Sometimes I feel a bit like Dorothy; 'there's no place like home Toto'. Only which home? In a nutshell, Aotearoa/New Zealand is my turangawaewae, my place to stand, with multiple generations of ancestry, history, current family and the country of my passport. Scotland is my ancestral home going way back forever, and it feels like home when I'm there; highland Scot from my mothers side and lowland Scot from my fathers side. England is where I live now, France is the next stop. In between there's been homes in Qatar, the UAE, the Cayman Islands and Australia. Home is made where ever I go, where I lay my carpets and welcome friends and family.
Oh my what a long time to be away from home this time. Five weeks in Abu Dhabi working then the five seeing family and friends down under. Nine flights; lots of time in airports waiting; angst over how and whether I'd get home; a very helpful travel agent, Sam from The Flight Centre in Indooroopilly Shopping Centre; quick decisions; and a good, if expensive, outcome. It was the long way home to England via KL for a very long wait in the airport, then Muscat, Oman overnight and finally with a whole row of seats to myself, and amusing companions in the seat in front of me, home. Home to Jules waiting at the airport; home to our lovely apartment in the small village; home to my own bed and kitchen and the couch. For a wee lie down, much needed I must say!
I was so pleased to be home; while missing my loved ones down under. A tricky space to negotiate.
Then just because I hadn't spent enough time on the move, we flew to Carcassonne 5 sleeps later to celebrate our second wedding anniversary with an amazing dinner up at La Cite. And to spend the week working on the house, home number two at the moment. We have the best builder, Andrea, and she's done an amazing job of getting things done while I've been away. Most of the beams are stripped back to the original wood and treated; walls and ceilings are lined where needed and the new cables to rewire the place run with Pete the electrician's help. Lots of progress, and lots for a couple of unskilled laborers to do. Like stripping the rest of the wallpaper.
The stairwell had heavy fiberglass reinforced wall paper with polystyrene backing in places. It no longer has that, stripped back to bare walls through a few generations of wallpaper underneath using brute force while trying not to fall down the stairs in the process. Very satisfying to see the pile of paper and rubbish on the lounge floor when we'd done. Next job was the final second floor bedroom, started on our last visit. We made quick work of that so on to the bathroom and loo. And voila, the whole second floor is wallpaper free. Sounds easier than it was, two middle aged folks up ladders precariously perching with a steamer and scrapper and sponge worrying away every scrap of every generation of wallpaper. Some nice patterns underneath really.
The first floor is not far off being finished. I went and chose some tiles for the floor, traditional patterned ceramic tiles matching the original plain brown hallway tiles. The tiler has been booked, the tiles quoted at the local tile shop. Jules and I will visit as soon as the walls are plastered and get the paint brushes out. Then that floor is livable so we can finally stay in the house rather than the useful AirBnB across the road. The living room and kitchen tiles are chosen too, although this is a work in progress. There's a bit to do yet on the ground floor. And let's not talk about the attic suite and the roof, sigh.
Okay let's, the roofer has been engaged and he'll take care of all things roof including permissions and scaffolding. Once we have a shiny new roof aligned with the requirements of the mediaeval neighborhood, work on the attic can continue. And we can go back to the bathroom shop and order the new shower and vanity. Lovely to have the best shop with tiles, bathrooms and other bits nearby. Funny conversations as both parties negotiate English and French to make meaning and decisions, very patient staff!
We managed to strip the wallpaper from the kitchen, utility room and most of the living room too. The ground floor is really taking shape with the false ceilings hiding the beams gone for good, beams exposed and treated, rewiring taking shape, and decisions made about the fate of the current kitchen. It was an exhausting week ending with a very French long lunch where I got to enjoy French onion soup, and the best apple dessert. My French is coming along, I can now order food confidently and make out some of the conversation using key words and context. The school across the road is a bilingual junior school so I'm hoping to volunteer there to improve to kids level language.
We reluctantly caught the Saturday flight home, a longer journey than usual because of tube track closures. It was nice to be home, back cooking and getting things washed and put away. It's still chilly here with the promise of spring seen in the wild flowers on the roadside and the start of daylight saving. Time for a couple of couch days then it's back to getting what's needed done. There was a contract in Abu Dhabi for April but that's gone quiet for now, understandably. I'm waiting for my refund from Etihad for the Sydney AD leg of my journey home. A flight I didn't fancy waiting for after so many changes.
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| Amazing views flying over safer parts of the Middle East, across Saudi and up the Gulf of Suez to the Mediterranean passing over Alexandria |
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| Then over the Swiss Alps impressive with lots of snow |
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Carcassonne from Pont Vieux
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And the wallpaper and rubbish from the stairwell  |
