Chez Penny

Changing the Displays

2012-01-11T19:29:00.000+01:00

I've spent all day today changing the displays in the shop. Not a stitch of knitting did I get done! I re-priced some items, moved things around, and added some new stuff.

I took all the table linen off the clothes horse and put on the scarves and fingerless gloves...

I moved things around on the pecanwood shelves...

...and changed the display on the welsh dresser...

I moved the old Royal typewriter up from the floor and made a display round it on the little card table...

...put a basket of teddies and other things on the toybox with the Asterix books...

...and changed the shop window radically. I put in some bootees that had already been in there, but on some shelves and not really noticeable, and added a display of buttons.

I also gathered up all the little crochet flowers and put them in a crystal rose bowl...

I've made most prices cheaper, although not the half-price they were in the sale. I hope the new display will bring people in, I haven't sold a thing for days now...

Christmas Update

2011-12-14T18:36:00.001+01:00

Every time I go to the shop I take a box or two of things.... there's so much there now that I'm running out of space, so I think I can't take anything else.

I've put new stuff in the window...

...including some tea cosies...

I've added more stuff to the Welsh Dresser...

...and the French Dresser (Vaisselier)...

... and hung more things from the beams.

In fact, after I took this photo I hung up some more bunting!

All I need now are the customers!

December Update

2011-12-02T18:55:00.000+01:00

Gosh - December already! I can hardly believe it. Anyway...

Today was NOT busy - in fact, one of the most NOT busy days I've had! A few people came in, and made lovely comments, but no-one bought anything!

I decided I would do a bit of housekeeping - vacuum the carpet, move things around a bit, change the window...

Somehow, I think it looks a bit boring...

I moved the doll in the high chair further into the shop...

...and the clothes horse with the linen on to a different area of the shop...

Now there's more space in the front area of the shop, which I hope will encourage people to come and look round.

Boxes of Delights

I've been unpacking some of the boxes from England and found some Kaffe Fassett Colourscape yarn. I decided it would make a pretty, warm, ripple knee blanket...

Blue Hyacinth

2011-11-30T20:56:00.000+01:00

I love hyacinths - love their shape, love their colours, love their fragrance.

Anne bought me a blue one last Wednesday, the opening day of the shop. When I went in this morning (after four days) it had keeled over on the table. I cut the flower off and put it in a vase...

...it's so beautiful...

Friday Fun

2011-11-25T19:38:00.000+01:00

It was a much better day today! I actually SOLD some things!!!!!

And my friend Melanie came and chatted to me in the morning and Maarit came in the afternoon! It's the perfect job - knitting, crochet and chat!

I finished the bunting this morning and put it up outside the shop...

I wasn't totally happy with it, but the people who came in had seen it so I thought it was, at least, doing its job.

However, by the end of a cold, damp day, the bunting triangles had gone all curly and it looked pretty awful! So I took it down and now am trying to think of a way to stop that happening again.

Opening Day at the Shop

2011-11-23T19:47:00.000+01:00

Today was the official opening day of the shop. No bells, no whistles, no fuss... and no customers!

Fortunately I was able to get in some good crochet time...

(Goodness, I look like the before advert for plastic surgery).

I am making some Christmas Bunting to hang outside (or inside if it's raining) the shop window. Perhaps then people will know the shop is open.

I also made two of the triangles into a coaster...

It was pretty cold today and not many people even came along the street - one or two looked in the shop and read the opening hours, so maybe they'll be back. I'm hoping some of the members of my old knitting group will pop in and do some knitting at the Chez Penny table, which is looking pretty good...

My friend Anne came for lunch and stayed until the shop closed, so at least I had someone to talk to!

Ah well - can't be any worse tomorrow and at least I'm getting the bunting done!

Nearly Ready to Open...

2011-11-21T17:18:00.000+01:00

Hooray!!! I managed to find a shelving unit on Saturday and took it over to the shop today. Polly from the Maison Lapeyriere helped me get it out of the car as it was rather heavy! It is Pecan wood, apparently, but looks like a light mahogany or teak. It came from the Reclamation Yard in Confolens. Terry was very helpful, measuring everything and getting it in the car for me.

So here it is...

...and, as you can see, I have managed to fill it up quite well!

I spent several hours in the shop today and got quite a bit done, although it's slow going - bringing the boxes down from 2 floors up, unpacking, arranging, pricing etc. I must admit I'm quite tired now and about to have a restorative glass of wine.

Here are a few pictures to show you how it all looks now.

...it's a bit bare at the back of the shop! I want to use the table for a knitting group meetings and workshops, so I can't fill up the space too much.

The welsh dresser makes a pretty display unit. I've had several offers for the dresser itself, but it was a present from my husband, and I love it.

Remember that cactus I made? Here is what it was for...

...I had this terrarium thingy, with four little pots in. Not really useful for anything living, but I thought it would be ideal for the cacti!

My friend Anne gave me a garland to go along the front windowsill and it just fits perfectly!

You can see the window display a bit better in this photo...

I'll be back tomorrow and, hopefully, ready to open on Wednesday!

Mitaines

2011-11-20T18:48:00.000+01:00

Made some mittens today for the shop - fingerless. The mittens, that is... There doesn't seem to be a translation for fingerless gloves, or fingerless mittens. If you know one, let me know!

The pattern is by an old friend of mine - Sandra Buckley - she sells her pattern on Etsy - her shop is called Bijou Boutique.

Apart from making fingerless mittens, I have baked some cheese and herb scones....

...and even cleaned a couple of windows!

The weather has been warm today and I haven't needed to light the wood burner at all. Maybe in a few millenia, we'll be eating Christmas Lunch on the beach like my Australian friends! (Or more likely round the lake, as it takes about 2 hrs to get to any beach from here!)

Yesterday I made some cacti - see my other blog for details - and I've published the pattern (FREE) on Ravelry. It's not exactly going like wildfire, but there have been a few downloads.

l'Heure Bleue

2011-11-17T19:09:00.000+01:00

I have to confess I did nothing in the shop today except remove a cupboard handle so I could mend it at home, and take in some dusters and polish. I did go and look at a brocante in Rancon to see if there was anything going cheap that I could use for display, but, of course, there was nothing. The shop is half-empty because I have no more items to display stuff on. Still, at least that gives me room to put out a table on which to do my classes, if I ever get them going...

But I did take some pictures in Le Dorat - as I came up to the square from La Petite Fontaine, the outline of the statue was so stunning, I just had to take a photo...

...and when I reached the square itself, it was like something from an old movie...

The French call this twilight time l'heure bleue, which is so descriptive!

