Monday, September 28, 2015

Hitting Reality

Cottage Dining Nook Transformation - The Table - part 2


A huge thank you to all of you who wished me a boring week... Clearly, as much as I love you, you're not all fairies... because that didn't work that well, or rather that didn't last.

Un immense merci à tous ceux d'entre vous qui m'ont souhaité une semaine bien ennuyeuse et calme. Vous savez combien je vous apprécie, mais je crois que vous n'avez pas de super pouvoirs... Car cela n'a pas très bien marché, ou du moins cela n'a pas tenu.

It began as a perfectly boring Monday. I spent the morning working on my lessons and then left for school where everything went smoothly. In the evening, I was trying to catch up on some of your blogs on my new little desk in the living-room that you know nothing about, one cat was sleeping on the sofa and the others two were out because it was warm for a September evening. It was very quiet and serene when suddenly I heard noises, as if someone was shaking the gate.

Ce lundi a commencé en étant parfaitement ennuyeux... J'ai passé le matin à préparer des cours, puis je suis partie pour l'école où tout s'est passé comme sur des roulettes. Le soir, j'ai essayé de rattraper mon retard dans la lecture de vos blogs sur mon nouveau bureau dans le salon dont vous ne saurez rien du tout, un chat dormait sur le canapé et deux autres promenaient dans le jardin car la soirée était douce. Tout était calme quand soudain, j'entends des bruits, comme si quelqu'un secouait le portail.


I know it was the stupidest thing to but I grabbed the biggest kitchen knife I owned and opened the door to call the cats in. Apparently they were scared to death and ran to me immediately, so the cats, the knife and I came back in and I locked the door.

Cela devait être la chose la plus stupide à faire, mais j'ai saisi mon plus grand couteau de cuisine et j'ai ouvert la porte d'entrée pour rappeler les chats. Ils avaient l'air effrayé et ont couru vers moi. J'ai vite refermé la porte derrière eux.

It was already night and I have no light in my garden (yes, a future project), so I couldn't have seen anything, which made it very scary. We could still hear noises and the cats and I were watching each others, terrified. I tried to keep my breathing in control by repeating to myself that if it had been a serial killer, a terrorist or a robber, he would probably have tried to be stealthier... Not that it worked...

Il faisait nuit noire et bien sûr je ne pouvais rien voir (l'éclairage du jardin est un projet pour le futur). Ne rien voir rend l'imagination fertile... Les bruits continuaient et les chats et moi échangions des regards affolés. J'essayais de garder le contrôle de ma respiration en me répétant que s'il s'était agi d'un serial killer, d'un terroriste ou d'un voleur, il aurait probablement tenté d'être plus discret...

Suddenly, there was a huge bang and I was able to recognise that it was the trashcan being overthrown. My guess went from serial killer to polar bear... My breathing slowed down and I decided to go to bed, still carrying my kitchen knife to my nitghstand, just in case that polar bear knew how to unlock doors... I also let the lights on downstairs, hoping polar bears were afraid of light bulbs.


Tout à coup, énorme barouf. J'ai bien reconnu le bruit de la poubelle qui se fracasse par terre. Ma nouvelle théorie était donc que nous étions attaqués par un ours polaire. Je me suis calmée et je suis montée me coucher en déposant quand même mon couteau sur la table de nuit pour le cas où ce soit un ours polaire capable d'ouvrir les portes fermées à clef... J'ai aussi laissé la lumière au rez-de-chaussée, comme une version moderne du feu qui éloigne les bêtes sauvages...

When I woke up in the morning my mind was much clearer and I had a new theory... It must have been a tiger who had run loose from our nearby zoo. This theory was made very likely by the fact that all the trash was scattered around the floor and the chicken carcass that I had thrown the previous day had disappeared.


Le matin, au réveil, mon esprit était beaucoup plus clair : de toute évidence, un tigre avait dû s'échapper du zoo de la ville voisine. C'est ce que je me disais en ramassant les déchets éparpillés partout avant de partir travailler, constatant que la carcasse de poulet avait disparu.



My colleagues say it was a fox... There are lots of foxes around here... But I don't think it makes quite a good story. I don't like reality.


