Puppy, incoming

Sometimes life throws you a curveball so hard it knocks you off your feet.

So it was in early October this year, just as summer was drawing to a close in the Cotentin, when the balmy days could almost fool you in to believing it was still August.

The last rays of summer…..

Eight weeks have passed since someone we loved was taken from us, and our lives will never be the same. So, I hope you’ll forgive me for the absence of updates from Nettie, as we’ve dealt with the aftermath of this horrible event.

One bright spark on the horizon is the imminent arrival of a puppy, a lurcher crossed Labrador crossed whippet crossed I’m not sure what.

Narrowly squeaking into the country before the Brexit deadline, I’m still not sure whether I’ll be talking to her in English or in French. But I’ll be happy to have her at the chantier, as I wrap up the final work before Nettie’s open for business.

Another reason for the radio silence is that I’m knee deep in dust and sand; as we approach 75% completion on this project, it feels like the dark before the dawn. These last weeks I’ve been continuing to prep the downstairs walls for plastering, and finishing the repointing in the attic bedroom.

Each working day brings more mixing and blending, sanding and rolling, painting and prepping. At least work has been made easier by a new gadget – a malaxeur – or hand-operated electric whisk that enables me to mix reasonably large quantities of mortar and plaster without needing a concrete mixer. I’m just glad I’ve got baking experience, as this process is very similar to mixing dough, both in terms of technique and also in judging when the preparation is just right for handling.

So my hands are raw from contact with the lime mortar, my hair is full of grit and grime that no amount of washing will remove, and some days I doubt that this project will every be finished. It’s at moments like this that I make sure to stand in the window and watch the comings and goings on the quay below. This little house is so very special, with its views from every room of the harbour and the sparking blue sea beyond, and I’m so lucky she’s mine.

Finally, the sitting room wall has been skimmed – I’ve decided against leaving the brick and stone exposed, and will lime wash the whole wall once it’s dry…

Sébastien, the mason, has been on site today (the first and only dry day for many weeks now), laying concrete for the new terrace. Tomorrow he’ll be washing it down to expose the stone in the mortar and giving a retro finish. We’ve carved out some areas to help with drainage and around the outside shower, and I’m planning to add contrasting gravel to these; it should also help the courtyard seem bigger and lead the eye up to the front door.

Only an island of rubble and general rubbish, plus an escape ramp stands between Nettie and a brand new courtyard….

For the remainder of the week, and in anticipation of Stéphane’s imminent arrival back on site to fit the kitchen, I’m planning to tackle the kitchen ceiling. A quick sand down, some filling, priming plus a topcoat of eco-friendly eggshell will avoid having to work around the kitchen cabinets once they’re installed.

I can’t wait to see the finished result, including the terrazzo tiling and quartzite kitchen island. It’s hard to believe from where I’m standing, but the end is at last in sight…..