Fantastic Mr. Fix It in full flow!

Like a magician who astounds you with his tricks, Mr. Fix It has seemingly effortlessly started on the hard graft which involves making our kitchen into one of those rooms with the WOW factor. This, the heart of the home, means serious planning whilst the work is going on so that I can still come up with the odd casserole, roast chicken a la francaise or that great regional dish “cassoulet”, all in my mini oven which has served us so well. Thus it was this week that he has fixed us up a temporary kitchen in the dining room end of this room whilst he blitzes the future kitchen end, prepares the walls and floor for future units, oven, hob, fridge/freezer and granite worktops (can’t WAIT for those).

Nine months is a long time to last without a proper kitchen, a simply dreadful old sink and no freezer but I have always taken the view that everything is relative in life and therefore having this temporary kitchen now working, our new chunky ceramic sink plumbed in and even a cutlery drawer (!) in place, it feels positively luxurious by comparison. Naturally, we both have huge anticipation however for how it will be when completed and with 2 cast iron radiators giving out great heat, the corner fireplace begging to be lit and almost a proper worktop for preparation, we are most definitely over the worst and the transformation from its original state is quite extraordinary already.

Whilst there cannot be many of us who consider washing up to be one of life’s joys, I can honestly say that I don’t mind it in the least now, so beautiful and solid is the ceramic sink which will eventually be sited under the back window, waiting to be raised to give more light and afford us more space.

Mr. Fix It’s “Keep calm and carry on mug” serves as a great reminder to go with the flow during this kitchen renovation: Rome was not built in a day after all. One must not forget either that when installing a kitchen pretty much from scratch, a reward is that you can do what you like in terms of lighting, positioning of units and appliances, wall coverings and even doors and windows. We have grand double doors leading into the kitchen and another door has suddenly become somewhat redundant so we will instead make a window at the top giving on to the entrance hall and thus the whole room will seem as though it always was just that: one room and not two knocked into one. Little by little, this stage of our renovation is coming along: watch this space!

The sun continues to shine every day here in the Languedoc Roussillon and I was able to tear Mr. Fix It away from his toils one day this week to walk the dogs by a stream and indulge in one of those typically satisfying “prix fixe” menus in a local French bar cum restaurant nearby. The colours of the trees and landscape as well as the mountain views remain stunning as winter approaches and we revel in that wonderful sense of peace and space as we watch Eddie and Alfie bound along, utterly unconcerned with anything to do with our house renovation.

Not a week goes by without a comment or two from one of our neighbours or passers-by on our progress in this grand old house. Mr. Fix It can be utterly proud of himself as the work continues and we become more and more used to the French way of life. One only has to take a long view, not only through our home but through to the years to come to know that this project is turning out to be quite the most rewarding tone either of us have ever undertaken.

Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company
Have a look at my website at: http://www.francebuyingguide