Mes collègues prétendent que ce n'était qu'un renard... Il y en a beaucoup par ici... Mais je trouve que cela fait une histoire bien moins palpitante.

I'd love to tell you how later that week I sprained my ankle and made a huge mistake at school, but I know you're here to read about my table as the title of the post promised it several paragraphs ago!

J'aimerais vous raconter comment plus tard dans la semaine j'ai réussi à me fouler la cheville et à faire une énorme erreur à l'école, mais je sais que vous êtes là pour avoir des nouvelles de ma table, comme le promettait mon titre, je ne sais plus combien de paragraphes plus haut!

My table in the previous owners' decor - first year at Cottage
So, I told you in my last post that I had a thing for old pine table. It dates from as long as I can remember. So when I had my first apartment, I bought what I tought was one. Only I didn't see it, I bought it after seeing it on a catalog (you know, before we all had the Internet at home). The day it was delivered, I knew it was wrong. But sending back a table isn't as easy as sending back a pair of shoes... So I kept it, even if it was cheap and shiny pine. I don't like reality.

Ma table dans le décor des précédents propriétaires - première année au Cottage.

Je vous ai donc avoué lors du précédent article que j'avais un faible pour les tables en vieux pin. Cela remonte à très longtemps. Avant que je connaisse Le Bon Coin, avant que je possède une voiture et avant que j'aie Internet... Du coup, j'avais, pour mon premier appartement, commandé une table sur catalogue qui semblait correspondre à mes rêves. A l'instant où elle est arrivée, j'ai su que cela n'allait pas : trop brillante, trop neuve... Mais renvoyer une table n'est pas aussi facile que renvoyer une paire de chaussures et je l'ai donc gardée.

That was ten years ago. That table followed me in my next apartment and then to Cottage. My idea was to keep it during the downstairs renovation since I didn't mind it being damaged and then to replace it by my dream old pine table.

Even during renovation, I didn't protect the table since I didn't love it.
C'était il y a dix ans. Cette table m'a suivie dans mon nouvel appartement,  puis au Cottage. Je pensais la garder pendant le gros des travaux, puis trouver la table de mes rêves.

Même pendant les travaux, je gardais ma table sans protection, puisque je ne l'aimais pas!
So on the hunt I've been on my favourite site to find the perfect table... for months! Up until now, I haven't been able to find it. Very often, those old pine tables are huge or, huge for Cottage's size, when my cheap and shiny table has the perfect size for my room. Very often they didn't have an extra leaf, when my cheap and shiny table has one. Whenever I found the perfect table at the perfect price, it was miles away, like in the Alps or on the Mediterranean coast...

Cela fait donc des mois que je parcours Le Bon Coin à la recherche de la table parfaite. Mais celles que je trouve sont trop grandes (la mienne que je déteste a la taille parfaite pour ma pièce), sans rallonge (la mienne en a une), trop chères, ou trop loin. 

So I decided to keep my old ugly table. And it wasn't that bad... until as I was still searching the website for the table, I saw an add for... what? you don't think I'm going to tell you today, do you?

It's kind of ok with a tablecloth on, isn't it? Avec une nappe, c'est mieux, hein?

J'ai donc décidé de garder pour le moment ma table moche. Ce n'était pas franchement catastrophique jusqu'à ce que je tombe, en continuant de lire les petites annonces, sur... quoi ? vous ne pensiez pas que j'allais tout vous dire aujourd'hui quand même ? 

What do you think I found?

Alors que croyez-vous que j'aie trouvé ?

See you soon,

A bientôt,


PS: You may notice that the orientation of the table changed after the wall between the kitchen and dining-room was opened so nobody sitting at the table turns its back to the kitchen or to the window.

PS: Vous avez peut-être remarqué que ma table a changé de sens après l'ouverture du mur entre la cuisine et la salle-à-manger afin que personne à table ne tourne le dos à la cuisine ou à la fenêtre.

41 comments:

  1. I love your dinning room new look, and the kitty is so cute!

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  2. I agree with you about shiny ginger pine, it's horrid. But your table looks quite sweet!

