Champagne.



The year started boding well with a couple of bottles of champagne in the fridge left by the guests that had stayed over Christmas and the New Year as a 'Thank You'. A bottle of Bollinger and a bottle of Taittinger, I kid you not. 'Taittinger was the Queen Mother's favourite' remarked His Lordship as he studied an empty magnum of Don Perignon 2000. 'Any more riveting snippets of useful information' I query. 'Place a conker in every corner of every room of the house' he retorts, 'keeps the spiders away'. He's got an answer for everything.

Mind you I'm feeling jolly pleased with myself today. I've re-positioned the computer in a room that now boasts two sets of French windows, one leading onto a balcony and one leading onto a terrace with a window in between. It didn't come easily mind, I had to persuade His Lordship and friend to knock a wall down yesterday thus making the most marvellous space between kitchen and living area. In the mornings we get the sun streaming in and the open fire in the kitchen makes the open plan theme eminently livable and agreeable. At least everyone else thinks so except you know who who muttered the word 'bedsit' under his breath as we all sat covered in brick dust and clutched a large glass of red. There then proceeded to be an exchange of opinion, a tiff even, a full blown row. 'You wouldn't know a bedsit if it jumped up and bit you on the nose' I blazed. For someone who has only just accepted that it is okey to actually eat in the kitchen and for years suggests that 'kitchen suppers' are a cop out by people too idle or mean to heat or clean their dining rooms the ding dong quickly cleared my newly created open space as people scurried off to their rooms seeking tranquillity.


I've been half heartedly taking down the decorations both in my open plan apartment and the more formal Le Chateau but in between bouts of wrestling with baubles and tinsel and under the clever guise of pretending to work I can indulge in one of my more favourite occupations of gazing out of the copious windows. I can't help but notice however that my inbox keeps filling up with enquiries, an extraordinary amount under the circumstances and I wonder if the bottles of champagne wouldn't be better off stored in the fridge.

Comments

deborah said…
ah - "open plans" work very well for casual & intimate dining - also a great space to store dinner guests who prefer to stand in the kitchen to talk to the cook, despite the kitchen being quite small and there being close to thirty people for dinner....

bollinger, eh? lulu labonne has been buying oysters to which i suggested an oyster roast - i've never tried oysters and champagne together.....

what is a "conker"?
Cait O'Connor said…
Yes get that champagne in the fridge Sally. If you were here you wouldn't need a fridge for the ice though!
LittleBrownDog said…
Oooh, sounds as though things are looking up in all directions chez le Chateau. Yes, I agree - an open-plan arrangement is lovely. One doesn't want to be formal ALL the time, after all. Even when sipping champers.

Happy New Year!
Linda Crispell said…
How do you get anything done with your beautiful view?
Linda
Ah we are open plan and love it - pictures please when it is all respectable. I love the casual way you said you persuaded HL and friend to knock down a wall . . .
Frances said…
Yes, Sally, how easily that wall fell!

I wish you a Happy and very prosperous 2009! Lots of guests, and lots of happiness, and lots of time to look out those windows.

xo
Pipany said…
Happy New Year Sally and love the idea of the wall going in the blink of an eye! xx
Pondside said…
A sure cure for the after-Christmas let-down........knock out a wall!
I had to laugh at your description of the disagreement. Kitchen suppers are the only thing on offer at this time of year at my house!
Sally's Chateau said…
Deborah, a conker is a horse chesnut, hope you get to try oysters and champagne together, a great Christmas Eve favourite over in France along with fois gras.
ChrisH said…
Sod work! Open the champagne and drink to your beautiful views!
Mean Mom said…
You knocked down a wall in your house?? That was very brave! What if the house had collapsed, or am I just a bit of a scaredy cat?

The previous owners knocked down the wall between our kitchen and dining room, which is great, because people can chat to me, whilst I am cooking, without getting in the way!
Tessa said…
I can't see out of any window in the entire house today. I rather feel as though I'm on an airplane coming in to land at Heathrow. You know that kind of gloom? The one with a hint of doom? Bit like the feeling one got when going back to school, y'know?

Anyway, at least I get to look out of your lovely windows vicariously. And there's absolutely nothing stopping me from feasting on oysters and champers. Thanks Sally, for your wonderful blog!
Françoise said…
Bonne et Heureuse Année, Sally!
I don't like eating in the kitchen but it's only because I prefer not to stare at the clean-up while i eat. Your new space sounds great.
I plan a visit to La Liberté in April and may drive by to have a glance at the Château. Bookings are OK for me too. Fingers crossed!

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