France — diyfrance

In June 2021 Nic and I went back to France during the World wide Pandemic. We had talked about it endlessly and had decided that if we didn't travel back this year,  we wouldn't have any stock to sell in our shop for the next 18 months which meant imminent closure. We were lucky to get our vaccination early in May and a 6 month Visa from the French Embassy. Getting out of NZ was the easy part. We learnt after we had left, that getting back home was almost impossible.  We arrived in early June to a masked up France. Covid passes...

June 6, 2018 Taken on the first day we started work on the house in 2016. Notice theres a Feijoa tree on the right in a bucket. The first plant we bought at the garden centre ( very French, not) but we like Feijoas on our pancakes..  After a long and wet winter in France, we arrived back to our house to a jungle of a garden. The work we had done last year was surrounded by a tangle of weeds and vines. Nic and I spent many an evening pulling out the millions of Oxalis bulbs that had taken...

My favourite guest room, with it’s French Blue antique wallpaper, boasting little cherubs and scrolly patterns  (thankfully in good condition) A beautiful white marble fireplace, painted ceiling and double balcony. I didn't have to do much to get this bedroom looking beautiful. The floor had several beams missing which Nic has temporarily boarded up and put a rug over them until we can find some beautiful Oak boards. My job was to take all the grime off the walls and floors. I left the original paintwork around the skirting and doors but will paint the outside next year where the paint...