Sunday 21 February 2010

What's in your attic?


Just look at those cobwebs... We have bats too!

After a busy week decorating, we are finally getting there in the lounge. Alan took a couple of days off so that we could progress well and we have! Without him, all this would have taken a lot longer. On Thursday, I went in to the loft in search of a carpet to go under the stairs. This is a temporary carpet until I find a vintage rug which I like. As I picked up the carpet which was close to the wall, I noticed a mark on it and then felt that my fingers were wet! As I looked up at the wall this is what I saw...


A wet wall...

Prior to that, I had not noticed it. It is more visible on the photo because of the flash. We had to move several things out of the way. Some things have been damaged by the water...
It is in the hands of the insurance company...still waiting for someone to come out and look at it! I am praying that it won't rain until then. We were told that someone would be out to see us on the 3rd March! I complained saying that it was too long to wait in view of the nature of the problem. We were promised that someone would call back to see if they could fit us in sooner. No call yesterday...




Is your loft looking like that?... We have so many boxes to go through and sort out....

Whilst moving boxes around I opened one and found some childhood books and homework books.

Oh dear....


I was 9 years old when these were marked. Looking through my geography homework book, I was reminded of how much detail was expected. Each week we had to draw and colour maps, name rivers or places. What struck me is how negative the comments were. When you didn't make any mistakes, the teacher wrote Vu (seen) never a "well done" or "good" and she always seemed to find something to pick on as reflected in her comments throughout my homework book. Examples: "badly written, not neat enough", "Horrid", "Start again" along with many other comments of that nature....I don't recall much encouragement. I went to 8 different schools as a child. Although I do have a few good memories, overall I was very glad to leave school.

Another find were these books, "Alice" I was so in to these. As soon as I had my pocket money I would go and choose a new title to read. They are brilliant mystery books. As I got older, I went on to read Agatha Christie's books instead.



I remember wanting to be her when I was 12/13 years old, she was pretty, confident and had such a sense of adventure. She always solved things!


The illustrations are great.

Back to work again...Adding those finishing touches now, my favourite bit! It is so satisfying to see an idea you have in your head come to life.

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

UPDATE 24 Feb : Loss adjuster is finally coming to have a look at it tomorrow!

51 comments:

bellaboo said...

Oh dear,what a shock to go up in the loft and find all that water had been leaking in.I do hope that none of your things have been damaged.What a horrible teacher you had,no wonder you couldn't wait to leave school!
I found some old letters I had written to my parents while I was in Canada for three months...fascinating reading because I can't remember half the things I did there!I don't know what happened to my school books though,probably a good thing if they got thrown out.I wasn't very academic.

Bellaboo :o)

Heloise said...

Hope the insurance company come soon and there is not too much damage. Interesting to see your school books. I've been rediscovering things in my loft as I had it insulated recently. Trouble is one can become too absorbed in what is there.

salty pebble said...

ohh no thats not good they should have been out straight away with water comming through the roof!!
especially as it more than a trickle!...hopefully it will all get sorted ;0)xx
i have so many box's and plastic containers under the stairs (which is my loft)...i always make such a mess when looking for things hehe
but i know what you mean about teachers and how they marked books when i was a child...i didnt find out i was dyslexic til i was 22 and at university!!
my teacher would write things like your academic age is 7 when i was 11!
but with no help to improve or a well done for trying!...i was glad to leave school too ;0)xx

good luck with the decorating xx

Sal said...

What's in my attic ? My bedroom!!
We had a loft conversion , two years ago!
We had to clear out our loft which was a good thing..masses of junk up there!
We also had to have a bat survey, (the council insisted) which was a joke.
A so called 'expert' came and charged us a ridiculous amount of money to tell us that there was no sign of any bats.
Needless to say, you can guess what the builders found!!
Some expert !
Love your books..especially the illustrations!
;-)

Stephanie said...

I hope the water damage isn't too bad but you've done the right thing by documenting it with photos while you wait for the insurance company. How fun to go through some of your childhood memories in those boxes though.

KC'sCourt! said...