Painting and Preparing

2011-11-12T17:33:00.000+01:00

I finally got to the shop today to paint the interior. It badly needed it as, during the art exhibition, things were stuck on the wall and brought off spots of paint when they were taken down...

...also, the paint needed freshening up, as it is an old building with stone walls and the paint tends to discolour over time. Now, though, it is sparkling white!

I spent most of the day there and, after the painting, put up a few bits and pieces, including some Christmas baubles...

...and tried displaying some of the brooches and tree ornaments on the welsh dresser...

There's no point in doing too much at the moment, as Pete will be in on Monday to fix a heater and work some magic with the front door so that the rain and snow doesn't come in. He'll also fit a new pane of glass that was broken last summer. When all the work is finished I can arrange the window properly - adding a pretty tablecloth for example, and bring in other bits for display. At the moment the window looks like this...

...just to keep people's interest and show them that something is happening!

From the outside it looks quite pretty too.

Chez Penny is Re-Opening!

2011-11-10T20:09:00.000+01:00

Watch this space for the latest on what is happening as I get the shop ready to re-open next week!

Exhibition at Chez Penny

2011-07-29T12:21:00.000+02:00

An friend who is an artist and a sculptor asked me yesterday if he could use the shop for an exhibition. I said yes, of course - it is great to see something going on there.

So watch this space for more news as the picture hanging and sculpture-placing goes on...

Journee Artisanale

2011-07-10T19:07:00.000+02:00

Today was the annual crafts day in Le Dorat, so I thought I would open the shop...

I don't have my crafts here in France, but I had lots of brocante that I wanted to sell.

It was good to see the town busy - cars parked all down my street...

...dodgems and a roundabout in the top square...

Outside the Collegiale some craft stalls...

and the usual little stalls for children - like Hook a Duck...

It was a lovely sunny day, and a great atmosphere of what I think summer is all about.

New Life for Chez Penny

2011-05-31T13:51:00.000+02:00

So - finally a new post on the Chez Penny blog.

I wanted to show you some pictures...

... but a little history first.

In February I was England when I got a phone call asking if a French-Canadian could rent the shop, as he was in dire need of somewhere to stay. After a brief consultation, I said yes, so long as he agreed to decorate in lieu of rent (all the paint etc was already there) and pay the bills incurred. He agreed. 3 months later, when I returned to France, I met Jean, who is a very pleasant guy. I thought I would show you a few pictures which show how well he undertook his side of the bargain.

This is the living room/kitchen:

The kitchen area and open shelves:

And the bedroom with en-suite shower room:

I am very happy with what he has done, and I think the place looks lovely now. A great result.

In fact, I'm going to open the shop itself for just one day in July (Sunday 10th) for the Journée Artisanale which takes place every year in Le Dorat.

Jean has bought himself a little house now, which he is renovating, but I'm sure he will be staying in the shop for a little while yet.

Long time No Blog Post...

2010-10-13T15:27:00.000+02:00

I know, I have been dilatory in posting to this blog. But there is a good reason...

...I have closed the shop.

Yes, I know, it's a shame - but there just isn't enough trade in Le Dorat to make it worth opening, and in winter especially, there is no-one around.

So I have packed up all my wares...

...put some in the shop attic and taken some home - and closed the business.

Actually I am going back to England for the winter, and putting the houses and the shop on the market. With any luck they'll sell before the 6 months is up and I can buy a house in England.

So, goodbye you lovely followers - wish me luck...

Chez Penny - Signwritten!

2010-08-30T21:49:00.000+02:00

I finally got the name up on the shop! An English man signwrote it for me, for a very reasonable price, and I love it!

Changing the Display

2010-08-25T20:21:00.000+02:00

The window has been more or less the same since I opened the shop at the beginning of July, except where new items have replaced those sold , so I thought it was time for a change. Also, dirt tends to fall from the beams when the delivery lorries rumble by and the tablecloth was in need of a shake, if not a wash!

I decided to go the whole hog and change the entire window display, and this is what it looks like now.

A sort of teatime theme.

The typewriter now sits on the little table in the middle of the shop and its weight makes the table much more stable than before!

The brocante items are going quickly - I know it's because my prices are very low, but I'm moving stuff fast, which was my aim.

The craft items are going too, and over the weekend I made more flower necklaces and I've hung them around the shop and in the window. I've been wearing this one all day...

This evening I've made some little flower hairclips, using some clic-clac grips I bought in England (not sure that's the proper name!)...

I thought I would charge 1.50€ per pair - hopefully they'll go like hot cakes!

Sold the wall cupboard!

2010-08-05T18:49:00.000+02:00

Yep - he came back. First thing this morning and bought the cupboard. So I started the day well.

Not much other activity today though - just sold a table cloth and some little flowers. Still - the cupboard bumped up the takings!

So I had plenty of time to do some more lavender sachets - including this one in quite bright cotton...

...it's actually a bit brighter than it looks!

I was thinking that not everyone likes sugared-almond colours...

Trade is Looking Up

2010-08-04T20:02:00.001+02:00

Well, Le Dorat may be a sleepy little town, but at Chez Penny it's been pretty busy today!

I took more money than ever before and had lots of people in looking round. It was great!

I was making lavender sachets and selling them almost as quickly as I made them...

...but they do take almost an hour to make and, at 3,50€ each they're a good bargain I think.

(Incidentally I've made the pattern available FREE on Ravelry)

The lavender comes from my garden, and is grown without fertilisers or pesticides. It grows brilliantly out here!

I also sold a set of teacups, saucers and tea plates to a man who runs a shop in town called La Maison du Terroir, and they have a couple of little tables outside where you can have a cup of tea - no food though, unless you buy a packet of biscuits! He said he liked the idea of serving his drinks in the bone china cups and saucers.

He's coming back tomorrow to look at a little wall cupboard!

MOO Business Cards

2010-08-02T10:52:00.000+02:00

I don't think I ever told you about my business cards. They come from MOO and are fabulous.

The backs are all the same...

...but the fronts are all different...

...yes, all 100 of them! (just a random sample in the picture).

They make a great impact - people love them!

Swing Tickets and Price Tags

2010-07-24T16:09:00.001+02:00

One of the problems I have here, is that I don't know where to get things that I had no problem finding in the UK. This, I think, is because of the greater distances between places out here. I may get what I want in Limoges - but if not I might have to go to Lyon or Paris and, even then, it would not be easy to find what I want.

I'm not talking clothes here, or yarn, or fabric, but things that I would like for the shop, such as pretty tissue paper, nice paper bags, pretty price tickets...

