Our motif is a heart and anchor.
We designed and commissioned a special piece of iron work that encloses the end of the landing into a balcony (or crows nest as I prefer).
The top of the balcony is three pieces of bar twisted into rope form, as are three of the uprights. When fixed in position the securing bolts at the top are an overhand knot made for a piece of steel rod. The main body is black but all the bits that are rope will be finished in the blacksmiths special mix of wax which will make it even look the same colour as rope
The heart and anchor motif signifies that the sea keeps us apart for half our lives yet our love always keeps us strong. Building this house together and having such fun doing it has anchored our love on even firmer ground.
Here is Wayne the Artisan / Artist blacksmith on the first fitting
This is looking along the landing (it is place so that you can look out of the eyebrow window)
Similar shot but shows the colour and some of the grain of the old oak doorframe
And shows how you will lookdown into that end of the lounge
And this is what it looks like looking up at it,
When I drop anchor it is within the heartbeat of Mrs B.
I was so excited the day it was delivered that I saw our elderly neighbour Mme Chattel outside so invited her in for a look. She is in her late 80's and comes from basically from pragmatic subsistence farming stock to the extent that she has never seen the sea although we only live 50Kms from it. However she is a wonderful tough old biddy who speaks mainly patois.
MrsB and her understand each other and she is slowly telling MrsB the story of her life from her and her sisters running the farm after the menfolk had been taken away by the germans and singing special songs to warn the resistance fighters they had sheltering in their barn.
Anyway she comes in and I point up and say VOILA, C'est bon, oui?
She looked at me and said "'pour quoi?'
Mrs B said "Its for feeding the giraffes" whihc had the old lady in giggles and she still asks us when the giraffes are coming.
After being dragged back to earth I realised that of course to her if it hasn't got a use, whats the point. but overall she like what we have done although like most of the old ladies in the hamlet they think we are nuts and dont understand why we haven't just pulled it down and started again with new stuff, however they have warmed to it now it is progressing.
When you have spent your life only doing things that have the purpose of helping you survive I guess that "frivolities" like the balcony would seem an anathema to her.
I remember asking her a couple of years ago why the old farm cottages and houses only have small windows, her reply was along the lines of 'Our lives were spent outside working in the view, we didn't have time to sit indoors admiring it. We were either working, eating or sleeping so what was there to look at, and why waste money on glass that you are not going to look through.'
Tough and hard and relentless life but she is fun to be around and really seems to enjoy our company.
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