Spring is officially here!

We have daylight now till around 7.15 pm and from Sunday of course, the days will stretch further till well after 8.15 pm. What a difference an hour makes! We have felt Spring like for many weeks down here in the Languedoc Roussillon (there has scarcely been a day without at least some sunshine and many with clear blue skies) so our thoughts have turned this week to planning our garden space.

Outside space with a property is not so easy to find in these parts: this, the largest wine growing region in France is home to so many who spend their days working outside tending the vines and so do not have quite the same craving to laze in the sun as we Brits may have! One of the many reasons we hit upon this beautiful old house was its large courtyard space of around 200 sq.m. which is perfect for Mr. Fix It and I – and I venture to guess is fine by Eddie & Alfie – neither of us being hugely green fingered although still keen to have space to sit outside long into the evening as the summer days stretch ahead.

Having constructed 2 new doors with steps down which used to be windows on to the garden and either side of the double front door, the garden space instantly becomes almost fused with the inner space for a good part of the year. Even though we have yet to “do” our garden, I remember countless evenings last year when we sat outside with friends and family visiting; music, wine, laughter and of course Mr. Fix It’s famous barbeque on the go (another one of his talents).

Plans for our garden? Well here in the South of France swimming pools are very common. As you fly into either Carcassonne, Beziers or Montpellier you can clearly see swimming pools dotted around the countryside and it’s easy to see why: with over 320 days of sunshine to enjoy and temperatures often reaching into the 40s in July and August, a pool becomes perhaps not a necessity but certainly a sensible option. We have planned a small pool for one end of our garden, just enough space to cool off and practise a few strokes we thought. There is something magical about sitting close to water even if one doesn’t venture in and knowing Mr. Fix It, our pool will be well lit inside, lending a luxurious air to this space.

Most of our garden will be levelled over and paved but we will retain a portion at the opposite end from the future pool as a space for plants and 2 existing trees. One side of the garden is walled (I love walled gardens) with a strange feature in the middle which we intend to develop in some way. Ideas welcome, here it comes!


The season of Spring invariably brings with it a sense of optimism and new beginnings and here in the South of France there are notable differences as the days grow longer: parks and gardens in our nearby towns of Carcassonne, Narbonne and Montpellier are open longer showing off their fresh green colours, the pavement café tables are filling up and restaurants become busy both at lunchtime and in the evenings. A visit to the stunning ancient Cathar village of Minerve the other day and a delicious lunch sitting outside overlooking the massive gorge over the River Cesse renewed Mr. Fix It’s vigour to press on with work on our kitchen. As for me, until the day when our kitchen is finally in, I have no complaints: Minerve and so many other villages and towns here are so beautiful, so relaxing and reached by such leisurely traffic free, tree lined roads, I am quite happy to look far over to the mountains in the distance and enjoy the moment.

Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Francebuyingguide.com

Have a look at my website at: http://www.francebuyingguide.comAlexisThe Overseas Guides CompanyFrance@overseasguidescompany.com

Kitchen planning – and more exploring in the sun!

With a little help from a friend – the lovely Trevor who was with us last week – we have achieved a huge amount this week. Remember the picture of the window in the kitchen we were planning to raise in last week’s blog? Well I have news for you: it’s all done! Just raising this by around 9 inches has made a massive difference, not only aesthetically but in terms of light flooding in – not to mention now being able to see the sky above the terracotta roofs of our neighbours.

Our large white ceramic sink will be sited underneath this window and of course whilst the boys were working on it, I was already planning my pots of herbs and the like to sit neatly in the sunshine on the windowsill.

Between them, Mr. Fix It and Trevor dug out the floor and laid the plates and joists in order to level it off ahead of putting down our wood floor right through this room. Before this however comes the important task of electrics. Mr. Fix It says this is very simple – but then he would as he has done all this before several times in the UK! In France there is no ring main system, everything is done on spurs. Each appliance such as cooker, oven, hob, air conditioning unit, fridge, needs its own circuit breaker on the fuse board. Further, you are limited to 8 double sockets (prises) per spur and no more than 8 lights can be put on one lighting circuit. It is vital of course to stick to the rules and we have been lucky to find an excellent electrician to oversee what Mr. Fix It has achieved so far. You are at liberty to carry out any electrical works yourself but they must be approved by a qualified French registered electrician who will then issue you with a certificate confirming that the rules have been followed.

Mr. Fix It’s lighting plan for our kitchen is truly something to behold. With soft spots on the ceiling, hidden lights under wall cupboards and space for at least a couple of table lamps, I know that this will transform this space we have, as only good lighting can do. We have shopped around over the last year for wall lights, low voltage tracks and table lamps. It is a joy to look around the many “vides greniers” (street sales) and “brocantes” (antique shops) which abound in rural France. We bought this lamp for just €20 a few months ago. And yes you guessed it: I caught Mr. Fix It on a small wine break – well he deserves it after all!



