Soar-Dream-France

Warm and Toasty Ready

 

Et, Voila! Yesterday was a whole day of delivery and installation of my brand new Godin Poele au Bois that I purchased from Weldom in Figeac!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I'm sure you might imagine, getting this heavy sucker up the front staircase  AND into the fireplace was quite a feat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plus, enclosing the interior of the chiminey and installing the tubing that goes up the flew invovled some ladder and roof acrobatics in the heat.

The first ladder was actually too small. 

 

 

It was an interesting process for me.

 

 

By the end of the day, I was happy to see that: the  beautiful color is going to go well with my plans: for a Roy Guste Spy Boy Dow photo over the staircase; I can still use the space around the fireplace to eat and display my "flowers dramatic:" and...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...the inside will take logs up to 60cm long!

 

I have piles of 50cm long logs and was afraid I might have to get someone in to cut them into smaller pieces.

I'm pleased. I know it's summer, but I wanted to get this done for the insurance AND I know that everyone goes on vacation in August so you can forget getting any work done.

I do my best to live my life to that sometimes very different French flow!

 

 

 

Happy Wednesday!

 

Paintbrush of Pink

 

I am of the habit of going up to bed with a book around 7:30 or 8:00 here in Cadrieu. In the summer, it doesn't get dark until 10:00. I have time to read, watch the birds, pay close attention to the mini mini movement of sometimes big fluffy clouds out my windows, and read some more. Usually, I gently drop off to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last night was no different. How many of these small, simple things, I'd be missing if I wasn't paying attention?

Morning on the move springs on me with birdsong about 5:30.

 

 

It sneaks in on me from the causse across the river. Today, I just watched. It began with a huge line of dark clouds with just a peak of white light between the clouds and above the trees. It was painting strokes of pink in tiny swaths. By the time I'd come downstairs, this is what I found. 

 

Who needs rose-colored glasses?

Happy Monday!

 

 

Splat, Or?

 

Yesterday afternoon I was working feverishly on the computer to research some flights, hotels and tickets for a very special event. My back was to the windows as I worked. The sun was streaming in. When I looked behind me for a moment, my thought was:

Boy, look at all these bugs. I need to clean these windows!

After my double-take I realized...these weren't bugs. These were the paraponters (hang-gliders) soaring out from the causse on the other side of the Lot River.

 

 

They can be difficult to capture, but I had to try. 

 

 

 

 

 

Seeing them out is always such a treat, and I hadn't seen anyone out much so far this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I hit the jackpot. I'd say there were close to ten!

 

 

Obviously, weather, wind, and probably the day of the week are factors!

Beautiful clouds just add drama to the effect!

I'll have to keep my eyes peeled again today!

 

Happy Sunday! And,

 

Happy Father's Day!

 

No More "Books on the Beam!"

 

 

Back when I started the blog in 2009, I had a special side bar that I called "Books on the Beam!"

I loved it, because that was the spot where ALL of my books and journals rested.

Today, all of my beams are empty.

 

 

They look so pretty.

They show off our beautiful blue ceilings and window tableaux in the mezzanine bedroom.

They also show off the blue ceilings in the private bedroom and make that new burgundy carpet glow!

I've decided, no more books and journals on the beams of the Chatette.

 

Now, that means I need to be creative with the placement of my new books and journals moving forward.

 

 

 

I did save my old journals that you see on the beam in the top photo, but some of them are very black and some runny from the wet.

I'm keeping them all, but probably won't display them in quite the same way that I have in the past. 

It's one thing to look at my burned and battered sheet music on a daily basis because I love that particular arrangement. It's quite another to display the journals.

 

 

 

 

For now, my new books and current journals are making their home on the evier in the living room.

I've begun ordering from Amazon.fr again with John Irving, Donna Lyon, RJ Ellory, and Elizabeth George in the stash of nine books that arrived this past week.

 

 

 

 

I'm in heaven.

Happy Saturday!

 

Big Thanks

 

Throughout this process of recovery from the fire for me, many many people have been in my corner. I've tried very hard to let people know along the way that I appreciate them. Yesterday, was a day to take it one step further. I invited my Cadrieu team to join me for a thank you lunch at La Pause in Cajarc.

In addition to lunch, I had a couple of special things for two of the team that had helped in huge ways. You have to be careful. If you tell me you like something, you just may end of with a dozen of them as one of your thankyous! 

