We have done precious little other than decorating these last few days, and if you're bored of reading about it, imagine how we feel: I shall generously chunter on a bit more to help you join us on the summit of boredom! Still, the paper is all on now, and once we've got a coat or so of emulsion on it we'll feel a bit more positive. The (German) vinyl went on pretty well, and the odd hour spent mentally planning the process stood us in good stead. Given the state of the walls - there isn't a single vertical line or flat plane in the room - it was inevitable that there would be a few overlaps.
Meanwhile, I've opened negotiations with the Improvement Prevention Department, via the Mairie. We are in the process of getting a fresh estimate for the replacement of the crumbling rendering on parts of the house, and our neighbour and I have interviewed a couple of local lads, both sons-in-law of the estate agent who sold me the house. The Mairie seems to think that I won't be allowed to strip off the rendering and have the stones pointed, but rather it'll have to be rendered again in sand and lime. Well, there was I thinking I'd improve the appearance of the house to match those round about. Well, the good news is that a render might be cheaper.
The neighbour's workshop roof having to come off in part to get the scaffolding up, he's hoping to take advantage of the fact to replace some suspect sheets of corrugated material with polycarbonate. As the builder put it, 'une pierre, deux coups'. It's surprising how often proverbs and clichés translate more or less exactly. I'd never have dared say - in French - 'that's really not my cup of tea'. The French say exactly that, in just the same circumstances. But some clichés vary subtly: if you can't see the wood for the trees, you have a French tree that hides the forest. And the bird in the Nordic hand is worth ten on the roof.
Stand by for fascinating stories of buying white emulsion paint.
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