| I've just spent the day removing the mud
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| | we insulate them and cover them with
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| from between the stones of our house in
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| | plasterboard on the inside, and "point"
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| Brittany. The mud stands in place of lime
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| | them on the outside so that the whole
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| or cement mortar which were unavailable
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| | house looks like a wedding cake. We've
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| or unaffordable when the house was built.
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| | avoided the wedding cake appearance on
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| The process gave ample time for
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| | the outside - leaving the "belles
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| reflection on what should be done when an
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| | pierres" to speak for themselves. On the
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| old house is modernised.
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| | inside we try to preserve some of the
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| Here in Brittany it is impossible to
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| | unevenness of the walls and leave party
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| preserve a house in its original state if
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| | walls with adjoining houses as they are -
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| it is to be lived in. All the memories of
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| | the rest covered in plasterboard that
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| those times - mostly the memories have
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| | follows the contours of the walls.
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| died with the people who lived then -
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| | The rooves were nearly always slated in
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| would be of bad weather, mud, cramped
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| | Brittany, but the old slates have almost
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| living space, the cold and privation.
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| | disappeared. They were of poor quality
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| Today we can avoid these things but we
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| | for the most part, but even the smallest
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| risk losing the spirit of these old
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| | were used (near the ridge of the roof).
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| places.
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| | Like nearly everybody else we replace
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| Ironically one of the features that we,
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| | with Spanish slates. French slates from
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| and others like us, proudly retain is the
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| | the Monts d'Arree or Trelaze in Anjou are
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| dated front door lintel. But our French
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| | only for the very rich.
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| neighbours tell us that many such dated
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| | As far as the floors are concerned we
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| artefacts were actually looted from the
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| | capitulate to modern practice, so tiled
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| local manoirs at the time of the
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| | concrete replaces "terre battue" (=beaten
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| revolution.
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| | earth) which was the traditional floor
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| The upper storey of old houses was always
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| | material. This lives on, by the way, in
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| a grenier - never lived in except by mice
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| | dances called "pile menu" which
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| who feasted on whatever was stored there.
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| | originally accompanied the actual process
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| These days the grenier becomes several
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| | of consolidating the "terre".
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| bedrooms. They can boxed in as normal
| |
| | So it is with water, gas, electricity and
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| rooms or left open right up to the ridge
| |
| | telephone: we have them all but we often
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| - 15 feet, which is what we have done in
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| | think about the last farming family which
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| part.
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| | lived here. All four daughters "bettered
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| Next the walls would be as rough as the
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| | themselves" and the only remaining sign
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| stone that made them, but possibly lime
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| | of farming is a plough and a harrow at
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| washed indoors every spring to control
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| | the bottom of our garden..
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| the population of bed bugs which spent
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| | How can you reasonably honour such people
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| part of their life in the walls. Nowadays
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| | who lived such hard lives ?
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