Bonjour from Château de Gudanes,
We hope that this post finds you keeping well and enjoying a lovely ending to the summertime.
At the Château the sun is still shining and the trees are alive with birdsong bidding farewell to the last blooms of the garden - roses, lavender and anemones all unfolding in a final display of colour...
And amongst this warmth and sunshine, following the challenges we have all faced over the last year and more, we feel it is a fitting time to now look forward with more hope for the future.
And so, we thought that today may be a lovely opportunity to share with you all the happenings at the Château and we do hope that this will be a welcome surprise in your mailbox.
To begin in February... of last year! An important meeting with the Historical Monuments of France was scheduled and a group of ten were to travel from Toulouse to inspect the Château. We received a very official letter in December urgently requesting this visit as they heard we had been undertaking work without permission!
The Château being a Class I Historical Monument requires permission from all three levels of this government organisation in order to carry out any work no matter how small. Knowing well this fact, and that they are legally able to seize the property from us if they are unhappy, we haven't been undertaking any work over the last years as we have still been patiently waiting to hear back from them for more permits - so far four years and counting!
Fortunately, emergency works are exempt and when we explained the only work we had done was to re-build a wall that had completely fallen in, and also to add several bathrooms which were necessary to inhabit the property, they were very understanding.
And as it turned out, when the Historical Monuments visited they were so thrilled with the work they felt they could trust us enough to give us permission to go ahead in other areas without applying for further permits. After so many years this was a great relief to hear.
In January of this year we have been continuing on with the work from the consolidation phase. The first storey in the Renaissance section of the Château was where we decided to start. We began by treating both the old and new beams and then painted the new French beamed ceilings that we installed in some places earlier. Many of the rooms in this area have hand-painted Renaissance beams and so we researched Renaissance paint colours and palettes to find colours that would fit with this style and respect this period time. We chose a light golden peach and grey blue.
In several of the rooms, where the walls were too uneven and rocky, we installed plasterboard and have since finished priming, plastering and painting these too...
In the same rooms, we installed flooring - terracotta tiles in some areas and old wooden floorboards in others. Terracotta tiles were originally laid in these rooms in the 18th Century and we relaid the terracotta using the same pattern.
Though much more plastering of old mouldings, treating of beams and flooring still remains to be done, optimistically we hope the first floor will be largely finished before the end of the year!
Then, we will return to work on the ground floor...
Meanwhile, in the garden things have been growing equally as fast! We began by developing a garden plan for the whole estate. There are about 12 acres to consider with ancients orchids, woodlands and terraces.
Overall, the concept for the gardens are to mirror the restoration of the interior of the Château. It's about keeping the freedom, the natural state and the wilderness of the gardens as they currently are while just enhancing them a little.
And so, I have been spending most of the evening light clearing, weeding, mowing and planting. I have now been at the Château for over a year on my own, and with Australia still in lockdown from international travel, spending time creating in the garden has been an important way to keep my mind occupied and constructive as I am separated from my family.
Since early spring I have planted and seeded an array of fruits, vegetables, flowers and trees. Both a mix of more mature plants as well as some we hope will grow over time.
I have even created a pond! This is the first of two that we plan to have in the gardens. The second will be a bit larger and have a natural, Monet inspired bridge!
Recently some beautiful old statues have been added which will be focal points of several allées and paths that have been created by planting magnolia and Japanese cherry trees. And at the base of these statues clematis have been planted so that each summer they will be beautifully dressed in blossom...
With our latest update from the Château draws to a close. We sincerely look forward to reaching out again soon with more updates about the gardens and restoration work that are in progress. In the meantime, we hope that you have a beautiful and warm rest of the summer season and beginning of fall.
With our warmest wishes,
Karina, Jasmine and the Château Family x
