Hedge problem

We have two hedges at the top pf our garden that separates  us from our two neighbours. 

This one which is thriving with Lilac, Elderflower, Forsythia bushes et cetera and trees

And this one that I hate and is turning brown and dying all of a sudden, hence the gap in the hedge.

I will like to cut the whole thing down, but our privacy would be comprised, this neighbour has hens and the fence behind the hedge is about a metre high. This is a problem too, especially as we are getting some hens from a friend soon...just need to finish the hen coop...

A solution needs to be found soon, perhaps planting a couple of new bushes each year and cutting back the Thuyas as we go. This hedge is quite long though so it could take ages.

Kitchen before, during and after

I have been looking for photos showing how the kitchen looked when we first moved into this house five years ago and I have not had much luck. There are a couple of photos on this blog but I only found this one on my computer.  The kitchen was a green and white, well a dirty white as the last time it was painted was in the 70's. The oven, hob, sink was on one side and on the other some floor to ceiling cupboard, all green....

We did what we could on a limited budget and this is the kitchen in progress, believe me it was better (it isn't finished on this picture), but still what a mess. 

Here's a similar view of the kitchen taken this morning, no more mess, no more green and so clean. Still fillers to add in the corner and one plug to finish next to the butchers block, and other bits and bobs, but we did it all ourselves over months, no summer vacation this year.  Alain even did the electricity as our electrician wanted 5000 Euros for just wiring the kitchen!!!

The kitchen is open now too. One thing we didn't do ourselves was to demolish the wall between the kitchen and our living space. Took him and two others nearly three days to complete and we do not regret our decision one bit.
More photos soon.

Saturday's here

It's so good to have space in the kitchen and so much storage too. Still finishing touches to do, but hopefully the kitchen will be finished next weekend.

Today we are eating stuffed tomates from from Papilles et Pupilles with its sauce.

We have more time Saturday mornings as MK has her horse-riding lessons in the after now which is so much better for everyone.

Bon Appétit!

Back

Bad photo sorry, but we are back. So many things have been happening here...familly stuff, work problems, renovations including our new kitchen as we received the granite work tops today.

The super guys from Easy Plan de Travail came today to fit the granite for the island and other work surfaces today.

I forgot to mention we opened up the kitchen to make a big open space living area beforehand...more to come later.  Changed the floor too.

Back from the mountains

After a three year break we went back to La Grange.  Tons of snow awaited us. O & C didn't come with us for the first time, instead Gaby bought along a friend and MK her rabbit.

A great holiday had by all, good food, lots of skiing, time for books and games of chess. Even managed to watch Lord of the Rings again.

Probably last time staying at this gite as it's up for sale, leaving me quite nostalgic after many holiday's here, first time which Alexis turned 7 and now he's 13!

I think La grange will be snapped up fast, and I love Norman & Gabrielle"s home that is up for sale at the same time as the gite, it's just beautiful.

Still talking about 2014

 December 2014, Birmingham UK, best burger and chips for a long time, eaten at  Handmade Burger Co, went with Alexis who still talks about it now.

Best bottle of white wine during 2014, shared at annual team meal at the Shang Palace in Palace.

Summer 2014 in Martinique, super swimming pool, awesome view, but villa a bit of a let-down especially due to the work in progress next door.  Owner did the right thing though and paid us back 500 Euros for the nuisance...

A rabbit called Sweet

2014 wasn't all bad.  Meet Sweet the rabbit who became a part of our family at the end of August.  He was a tiny ball of fur back then, but now he is a giant cheeky rabbit that weighs over 5 kilos!