Nautical Bunting and the department next door

Alexis' nautical bunting arrived from the UK today and Alexis decided where he wanted it put. I had thought about suspending in over the middle of his bedroom, but that wasn't an option.

Val d'Oise is the department next door to ours, where Marie-Kate's pony club is. I won't tell you where I found this map, you can guess.

A tiny peak in Gaby's room

I just love Famille Summerbelle's maps, so much so, we have three. This one is London, Gaby's favorite place in the whole world. I just need the New York one for Charlotte and then we'll have the whole set. Gaby's desk was found at our local "troc" for 50 euros, her chair "Hello There" was once mine and she has a segment of an enormous school black (green) board behind her door...got it from a Troc (thrift shop) in the south of France

Probably never be this tidy again. Teenager room

After days of scrapping and 7 hours of sanding and all the bits and bobs to finish (still not finished by the way), Charlotte's room is looking tidy for the first time since we moved in here way back in October.

I thought I take a couple of photos before a teenager bomb hits it after school...but who knows, she might just change, she did actually made her bed for the first time this morning!

Yet another dusty radiator to clean and paint.

Wardrobe found in local thrift shop (tv just for English dvd's, she's crazy for Friends)

Charlotte likes to do her homework in bed so this desk should stay tidy.

I'm internet shopping for a vintage New York poster, a garland or two and a Famille Summerbelle New York map print. And Charlotte hates her Indian lamp on her desk so that needs changing.

Messy teenager's bedroom...can't get worst

Started Charlotte's room, and thought I better get a picture taken before I finish scrapping and sanding. No wallpaper to strip here...phew, and the walls have already been painted by my impatience teenager, so just they just need a wash down and maybe a lick of paint here and there and all the woodwork needs doing:(.

I'd like to finish before Sunday when Alain gets back from Singapore, but with two parties this weekend and Alexis' sword-fencing and the book I bought today, L'enfant allemand by Camilla Läckberg, this looks unlikely, oh hum.

Tobie Lolness, The Canterville Ghost ...les poupées de MK

Bookworm Marie-Kate has made huge leaps and bounds in her reading since starting CP in September. Sophie's Tom is her bedtime book that we share each evening, we just love Dick King Smith. And for the past week as soon as she gets up, before school (and after) she reads Tobie Lolness, I mean really reads it and asks for help if she doesn't understand a word or pronuniciation.

Still on the subject of books and reading, yesterday I found a copy of The Canterville Ghost (easy reader one) in our local library, and thought I'd give it a try last night with Alexis and Marie-Kate. To my great surprise they were engrossed from the first page (Oliver and Charlotte abhorred any classic when they were small and still do, only Gabrielle devours just about any book she comes across)!

Two good things to mention about this little book, one, at the end of each chapter, there are some questions to see if you've been listening correctly (squabbles to answer first) and two, there are four more of these books left on the library shelf, so Saturday afternoon we have a date to keep (library open twice a week for just 2 hours) if they want to read The Hound of the Baskervilles, Five on Treasure Island et cetera...)

Pour finir, avec du retard, une photo prise par Marie-Kate pour sa Mamie et sa Grannie de ses poupées.

Second floor landing...Shared computer space

We went for yellow in the end, a colour that I usually dislike, but here, I think it works fine, and it's better than the orange I tried out and as Gaby has red in her bedroom, she was against us using the same colour!

I painted the cupboard doors with blackboard paint and make a temporary bunting with Marie-Kate yesterday while I look for something better.

The table was once again found in our local thrift shop (I love this place) for 8 euros, I'm not going to paint it.

Shopping list: round rug, garland (I love these things), paint for bedroom doors and a bookcase for bds and books and some more chalk.

Hard decision coming up; restore floor (more glue and cement) in an untidy 15 year old girl's room, enter at your own rest type room. Or do 16 year old boy's room, the difference here, he stuffs all his junk, laundry, et cetera in his fitted cupboards ( which incidentally will have to come down too).

7 hours to transform this...! Before

I took this shot a couple of minutes ago, yes, what a mess. I promise, it isn't staged to make it worse, it really is a mess. This is our 2nd floor landing which leads to Gaby's, Alexis' and MK's bedrooms. The idea is to finish this room today (a little more stripping, painting of ceiling, walls and woodwork and varnishing floor). As I am an eternal optimist I am hoping to finish it around 4ish, or at least before 2011 knocks at our door...Yikes, better get started.

Oh yes, this space will be home to their shared computer, a present this year.

Update 18h30 Have I finished? No way, just painted ceiling and changed my mind about the dominant colour "orange" which just doesn't go, so the choice is between bright yellow or red bus red. But nows time to chill out at home, with those I love, and we are eating raclette...yummy