Moving
day was five days ago and with Jez’s help I was able to transport large items
like beds, tables, the kitchen hutch, stove and refrigerator, etc., from one
house to the other. After he left, and over the weekend, I schlepped smaller
things by myself, walking endlessly to and fro with shopping bags in both hands
stuffed with china, glassware, canned goods – all the essentials to turn the
place into home.
In
addition to just wanting to be in the newer, more spacious dwelling I had a
deadline of sorts, as Francesco’s cousin Elena was due on Sunday for an
overnight stay. She lives in Paris and is making calls on clients in Dordogne, so a swing through our area prompted her visit. She duly arrived and was
the first to sleep in our new guest room - which, because of the handsome iron
and brass bed, she immediately dubbed the ‘Queen’s Bedroom’.
With
Francesco away my daily duties are threefold: a bit of gardening in the morning
while the temps are still cool (mostly weeding and watering), household chores
like cleaning up a room or two or doing the laundry, and some project I can
handle on my own to advance our general renovation scheme. Balancing the tasks
keeps me moving on three fundamental fronts, and I figure even doing something
menial or minute is progress.
What
have I accomplished? In addition to clearing and cleaning the old house and
trying to keep up with the garden and lawn, I have erected and stained a new
set of kitchen shelves, added a bit of wainscoting to the downstairs bathroom,
installed hanging bars and shelves in the upstairs closets, and strung wires on
the iron rods to support our fast-growing grape vines.
Most
fun and rewarding of all, I was able yesterday to move and place our antique
French comtoise clock in the new
kitchen. After an hour or so of experimental tweaking, this way and that, I
finally got the balance right to keep it running. The clock has a stamped-brass
face depicting a protective angel, a female figure brandishing aloft a sword, and I
must say it was reassuring to hear the old girl chiming the hours through the
night.
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