A bit of recycling that took a while to be realised.

Many years ago friends Jane & Peter gave us these tiles which were surplus to their own restoration project.We have transferred them with us as we moved as I knew I would use them someday! They come with a lump of their original concrete still attached to the back as they had been lifted from an old floor so the first job was to chip away at that so we could reuse them. It was worth it as we ended up with enough to make a new terrace in the last third of our little courtyard here at 'the project'

Monday's walk - around Betz-Le-Château.

The first day of spring was always going to be lovely with a start like this!

 

St.Patrick's Day celebration.

Good fun last night at Préhisto bar in Le Grand-Pressigny to help celebrate St.Patrick's Day - big shout out to our hosts and the musicians.

And so it begins...

 

Or should that be began! Our builders arrived yesterday,earlier than predicted, to start the work on our facade. They erected the scaffold and started the work and left with a hearty 'a demain' but never turned up today,oh well fairly sure they'll be back.

First of the year...brocante at Sepmes

On Sunday we headed over with Angela and Dennis to Sepmes for our first brocante experience of the year. It was huge and very busy, probably as many people,like us needed a 'fix'!  

There was the usual diverse range of 'stuff' on show for prospective buyers. Angela loved the Haribo boy above as her grandchildren love the sweets, Dennis wasn't having it, me I thought it was 'armless enough.

Thought this display,above, showed a certain lack of trust by the seller!

Mon banc dominical/My Sunday Bench - Bruges

Some of the benches of Bruges captured on our recent visit.

Saturday on the streets of Touraine - Le Grand-Pressigny

 

Place Savoie Villars, 37350 Le Grand-Pressigny.

A walk around Brussels...part II

The benefits of staying with friends in Brussels was that they gave us an excellent insight into the city and it's history. On a walk around the city we were introduced to King Leopold II of Belgium who is responsible for the country's uncomfortable colonial past. 

 

Leopold was also known as the ‘Builder King’ due the many monuments and buildings he commissioned within the city in an effort to create his own 'little Paris' but sadly funded through the pillaging of the resources of the Congo Free(?) State. 

The statue stands outside the Royal Palace of Brussels, as do Denis, Anne and Pauline.

We headed over to Nearby Rue Montagne de la Cour where the former Old England department store,built in an Art Nouveau style, now houses the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM).

We then headed over to the Mont des Arts area, a bit of a vanity project for King Leopold that meant tearing down the old Saint-Roch Quarter of the city.

In front of the garden of the Mont des Arts. 

Looking back.

Denis and Anne then took us through streets full of antique shops,plus laid on a carnival procession for us to Place du Jeu de Balle a square located in the heart of the Marolles district of the city where it holds its famous flea market.

We both managed to find something to buy as they had everything!

Afterwards they laid on a carnival procession just for us as we headed home.

We stopped in at 'A la Mort Subite' (top pic.) for a wee refreshment on the way.