A Harvest of Sunflowers by Ruth Silvestre

A Harvest of Sunflowers by Ruth Silvestre

Author:Ruth Silvestre [Ruth Silvestre]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780749015046
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Published: 2013-10-15T16:00:00+00:00


A few days later I took another look at the decrepit old cupboard which still leaned against the wall in the new room. I knew that English, proprietary brand paint stripper was useless against these old paints.

‘Il faut de l’encaustique,’ said Claudette. ‘Mais – attention! Il faut aussi des gants et des bottes.’

I bought caustic crystals from the droguerie and, as she had told me, wearing Wellingtons, gloves and even goggles, followed the instructions on the packet. We carried out the cupboard.

‘The story of my life,’ said Mike to Tony.

‘Moving furniture!’

We gingerly turned it flat, and balanced it on top of the workmate. Added to the bucket of water, the caustic bubbled like witches brew. I slopped it all over the surface and, after a few moments, hosed it off. To my amazement the dirt and paint just dissolved and trickled off, and the handsome walnut grain was revealed. It was the most satisfying work. A certain caution was necessary, and I was glad of the goggles, as I later discovered a minute, round burn on the end of my nose. Once the cupboard was dry, we waxed it and repaired it sufficiently to be able to use it as a simple wardrobe. We were very glad that we had not chopped it up.

Before we finally left that summer, it was necessary to make our new, as yet unfinished room, secure. As well as the original window, M. Duparcq had cut the spaces for a new door and a second window. We now needed them filled, and shutters made. We also had to decide what to do with the old window. It had no glass and a very ancient, crude, outside frame and shutter. The small oak beam at the top had warped over the years and looked like an eyebrow, but it was very much a part of Bel-Air.

M. Brut, our original carpenter, who had made our kitchen cupboards and replaced the old shutters, had retired. M. Parges, a handsome, curly-haired man, was confident that he could do all that was required except the old window. He looked at it doubtfully. Yes – he could quite see that it had a certain charm but – it was extremely old. He wasn’t even sure he could make a window to go in that space – mind you if anyone could it would be himself – but – the shutter? He shrugged.

‘But you could try?’ I pleaded.

‘Bien sûr, mais…’

Whether it was the fact that he turned out to be Corinne’s uncle, or whether he just had second thoughts, he did manage to make a window frame to fit inside. He did repair the shutter, and he did have the grace to say that it looked très joli after it was finished. The whole north side of our house, neglected up until this holiday, looked très jolie.

I began to plan the new room. We gave the walls a coat of flat white and, as one of the beams came down very low, we asked M.



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