You really don't want to know what is in our attic! Our attic is full of stuff - not much of mine.....the family crib, the christmas decorations and.........my husbands collection of Vintage Radios, bit of HiFi, old records and the boys computer games machines, in fact I lie awake at night staring at the ceiling hoping a crack does not appear!

Hen said...

Sorry to hear about the water damage, Isabelle. I would tell the insurance company you will get someone yourselves and claim the money back if they don't pay ball soon. My parents did this and got a new roof fitted themselves, the insurance had to pay later. I appreciate it's a hassle anyone could do without but I think the forecast is for plenty of rain next week. Lovely books you found though. Looking forward to seeing the lounge makeover. I never go in our loft and leave it to the other half which can mean only one thing - it's a hideous tip! Well, back to the painting for me...
Hen xxx

Guenievre said...

Bonjour Isabelle !
Ohh, quelle mauvaise surprise ! Les problèmes d'humidité sont très ennuyeux, j'espère que vous allez trouver un bon artisan pour y remédier. Il y a une quinzaine d'années, nous avons eu un appartement humide, et au hasard de la rénovation, nous avons fait une mauvaise découverte : les bois étaient attaqués par le mérule ( mauvais champignon) Beaucoup de travaux et de soucis ... Et comme nous aimons l'ancien, nous avons fait très attention pour acheter notre maison.
Dans mon grenier : tous mes livres que je lisais enfant (hors de question de les jeter), de la vaisselle, des vieux cahiers, tapis, etc ...
La maîtresse était sévère, lol.
Bon courage pour les travaux.

Annie said...

My attic is also full of boxes including all my old school books, the only difference , you have lovely stone walls. I hope the water hasn't damaged anything precious. We had a flood in our usually dry cellar after heavy rain a couple of years back. The insurance company did eventually come out and pay out for some rolls of coir flooring that were ruined. It's the clearing up and drying out that is the worse bit so I do sympathise.
Ann x

Francine Gardner said...

So glad I fell upon your blog...you brought me back to my school days in my small village in France. Les cahier d'ecoles...did you ever receive the "coup de regle sur les doigts" As for the roof leak...we have a couple ourselves....goes with ownership of an antique house

Angela Smith said...

My attic is empty which is one of the reasons Mr Smith keeps moaning that we have no room in our house. It is not the easiest of lofts to get to and so it is easier to store everything in cupboards and under beds. I know what it is like to have a leaking roof, hope it gets sorted soon with not too much damage done, at least it gave you the chance to reminisce!

Michela said...

What a tidy attic you have Isabelle! To enter mine you should wear a ghostbuster's outfit!
Can't wait to admire your lounge!
xxx

Sylvia said...

Hi Isabelle,
I do hope there's not to much damage. We also have many boxes and stuff to sort out, we're busy now cleaning up and painting a few rooms.
What an annoying teacher you had !
I also love reading Agatha Christie's novels.
Have a nice Sunday,
Sylvia

hens teeth said...

Oh dear Isabelle...it's one forward and two back...Hope you get sorted out and soon. x

Charlotte said...

Is my loft looking like that? Sadly my OFFICE is looking like that. Chaos reigns here!

Hope the insurance people pitch up soon.

I love Agatha Christie... comfort reading. (Odd really that murder should be a comfort?!)

Love Charlotte
x

Laura @ 52 FLEA said...

Hi Isabelle! Yes, my attic looks like that!!! So much to sort through and clean out! I am sorry about the water and hope that things get fixed soon! Your Alice books remind me of my Nancy Drew mystery books which I was so enamored with when I was a girl! I moved on from there to Agatha Christie too! Hope you have a good Sunday!
Take care,
Laura

melanie said...

The Alice books are fab, love the illustrations!
We plan on sorting our loft out aswell, though I am dreading it, as there is all sorts up there! xxx

Cape Cod Rambling Rose said...

Though not stone, our attics look very similar! Mine has boxes stored up there and we don't even know what is in them any longer, save for one box of little trinkets I inherited when my grandmother passed away. I know going through that box will make me weep, so I've left it up there until I'm ready. ;) As for the water, I'm praying ours isn't wet YET, as we just discovered our roofing tiles are starting to let go!

kirsty said...

