Children's bathroom

 Ok we have been busy, and  procrastinating when it come to the children's bathroom, but seven month's later, we have made some progress. a new sink, and new cupboards, new shower and bath ( a real bath that delighted all) later, this room is slowly taking shape.

We work slowly, but it is so much better, especially when you look at what it looked liked before.

 More photos to come...eventually. Here's one photo before.

And before, the old sink, which was giant and took up so much place.

Things have been a bit quiet

I haven't had time to update the blog recently, I also have been waiting, because do you remember the job I applied for and the interview? Well I got the job with a short one month trial period, and that period ended yesterday, so yippee, I have a CDI in a small French company (part of a much bigger International company).  
The photo above is clue to which type of business I'm working in.

What can I say, they job is great, my boss, fantastic, the others employees are nice too.

Working full-time and having a family to look after is proving not to be that difficult for Alain and I. Granted I see the children for less time on weekdays (1 hour and 45 minutes less each day) but our time together is better, there seems to be less conflict* and weekends are just great, busy, but how I love weekends at home now.

Lots have things have been happening around here, we have had Gaby's German correspondant here during the week, and guess what?  We actually started to redo the children's bathroom on the top floor...post to come this weekend

*Charlotte has been very difficult, once a week, for the last two weeks for not apparent reason, she suddenly just blows a fuse...hard for us parents.

The children's bathroom Before...Phase 1 cringe

 This bathroom really makes me cringe with embarrassment. What makes it worse is that the chidren have been slowly pulling the wallpaper off the walls in protest of having to put up with this room since we moved here in October 2010

 The sink is enormous and takes up half of the bathroom. The drawer underneath fell off some time ago. There's no storage space, just a couple of towel bars Mr H left behind, along with a mirror. Gaby hates everything about this bathroom, but especially the tiles, those is loathes.

 Personally, I like them, I like small tiles and I like the colour, but I'm alone on that one, even Alain says that they have to go.

 For a small room, it took me all day to strip it down to this.  The children have decided they want it painted either green or cream and if it's cream, they want green tiles and vice versa if the walls are green.  Oh yes, and orange accessories. 
Shopping list is as follows and changes are possible
New toilet (not suspended like we had in Sanary) possibly square shaped
New sink, taps et cetera from Ikea
NO BIDET
Farrow and Ball paint (cooking apple green or teresa's green or new white or similar) 
Tiles for floor and walls 
Shower or bath?  The children want a bath with shower screen, probably good idea and it would cover up the place when the bidet is right now, but we never have baths here, just showers, so what's the point? Also, to fit in here, it can't be longer than 160cm, unless we moved the radiator and put it under the window.....No no no, not a good idea.

That leaves just the choice of a storage unit.  Ikea have some nice towers with enough space for all their towels and sundries, but just the other day I came across some old lockers, a set of three (three kid bathroom, three lockers) for 35 euros in my local thrift shop, and if there's chance of finding the space which would only be possible with a shower cubicle, I think it would be fun.

Random thoughts and happenings

Things have been a little busy around here, what's new.  Added to that, I've got a few mum worries which is hard for me as I'm unable to go the UK unless absolutely necessary, which thankfully isn't just quite the case as my family over there, are all pulling together to help my mum who's convalescing at home.

Secondly, eldest son who tells me that he's grown up and can do things on his own, has just proved the opposite.  He's late applying for his post A levels choices (schools, universities, prepas et cetera) and just has no sense of organization at all. Hence the fact, that we have taken over, printed charts for him to fill out with cut off dates for inscriptions, place of exams, and for some, the fee just to sit the exam and the enormous cost if he were accepted.  We have already paid nearly 200 euros so he can sit the exam "pass" and tonight we have the double to paid out so he can sit the sesame exams.

On to brighter subjects, Alexis, has been excited for ages to go on school camp in the Auvergne region here in France, and today was D day, I'll miss him, but I'm so happy that Alexis' with his friends and his class and his wonderful teacher Mr B. He'll come back wiser and with lots of fond memories (I hope) and let's not forget, some Fourme d'Ambert cheese. He's got thirty euros pocket money and  four stamped addressed envelopes packed ready for him to pop some postcards in and send back to us, mamie and papy and grannie...will he remember?

On the house front, we have started the top floor bathroom...more to come soon (camera is downstairs and I'm feeling lazy)

Saturday evening, Alain and I went to see Ubu Enchâiné starring Eric Cantona at the Athénée theatre in Paris, wow what an evening (photos to come, this time on my phone, which is downstairs too)

Finally, we went for a run on Sunday, this time building on endurance.

13.6 kilometers in 1hour 28 with a couple of minutes in that when I had to drink and Alain had the water, yes, it was really warm yesterday (today too). 


Our target is to be able to complete a 33 kilometer trail competition this summer (pre inscribed) and not be last and try to finish in less than four hours.

TIny bathroom

We have a tiny bathroom on our first half floor landing, it really isn't very nice and has just enough space for a toilet, sink and built-in bookcase. There's a little window high up that you need to use a pulley to open it. This is the one window in our house that stays open virtually all of the time. The room's wallpapered, but I've started stripping it.

Just look at the colour difference between where I took off the wallpaper border and the wallpaper. I can't hardly imagine that this room looked so white before, instead of this dirty grey

I still have no idea what colours to use when it will be ready to paint, but not white.

I've been reading a little about Feng Shui in bathrooms and as this room is in the north east corner of our house we should apparently paint it green...

We are going to change the sink for a new on from Ikea and probably cover over the oak floor for hygiene reasons. Finally the girls have requested another mirror for here, what a surprise, so I'll be visiting our local thrift shop or getting on from Ikea.

Hopefully I'll get the room done by next Thursday (a part from the sink) as on Friday I'm off to the UK for the funeral of my Aunt.