Spring officially starts tomorrow, according to Jean-Pierre in our local tabac. Little remains of the pretty snow which fell last week, save on the Pyrenees which we can see in the distance, also now bathed in sunlight. We have had a week of hard graft, knocking down walls to create larger rooms and making our main bathroom temporarily functional. My husband and stepson Jack took great pleasure in demolishing the grim WC and shower just off our existing kitchen. It already looks so much better! Next job: putting in a steel in order to knock down the wall between it and the next room. This will create a lovely spacious kitchen and dining area.
Hard at times though it is to be covered in brick dust, the reward of knowing we are creating a beautiful home keeps us motivated and excited. Now we have warmer temperatures and stunning blue skies, we all seem to have renewed energy, including Eddie & Alfie who bound about along the canal and in the woods.
I decided to drag my husband away from the plumbing and electrics yesterday and, dogs in tow, we headed up to the 13th century fortified city of Minerve for a well-deserved day off. This is simply stunning: a higgledy piggledy collection of small cobbled streets surrounded by a deep gorge and grottos hiding in the rocks. We stumbled upon a little restaurant looking over the river, seemingly carved out of the hillside, and had a leisurely lunch in the sunshine. “This is what it is all about really,” said my husband. He is right: life is to be enjoyed here, the pace is slower, the people less stressed. If you are pondering areas in France, I would recommend the Languedoc Roussillon, it has so much going for it: a great climate, proximity to mountains and the ocean and Spain is just down the road. You can read more about this and other areas in my comprehensive France Buying Guide:
Fortified by a day of relaxation, my husband is turning his attention to what will be our bedroom, looking out on to a balcony with 3 full length windows taking in the morning sunshine. He has already planned a little dressing area and an ensuite for us. As for me, I turn my attention to future colours, lighting and furnishings. I am lucky to have a great friend, Nadya Sawney, who has transformed many houses into warm homes with her wonderful eye for interior design. She has kindly agreed to come down here in the summer to help us. You can take a look at her work here:
This is in truth a massive project. Some friends visited us for lunch this week and said they thought we were brave to take it on. It will take a while to finish but the key to success and happiness, as with many things in life, is to enjoy the journey as well as looking forward to the end result. I can tell you it feels so good to know we are here for several months and it is up to us how we pace ourselves, no-one else. Renovating a house like this requires energy, an ability to “rough it” and a vision. I think both my husband and I have all of these in equal measure. If we have ever had a moment’s doubt about the enormity of the job, we simply have to take a look at any one of the 7 marble fireplaces, the back lit huge stained glass hall window or indeed our village itself, almost the colour of peach in the evening sun, and we know we have done the right thing.
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