"Alpine Settler": February 2007

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

The Kitchen....

The kitchen in the house when I bought it was little less than a disaster. There was one tap (faucet) for cold water (and believe me - it was cold) over the sink which wobbled when you touched it. The stove was a wood burning one with an oven which can be see in one of the photo's.
(N.B. All these photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

As a room it was used I think mainly for dealing with and preparing home grown food and animals he had raised for slaughter and storing all this in the four freezers scattered around the ground floor. The table and chairs they left for me, and these are now stored in my 'hay store' and used in the garden in the summer.... Saved a few 'bob' (euro's) at least and though 1960's style, they are well made and really sturdy.

After spending some time with the kitchen makers and sitting in hospital for hours (s*d all else to do while I was there) planning how and what I wanted my kitchen to be - this was the result. These photo's are taken looking to the left as you enter and then just gradually turning.

The table, chairs and glass cabinet seen here came from my home back in the UK.

Perhaps one of the best choices I made was to have the five burner gas hob and electric fan oven separated. It was the first time I had owned (or even used) an oven set at 'eye level'....it is marvellous. No bending down to get at or lift boiling hot pans, trays or casseroles.... just slide the shelf out a little way and lift 'whatever' out with ease.

One other thing that I really wanted - and made sure of - was sufficient cupboard space. Something I had never really had before - but now I'm a happy bunny with all the space I've got.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

A bit more of the 'Before and After'!

Part One
When I actually decided to take on the challenge of this house it was late March, blo*dy cold and I'd been house hunting for some time. I paid the 'holding deposit' on the 28th March and prepared to leave for my journey back to the UK to get packed up. My house there had sold in SIX days so the only problem was the packing. That's when 'Sod's Law' took over andthe night before I should have left for my drive back to Calais the old ticker said "No way Jose" and I didn't get back to the UK for NINE months!

But the thought of 'the house' and what - in my mind's eye I could see - stopped me giving up during those dark days in hospital.... Everyone told me I was 'nuts' to take on such a project and a house that verged on being a ruin. Well they didn't have the crystal ball that I have - that was obvious.

Here are some photo's that were taken on the day I put down the deposit (Before) and the result when the work inside was completed (After).

Let's start with the ground floor cellar - this had a door off the hall and steps leading down to the floor about 5ft deep....it was FULL to floor level with broken bottles and the walls were like this.

This is how it is now....(soory about the 'dark' photo...)

Then of course there was the shallow, but high fireplace in the living room.... It was nothing more ore that a 'down draught' chimney that actually allowed snow and rain into the room! And there was no way I could live with an open fire again - I'd been there and done that in my younger days - but no more!

But with the new fire and fireplace I bought over from the UK and the other 'odds and sods' it's now like this...

The stairs going up to the roof were - to say the least - dreadful. This was the lower part and above it was just a broken down ladder leading to the under roof. The girl is my neice Daniela:

And now those stairs are like this:

I reckon that's enough for now...I've taken up enough of your time (you can wake up now). I'll finish the 'sort of tour' another day! So if you would like to see more - just watch this space!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

It's taken some time - but....

Well the house is about to be finished finally! All the building work was finished in Late July 2005 and the only thing remaining was the 'finish' for the outer walls.... all 347sqm of them! The orignal plan - the geometra's and decorator's - but not mine was that the outer walls should be first covered with a 'capotto' which is a layer of insulation similar to polistyrene sheets which are stuck to the walls and the sealed and painted. I was told by them and a couple of locals (who weren't involved) that I really needed this 'extra insulation' because otherwise it would be far too cold in the house in the winter...(Yeah - right!). While others - not involved with 'spending my money' told me that this was a load of rubbish.

So I decided to try it for a couple of winters to see what it would be like (and to revive a sorely depleted bank balance at the same time) before making a decision. The house before I bought it had no central heating, only one fireplace, no double glazing and the window 'slots' beneath the roof (which had partially collapsed) were just holes in the wall to let air (and cold) circulate. But most important was that some of the walls were 18" thick!!! The house at that time looked like this

But now things are a bit different and it's ready for theat all important 'final touch' So from the wreck above, and after many months of planning the house now looks like this.

I have found a decorator who lives in the village and after some meetings (and getting other quotes) he has come up with what I want and at a price I can afford.... The walls will first be coated with a thin coat of cement to get rid of all the blemishes that would have been covered by the 'capotto'. that is then left for some days to allow it to dry out completely. Then this coating is sealed and another thicker layer of a coloured silicate mixture with a texture like tiny pieces of gravel will finsh the walls. The exposed 'under roof' beams will also be treated with a colourless 'matt' varnish to preserve them too.

