While this is not an “almost” it is a house that I have thought of since having seen it during one of our trips to the safari tent. How she is begging to be loved and how rightfully she deserves such attentions.
I love the proportions, so similar to those lopsided crayon drawings of what a house could be from our youth.
And yet there are elegant touches, such as this wrought iron railing…
…and a trellis hanging abundant with vines despite relying solely on self-care for who knows how long.
At the base of the house, a fountain of cool spring water pours continuously…
…an echo of the brook that hiccups unabashedly…
…while bringing a jewel-toned garden to life.
And while there are many homes in this tiny village that stand waiting…
…and I am reassured by the treatment of a Front National poster…
…that perhaps a foreigner like myself would be welcome…
…to find my way amidst these winding back roads to something like home…
…for now I will simply sit and dream.
In my mind, I will strip the walls of the scarred stucco and replace it with a slick of lime-wash instead. I can sand the wood, condition it and paint it something simple, pure white perhaps, for this would be a happy house. And finally I would open up the windows, sweep the floors and let in the mountain air to kiss it clean.
Do you see what I see?
PS. I am finally (!) switching to Mail Chimp for delivery of email subscriptions starting with this post. I hope that you will bear with me while I iron out any technical glitches. Once this is taken care of, I can focus on more important things…like writing and photography! Thanks for your understanding…
You mention that in this small village, many homes stand waiting. Have you found many abandoned or long-empty homes while you have been looking for your next home? Has there been a sizeable post-war exodus, in France or that area, from small villages to cities? Do you have any idea why or when this home was abandoned? I can't help but wonder…it looks so solid and, with the healthy vine, the railing, and the brook and garden (nearby?), inviting. Last question for now, I promise: do you know what the jewel-toned berries are called in French? Curiously, Leslie in Portland, Oregon
I am right there with you. . .I can almost see the planters spilling over with color highlighting the wrought iron, the paint that would brighten the doors. It is funny you've written about this as we are back home in the Northwest and just sipped some afternoon coffee while taking a photo tour of homes we visited in Greece while chasing our daydreams there. It is fun to use the imagination and turn each of them into 'our' place. I understand your ponderings. . .
I see this little charmer as filled with potential…..and can follow your eye of decor it needs.
The photo of the steps and railing caught my breathe and stated my dreaming……
While living in Nimes, we often went into the Cevennes, to a small remote village where we loved to walk, and we had "our" little house, so similar to this one, full of beauty in its very rustic simplicity, abandoned and waiting to be loved. We dreamt endlessly of how we'd do it up, organise the rooms, clear the land and make a wonderful garden… It didn't happen, of course, just a lovely dream, but we still think sometimes, "we could have", and your post today have woken it all up again!
Hello Heather,
Oh dear, not only do we see what you see, we can place our furniture, colour scheme the doors, window frames and walls, imagine the garden and create a home in an instant in our imaginations. In reality it may take a little longer! But what a little gem of a house. The faded and crumbling elegance of it all but one feels that it has a generous heart which it will give to a loving owner. You?
There is, perhaps still, an old, deserted big house in Palmyra, Syria that I, with a poet/dancer lover from Guatemala, dreamed of restoring, maybe as an artists retreat, supported by a few upmarket guest rooms and on. So, yes, I do see.
Heather, I see what you see as well. But what really struck me about this post were the two lines about being a 'foreigner" and being accepted, and feeling at home. Paul and I are also searching for a new place to call home. We want and need a change, but are not completely sure where we will find "home." Though we have found it in each other, it is also a place where we can feel stimulated and nourished.
Heather, yes I do see what you see. I would always dream of some abandoned home while travelling…thinking I could make it a jewel box, so don't change. It is people like you and me who change the world, albeit it one little step at a time.
Hi Heather,
Dreaming and imagination help when looking for something and even when not looking for anything.Old houses seem to possess integrity.
Wish you and Remi a wonderful weekend.
Edgar
Dear Heather, I love this house. The windows are so well placed. The proportions so promising. Will it be possible to see the inside soon? ox, Gina