Take price tickets as an example. I know there is an outlet on the Industrial Estate just north of Limoges, that sells bags and paper, but I can't find them on the Net and it takes 45 minutes to get there (and another 45 minutes to get back) so I am reluctant to go just to find they don't have what I want. I don't want your plain, brown tickets, or those little white ones with string. So - I decided to make my own.

I bought a tag cutter, which stamps out (manually) tags from card...

...and then I punch a hole in the top with a Victorian sewing tool meant to make Broderie Anglaise and thread some organza ribbon through them.

They look very pretty when they're done, and I think I may sell them in packs of 6 for a euro, as well as use them as price tickets in the shop!

Shop Sign

2010-07-24T13:27:00.000+02:00

Some time ago I decided that I could make my own shop name sign. I can't signwrite, nor was I going to knit or crochet one! I was going to print out the letters, cut them out and stick them on the signboard above the shop window.

Not such a stupid idea - I have done this before, with my staircase back in England. With my daughter's help I printed out the words of Ruby Tuesday on to heavy A4 tracing paper, cut them out, stuck them on the risers of the stairs and varnished over them It worked a treat!

Of course - I couldn't find the pad of tracing paper, but I printed out a letter and tried it on the board for size, and it was just right.

Today I came across the tracing paper, so the letters are printed!

Here they are on my floor, at home.

I'm not sure how to manage sticking them on the board above the shop window - maybe I'll have to cut them out, put them on another board, and varnish them and then attach that board at the shop. I can't see how I could cut out, stick and varnish from the top of a stepladder, with the traffic driving up and down the street!

It'll be good to have the name up - I'm surprised at how many people look in the window then take a step back and look up at where the name should be!

2010-07-21T22:47:00.000+02:00

It was nice to have a few days off, but today I was back in the shop. I was worried that the geraniums might have expired, but they were fine.

Before I left home I cut 16 bunches of lavender from my garden, to hang in the shop. It looked like rain, so I thought I'd better do this early!

When I got to Le Dorat, I hammered in nails along the beams and hung the lavender alternately with my little Victoria bags. It smelt divine and looked pretty good too!

I also hung up the copper pans I'd cleaned over the weekend.

Overall the shop was looking great!

But the weather was against me - it was cold and started to rain soon after I got to the shop and didn't stop until nearly 5 o'clock!

So I carried on with my granny blanket, and got lots done...

... I think I'm about halfway through, but it's difficult to assess as I'm simply going to finish when I've run out of yarn!

Anyway - it kept me warm!

Chez Penny Video

2010-07-13T10:59:00.001+02:00

Sunday was the Journee Artisanale at Le Dorat; Chez Penny was open and Jason came down from Paris to help. It was a great day and Jason made this fantastic video...

You may need to click on this youtube link to see it fully...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU5_Kb6_Yrg

Shop Window Painted!

2010-07-04T18:36:00.000+02:00

I went in early again, and had the last coat finished by 10.30 am!

While waiting for it to dry I finished off the blue and cream bag I was making and made the handles and some flowers for embellishment. I still have 2 flowers to make and a lining to put in, but I'm rather pleased with it.

Sussex Pond Pudding (all over again!)

2010-07-01T13:35:00.000+02:00

On Tuesday night I slept at the shop. Not for any experimental purpose, but because, when I got home that evening, I remembered I had left all the windows open on the top two floors - and there was rumour of a storm... So I packed an overnight bag and went back to Le Dorat. It wasn't very comfortable, sleeping on a thin quilt and a sleeping bag on the floor, and the night was very hot, but I did get some sleep and woke up refreshed.

Now here's the interesting part... after breakfast I walked down to the market, down my street, through Place Charles de Gaulle,

down the Grande Rue (a tiny, twisty street)

(seen here with the town band marching up)

and into the Place de la Collégiale, which I don't have a picture of!

And it felt so French! I loved it! I never thought I could live in a town - and always told everyone that I could definitely not live without a garden - but now I am beginning to wonder.

So - Sussex Pond Pudding?

In the sixth form, at school, we went on a field trip (for Geography) to Dorset, and stayed with the geography teacher, Miss Lester, in her tiny cottage. She cooked for us and packed up sandwiches for the expeditions AND did the teaching/leading too! Amazing. One day she cooked this dessert - Sussex Pond Pudding, and when she told us what it consisted of I was very loud in declaring that I would not have any of it - I would hate it. (I was an obnoxious teenager). Well, she gave me a little to try, and it was DELICIOUS!!!! I had an extra helping (I was fat as well as obnoxious) and everyone laughed at me.

So once again I have to climb down off my high horse!

Hot, hot, hot...

2010-06-27T18:18:00.000+02:00

A VERY hot day in Le Dorat! Apparently my street is boiling and airless in the summer and freezing cold with a wind to rival the mistral in the winter...

...according to my old French neighbours, who I sat out with this afternoon.

This morning I started on the shop window at 9 am, because I knew it would be too hot later. And it was. I gave the window a coat of cream, then did the back of the door and gave the front a third coat. Should last longer than me now!

Then I sat and had my lunch and a cold drink (I love grapefruit sirop and cold water) and sat and finished this little baby hat.

Then I started another Attic 24 bag with the odds and ends of wool I had upstairs in the shop.

I was part-way through the base of that when my French neighbour invited me to sit by the side of the road with them. (I thought they had a courtyard garden, but apparently not). She said (her name is Nicole) they often bring chairs outside and sit in the shade just down from the house. They can see if anyone comes, or hear the telephone (and it did ring, too)!

We chatted for an hour or so (poor husband missed the match, which he wanted to see) as Nicole pleaded with him to stay and talk to us. Not that he's very talkative, but he did stay - wasn't that sweet of him? He's 80 something, and she's 73. He calls her 'ma petite' - though she's not so petite any more - and she calls him Coco, though I gather his name is Jacques. How I wish I had someone to love me and that I loved like that. They have been married 56 years and both have lived in Le Dorat all their lives.

Painting the Door

2010-06-26T21:41:00.000+02:00

I went into the shop today to paint the front door. I had hoped to do the board above the front window too but by the time I got started it was much too hot - the window being in full sun in the afternoons.

I got some acrylic paint mixed in the morning, in Deco Lim in Bellac - ridiculously expensive but an amazing paint scheme! I took the shade card and they zapped it into the machine electronically, which mixed up the identical paint. How's that for technology!

I gave the front door two coats on the outside, and also its shutter...

I love the colour - a sort of pale greeny-duck egg.

Whilst in Bellac I went to Vetriano's and got my craft things that had been on display in the window. I banged some nails in the shop beams and put some of them up...

...and displayed other bits on items in the shop window...

It's been a really hot day here, but I'm not complaining. Paint dries in about 20 minutes!

