Hi there

Welcome back, and a big bienvenue if you’re here for the first time : )

Last Friday was about to be the new Thursday but now this week is the new last week - see what on earth I’m talking about in This week… For the next month or two, please note, by necessity, this newsletter will be bi-monthly. Paid subscribers will automatically have an additional two months added to their subscription.

Let’s begin…

Alethea x

A request… I’d be so delighted if you shared this newsletter with family or friends who might enjoy it! Every new subscriber helps grow our community, boosts the newsletter’s profile on this and other platforms, helps build the pipeline for the Ateliers business and ultimately supports all the initiatives at Les Plonges. So, in the spirit of sharing is caring - if you refer six subscribers using the button below (the tech brilliantly tracks it all), you’ll receive a complimentary annual subscription as a thank-you!

Silver linings…

This week is the new last week (!) as life had other plans. My apologies if you were devastated by the lack of Adventures & Ateliers in your inbox last Thursday. I do like to keep a deadline, so skipping a week was a little off-brand.

Now, onto the (many) silver linings…

While I was away, my amazing friends here took care of Romy, Nala and ‘Madame’. Bisous!!! Meanwhile, I was looked after brilliantly, and got to spend time with my sister and Dad. We even managed an un-planned fly-by of one of my dearest friends, allowing many hugs to be had. Another bonus was seeing my fabulous god-daughter. I was incredibly fortunate to see an amazing specialist, and feel extremely lucky that the uninvited lump visitor will now be regularly monitored. And then, finally, I was so, so, so incredibly happy to be home to this amazing place 😃 Yes, I have used a ton of superlatives in this paragraph, but in this instance I can't help it.

Meantime, the lawn (yawn, obsessing, I know!) is tufting away… but the big news was the Abri bardage being underway. It’s now finished and it’s magnificent. Such beautiful work, big thanks to R & J!

Romy had a great time with her friends, and in the span of a week, Spring has absolutely sprung, cue my entire camera roll being nothing but flowers…

‘Little Miss’ La Petite Maison gets a facelift

From my very first visit, one of the biggest draws of ‘Madame’ was the endless potential of the outbuildings, in particular, La Petite Maison, La Petite Grange and the Grand Grange. Each an integral part of my eventual atelier plans.

With that vision firmly in place (and meticulously mapped out in multiple powerpoints, speadsheets and strategy docs!) I set about roadmap planning. Central to the ateliers would be on-site accommodation for participants. Ideally nine or ten bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, spread across the property. Yet with the eye-watering costs of renovating an old property like this I knew this transformation would not happen overnight.

To bridge the gap between now and the eventual full-blown ateliers, I needed to create some interim income streams to shore up the reno budget, starting with vacation rentals. First up is La Petite Maison (LPM) - the low-hanging fruit of the property renovation.

This standalone cottage, save for an adjoining metre thick wall to the main property, already had its own parking, access and private terrace. It needed a refresh rather than a full-on reno. Plans are for a simple, quick and inexpensive turnaround. Within three months of acquiring the keys, work was already underway.

Whilst I return to life and work in The Hague in November, the mild, but messy, destruction begins. Firstly, removing the concealed kitchen downstairs. Though innovatively designed, it made the space feel dark and the kitchen itself needed updating. The enormous doors are carefully stored in the Grand Grange for their future home in the events kitchen. Meanwhile, the builder sends me regular progress images of destruction!

Upstairs, the bedroom is set to undergo a small re-configuration with the removal of excess cupboards to allow for a double bed, a new floor, electrics and painting. The bathroom is refreshed, but, for now, doesn’t require a start from scratch renovation.

As ever, once you start a project like this surprises are inevitable. In this case the biggest hidden challenge is the electrics. The property has five tableau scattered throughout, presenting the electrician with some fun puzzles to decipher. Given the age of the property, it was no shock that over the years things had been wired together in a somewhat… creative manner. My priority is safety and on a practical note, feel you can never have enough sockets or lighting options!! Since the entire property would eventually undergo an electrical overhaul, it made sense to bring LPM up to standard now so it could seamlessly integrate with the future system.

Fast-forward to April the following year, I returned to Les Plonges ready to see the progress IRL after four months. The living area was now flooded with light. The new handmade kitchen had all the essentials and was just waiting for some painting (my job) and tiling (which I’d definitely need help with!).

The overwhelming number of ceiling spotlights have been toned down, cut from ten to four. The kitchen’s wall and hanging lights were now in place, the glass shades re-purposed from The Hague and the chrome wall lights from an old ship found in a salvage yard near Dordrecht.

Upstairs, things were still a work in progress and I had a mountain of painting ahead of me, but it was nearly there. Plus the fun part was just beginning, decorating!

More on that next time. 

More Snapshots of the Domaine Les Plonges ‘journey’ every week. 

Possibly you found your way here via Instagram? @domainelesplonges? If so, an extra Bienvenue! You’ll already know I love a good visual. So here I’ll share others and a little more context behind the images…

Whether it’s discovering unique work by artists and designers from near and far or rummaging through vide greniers, brocantes, and hidden treasure troves, I’m always on the lookout! I’ll be sharing my favourite artists, designers and sourcing spots here 😄 

Binga-tastic

This little fellow is my favourite hippo. Liberated from its pod of fellow soapstone hippos on a Mutare roadside along with five other soapstone sculptures. I still remember, my brother, sister and me, boarding our return flights nonchalantly pretending our hand luggage was light as a feather as we lugged what were essentially bags of rocks.

