  fabric of the house is generally shared: getting rid of everything and have a fresh start.

I try to make my point: an old house means the art of compromise and understanding.  One has to respect what is there. Radical decisions do not suit a building that has undergone alterations in time and offers a rich and complex texture.

Waiting for the serendipitous way out, we try to boost our spirits with forays to brocantes and vide-greniers. We have to furnish two complete houses after all!

A well worn outdoor metal table complete with cast iron feet came from a fun outing at Beaumont du Périgord and nostalgically recalls those ‘turn of the century’ garden parties under the lime trees. A set of Limoges china with that delicate French cornflower motif was had for a song at the same brocante. A pair of solid brass sconces unexpectedly emerged from a depot-vente along the road. They are 19^th century but with a eye for the rich italianate taste of the grand siècle.