I'm going over early tomorrow morning to paint the front window. I have to do it on a Sunday, so that there is less risk of passing people peering in and having a cream line across their clothes! With my luck it'll probably rain!

Voodoo at the Shop

2010-06-25T08:57:00.000+02:00

Not the black magic kind, but geraniums. They're called Voodoo...

... red petals with black centres and rather pretty. I had two tubs made up to go outside the shop door and brighten the place up.

Chez Penny - the Sunshine Shop

2010-06-23T17:54:00.000+02:00

Well, not exactly...

I had a rendezvous this morning at 9am with Luke, who had a little bit of work to do inside the roof of the shop, and is coming back later to see why water is dripping down a chimney that he capped off last year. So I was there first thing, and opened up the shop. The weather was sunny and the forecast was for a warm day. However, the shop (like many of these old granite stone buildings with thick walls) has its own micro climate and it was freezing in there. After lunch (a great vegetable lasagne from La Petite Fontaine) the sun had come round and it was warm outside, so I took a chair and my crochet (another Attic24 bag) on to the pavement and sat there with a mug of coffee. Lovely!!!

Look carefully at this picture and you will see me...

...and here is the view to my left:

I'll certainly do it again - there was a lot of interest - some people slowed down as they passed in their cars, to get a look!

Window Dressing

2010-06-22T17:55:00.000+02:00

Today the sun has shone! At last! And it's forecast to be good for the rest of the week too!

I decided to go and arrange the shop window...

First I moved a table so it was under the window...

... and then I found a pretty cloth for it and arranged a few things on it...

...and then a few more...

...and more again!

When there was no more room I put in another table and some other small furniture behind the window, but with room for customers (!) to pass between.

I also hung some things from a beam and I think it looked rather pretty when I'd finished!

Later in the week I'm hoping to take over my welsh dresser to display some more things, and get a plate rack up on the wall to display (it's all there in the name) plates.

Two lots of people came in to look round while I was there so I think maybe I'd better come up with a list of prices in case there's any chance of a sale!

Hearth and Home

2010-06-15T21:54:00.001+02:00

It's been good to have Jason here this week - he has been a great help in the shop. Yesterday he took down the bit of ceiling left by the builder who re-did the floor, and a dirty job it was too!

Here he is part of the way through...

...and here it is, finished!

It was the bit of ceiling under the hearth upstairs, and full of brick, stone and concrete! Very hard to remove, and a dirty job. This is what is upstairs...

It was extra difficult because the builder had boarded across it with the new floor upstairs, as you can see here...

... and it was only accessible from underneath.

He also removed the plasterboard from the underside of the stairs so we could see what the problem was with one of the steps, which had dropped. Turns out it was that the support for the step has come out of the wall (was only in the plaster, it seems) so it will need to be repaired.

Tomorrow a builder is coming to have a good look. Here's what the stairs look like from underneath...

...actually they look reasonably OK, so I'm hoping there's no major work to do!

Today I did almost nothing - only put some paint on the bit left up the stairs behind the handrail - but Jason painted the door shutter with undercoat again, put a couple of coats on the beam at the front of the shop, and some cosmetic work where bits of previous paint was 'bleeding through'. No pictures, I'm afraid!

Pitter Patter Raindrops...

2010-06-11T19:20:00.000+02:00

Yes, another rainy day in the Limousin! The morning - again - started out with sunshine. I got up early and was at the shop by 8.45 am. Unheard of for me!

I wanted to get some paint on the windows - and still be able to shut them in the evening, and I thought I might even (why did I even think it?) paint the outside of the shop front window... ...and the shutters on the side window, which have not been painted for hundreds of years, by the look of them.

Anyway, I had just put one coat of acrylic cream on one side of the shutters when - this happened...

...you can see the water pouring out of evenly-spaced holes along the guttering of the building across the street. My gutter was like this too, but I had it all replaced when the roof was done last year. So the water came down in massive drips - much harder than the rain itself (and that was pretty heavy) and bounced off the road... onto my paintwork. Ah well... c'est la vie!

Here's a view from the front door, looking across the road...

...the wall is the side of the senior school, which has its entrance in the square - Place Charles De Gaulle. I couldn't go out any further, or I would have been drenched. As it was, the water came in under the door and I ended up rolling up dusters and wadding them under the door. Oh for a sandbag... There was thunder and lightening as well as the rain, so I just carried on painting inside and drinking coffee.

I managed another coat on the stairs and the front and side windows have both had 3 coats, as has the stairs, which I think is enough, so the day wasn't really a washout - quite a lot achieved, actually.

Tomorrow evening Jason arrives for a few days, but I intend to go in and paint in the morning if the weather looks promising!

Chiselling Old Oak

2010-06-10T16:55:00.000+02:00

Believe me, old oak is very hard! The inside window ledge in the shop is a big chunk of it and it must have been there a very long time. The big rectangular holes you can see in it are where another piece was joined with a traditional mortice and tenon joint.

The other piece had, at some stage, formed a kind of work counter, presumably where the shop owner made his umbrella or knife handles, or finished off the objects. By the time I bought the shop the 'counter' was falling down, as one of the supports had either rotted or been knocked away.

I have been using a bolster chisel and lump hammer today to remove the top layer of oak which looks horrible and is very uneven. I uncovered lots of screws and nails embedded in the ledge, but have not been able to remove all of them. I had hoped to end up with a nice flat surface I could paint but, because of those nails and screws, I think I may have to get a new piece laid on the top to make it a usable sill.

I gave the stairs another coat of the gloss, but they will still need at least one more!

So much still to be done!

I bought some acrylic exterior paint this morning, as I hate using the gloss and it takes so long to dry. It was expensive, but worth it, I think. I gave the little window a coat and it was dry in a few hours. I also managed to give the front window one coat, and I'll do some more tomorrow.

I had hoped to do some painting of the outside - like the door - but the weather was against me. Although the day started out warm and sunny, by lunchtime it had degenerated into thunder and lightning, which seems to have followed me home! As I write this the rain is pouring down, punctuated with thunder and the odd bolt of lightening. Think I'll just settle down with a nice glass of wine...

Magnolia Gloss

2010-06-09T17:31:00.001+02:00

I took a tin of magnolia gloss to the shop today, to do some painting. It was quite sticky and I had to stir it for ages before it was all the same colour in the tin! I started with the side window because Nod was coming to take the wood from upstairs, so I couldn't do the stairs rail until after that.

I didn't think to look at how long it took to dry...

...and it said on the tin that it would be touch dry in 6 hours. 6HOURS!!!!! ...and, of course, I had to wash out the brush in white spirit. Which I hate. You shouldn't put the used white spirit into the drains, so disposing of it presents a bit of a problem.