Isn't that dozen Carroques in the box from Roux's patisserie pretty?

I confess, I had to get a few sweeties of my own to enjoy when I got back to the Chatette!

Another Huge Merci to the team and for real today...

Happy Friday!

 

Pansy Post-Mortem

 

The pansies I bought to dude up the window of the apartment in Cajarc were a pleasure that kept on giving right up until a week or so ago. When I left for my travels to Toulouse and Ipswich, Evelyn cared for them for me. When I got settled a bit back into the Chatette, I walked over and scooped them up to put them in a basket. 

They were amazingly happy.

 

 

 

 

They too, were happy to be home at the Chatette with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the petered out, I'd press them and make note cards to send to friends and family. 

 

 

Last week the reached the end of their reign.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One thing for sure...

 

 

...pansies every spring for me. I may even buy more next spring and spread them further around the Chatette. I do have 5 windows fronting the Lot that could each take a window box! Pansies Partout! Maybe even special pansies for Sammie Cat!

 

 

 

Happy...Happier...on to maybe even Happiest! Can't beat that!

 

Just say PANSY and smile!

 

Happy Thursday!

 

The Other Side

 

It's been a time of heavy loss for me. Really, not just for me...for many close to me. The layers of loss seem to be piling up everywhere. Some of it is loss of the living, but we all know that living every day is loss in its own way. I do my best to: feel it; sometimes wallow in it; sort it; and, then find a way to hold that person close. It works for me.

Today, I'm looking through lace to the rose on the other side as I ponder the parting of my long time friend and love, David Peralta. I will miss you, David. We shared so much over the years that you will always be a part of who I am.

Today, I wish you roses, light and love. (And, a boat on a beautiful river with lots of big fish!)-Love Always, Laury

 

 

 

Slower than Snails

 

 

Since I've returned to the Chatette, I frequently say that it's petit a petit or a step at a time for me with things here. In most instances, I'm pretty good about feeling my way into re-entry and am pleased that I'm NOT rushing out to buy stuff to buy it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There has been huge frustration for me of late with connectivity issues. Fixed...not fixed...fixed...not fixed...but today, I think we are finally FIXED. That yellow ! hasn't come on once since I began this post and in fact has not come on since I turned on the laptop. Prior to today, I wasn't able to get through anything without my connection dropping. Today, the contract technician found the problem...one of the wires in the house "est mort"...it had died for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This young man went above and beyond.

 

He also discovered other electrical issues. We actually had some giggles, but those, are stories for another time. 

For today, I'm focusing on being grateful for: connectivity; the deliveries arriving of books I've ordered; getting ready for my Thursday thank you lunch at La Pause for my friends who all helped me so much; and, getting excited about three more jobs that will be gettng done here soon.

 

I have decided that I want my second story doors to match, so I've ordered another big one to be purchased and installed.

I also want the living room to look a little more finished, so my wonderful painter will be returning to paint the belly of the upstairs new floor my lovely blue to match the rest.

 

And, my Godin poele a bois with all the installation fixngs has been ordered and we're waiting for it to be delivered to Weldom so it can be installed here before summer vacations AND winter sets in again.

 

Today, we are feeling faster than snails. Hooray!

Happy Tuesday!

 

From Smoke to Rainbows

 

 

Having shared my "smokey" girls with you throughout our process of return, I thought you might like to see where they have ended up! 

While they were hanging out on the evier looking beautiful with the rest of the gang, their new spot hit me like a bolt out of the blue.

 

 

They didn't have far to go!

 

Now, they are living among the rainbows!

Happy Monday!

 

Tale of the Tablecloth

 

 

Happy to have found a needle and thread at the Petit Casino on Friday, I decided to go to work on mending my pretty lace tablecloth that I got for a song at the Grealou Vide Grenier (after cutting the grass that is). 

I was better at this than I remembered, AND there weren't as many spots that needed patching as I first thought.

 

 

  I also decided to bleach it when I was finished and hang it out to dry on the terrace. I wanted white lace, not the beige to tan that it was when I bought it. But hey, for 10 euros I was willing to do a little work.

There were some very sweet and beautiful surprises along the way to success!

I'm puttng things into place here again that I love just one step at a time. It seems to be working so far.

 

Happy Sunday to All!