Hi Isabelle
Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog. Poor you with a leaky roof! Our attic is much worse than yours - it's full to bursting! I rarely go up there as you literally have to hoist yourself in through the roof door (our step-ladder isn't tall enough) and I inevitably bang my head on the huge beam above...OUCH!

Enitram said...

There are some problem in your attic but you have tried some treasures about your girlhood!!!
Good evening!

Clare said...

Oh no how awful Isabelle I do hope they sort it all out soon! What horrid teacher comments...we're always told to balance critical advice with a positive as well...!

vintage flair1 said...

My attic is scary!!
I am sorry to hear about the water,and nothing precious has got ruined.
Take care
Bridie x

Victoria - Florence and Mary said...

Fingers crossed the rain holds of for you Isabelle and you have your loft sorted soon

Victoria xx

A time to dance said...

You cant get away with marking books like that now...two stars and a wish a level and a target...we often write more than the children....we have similar problems with leaks at the moment to I can sympathise...H

Country Cottage Chic said...

Oh dear! Hope they can do something about it before it rains too much!

My loft is full of boxes too (and probably a few mice....)
There is also an old bedstead left by previous owners but we have no idea how it got up there as it wouldn't fit through the opening into the loft.

Jayne

Kissed by an Angel said...

I hope that there isn't too much damage for you!!! fingers crossed the rain hold off too!!! My loft is exactly like yours - maybe even worse, but minus the leak!! Hope it's fixed very soon!!
xxxx

Reading Tea Leaves said...

That must have been a shock Isabelle - good luck with your insurance claim. Our attic is full to bursting too but I can't bear to part with anything up there ... and it just goes to show that little gems you had forgotten about can be re-discovered at any time!

Jeanne x

Pink Feather Paradise said...

Oh dear... I dare say it was when the snow melted and all the water seeped in...

good luck getting it fixed and there is nothing in our attic... I have decided that if it goes up there we don't need it... plus the hatch is teeny tiny and I don't like dark small places and spiders...

x Alex

andamento said...

Oh dear, hope it gets sorted soon! We have two points in our house where water comes in if it's very very wet, so far we've not been able to find out exactly how it's getting in. It seems to dry out fine inbetween storms though so we're not unduly concerned...

Andi's English Attic said...

Oh that's not good. Hope you get that phone call and they fit you in earlier.
Does my attic look like that? Most of the rooms in my HOUSE look like that! xx

Louise said...

Having been flooded not very long ago , I feel for you,try and get someone to put a tarpaulin over the roof for you to at least stop the rain coming in perhaps.
Hope you are keeping dry
Louise xx

The Vintage Bazaar said...

Hope the water doesn't come through... we have leaky windows & doors.. still waiting for planning permission to replace them... never store anything in our attic as I don't think it would survive! Ah, the joys of old houses!! Lizzie x

Monica said...

I have the livingroom with a fireplace, hubby's studio and one bathroom in my attic! And my own place with a collection of teddy bears!
Sorry to hear about the water damage, hope you are not having too much water these days!:((
Hugs,
Monicax.

VintageWantsNotNeeds said...

Oh dear sorry to hear about your leak - water makes such a mess. I have nothing in my loft - just had it insulated and dont know how they managed to get it up there as my loft hatch only measures around 10" x 14". Hope the insurance man comes out sooner rather than later.
Debbie

The fabric of my life said...

Oh Isabelle honey, you poor thing. I do hope it gets sorted out soon, before it does anymore damage.

Our loft is empty as we haven't boarded it out and we intend it to stay that way as the house is already choc a block without stuffing the loft too!

Kelly said...

Oh I hope it was ok, My loft is not wet but needs a good clear out! In fact i have it planned in for the weekend!!!

Kori said...

Oh no! So sorry about the water darling! I was cracking up at your Goonies story. Such great memories huh? Hope you are doing well. Kori xxox

sarah-jane down the lane said...

Fingers crossed you slept in a dry bed last night? It has been torrential here too.

