House projects winding down:

This week found us eliminating more plastic! Built in 1990, the Age of Plastic, this house was full of it! We changed out all the plastic light fixtures several weeks ago. We still have two acrylic bath tubs (alas pink & blue!), but we now have tossed the plastic kitchen sink, replacing it with a new quartz (well, it's a composite) sink fitted into a new black countertop. Hurray for Ikea, where you can buy a sink, a counter top, a cooktop, & a faucet all in one place, at a ridiculously low price. Once the tile backsplash is painted, we will have an up to date modern kitchen. Bravo!

Our "menuisier"(carpenter) delivered the 2 replacement shutters yesterday. They need paint, of course, & after a primer & a first coat of "rouge basquaise", they will be installed for the final coat of paint. Shutters are a must here. The sun is very hot, & the wood shutters serve as a sun shield & insualtion against the heat of the afternoons.

A lovely weekend:

We started our weekend Friday night intending to go to a concert, but ended up watching a video at home. "The Story of England" is a wonderful concept: they took a town, Kibworth, in the heart of England, & went back to its Roman roots. (I'm loving this especially because the town, Kibworth, is very near where my English ancestors lived.) This series is all about NORMAL PEOPLE, not kings & queens. From the beginning, it seems that there were 3 types of social classes: slaves, villeins (a sort of indentured servant), & freemen. In this film, all the people in town were included, doing "digs" in their own back yards. All sorts of things were discovered, & a field of scientists helped them interpret what they meant. Layers upon layers revealed the history of this settlement from Roman occupation to the Vikings & beyond. Each segment is fascinating. They use the local people to read excerpts from diaries, tracing specific families through the various stages of settlement. Through these voices from the past, we were amazed to hear about the "climate change" (extreme cold) that England had during the 1300s, causing the loss of animal & human life. This weakened the population & made them extremely vulnerable to the "Black Death" that followed. We have just finished the medieval era & our next episode is the Industrial Revolution in Victorian England.

For the rest of the weekend & photos of the house changes we've made, see our album entitled "Week 9, Stopping to Smell the Roses".

We have only 20 days to go in France before "Re-Entry"! Too many things left to do & see & enjoy! We hope you too, are enjoying your summer, wherever you are.

Love,

Elise & Les