Renovation project in pas de Calais

In a small village in northern France called Ouef En Ternois I spent a year renovating an old villa, a significant undertaking. 

One incident I remember vividly, after noticing a small hole in the ceiling, we used a broom handle to see how bad things were only to find half the plaster ceiling coming down on top of us! 

There was plenty of variety 0f work on this project which for instance, entailed covering all the walls in the house with fabric.  A labour intensive but effective way to create a certain atmosphere and ambiance.  Fireplaces that needed restoration and brick walls that needed repointing. The bricks for the house had been sourced from clay found on the property and fired in a kiln onsite. 

We had a lot of fun checking out castles in the area which were often being renovated or were in such a state that they were beyond saving.