Today we were supposed to go around the house and, systematically, decide how many lights we needed, where they would go and what sort they would be. After just two rooms, an abandoned plan, no internet reception to search for inspiration and some fruity language we decided to give up on the the lighting and concentrate on the floors.
After a trip to The Geometra, where I asked for local lighting, stone and wooden floor suppliers and a smithy. Got some suggestions but really what we would like is a reclamation yard. I thought there would be a load considering the number of tumbledown ruins around as a source of beams, floors, tiles, sinks etc etc; maybe there’s a gap in the market. But it looks like everyone just buys new – even if they pay extra to have it “aged.” There certainly is a gap for those over-the-door clothes hook arrangements that are everywhere in the UK. They are so useful when you are in an empty house and I am glad I brought one.
Anyway, we found the flooring shop and after a bit of Goldilocksing (this one is too dark, this one too light; this is too rustic, this one’s too modern; etc.) we made a decision amazingly quickly. Whether the decision will stick is another question …
Now, we are thinking about ceilings and the best way to reintroduce some character to the rooms with some “fake” beams. But that means we need to rethink the lighting again …
P.S. For those just following this for the food, tonight it was just a burger. I say “just a burger” but, of course, it was local Chianina beef and washed down with a local Sangiovese. The restaurant (New Castle) has a handy chart on the wall with treatments for various ills. Oddly, they all seem to involve a quantity of wine. (We will translate this later)
Sunflowers and Saffron 