On October 28, 2019 - Cleared out one large store room and created a nice and tidy wood shed out of another! All ready for the new wood pellet burner to be installed!
On November 1, 2019 - Apples, figs, peaches, plums, cherries, pears and a medlar... oh my!
...The beginnings of the orchard...
On November 3, 2019 - I haven’t posted about this adventure until now because I’ve still been processing the magnitude of what/who we found. Right before our trip out to Chateau Joli Bois, I came across a post on the ETTC group which highlighted the work of Peter Stoff. He had just completed his Petit Salon. He has his own beautiful Chateau in Mayenne. The photo was incredible and all I could think about was our own neglected ballroom. So I did something brave (for me) and reached out to him on Facebook (as you do). I didn’t expect a response but you can imagine my surprise when that first message popped up! I of course told him about our project and showed him some pictures of our beauty. I then invited him down for a proper Sunday lunch. He accepted!
Ben and I had the honour of hosting Peter Stoff. The same Peter Stoff who has worked for the Queen of England. He restored the interiors of Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. He’s worked for the Royal family in Oman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Pinewood House... the list goes on and on. He regaled us with his adventures over a few bottles of wine and in addition to his artistic talent, he is a very charming man. Peter has been in our ballroom. He took the time to educate us about materials used, previous (badly done) attempts to refresh it. He has given us such helpful feedback and advice. I dont know what the future holds, but if we could grace our beauty with the talents of this man, we will have done more than we ever dreamed. To have the ballroom touched by the hands of the man whose work will live on in the most royal of castles and palaces and mosques... it’s too much to hope for... but I will...
Till next week!