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  3. I am delighted that you had the required uneventful week, Magali - apart from The Scary Business Outside, your ankle and the problette at school. I don't think it was a mere fox - that would too mundane; it has to be....The Trash Can Monster!! Hanging on for news on the table ...

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  4. OH MAGALI! The suspense!!!! I can relate to a lot here in your story especially about falling at school and making MISTAKES! And....I too am on the hunt for a small table for a very small eating space in my kitchen, but my good news is that I found it, yesterday! You know, your table is not bad, really! I wonder, would you be willing to paint it?

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  5. Oh scary noises that go bump and crash in the dark of night always keeps us on edge here as well, we have a scary train that makes noises and that alone will awake you to wondering is it something else.
    Nice to see the changes here, your table is sweet and paint to it could make it feel smaller and blend in with the white cottage now!
    I am looking for a small drop leaf so I can use it as a side table.... For some reason it's always the most difficult piece of furniture to find, and one that is perfectly fitted for what style you are looking for, I know this well.

    Will see you soon, hopefully with a beautiful table.

    Xx
    Dore

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  6. Je ne dirais pas que tu as trouvé la table parfaite où alors tu as bien cherché et trouvé "la table" de tes rêves
    vivement la suite de l'histoire
    Belle semaine à toi

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  7. Tease!!! and I would take your shiny pine table over my dining room table in a heartbeat!!! Hope you found something awesome. Happy Monday!

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  8. So happy the kitties ran inside the house, while mama protect them from the wild beast! Sprained ankles and mistakes equals a wonderful pine table from an ad down the road! One can hope:) Kathleen in Az

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  9. Magali,
    That table is so sweet. OMG about what ever critter or creature was trying to get into your trash can. Glad the cats came right in for you. I came around the corner one night to put something in the trash and as I came around there was this huge raccoon sitting on the trash can trying to get the lid off. He took one look at me and showed his teeth and I said no worries and backed away quickly to the house. He was the size of a bear I swear. Never seen one so big. So I let him have at the garbage can and went back into the house. Hope your ankle is better.
    Kris

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  10. You are cruel. I , also, love old pine tables . And I would not mind hearing about your sprained ankle . Cottage is looking quite beautiful . I just bought an old "flour mill" table , but it needs some work. My husband puts up with me though , and he already glued it and now it is "airing out" as it had been stored in an old basement. I bet yours is in better shape!

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  11. Creepy story with the trash and all, I agree, tiger or polar bear sounds more 'feasible'! ;-) As for your find, I'm guessing, you found chairs???

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  12. Je dirais que tu as trouvé le prince charmant qui en plus est ébéniste et qu'il va te faire la table de tes rêves.
    Non sans rire, as-tu trouvé la fameuse table que tu cherches?
    Sinon la table en pin qui est très bien mais qui ne te plait pas, tu pourrais peut-étre la poncer et la relooker à ton goût.
    Allez, fais tout plein de câlins aux matous. Bisous bisous. Babette

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  13. tombée sur un tutoriel pour vieillir les tables vernies ???? de quoi s'occuper l'été lorsque les artisans bichonnent Cottage...
    à bientôt - monique59

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  14. I'm guessing that you found a table, but in case it does not work out, could you rough your table up a bit so that it is not so shiny? I think you could sand the finish off and then beat it a bit to make it look a little more worn. Since it is the perfect size and has a leaf it could be perfect with a little tough love.

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  15. Wow..what a tease..sorry your week wasn't nearly as boring as we had hoped for you..looking forward to whatever the fabulous find is..so for now..here's hoping this week is truly boring..the entire week.! no lions..tigers or bears oh my.!! over here i would have put money on that noise being a racoon..

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  16. Maybe it was a raccoon or a possum? Anyway I agree with Jessica. You could try to sand off the factory finish and either restain or wax the table. I do like the shape and legs. Or was it a newt able you found an ad for? Can't wait to hear the end of the story.

