The Qu'ill Special Edition: Five Years On!

2007-07-07

Five years ago today, through the amazing efforts of our incredible Realtor Janet Moore (can't say enough good things about her!) Quail Hill found us!

And it was (believe it or not!) The Seventh Listing on that sheaf of papers that Janet handed to us as she tooled us around the area, looking for our 'forever home.'  

Lots of changes have happened: kitchen, hallway, stairwell, foyer, dining room, all had their 'bovine beige' covered with lovely Tuscan style colours.

ComeWhatMay:Quail Hill said 'BUY ME and RESCUE ME' and we did. I could readily understand why it was pleading to be rescued when I first walked in through the front door and up the stairs..the Kitchen..O MY.. It had been FRESHLY painted a lovely BOVINE BEIGE!
(The former owners in some misguided frenzy to get the house 'ready to sell' had painted the ENTIRE HOUSE this lovely shade, including the CLOSETS! Even the bathrooms didn't escape; they were were painted two shades lighter, sigh) There was Absolutely No Way I was going to spend my first winter looking at Bovine Beige Kitchen walls! My Scandinavian genes (which scream for strong bright colours in the winter-time) kicked in BiG TIME! So with the help of my dear friend Petra and SIX coats of paint later (the owner had even put a sealer coating on top of the beige in one section to 'protect it from kitchen splatters'..can we say sanding for hours? ouch ugh) we had achieved the colour combination I could live with: Fontareches Twilight, Sunflower Gold, and Lussan Coral Stonewash.
Over the next three years, the Hallway (Lightshine Lemon) then the Living Dining Room (Fontareches Sunset) and Stairwell (Uzes Sunset, Lussan Blue Portal and Senanque Lavender) were finally painted.
I just love the fact that when the lamps are lit in the Living Dining Room, from the street it gives such a warm welcoming glow. 

ComeWhatMay is now happy and though our bedrooms have yet to be done, that can come much later..

Other renovations done by our OCC (outlaw construction company, my inlaws David and Helen) saw them installing a back deck 

and three sets of stairs built up 'that hill',

andd....

(o be still my heart..) 
an ENSUITE SHOWER! (after two years of no shower in the ensuite I was THRILLED!).

 

This year, for our 35th Anniversary: a new sign for the front of the property

 

and now fencing (both done by our wonderful wood carver Michael Gerbert) just to round things off.

Not to be outdone, on the second terrace of Quail Hill, the Hidcote, Munstead and Stones Lavender plants that Ms P and I put in that first October (07), have thrived and will soon need to be harvested.

But most of all: the Quail Room (our guest room) has welcomed folks from BC to California, to Alberta to Belgium - all of whom seem to want to take a nap as soon as they arrive. 

So..when are you 
coming for a visit? 

(I can rustle up clean towels and sheets in a jiffy)

Blessings from a half decade of Quail Hill memories:

Shanti.