So then it was down to choosing the colour! Well I had always wanted it to be 'pale apricot' (which is permitted in my village) and so this photo of a house in nearby Varenna gives a good idea of what it should be like. All this - with a favourable wind - should be completed before Easter. I can hardly wait. Honest I'm like a cat with 9 tails...I don't know which one to wag first.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

'Done and dusted'...Finally!

Yep - the 'Saga of the Thud Machine' is finally over. Even if it is something like 22 months late, it still an enormous relief not to hear that THUD every time a car goes up or down the lane.

I had just a couple of photo's left to add to enable me to close the whole sorry episode. (sorry about the first one being somewhat blurred - but I assure you that this was not due to me over celebrating the fact that someone had finally got their blo*dy finger out!

I just had to take this to demonstrate just how far advanced (technologically) my local comune is. Where else would you see such advanced technology being used for the placing of hazard road signs as we've got in our village? So don't tell me that up in these rural areas we aren't abreast of the latest developments....Rumour has it (shhhh) that next year the horse and cart will be sold and they're going to get a lorry!!! Well I'll believe that when it happens!

But as you can see - following the protection of the bottle crate over the weekend - the 'thing' is now stable - Hallelujah to that.

The last 'pic' was taken just because I could actually 'just' see the lower ridge of Monte Legnone through the bare trees out back....the 'peak' is away to the right and quite a bit higher that this lower ridge.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Hooray, hooray - It's on it's way!!!

Yep...there I was sitting quietly, minding my own business when I heard the dulcet tones of a pneumatic drill. It sounded quite close and I tried to hope that it was in fact doing some work om 'my' 'thud machine' (aka the manhole cover out back). A quick dash (well maybe not too quick), grab the camera and a couple of shots later there was the PROOF that they're finally doing the work....

Let's see. The first request was made way back on the 3rd October 2005 - and today is 15th February 2007!!! So despite the ongoing 'run ins' with our local copper (Mr. Christmas) and the recent 'discussion' with Mr. Mayor - they - my local council - have finally decided that perhaps I am entitled to a good night's sleep! Well I'll second that. I'll even drink a toast to the council - I'll just not bother to invite any of them to the party - so there!

Sunday, February 11, 2007

How true!

Being one of the 'older generation' I was amused to read this little story - sent to me by a friend in the UK, who recieved it from a friend in the USA. I bet it will make the older ones among you smile too!

Subject: I Wish I'd Said That...But My Mind Never Worked That Fast

A very self-important college freshman attending a recent football game,
took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen sitting next to him
why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his
generation. "You grew up in a different world, actually an almost
primitive one," the student said, loud enough for many of those nearby
to hear. "Young people today grew up with television, jet planes,
space travel, man walking on the moon, our spaceships have visited Mars.
We have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, computers with
light-speed processing and...," pausing to take another drink of beer.

The Senior took advantage of the break in the student's litany and said,
"You're right, son. We didn't have those things when we were
young........so we invented them. Now, you arrogant little sh*t, what
are you doing for the next generation?"

The applause was resounding...

Friday, February 09, 2007

The sun has got his hat on!!!

Well - we tought it would arrive on the 10th February, but here it is only the 9th and the sun is here... HOORAY!

It just managed to creep up and over the top of Monte Legnone at lunchtime, just enough for it to finally, after nearly 3 months , to shine on the back of the hous.

I couldn't miss the chance of taking this photo of it shining into my little study/office....it was glorious!

Sorry, but this post should have been published TWO days ago, but it seems that the photo publisher I used doesn't work with EBlogger anymore so I've had to find another way to upload it....

Thursday, February 08, 2007

The ‘Skeleton In The Cupboard’ – or the ‘Naughty Nina Saga’

‘Episode One’

This is a brief resume of what I knew (or rather didn’t know) about my maternal grandmother (aka Naughty Nina - you'll see why). For my entire life I have never know anything about her other than her ‘maiden name’. Not where or when she was born, died, married or anything!!!

The only snippets I had were recounted by my mother – Nina’s daughter and as you will see – she was left in the dark and it seems lied to throughout her life too.

So first a bit of background and later – in ‘Episode Two’ I’ll update you on the ongoing research being done by a group of superb genealogists to help me solve this mystery. There have been some quite surprising developments but they do need to be ratified.

I’ll post the next episode in a few days time. But until then just enjoy this bit of my muddled family history….