Anyway, after Nod had been I put a coat on the stairs rail too - and at least that will have overnight to dry.

I'll wait till I have a full day (and a warm one) at the shop before I do the windows again! That's if I can ever open them again. I had to close them before the six hours...

Along with all that palaver, I noticed a wet patch on the ceiling...

...and it seems that rain is coming down the chimney (which is supposed to be completely capped off) into the hearth of the old Limousin fireplace above and running onto the floorboards there...

...and seeping into the plaster below. Now I have been wondering what to do with that bit of ceiling downstairs - as it looks awful, being the only bit of lathe and plaster left. Now I feel I must remove the hearth and get a waterproof plate put in the chimney. I can't get up on the roof as there is no access, to see why the capping off has not prevented this.

Removing the hearth is not an easy job either, as it involves working in a very confined space and removing some massive stones and a whole lot of mortar. I'm going to take in a chisel tomorrow and have another go...

...you can see some of the stones in the picture above.

Then, of course, I have to remove the lathe and plaster downstairs and I just KNOW that's going to create a whole load of mess... Maybe I'll wait till Jason's here at the weekend, and he can hold a bucket underneath or something!

Sofa so good...

2010-06-07T22:21:00.000+02:00

Ouch - yes, I know it's corny...

Yesterday I bought an old sofa bed from a brocante in Rancon - a nearby village, and today it was delivered. I love it - it's perfect for the shop.

I reckon it's 1920s art deco design. You lift up the back and sort of pull out the inside to make the bed. There is even a little wooden board that matches the arms, that folds down over the end of the bed when it's all set up. Of course it's old and a bit dirty, and I made at least two big spiders homeless when I vacuumed it (actually they have a new home now - in the vacuum cleaner bag) but it'll be perfect for me to sit and knit or crochet on while waiting for customers, or to sink back on in exhaustion after a sudden rush!

Brocante at Chauvigny

2010-06-05T15:40:00.000+02:00

I went back to Chauvigny today (there is a great market there on Saturdays) to take some pictures of a fabulous Brocante shop...

...inside it is crammed full of all sorts of treasures - but at a price!

If Chez Penny ended up looking like this I would be a very happy lady.

I have a mixture of brocante and hand-made items that I think would go very well together, and maybe my prices could be a little lower than I saw in Chauvigny. The first time I turned a label over (why are expensive things always displayed with the prices turned over?) I thought the price was in francs and not euros!

The Whiteness of White

2010-06-04T17:48:00.000+02:00

Today I finished the walls of the shop. They are so white! Well, to be honest, there are are a few dodgy bits, but we won't speak about those... they'll be covered with furniture anyway!

Now it looks like this...

At about 4 o'clock an Irish guy walked in through the open door, and asked if I spoke English. I said I did and was, in fact, English. He asked if I had any trophies - cups and the like. I said no. He asked if I had any English furniture and I said sorry, no - I was only just setting up the shop (I was in the middle of painting the stairs wall and the shop was completely littered with all sorts of stuff - as you can see). He then asked about the French high chair that was standing there, and I explained what it was and how it made into a low chair and table.

He asked the price and seemed interested, so I asked if he would like to see how it converted. He said yes, so I took off my vinyl gloves. parked my paintbrush and showed him. He said I should have no trouble in selling it at that price, and asked if I had any hats...

Parsley, Sage Rosemary and Thyme

I have all of these in the garden, but the parsley has been attacked...

... parsley-stuffed rabbit, anyone?

Painting the Walls (2)

2010-06-03T20:48:00.000+02:00

Yes, I'm back again, painting the walls of the shop. One day it'll be finished (and that day's not too far off)!

I used 2.5 litres of paint today and had to stop because I had nowhere to move a big piece of plasterboard to - having moved it as far to the front of the shop as possible in order to paint the maximum of wall and the rest of the wall was still wet...

I could have painted more up the stairs if only I had cleaned it down before I started, but cleaning a dusty, dirty, flaking-painty wall while the paint next to it is still wet is a VERY BAD idea.

Just after I started I remembered to take a photo:

...or two

Tomorrow I'll finish it off (it's almost finished now, but I forgot to take more photos) and do some more of the stairs wall.

What I've done today will need a second coat too, especially the stairs bit.

The good news is - I sold a pair of candlesticks and a cake tin while I was working, to people who were passing by!

The Sunshine of My Life

2010-04-28T18:16:00.000+02:00

Not much sunshine in my life at present, as the estate agent came round this morning and valued my house at just 5,000€ more than I paid for it 4 years ago, and I spent 10 times that on the renovations!

However, there WAS lots of sunshine in Le Dorat, where the shop is, so I took some pictures...

This is the Place Charles de Gaulle, which is at one end of the street where the shop is (about 20 metres)...

...and this is a bit of the town wall (with my friend Sue standing in front of it) which is where I took the previous photo from.

...and this is the view...

There is also the English Garden at the other end of the street - just across the crossroads...

... with a magnificent Cedar of Lebanon and some huge horse chestnut trees - in full flower now.

Altogether a lovely place to go walkabout today!

China in My Hand (and some glass...)

2010-04-27T20:38:00.001+02:00

I'm off to the UK on Friday, so I thought I would give the shop a change of window before I left. I put in some china and glass...

... and you may see a few tea caddies in there too!

How much is that Teddy in the Window?

2010-04-23T09:39:00.000+02:00

Sue and I added some more things to the shop window the other day, teddies and other things.

Every time I go into Le Dorat I take more stuff to the shop. Usually I meet Sue for lunch or a coffee and she helps me carry the boxes out of the car.

Last time I was 'collared' by the little old lady who lives next door, and she said how much she loved the dolls and bears and that she had loads too! She said lots of people stop and look in the window. She grabbed by the arm and took me to the shop window and said I must put a 'tapis' on the table under the dolls and bears. She obviously thinks it is my permanent window display!

After the brocante on Saturday, I'm going to change the window and take out the toys and put in some china (if it doesn't all sell at the brocante), so I'll put a nice cloth underneath it all - that'll please her.

Marketing the Shop

2010-04-10T22:17:00.000+02:00

I am basing my marketing on a campaign of wonderment. I intend to put some things in the window every few weeks - with no explanation. The shop is on the way to the Post Office, so most people pass it fairly regularly. I reckon, if I change the window from time to time, they will begin to wonder what is going on, and what the shop is going to be eventually. I don't intend to do any other marketing - just work up this question in their minds. It's not something that is normally done so I think it will generate some interest.

I've started with a small display of Barbie and Ken dolls...

