Texpats Beth & Patrick creating chateau style in the city! DIY, French brocante hauls, decorating, renovating, gardening & all kinds of creative projects at our townhouse in the Loire Valley of France. We're renovating & restoring a very old maison bourgeoise in the historic quarter of Amboise. We're still investigating exactly how old it is, but parts are from the 19th century, & the oldest parts may be from the 18th century (or older).
Come along as we make the transition from living in Austin, Texas, USA to a new life as expats in France. We're sure to have lots of adventures, surprising experiences, & learn tons of new things.
Our future plans include moving to Amboise permanently and holding art workshops & other creative events on a small scale. Stay tuned!
If you love all things fabulously French, old houses, history, architecture, antiques, home makeovers, travel & living in Europe, you're among your people here! Thanks for watching!
Having made a few desultory efforts and taken a few courses over the years, I love your little on screen easy lessons in vocabulary. Who knew the word for throw was plaid? Not me.
Indeed it has! It still has a lot of good qualities, but no longer has that sleepy college town feel or the artists' hangout vibe. Artists & musicians can't afford it anymore! Thanks for watching.
As someone who also lives in Texas while our dog may look “prettier and more natural” with longer fur, she is miserable in the heat with it long and vastly prefers it short, especially in the summer.
@@jaimeflowersashley9380 Well , as they often go to France the sweet dog can have longer hair then. Specially in autumn and winter. Then it keeps him warm! Or must he stay in the US?
Thanks for sharing your Austin laundry room makeover. Such a hadyman. Your dog ìs sooo cute. Also enjoyed glimpses of your hometown and your passtimes there. Looking forward to your next.
Your laundry room turned out spectacular; all the work paid off. I’ve never been to Texas so it was interesting to see that Austin is much like the NW without the mountains. 😂 Watching the tile removed and the new installed properly was interesting until that black chalk was smeared all over! Glad to see it came off and you now won’t have to worry about dirty-looking chalking as so many people do. I used to LOVE rollerskating the Venice and Santa Monica boardwalks. I still have my Chicago Skates knowing full well I will never use them again. 😢 One fractured hip just going for a walk on a flat sidewalk is one too many. 😂
Thanks so much! 😊 And yes, Austin is very similar to Seattle & Portland. Having lived in Seattle for 11 years, we can say that for a fact. 😅 But the rest of Texas is quite a bit different. Skating the boardwalks in CA must've been so fun! 🛼🛼 Thanks for watching!
Loved the shots in Tresors. (We’re about 30 min from Amboise and a few of our rooms are furnished from there). If you make the ride to Blere, there are two emmaus like stores within blocks of each other you’d love the variety (Main Ouverte & La Boit d’a cote)
The herb 'clump' next to the pillar looks like thyme. The pillar is fascinating, looking forward to see it again at a later moment. Its very common in EU to re-use architectural elements from old buildings (or even archaeology) as decorative elements in gardens. Where you are, that could be anything!
Could the alcove in the library have any religious meaning. I too watch chateau diaries and it definitely reminds me of her chapel. The brick color and whimsical lines. Stencils.
I love the black and white floor. Including the entrance hall. The two salons form a large space. The cement tiles are really cool. Stained glass doors. Oh and that awesome green tile. That adorable door to the cellar. The old sink in your kitchen is interesting. Love all the built in cabinets. Lovely staircase. The library is the absolute coolest room. That fireplace, wow!
You bet theses quinces are edible 😊 that's why they are here. Only edible when cooked though. Used to make "gelée de coing" (= jam without the fruit "paste". Can't find the right word.) And you make "pâte de coing" with the paste residue. (= Pâte de fruit) Worth the effort even if it can be bought from shops! My grandma used to make some every year. Sweet memories...
It's absolutely fine to keep honeysuckle in France, it's a staple in this type of garden! I know a garden that belonged to my grandma, the honysuckle is beautiful and of course smells divine. Don't cut it down 😢
Love the garden even as rambling as it is so many good plants that are easy! Don't over think it! Keep the potting shed for sure!! a real asset. Definitely take that hibiscus down to keep the climbing rose and grape vine!! Honey suckle MUST GO!! That's looks like thyme not oregano.
Hi, I love following your progress. The little strawberries look like "fraises des bois" (wild woodland strawberries) so technically delicious volunteers! :) The round shed with the slate roof looks like a "pigeonier " (dovecot) or was once a pigeonier since there appears to be no opening for the birds to fly out. The nesting boxes are not suitable for hens. My neighbour used to keep messenger pigeons in a similar set-up, and since a "notaire" once used your home, who knows!
I think the gardens are gorgeous but definitely need to cut back all the plants that are taking over and hiding all the beautiful roses and shade plants. Do you think you’ll do a vegetable garden. Living in Arizona I miss my beautiful vegetable garden I had in California.
Wow, what a wonderful established garden you’ve got. So much to work with. The stone walls and the climbing roses are amazing. If I were you I would figure out what you could plant as far as trees to hide that horrible monstrosity of a house in the back. Maybe some kind of tall evergreens?
The garden has lovely roses and other flowers, plants, etc. I would cut everything right back around that shed especially. It’s up to you what you want. I really like the potential in your backyard though. Some people love the wild garden look also. Thanks for the video
I believe the cylindrical building could have at one time used as a pigeon roost of a chicken coop as there are some nesting boxes on the back walls. They could have had few chickens or a couple of geese back there for the family’s use for eggs. They would have shooed them inside at night for protection. From the view the video was taken, I didn’t see any pigeon holes for them to come or go so suspect they kept the the more domesticated foul or maybe even rabbits. At one point, maybe much earlier, it may have been used as a work room, or tea room for Sundays in the garden. I think the other shed was exactly that, a garden shed since it was so much smaller and a great deal less expensive to be built. The very costly slate tiles on the cylindrical roof, and thick walls, make me think it was a “folly” originally, than later housed edible animals.
Wonderful garden tour video! Really get a sense of what's going on after the initial clearing by family and friends. Love your ideas and plans for its future. Maybe turn small shed into hen house? Maybe decking running all along the house from each "Wall of Wonder"?😉
Lovely garden. I would assume the grape vine is a volunteer as is the honeysuckle? Both can be invasive depending on the type - in the United States. France could be a different story. There are native honeysuckles but most likely not. I would suggest no grass inside the herb garden central area as that would be more maintenance. Keep that rosette in fresh pea gravel to minimize maintenance. It will be lovely once things are trimmed back and the entire garden given much compost manure and mulched to suppress weed growth. Don’t be afraid to cut back aggressively. Most plants are invigorated by cutting back. Helps with air circulation and light. All those old plants are a treasure - roses, peonies, lilac, clematis etc. It is indeed a treasure you have to enjoy. Can’t wait to see it a few years from now!