Nina worked in the same place as a guy named Arthur. They had an affair, the result of which was little Muriel Edith. Born in 1913 near Birmingham. Her birth was registered nearly six weeks after the birth. This registration shows Nina Edmed as the mother and Arthur as the father. Itdoesn't indicate who registered the birth or if they were both present when the birth was registered. It does not show Nina Edmed formerly 'anything' (on my BC it shows Mother as Muriel Mercia xxxxxxx, formerly Payne).

So I think that Arthur then probably gradually receded into the background - never to be seen again (the cad), and illegitimacy - being what it was in those days - had to be hidden.

At this point Nina had to move to where she wasn't known and invent a poor 'dead' husband Arthur Payne and with that of course the illegitimate daughter's details had to be the same, to save poor (?) old Nina's dignity. So in effect Muriel Edith became Muriel Mèrcia.

A new 'employer' (sugar daddy?) was found and the scam had to continue. He (whoever he was), clearly didn't want another man's child around so was quite happy to pay for her to go away to a school that would fit in with 'his' standard of life'. I think perhaps he did indeed live in or perhaps 'own' a house called New Place in Stratford. The daughter (my mother), who's poor Daddy 'died' in the war (the subterfuge story) spent her holidays there and went (perhaps) to America on one of these holidays, when still only a toddler, with Mama Nina and sugar daddy!

Then the daughter (Muriel) grows up meets a dashing army Cavalry Captain (true), but falls in love with his 'groom'. Now Muriel needs a birth certificate to be able to marry.... Oh disaster! What is Nina to do now ? I think she pretended 'indignation' that her daughter was marrying 'beneath herself' and that if she went ahead with it she would 'be cut off for ever'....This was what my mother always told me had happened. So the birth certificate was refused by Nina - got to cover her 'dark' past at all costs (wicked old b*tch). As long as Nina's reputation is preserved, never mind about the daughter! To marry, my mother had to provide details of her birth 'To the best of her knowledge' and the wedding went ahead.

Now to sustain this 'You're banned from my life' charade, Nina has to disappear from where her daughter can/may find her. So where better that to the area (perhaps...) where she was born - Kent. Maybe she found a position, or was still with 1st 'sugar daddy/employer/consort or even with another employer. Who knows... it was sufficient that her daughter can't find her and disclose her ongoing lies. Then she is killed (we think) most likely during a WW2 bombing raid in the Dover area. But what name was she using? Nina Edmed or had she by now invented some other 'fantasy life'? We think that during these years she kept in touch with her two old friends in Birmingham, but swore them to secrecy about her lies. She may have listed them as people to inform if anything happened to her. Hence their limited knowledge of her death.

I was with my Mother when she questioned this elderly couple and they really didn't want to talk about it. But the intimation was there that Nina HAD lied, but they would not admit that they knew any more about it....

So that was my theory, having pieced together all the little bits of the jig-saw, until a short while ago.

The problem remains though . That Nina amid all her shame and stupidity kept the most important pieces of this jig-saw to herself and took them with her to the grave!

Friday, February 02, 2007

And what now?

I enjoy writing bits on my blog, and I really enjoy reading other peoples blogs too. But when I do that I start feeling a bit sorry for myself. How come these people lead such wonderful and eventful lives? How come they can sit back, write about and analyse whatever they do on an everyday basis?

I've been sitting here this afternoon having a cup of tea while a take a break from doing a translation, and I've been thinking about just what it is that others do when they update us with their 'derring-do', culinary expertise, latest acquisition.....Oh you know what I mean. All the interesting things that everyone else does - on what seems to be - an almost daily basis!

So how come my most exciting moments today were queuing in the Post Office for twenty minutes (yes it WAS busy - there were four of us after all!!!!) , then going on to my local LIDL supermarket for a few things for the weekend. See it's as exciting as watching paint dry (well almost).

My problem at LIDL though, is that they sell quite a lot of British products (nice products that I'm NOT supposed to eat!). I was very good though - with the exception of two small packets of bacon (from Germany) that I will freeze and use for a 'bacon frittata' (like and omelette, but not light and fluffy) and that, together with a salad, will be my treat for the month. But all these dietary rules are really hard to stick to when you live on your own. I found it sooooo much easier when I was staying with my niece in 2004! Despite having changed my eating habits totally and sticking to a really good set of do's and don'ts, I find that the gradual onset of other problems is making it really difficult just to stay at the same weight - never mind loose any more! I know that my biggest problem is lack of exercise. In fact when I climbed on my 'speaking' bathroom scales this morning - they didn't tell me my weight.

They just sighed and said... "How many of you are there"?