I joined my husband for a couple of days in our house earlier this week. I flew into Beziers Cap d’Agde Airport in my warm boots, having left a cold rainy Luton Airport behind just over an hour before. I was greeted by sunshine and palm trees waving: a great omen. We lingered over a glass of wine at a 17th century port at Marseillan in the late afternoon sun before heading back to our house. “I must say French plumbing is a bit of a minefield,” said my husband. However, not one to sit on his laurels, since he had been there for a few days before me, he had already installed 2 stop cocks, bought a shower unit and a water heater, not to mention finishing his drawings for our new balcony and spiral staircase outside. He had earned his glass of Minervois wine in the sun…

This would be our last time here before we come back down for several months with Eddie & Alfie. Driving from village to village, watching the hills in the background is a joy. Relying on my slightly better command of the language than his, my husband decided to wait until my arrival to sort out our bank account and telephone. So off we went to Carcassonne the next day and both of these rather important items were taken care of. It was all pretty straightforward, French bureaucracy notwithstanding, and as always I was ably assisted by my very own French Buying Guide(www.francebuyingguide.com/guide.htm)! Carcassonne is stunning, I look forward to a proper visit to the ancient city in the weeks to come.

On Wednesday the sun shone again and I sneaked over the square to take a look inside the stunning 14th century church whilst my husband was up a ladder checking out our rather archaic fuse box. The interior is so beautiful, it took my breath away. It is uplit at night, bathed in yellow and can be seen from afar as one approaches the village like a welcoming beacon. I realised that our new life in France is something I am so ready for.

Everyone we have met in our village and locality has been friendly and helpful. “Bonjour Rod,” said the chap in the plumbers’ merchants. They shook hands and I was introduced to Christophe. He welcomed us to the area and admired our sense of adventure he said. “You know, I have not encountered a single unfriendly face here” said my husband. “I just don’t want to go back to the UK.”

But back we came to be greeted by 2 wet noses and a lot of wagging. The thought of our dogs joining us in France for several months is a great one. The French are huge dog lovers and we will have no trouble finding somewhere to stay on the long journey down by car which welcomes pets. Excellent news too: Eddie & Alfie have passed their blood tests! Their passports will be issued imminently so we are free to travel with them very soon. Next time I will be writing from our house, no doubt in front of a roaring log fire, dogs at my feet.

I just cannot imagine life getting any better than this.