... in a couple of weeks I'll change it for something completely different among the things I'll eventually be selling. Already my elderly neighbours have said how much they like the Barbie window!

Next time, maybe it'll be some china and glass...

A Good Painting Day

2010-04-06T18:48:00.000+02:00

Today was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, so I felt energised to go and do something in the shop.

I painted the side wall again (you can still see some yellow patches bleeding through)

...and did the front wall under the window and as much of the other side as I could manage until I ran out of paint (although I do have another tin!). It's looking pretty good now, as I also tidied up...

...I moved all the rubbish from the middle of the shop and put the table back under the window...

...and it's not looking half bad now!

Painting the walls

2010-03-26T14:27:00.000+01:00

Sue helped me paint one wall on Wednesday, and today I went in and filled all the little holes I could see.

When the filler is dry I can sand it down and put another coat of paint on.

It's a longer job than it seemed it would be and I'm not very fast as I get tired very quickly, not having recovered fully yet from the cold I caught in England. After half a day I'm exhausted, but at least I have no particular deadline to work to. It would be nice to get finished and open at Easter or just after, when the visitors start to arrive.

Then there's the other wall to do...

... and of course I have to move in some display furniture...

One Step Nearer...

2010-03-05T17:14:00.000+01:00

Matt, the plasterer, has been and plastered up all the horrible bits and now it looks fab!

This side wall, in particular, had lots of holes and missing plaster where sockets and light switches had been put in...

At the window end of this wall you can see the old French bed which was in the shop when I bought it. I thought I was just lucky, until I noticed that the legs had been cut off!

Still, even if it would not be safe (or attractive) to weld new ones on, I guess someone could build a wooden base - maybe with storage drawers - and place the bed frame on it. As it will be too big to display in the shop (a generous single) I will be selling it.

Where the window is, in the opposite wall, there was only 1 thickness of brick, and I think this must have had a cupboard, or shelves, built in - rather like the big cupboard I dismantled upstairs. It looked like this...

...if you can see it - the bed was stored at this end of the shop originally!

Now it looks like this...

...Matt has done a lovely job!

Now, when you look from the front door, the shop looks like this...

...and from the stairs end, like this...

If you live near Le Dorat and need a plasterer, I can thoroughly recommend Matt!

Matt's wife, Mel, has a shop called Melangerie, which is a Mercerie and also sells supplies for card-making, patchwork etc, and is situated in the Place Charles de Gaulle, which is at the end of my street.

I'm off to England for a few days now, and when I come back the plaster should be dry enough to paint. Things are really moving now!

Some Progress!

2010-02-27T20:12:00.000+01:00

Golly - you're thinking - a new post on this blog! Yes, I know, but there's just been nothing happening until now.

This last week Giles has been working on the shop and has done loads for me. He has:

installed all the light fittings in the shop and the other floors

this was the original light, cleaned up - and original bulbs too!

installed the oven and hob in the kitchen and put the fronts on all the kitchen units and drawers

fitted the heaters on the first and second floors

installed the shower cubicle

... and done loads of other things, of which I have no photos to show you - such as the renovation of the front door; the plug sockets on an upstand at the back of the kitchen worksurface; (actually you can see them in the kitchen units picture) and the puzzling over why the water in the downstairs sink would not flow away...

Actually, we solved that problem when Matt (a local builder) came to quote for a bit of plastering and took out the drain in the sink. It looked like a simple 'hairtrap' such as you would have in a shower, but actually had a sort of bell arrangement on the underside that fitted so snugly in the drainhole (lined with a rubber arrangement) that it acted like a plug, and not a drain at all!

It looked as if it was permanently fixed, but Matt levered it out and showed us that it wasn't. Now I have to put a spoon handle in to lift it out when I want to empty out the sink, but HEY - at least the water drains away!

Matt is coming in to plaster next week and after that I can paint the walls, when I come back from England, mid-March. Hopefully the weather will be a bit less tempestuous then too!

So watch this space!

Oh - and did I say I'm hoping to open for the summer months? I want to see if I can sell some of my vintage things and my crafts too. Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted! If you're visiting the Limousin this summer - l'et me know, and I'll put the coffee on...

Summer 2010 Opening (I think...)

2009-10-08T21:30:00.000+02:00

Yes, I have made a decision! ...well, sort of...I think ...at least, it's a definite maybe.... of a kind...

Oh, blow it - this is what I have in mind, although it may change, as my mind seems to vary from day to day, mood to mood and so on...

I am thinking of opening the shop next summer and moving in for the time that it is open. Probably the summer months from June to August or September. During this time I will let my house out for holidays, and this will bring in some cash, as I don't expect the shop will make any. For years. If ever. At least it will get it out of my system and I can see whether my stuff sells or not.

Giles has finished off the floor for me...

... put in the hatch to the cellar...

... and completed some other little jobs, such as putting the lights in the downstairs toilet and upstairs shower room.

He's coming back next February to do some more work there, and in-between I hope I can stir myself to do some wall filling and painting. If I manage it, I'll let you know!

The Shop That Time Forgot

2009-09-17T18:59:00.000+02:00

Well, almost...

It was costing a great deal of money, and I wasn't sure that opening it would be a success, so I called a halt to all the renovations.

That was back in July.

Now it's getting to the end of September, and I ought to make some decisions. I have a few ideas.

Keep visiting and I'll run them by you....

Update

2009-07-06T09:24:00.000+02:00

Well, it's a while since I had anything new to show you, although work has been progressing slowly.

The first floor now looks like this:
Ian has built the back of the cupboards from the boards that formed a partition upstairs, and they look really lovely - I even like their original colour!

The bedroom on the second floor now has the shower room walls completed - and all that remains (apart from electric switches and a small glass transom window, is to put in the shower screen (That's it standing next to the French bed).

The ground floor doesn't look much different, as the floor is not yet down, but Ian is starting on that at the end of this week. Here are the latest photos, though.

Once the shop floor is down the major work will be over and I can start the finishing and the decorating.

Totally Floored

2009-05-18T19:08:00.000+02:00

Well, the First Floor at least. Here's what it looks like now...

Peas please, Louise...

2009-05-08T09:51:00.000+02:00

Amongst the old wood brought home from the shop yesterday were the old shutters that were on the front window. Here's a picture of what they looked like.
Ian had noticed that one of them was repaired with a flattened-out tin can. I took it off at home and cleaned it up a bit. Interestingly (in the days before Baked Beans, presumably) it was a tin of peas!

