I never make New Year’s resolutions but like everyone, I am hopeful that 2021 will be a year when the curtain lifts and our friends and family will be standing on the other side. Having said that, if one and all are going to descend on Rouffiac, there is a lot of work to be done. After a week without any builders, gardeners or plumbers, I’m itching for all to return and get cracking.
My renewed sense of optimism may well be because I don’t want to repeat any of last year’s upheavals. With this in mind and with my little house almost finished, I have continued the task of dragging my worldly belongings out of the garage. Then there are the decisions over what is suitable for my new pad, what gets put in the main house and what needs to be repacked and stored away. The first two are relatively easy but the last not so, especially when it comes to framed photographs. Macgyver’s picture was a no-brainer, already taking pride in the lounge, but then there are all those wedding photos and happy holiday memories. If I am to move into a new future then perhaps it is time to put these away for Callum and the next generation. So I carefully wrap up the past, including all of Tony’s bits and pieces and back into the garage they go. One day they will be opened again with affection and not a sense of loss.
I have begun redecorating the bedrooms although some walls need to be left until the new in-built closets are put in at the end of the month. Painting is not an enjoyable way to spend the day but for the sake of the budget, the roller and I are busy. My room is going to be mostly light grey with the exception of a vibrant purple on one wall and the spare bedroom a cream, beachy themed colour. It is a boring, testing task, not least because masking tape never sticks where you want it to and no matter how much of the floor you cover, there is always an area that gets hit with a lilac splat. None of the dogs have been re-touched yet – more luck than judgement.
With all the box sorting and interior design, I haven’t been able to spend much time in the garden. I am mindful of the fact that we will need to start digging for the pool this month and the horse manure still needs to be dumped on what will be the vegetable garden ( le potager in French). At the moment, the whole area looks a bit drab but there isn’t much I can do until Denis and company are back with gloves on. I’m looking forward to a trip to the garden centre in a couple of weeks – who knew I would get more excited by new planting than I would be with new shoes?
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore” (Andre Gide)
Widow plus woofs 