Time and Chance

The paths we take in life, I have frequently thought, depend to a large extent on time and chance. Some people we meet, some places we go can be either a momentary diversion or a life-changing experience. There are times when had we gone the other way, taken a different job or bought a different house, we would not have followed the same path. Life may have been entirely different. I feel constantly lucky that I met my husband, the notorious Mr. Fix It, relatively late in life and that we both held the same dream: to find and then live in a beautiful house in France.

We have been here for almost exactly 6 months now, and I can scarcely remember a day when the sun did not shine. We are often asked if we miss anything about the UK and in truth we simply do not. We are surrounded by vineyards, mountains, space and never fail to feel our spirits lift as we drive out from our village, eyeing the Pyrenees, still snow-capped, away in the distance, watching the dappled light fall beneath the plane trees.

We have been blessed with a visit from my dear mother-in-law and sister-in-law this week and have seen our surroundings anew through their eyes. “People don’t seem to hurry here,” said Pam, my sister-in-law, “they seem somehow more content with their lot. There is less fear here, life is to be enjoyed”. Indeed, Pam has been so taken with the area, she decided to stay a while longer: there is much to see down here and the tranquillity has given her not only the ability to rest but to have renewed vigour before she goes back to her life in the UK.

Mr. Fix It and I have thought back to the last 6 months and to what we have achieved in this huge house. It is a process of enjoying life to the fullest whilst still planning on the next stage of renovation. Our kitchen plan is perfect on paper and when I look into this large room, light flooding through from east to west in the morning and the reverse in the evening, I can visualise how it will be when the wood floor is down throughout, the sink is sited underneath the west window and the granite worktops are in place. As I look through to the garden I can see our family and friends sitting around a large table only lit by candles, music playing through our huge speakers (already in place in fact) in the ready-made alcove. This, along with installing central heating, will be our next large phase of renovation. Much though I have become used to making do with our mini oven, makeshift worktops and rudimentary cupboard space, I know I will be thrilled to have a large and beautiful kitchen, the heart of the home.

So this week has been about planning and making time for our family. We enjoyed a wonderful day out to the great city of Narbonne, ambled around the cathedral cloisters, walked along the avenue of trees by the canal and soaked up the summer atmosphere.


It is hard to believe that half a year has gone by since we crossed the Channel to begin our adventure and life here in France; enough time, one might say, to become familiar with our surroundings but not nearly enough to complete this massive project. We have found that somehow it is possible to enjoy the journey and live life to the full whilst looking forward to the end result. Time and chance have looked on us kindly so far and for that we are eternally grateful.



Alexis
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/