Those Alice books look wonderful, I think I should have loved them too!
Your maps look brilliant to me Isabelle that stinky old teacher was obviously pretty mean and miserable! I am giving you a large pink tick and a "well done Isabelle, wonderful illustration x"

Sarah x

Lisa said...

Oh no, I hope the insurance company visit very soon and all will be resolved as quickly as possible. It's such a worry when things like this happen to our precious homes.
Your Alice books remind me of the Nancy Drew books I used to read, I adored those.
Lisa x

harmony and rosie said...

So sorry to hear about your attic, I thought of you yesterday when we had nothing but rain. What a nasty, nasty teacher you had - probably had a very unhappy life and took it out on the children!

Good luck with the roof.

Kate x

The Vintage Kitten said...

What a shame, I hope the water hasnt done too much damage and the insurance company sort it out for you. I have an old leaky roof and it has come through our bedroom ceiling and left a mark. We desperately need to replace our roof but funds wont allow. I did enjoy your childhood memories, its always lovely when you come across things you havnt seen for a long time. X
P.S My attic is full to the brim!

Pamela Jane said...

Hi Isabelle, hope your attic is not too much worse for the rain. Funny to note in your cahiers that your critical teacher herself had to cross out a mistake in her comment.

Catherine said...

Hi Isabelle! i know these little books" bibliothèque verte" . Your execise books , it was in France , where was you at the time? do you remember all the names of the french rivers??? good evening Catherine

Carole said...

I could spend days looking at old boxes of things from the past ..mine or anyone elses. How great to still have your school work to look back upon. I'm sure mine got all thrown out years ago.
Good luck with the claims adjuster!
xo...Carole

Country Style Living said...

I hope the wet isn't too much of a problem, and gets sorted out quickly. We still have boxes to sort, it's the first to put something, when you can't find a home for it, there or the garage

Gaynor at Fanny's Vintage Kitchenalia said...

What's in my attic ?
boxes, boxes & boxes, fortunately I decided to start using clear plastic storage boxes with lids a few years ago. They make life so much easier when I'm trying to find things. I also put a list of the contents inside the box facing outwards so I can quickly identify the box I want. I have a lot of vintage china & collectables stored in my attic, hopefully if we have a leak like you've had, the plastic boxes should keep everthing dry, assuming they're airtight that is !
Love the pics of the countryside around your home, also the Grace Kelly pics are beautiful.
Best Wishes

Auntie Cake said...

Hi Isabelle,
What a wonderful space! It was so much fun visiting you and catching up with all that you have been doing. You have such a charming life!!! I adore those sweet homework books and your childhood books. What a fun find!

Have a great weekend!
Kate

Tarnished Royalty said...

Old houses ~ love 'em and hate 'em. All the trials we go through with the remodeling are worth it in the end though, aren't they? And hey, they build character too!

Josephine Tale Peddler said...

What a lovely old attic you have, Isabelle! I do hope the costs aren't too heartbreaking for you and Alan. Fingers crossed.
That Alice collection looks exactly my cup of tea. I would love to read them now! Do you remember Misty? I haven't seen Alice before but I will look out for her. She is certainly prettier than Trixie Belden! I have long toyed with the idea of writing mysteries for YA. Miss P will enjoy that collection! We don't have an attic - we had to build a little storage type attic to our terrace. There is no room for even a bat! Thank you for introducing me to the plucky and pretty Alice. xx

Pomona said...

I think your exercise books look wonderful! Especially for a 9 year old!

Pomona x

leoniepimpon said...

C'est avec plaisir que j'ai parcouru votre blog, et je tiens également à vous dire que les livres d'ALice ont bercé ma jeunesse. Dès que j'en commençais un , je ne pouvais plus m'arrêter, et le livre me suivait partout,jusqu'à la table du repas où je le posais sur mes genoux pour continuer à lire tout en mangeant, mais je me faisais gronder par mes parents... Maintenant je suis grand-mère et j'ai trouvé presque toute la collection des ALice dans les vide-greniers pour mes petites filles. Il ne doit me manquer que 5 ou 6 titres. Je ne désespère pas de les trouver tous. Amitiés. Martine