Friday, January 10, 2014

ANOTHER YEAR COMES CRASHING IN!

WOW...it has been forever since I have had time to sit and indulge myself with a blog post! Life rolls over this house in waves as we try and paddle fast enough to keep our heads above water...

Unbelievably now that we have crept over the edge into 2014 it has taken till the 10th of Jan to stop and take stock on the madness that was 2013...a chilly start to the year gave way to the formation of the new Stables Room and then the guests started arriving in May and we waved off the last of the skiers returning home from the mountains early Jan and here we are today!!
 It has been a great year!

No profound predictions or premonitions of the year ahead will be found here but as we go into the year of the 100th anniversary of the 'Battle of the Marne' which occured on our doorstep, and will be commemorated in style in September, we reflect on 'our lot' and feel lucky to be able to spend time in this gorgeous part of France that has seen many dark days...the huge, some would say 'grotesque', memorial that the locals refer to as 'Le Carrot' looks down over our village of Oyes from Mondemont on the hill and is a steady brisk walk or cycle ride from our house...well worth a visit for a moment of reflection...

The Monument

the view from The Monument

looking up at The Monument
 And now to some pics of our new room THE STABLES which started out looking like this....
Stables early days...
 Then this....
Stables mid building
 
And now is a fully functional B and B room that looks like this....the polished concrete floors work brilliantly as does the plywood walls and roof...a lovely modern space while retaining the character and history of the previous occupants...the small patio area out the double doors have proved a popular spot for catching the sunset with a glass of something chilled and a good book!
New Stables Room

Stables Bedroom

Sables Bedroom

Stables Bathroom

The new room is off the courtyard just beyond the umbrella
AND we have a venture of a different type this year as we develop a new branch to our business. Click on the link below...

                                                    FRENCH BARN

...check out our new website and send me any feedback as we are very interested to shape FRENCH BARN into something flexible and aspire to use and share our talents so we can continue to grow creatively as we weave our way through 2014...

Hope to see you here more often this year....but for now it is time for some quiet...time to finish the gardening, make marmalade and soap and chill by the fire with the cat before the next wave of guests arrive!
My homemade soap!