Over the years, one of my brothers and I made rather a (bad) habit of buying sculptures, eventually upgrading from hand-carrying to shipping them home. On one family trip to Bali, we ended up with a crate. Cue a fractious trip around Rotterdam port three months later (NB: it is HUGE, poorly sign-posted and alarmingly easy to almost reverse into the sea) only to realise our beautiful Indonesian haul wouldn’t quite fit in the car…

Though nothing beats my old Dutch teacher’s commitment to bringing home an enormous Buddha figure from one of his many trips to China. With no extra seats available and the piece too fragile for the hold, he spent 14 hours holding it on his lap. A different era! Certainly, the passenger you’d be willing NOT to sit down next to you, haha!

On our many trips to visit family in Zim over the years, I’ve collected Binga baskets, weaved work, carvings, more soapstone (er!), woodwork, metalwork, ceramics and fabrics. Show me a local artisan, roadside, market or independent store, and I’m happily browsing. Not the holiday tourist ‘tat’ (although I’m sure some has slipped in), but proper artisanal craftworks.

So, imagine my delight when I discovered Collaborative Craft Projects (CCP). When I bought this property, I knew I wanted to incorporate my southern hemisphere heritage into the decor. And believe it or not (my friends definitely don’t!) I didn’t have enough ‘binga stock’ to fill the extra wall space, transitioning from Dutch apartment to French farmhouse. Traditionally Bingas are in neutral tones, but while searching for Zim suppliers I stumbled across the Twabanemaano Group’s fabulous Binga Brights, made near Hwange – and instantly knew I ‘needed’ these vibrant creations in my life 😊 

Since then, I’ve been a huge fan of CCP and their dedication to preserving the traditional skills and natural heritage of Zimbabwean culture and craft. Every piece is an original, all handmade using sustainable practices, ethically and fairly traded and, best of all, empowers women and communities.

As a major simplification of a complex situation; let’s just say Zimbabwe’s economy is difficult for the majority of the population. Supporting small enterprises like these collaborative partnerships under the CCP umbrella provides a lifeline to women and remote communities across Zimbabwe.

Jane, CCP’s founder, spends a good percentage of her time on the road, visiting local collectives, communities and individual artisans across Zimbabwe, and beyond, including Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa. CCP’s pieces are available for sale globally, (check their website for country links) and only a few weeks ago, their collaboration with UK lighting company, Pooky, went live. Bravo!

There was just one hiccup for my Binga Brights obsession: CCP is a wholesale supplier. Despite briefly considering a bulk order (enough to cover one side of the Grand Grange!), I decided I’d have to wait until either my Zim cousins visited here or I went there. Fortunately, CCP was invited to exhibit at Paris Design Week last year and while sadly I was unable to make it, Jane kindly arranged for me to buy some (see here) of the exhibition pieces. Yay!

Check out the Collaborative Craft Project website or Instagram, for brilliant products and inspiring stories.

Who made that deadline anyway?

A lot of the time, I find the answer is simple: me. I did it. Self-imposed deadlines, arbitrary life milestone achievement dates (who hasn’t done that!), and even pushing the timeline for healing processes. Even after a pretty rubbish couple of weeks, I was STILL giving myself a hard time about missing deadlines. However, I don’t think I am alone in this type of behaviour!

My amazing sister (recently ferrying me from one hospital appointment to another) sent a brilliant card with the reminder to “slow down, gift yourself some time instead of hurtling through life at your usual rally car driver speed!” Wise words! Gonna try.

What’s the most ridiculous self-imposed deadline you’ve created?!

Get a parrot…

That’s my Uncle’s response to the Q in the last edition: do YOU have any tips on how to make new friends as an adult? 

“The best way to make friends and acquaintances when you get a little bit older is to own a parrot and to take your parrot for walks (I have a special parrot shoulder-bag). The initial exchange then sometimes broadens out into questions about us and an exchange of telephone numbers. Our last parrot intermediary acquaintance was a cyclist named Jonathan. He had cycled through France and was making his way slowly along the coast to Tarifa, camping in fields at night, where he would take a boat across to Morocco”.

La Petite Maison is back!

Our perfectly proportioned little house is once again available for vacation rental 😃 Tell all your friends 🤣 

Why subscribe?

Simply put, for two key reasons:

1. Safety - it helps me know who’s reading.

2. Support - it plays a role in building the business side of Les Plonges.

There are free and paid subscription options: With a free subscription, you’ll receive a bi-monthly newsletter- just like this one, but different (obvs!)- every other Thursday. With a paid subscription, you’ll get a weekly newsletter, every Thursday. But it’s not just more of the same, you’ll also receive a long list of additional stuff. More details here.

Whichever way you subscribe, I’m delighted to have you along for the adventure - thank you 💛

Ps: If you discover Adventures & Ateliers is simply not your thing you can unsubscribe easily and anytime via the link in footer below.

New disclaimer: If big life stuff happens, I’m giving myself permission to deliver this newsletter a day or even a week late!

Pps: If you’re interested in the tech I’m using for this, it’s Beehiiv. I did a LOT of research on platforms and I’m happy to explain why etc in more detail, just ask. They’ve also given me a partner link, and this gives anyone using the link a 30-day free trial and 20% off your first three months on any paid plan. Note, it’s an affiliate link and I may receive commission on any purchases made through it.

Seeking impartial news? Meet 1440.

Every day, 3.5 million readers turn to 1440 for their factual news. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you a complete summary of politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a brief 5-minute email. Enjoy an impartial news experience.

Join for free today!