news from the Presbytere

I know that I've been awol (again) for some time but there's not been a lot going on around here that I consider to be "blogworthy".

the office get's emptied

into the dining room

The renovations continue but in fits and starts, no one room seems to be completely done and whilst one room is being worked on all the furniture etc. from there get's moved to another and you can never find anything or else you have to climb over or squeeze past something or other!

and into the new decorated and floored sitting room

About the only things that have remained constant are the daffodils which once again are magnificent (if I do say so myself, do you like the new blog header photo?).

my favourite miniature Cornish daffodils

Our walks on the beach are turning into an almost weekly occurrence this year.

The weather this weekend has been glorious, blue skies and sunshine, it's really been quite hot for Normandy!

So, this is all the latest from the Presbytere, I hope you enjoyed stopping by and I promise to try and get back here again soon.

à bien·tôt

A special family weekend in Normandy

This past weekend my sister, BIL, two nephews and step - mum came to vist us here at the Presbytere, it was the first time we had been together in twelve months, and so we had a lot to catch up on.
The weather was awful! Their ferry on Friday afternoon was delayed because of it and the crossing itself was quite an adventure, luckily no one was seasick although many other passengers around them were unwell.
Saturday it poured with rain but we entertained ourselves playing golf with Tiger Woods on the Wii, Nicholas (aged 10) scored a hole in one! Not bad for a beginner.
When the rain eased off the boys and their Dad went with Uncle Roger & the dogs for a long walk whilst my sister, step mom and I chatted by the fire.
Yes, that's right, a log fire in June, incroyable!
Sunday dawned bright and clear which was a relief as the main reason for the family visit was so that BIL, Andrew, could take part in the 24th Marathon de la Liberté.
From the official website:
"Rooted in the French Top 10 marathons since its inception in 1988, the Marathon de la Liberté, sometimes called Marathon D-Day beaches, often chosen as the Marathon of Caen, has one of the most beautiful courses in France.
Coasting on the mythical places 42.195 km Landing (D Day Beaches, Casino de Ouistreham, Pegasus Bridge ...), the maritime and rural means something different and makes the marathon more than usual, full of symbols and emotions. "

Some facts and figures..........................
3000 runners began the marathon at 9.00 am from the port at Courselles sur Mer -  only 842 crossed the finishing line.

The first person across the line, Desta Morkana from Ethiopia, ran the race in 2 hours 15 minutes and 54 seconds.
There were 21 U.K. runners taking part.
Andrew's time of 4 hours 19 minutes and 49 seconds made him the 14th Brit to finish!
This was his first marathon and we are all very proud of his acheivement.
Whilst we were standing at the finish line we noticed that children were running up the road, towards the marathon runners.
We soon realised that the race organisers were allowing them to run and meet their mother or father as they came in, so that's what our boys Alex & Nicholas did too.

It came as a surprise to Andrew when they finished the race together but he was pleased to have them with him as he cooled down.
All to soon it was Monday morning and time for them to head back to the U.K. but not before I took one last shot of our Marathon Man and his medal!

Antique doors @ Le Presbytere

Today I'm linking up not just with Vintage Thingies Thursday over at Colorado Lady, Suzanne's place but also with Gina @The Shabby Chic Cottage for her Transformation Thursday get together and thought I'd tell you a little about the doors that hang between our dining room and kitchen in the 18thc part of the house.

Original to the house they were in a terrible state when we inherited them 13 years ago.

By the way, in case you were wondering, these are the "after" pictures.

The look is not to everyone's taste I know, but for me they are the epitome of shabby French chic.

In an effort to make them " keepable" I stripped off many layers of old paint, treated for wood worm and replaced two of the panes of glass with some I found in the outbuildings but two others remain unfilled!!

Since I still haven't found door knobs that I like. the empty space facilitates opening and closing the doors!
I had a carpenter re -hang them, so that they "swing" to & fro, rather like saloon doors in the Old Wild West.

The sides facing the dining room have carved panels on the lower half, the kitchen sides are not as fancy and you can see where they have been reinforced, at the corners, over the years.

How old do you think these doors are?
This is the date that I uncovered under all those paint layers: 1840.


That's right they are 169 years old, I love them as they are and will never repaint them, but would you?

Don't forget to visit ColoradyLady and The Shabby Chic Cottage

à bien tôt
Maggie