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  17. Hi there, Your present table is lovely as it is but perhaps if you give it a bit of chalk paint and wax it up you may love the table again. We are used to wild animals , we live 5 miles from the Florida Everglades so bears walk around here all the time. They love to push trash over for me to pick up. That's ok I love watching them going about. Have a great week, Lisa@ Sweet Tea N' Salty Air

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  18. When I was reading about your nighttime noises, my first thought was a raccoon as we get those around my area, or even a possum, which I do not like as they are scary looking. A fox would be so cool! Good thing you got the cats in!
    I would not let them out anymore! Mine do not go out as there are cougars around here, too.

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  19. J'adore la manière dont tu racontes ta frayeur, en tous cas je n'aimerais pas du tout croiser un ours qui ouvre les portes fermées à clé !!!
    J'espère que la cheville va mieux et que l'erreur à l'école n'a pas trop de conséquences...
    Vite, vite, la suite pour la table...
    Bonne journée et une semaine très très calme, en espérant que cette fois, ça marche !
    Nathalie

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  20. Hi Magali, sounds like you need to have your kitty's trained to attack. Scary when you can't really see what is going on, and us single girls just to be extra careful. I hope that you ankle to healing well. I like you table it just the right size. Take care. Jo

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  21. Around here, we never leave garbage out because of all sorts of critters, most notably bears. I'm guessing it was a polar bear, because everyone knows they're ubiquitous in France ;).

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  22. Magali, I laughed all the way through the first half of your post. Honestly, you told this so well. I think it's the best scary story ever! I'm still giggling. I've always thought the table cloth on your dining table to be charming, and thought it was a "French" thing. I didn't know you were covering up a despised piece of furniture. LOL. I like your table, actually, but I understand how it is when you have your heart set on something different. So now we wait to find out what you found. Okay, fine. Be that way. ;-)

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  23. How the mind plays tricks in the dark - you did make me laugh! With the table, you know what will happen. You will buy the new one and then miss the old! xx

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  24. A good smile on my face because I could so relate to what you were feeling. When I first bought the Charmer I was single, and I was always afraid to go down in to the dungeon, so I would send my dog down there and if he didn't bark and came back I new I was safe to go down. I like your table and think I would lightly sand it and stain darker.

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  25. I would of been scared too... But it is cute how your imagination ran wild.
    I have no idea what you found, but it has to be good!
    xoxo Su

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  26. Oh, poor you, what a fright! I also think that it was a polar bear, but really a prince turned into a bear by a wicked witch. Next time, perhaps a kiss?
    Amalia
    xo

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  27. I am liking the polar bear story the best. I would say that it sounds the most exciting....I could feel your cats fear! LOL Sounds like you have had quite a week. Maybe this week will be boring for you. Way to keep us in suspense! Have a great weekend Magali!

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  28. Well, you have left us hanging! Don't take too long to finish the stories you hinted at.

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  29. Your fertile imagination got me thinking. Glad it was just a fox! Well...now I want to hear all about what will be of the table.

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  30. Magali me me he divertido mucho leyendo tu blog. tu sabes que mi esposo esta de viaje y ando escuchando ruidos que estando el en casa jamas los he oido que bien que mi gato me acompana y nos protejemos los dos juntitos jaja .. espero que ya estes mejor de tu pie,me gusta mucho ver las fotos de cottage se ve tan bonito y tu mesa se ve bien lo mismo me encantaron las fotos de tu blog. anterior a este. ..hasta la proxima y cuidate nelly

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    Replies
    1. Siempre hay tantos ruidos en la noche en una casa cuando estamos solos ... me pregunto si haces esperan el momento más tranquilo para decir " hola estoy allí ! "
      Magali

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  31. Ohlala, quelle histoire!))

    J'attendrai le suivant;)
    Bisous :)

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  32. Oh Magalu this is such a fun post - just what I need!
    I can relate to polar bears and wild tigers!
    The dining room will be lovely and your pine table looks at home there.
    I await to hear what you found this time!

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  33. Sheesh, and just two minutes ago I wished you a boring week. Maybe you needed one more to make it happen, and it's my fault for being late :( Sorry about your ankle, and the scary garbage can incident, and the school problem. I hope whatever you found makes up for all of that! Did you find a table, I wonder?

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  34. Such a tease. Sigh, well I can't find a sweet table at a price I can afford, so I'll assume you can't either. :) we have foxes near where I live, too...WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY? Jamming now. ;)

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