Partly Floored

2009-05-07T17:26:00.000+02:00

It's been almost a month since any work was done in the shop, but this Monday Ian was back in to start the first floor. All the old, short boards that were left were removed and the new pine boarding started.
When you looked down through the unboarded half - this was the view:

This morning I went over to Le Dorat and helped Ian to get all the old boards and other bits of wood that are not needed here (but perfectly good for the wood-burning stove) into his van, and we took them over to my house.

This pile is just the old boards from upstairs...
... and now my woodshed is stuffed full!...

Ostension Sunday 12th

2009-04-12T15:44:00.001+02:00

I put some decorations in the shop window today for Ostension. Even if I can't be open, I can at least show willing!

I made the little hearts yesterday evening and the green and red tasselled trim was bought when I was visiting Jason down south last year.

Good Friday Chez Penny

2009-04-10T18:20:00.000+02:00

Things are happening, but slowly.

Simon is renovating the windows but he has miscalculated the time needed and has had to stop for two weeks and do another job he had quoted for and given a start date. The shop window is mostly done though - this picture was taken when the middle two windows were still out...

...the name board has also been renovated and undercoated.

Ian has started to put in the en-suite shower room...

...but it is the Easter weekend and, although we are in France (and they don't have Good Friday off) Ian will not be back until next Tuesday (I think) and he is then going to do the first floor - taking up the scarey little boards and replacing them with new, wide and pretty pine boards.

Sunday sees the beginning of the 50th Ostension celebrations in Le Dorat. They take place every 7 years, so that is 350 years to date! This town has an amazing history. Here is Deborah from La Maison Bleue trying on Dominic's hat which is part of his uniform as a guard.

Coming Along Bit by Bit

2009-03-27T17:18:00.000+01:00

Yep - seems like a slow process, but things ARE happening. Simon is renovating the windows and Ian has started on the loft floor.

I went up the new loft ladder and took some photos...

The wood is the old rafters and voliges from under the old tiles. There need to be new windows up here too... It will be a useful storage space when it's finished.

Ostension is fast approaching in Le Dorat. It is a religious festival that takes place every 7 years, and relics of saints (normally kept in the Collegiale) are paraded through the town. The council have erected some mock-ups of the old town gates and this stage has just appeared...

I'm not sure how it'll be used - too small for a rock band...

Roof and Floor

2009-03-21T17:15:00.000+01:00

Some good news - the roof's finished - and some not so good - the floor upstairs needs replacing - but, on the whole, the shop is finally 'coming along'.

Ian has put in some plumbing (the toilet now works in the shop) and Fred has taken up the old cement and tiles on the first floor. This has actually caused me a slight setback, as I expected to reveal nice boards that could be sanded. Instead the boards comprise short pieces, only reaching from beam to beam, with a finish that looks as if a VERY poor apprentice used the saw

Ian tells me that this was normal building practice at the time - they used the cheapest possible boards - offcuts of some sort, with only one side planed. The planed side faced down to give a pretty ceiling downstairs, as the top was destined to be covered with a concrete layer and tiles.

Now, obviously, these planks will have to be replaced *sigh*...

More good news is that Simon starts on renovating the windows on Monday, and then I can paint them. Who knows, I may even be open before next winter...

Wednesday's Child

2009-03-05T19:42:00.000+01:00

Well, I was certainly full of woe yesterday, although I was actually born on a Sunday, which makes me wise and wonderful, blithe and gay...

...but not yesterday.

Yesterday I went to Brico Depot in Poitiers with Ian, to buy plumbing stuff for the shop and flat above. Because of the 12 o'clock closing, we didn't get everything we needed in BricoDepot and planned to come back after lunch for the copper pipe. We did, however, find a corner shower 'parois' (the doors and their fittings) and a shower tray and fittings. We put them in the van, went and had lunch, then went to Leroy Merlin for a look at lights. We didn't ever get to the lights, as I bought a complete kitchen for the flat above the shop, all in flatpack - on special offer!

This is the kitchen from their website picture, although it's not exactly what I got...

What I got (from memory - it's not unpacked) is a couple of small wall cupboards, a couple of floor cupboards - one with sink on top ( sink included) and electric oven, hob, extractor and the faux granite worktop. Also a fridge-freezer. A pretty good deal for 890 euros.

It was a struggle getting them in the van, and we had to tip the shower package on its side to get everything in. As Ian did this, there was the tinkle of glass, and it was obvious one of the glass doors was broken. Bother!

So... back to BricoDepot and ~~an argument~~ a discussion with the management as to what should be done. In the end they gave us a second shower paroi for an extra 50 euros. I can't see how we could have been responsible for breaking a door (in the middle of the package) but they were adamant that we must have done. Apparently safety glass is very fragile - maybe the road was rough, or in turning the package we had twisted it...

So Ian dropped me at my car in Bussiere-Poitevine at almost six o'clock after a frustrating day! He and Debra have gone back to the Poitiers store today to pick up the copper pipe, taps etc that we didn't get yesterday.

Slightly South of Slough

2009-03-03T19:43:00.000+01:00

Yes, probably Guildford now, not exactly the Slough of Despond, but still fairly near...

Today I went to the shop again - no roofers working. I took some photos of the bricks down the chimney situation and went for a coffee. To be fair, half of the bricks were gone and it wasn't as messy as the previous day.
After a coffee I went back to the shop and Luke was there by then. He said the chimney is capped off but now one part of it needs re-facing as the remaining bricks are soft and will soon be in a bad state if this is not done.
I had a look at the windows with Simon, who is going to quote for their repair, as well as the shop façade. He may be able to start at the end of the month...

So it will be many months before the shop is open to trade.

On the plus side, the permission has come through to paint the outside although, obviously, this will be one of the last jobs...

Slough of Despond

2009-03-02T18:37:00.000+01:00

There is good news and bad news.

The good news is that Ian has sorted out the blockage in the water pipe, so there is now water coming through to the shop and the plumbing can go ahead.

The bad news is that nothing else has progressed, in fact, the situation has gone backwards if anything. The chimney was unsafe and I decided to have it taken down and capped off. Luke had said that if it was rebuilt it would take two days, so it seemed that taking it down would be quicker than that. But oh, no. They (although I only ever saw the man next door working on it - it is half his chimney) knocked off the bricks and threw them down the chimney. and it seems that a large piece of brickwork fell (so I'm told) down the chimney too and is now stuck. When I went to the shop this afternoon they were trying to poke this out with a long stick and were attempting to do this by poking this stick through the ceiling of the shop, which ran the risk of that piece of ceiling collapsing completely (and possibly the fireplace floor above) into the shop, right above a new fluorescent light fitting in the cellar below (there is currently no floor in this part of the shop). I pointed this out and Luke has now placed a motley assortment of bits of spare wood under the area, but I still think the fitting would be seriously damaged if the ceiling fell down.

The bricks that did make it down the chimney are now strewn across half of the first floor and this has made a terrible mess. I would have taken a picture had I not been too upset and angry at the situation.

The roof should have been finished in 10 working days from the start (9th February) but they started 3 days late, and have hardly been there most of the time, so the job is nowhere near finished over three weeks later. After the roof there is the guttering to do as well, and I have cancelled the fitting of a Velux window, or the job would have taken for ever. All thoughts of opening the shop for April are now dashed and, to be honest, it looks as if there are months of work ahead.

So...the slough of despond is really where I feel I (and this project) am at the moment.

Watch this space - but don't hold your breath.

Carrying on the Work

2009-02-18T16:49:00.000+01:00

The time for the 'going back on the ferry' is rapidly approaching (Friday) so Giles and Dave are getting a little concerned as to whether they will finish the job tomorrow...

It doesn't look as if much has happened, but bear in mind there was nothing in the electricity line in the shop...

Now there is a light in every room, including the cellar and attic, and plug sockets everywhere.

From the outside the roof is being done by Luke Feasey and his team, but I can only show you the scaffolding, as I don't have a helicopter...

ElecTrickery

2009-02-13T17:01:00.000+01:00

Power to the People!

Well, the shop, actually, ...

...Giles and Dave are over here for a couple of weeks to put the electrics in the shop. Here they are hard at it:

and here are a couple of pics of what's going on upstairs...

...from the stairs end...

...and from the front window end.

Napoleon Coin

2009-02-03T17:32:00.000+01:00

I almost forgot to tell you! Ian found this coin under a beam, on the wall at the edge of the shop floor. Could have been placed there deliberately as a 'good luck' token, or perhaps lost by a customer all those years ago and rolled down at crack at the edge of the floorboards.

It's a five-centime piece, dated 1854!

Bureau, Buroc, Bureaucracy...

2009-01-27T17:32:00.000+01:00

Do you remember those old Dubonnet ads?

I don't remember the picture - just the slogan. Now I know it was a play on words as well as following the adman's dream repetition of 3, but I think Bureaucracy could be the same (although I'm not sure if 'Buroc' or 'Bureac' has any meaning - if it has I hope it's not rude!).

The reason for this bureaucratic post is that this afternoon I paid a visit to the Mairie in Le Dorat to look at the permitted paint colours for buildings in the town. The lady asked if I had put (in my deposition about mending the roof) that I was also repainting and I said no, I knew the colours were strictly controlled but I didn't know you had to have permission for the repainting.... ...Tut, tut, you should have put it all on the last application, but it's too late now, you'll have to do another one!

So, a small forest of paper later, a plan of the shop in the town setting and a plan of the town in relation to the universe , four pictures of the exterior etc, etc, later.... ...but she was kind enough to lend me the paint colour chart of which they had, of course, only the one copy. Bring it all back tomorrow, she said and, of course, it will take up to two months for the permission to come through, so you can't start the work until then.

Back home I thought I would scan in the colour chart for future reference, should I ever want to paint the insides of my eyelids while standing in Le Dorat, for example...

...two different printer ink cartridges later I had my copies...but they were a bit different from the originals, although the colour match was perfect on the computer screen. Damn cheap printers!
(The pictures above are actually photographs).

There was a Limoges telephone number on the chart so I rang up and asked if I could buy a chart for myself. The lady was very helpful and said I didn't have to, they were free, and she would put one in the post to me. Hooray for helpful fonctionnaires!

Just have to fill in the forms now.....

Space and Ladders

2009-01-23T16:11:00.001+01:00

As you can see, all the beams have come out in preparation for new ones, so the shop currently has no floor at all!
The copper pipe you can see running across the front of the picture is the old water supply. It came in to the meter in the cellar, near the front of the shop, and was then piped left to go up the side wall to the kitchen sink on the floor above and, in a very convoluted way, to the right along the cellar wall and the left-hand wall of the back room at ceiling height, along a beam and down into the toilet in the back corner! You can see it a bit better in the picture below.
Click on a picture to see it bigger.

The Cellar!!

2009-01-19T20:28:00.000+01:00

Well, it's sort of the cellar by default, as you can only see into it now as the floor has been removed. As you can see, the joists were pretty much all rotten, as we thought, and need replacing. We thought maybe some would be OK but it looks as if they'll all have to go. Seems a shame, but it's all ~~grist to the mill~~ wood for the fire.
The pictures are not brilliant because they were taken with the flash as we couldn't be bothered to take off all the shutters. Still, you get the idea.

One thing that I noticed was the newspaper hanging over the copper water pipe. Presumably this was considered to be enough to prevent it from freezing? I think I'll lag the new one!

The new floor will have a new hatch to allow entry to the cellar, although I don't envisage keeping anything down there. There is a chute into the cellar from the street which was obviously used for delivering coal, as it is blackened with coal dust. Guess this was the fuel for the old Rosieres cooker that was in the kitchen! The chute will remain, to provide ventilation, but with a grill over it to prevent rubbish falling in from the stree.

Old News

2009-01-17T19:42:00.000+01:00

...and books...

These are some things that turned up in the shop....

The newspaper was pasted on the partition walls, under the 1960s wallpaper. The papers varied in age but seem mainly to be 1967.

There was one intact newspaper - I think it was found in one of the shop cupboards - which is dated 1964...

As well as these there were some old paperback books which seem to have belonged to a Fernand Duchiron (there were some address labels I found some weeks ago to a Mademoiselle Duchiron, and also a gas bill from 1984) but I reckon Fernand is a boys name... although I have found references which show that Ferdinand is a girl's name!

Well, whatever, the book below has an inscription of Fernand Duchiron in the front...
...and what I imagine is the shop stamp, on the next page...

It is rather fascinating to have this little snippet of history and I hope to find out more about this family, who lived in this building, with a shop selling umbrellas and knives.

Glassware

2009-01-16T20:13:00.000+01:00

One of the things I brought home today from the shop was some glassware and a few Limoges plain white chine dishes. They were in the old porcelain sink on the first floor, having been taken out of the cupboard in the kitchen when a previous seller had taken out all the shelves! They scrubbed up quite well...

More Room

2009-01-16T15:40:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Ian and Fred started on the demolition of the internal stud walls. Today they were sorting the debris and I went and took some pictures.
Click on the mosaic to see the Chez Penny set on Flickr.

Electricity!!!

2009-01-12T21:48:00.000+01:00

Today the EDF men came in their big cherry-picker truck and connected the electricity to the shop.

Hooray! The first step in a long road to restoration and opening of the shop!