As the old saying goes “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” and living in France renovating this house makes us feel that there is a great deal of truth in this. Thus it was that we headed out at the weekend and explored around and about in both the Aude and the Herault. Our house is just over the border in the Aude. We are quite literally surrounded by vineyards and are still finding new places we have not come across before. On a beautiful day here (of which there are so many) there is really nothing nicer than having a glass of wine, a leisurely meal on a “prix fixe” menu – oh, and meeting a young friendly cat. As Trevor said to us before he left to go back to the UK, you can see for miles around you wherever you look in this stunning part of France – and no-one seems to be in a rush to get anywhere.

Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Have a look at my website at: http://www.francebuyingguide.comAlexisThe Overseas Guides CompanyFrance@overseasguidescompany.com

Fun in the sun in France!

It is so hard to believe we are still in early March down here in the Languedoc Roussillon. The sun shines most every day, each day is lasting longer and it will not be long before we are sitting out in our garden well into the evening. Despite the mammoth task we have taken on in renovating our house – or perhaps because of it! – we have been out and about this week to some favourite places and some new haunts, making the most of what this area has to offer: the bright sunlight, the proximity to the ocean and the space.
We took Eddie and Alfie to the beach at Agde, close to Beziers the other day. They bounded around like small children, bemused by the soft sand and splashing in the sea. This is a wonderful time of the year: there are few tourists but just a sprinkling of people out enjoying this balmy spring weather. Who can resist sitting in a pretty restaurant on a boardwalk overlooking the sea, eating freshly caught fish? Mr. Fix It and I could not.


There is something wonderfully unpretentious about the seaside here in France. In fact, overall we have found there is less “keeping up with the Jones’s” than we have been used to in the UK. I wonder if this is because of the space in this country. People are less stressed when they live in spacious surroundings and it is as if the French have less to prove to each other. There is also something intangible and extremely attractive about their way of life – a certain “je ne sais quoi” as they would say. They stop for lunch; they linger in cafes and chat in the markets. Mr. Fix It and I have noticed our own perspectives on life change over the last year since we have been down here, most definitely for the better.
A trip to a pretty village called Ginestas, just 15 minutes away from us, completed our weekend break from the renovation. We came upon a wonderful restaurant with a raised terrace and sat in the sunshine. These are good moments, ones when we still feel as though we are on holiday until we realise how many beautiful villages and towns we have right on our doorstep to lure us away from the work in hand: yes we live here, this has become our home.


Back down to earth with a bump on Monday and a good friend from the UK arrived to give Mr. Fix It a helping hand: and what a helping hand indeed. In just one day Trevor has dug out our kitchen floor and levelled it off ready for the new floor to be laid. This is hard graft and for jobs such as this it is your friends who are the best to call on to help. Eddie and Alfie gambol happily in the rubble: oh if only they could dig a little deeper and offer some help!


(With Trevor’s wonderful, hands on assistance, we will soon see the window in the above picture raised by around a foot. This will not only enable our sink to be sited underneath, it will afford us more light and views of the blue sky beyond the rooftops to the mountains in the distance. Maybe this is what life offers one here: the ability to look afar and combine a love of the present with a plan for the future. Isn’t that what life is all about after all?

AlexisThe Overseas Guides Company
Have a look at my website at: http://www.francebuyingguide.comAlexisThe Overseas Guides CompanyFrance@overseasguidescompany.com

Take a peek at some of our fine French features

Mr. Fix It has been beavering away this week preparing for our kitchen floor: no mean feat since the foundations must take in his electrical plan as well as being solid enough to take the wood which will eventually go right through this large room with its quirky corner fireplace. Almost exactly a year ago we walked through the door of our house, feeling a mixture of amazement, trepidation and excitement at what we were taking on. I still remember this kitchen as it was: 2 rather grim rooms with a makeshift shower and WC at one end, scarcely big enough to accommodate a mouse, and a dull mud coloured sink at the other, long long past its sell by date. Mr. Fix It can be justifiably proud of his achievements to date.

Meanwhile I continue to revel in the features of our house, many in built, some left to us by the Church from whom we bought it. The floors, for example, are beautiful and in perfect condition, giving us inspiration for future wall colours. Our larger living room, with its square proportions, easily takes this pretty pattern.


I have always taken the view that it is vital not to take things for granted in life and to remain grateful and admiring of all the good things which come our way. A year on and this house continues to inspire me: the style is extraordinary and even now there seem to be new features to discover here and there. Each marble fireplace has its own style and colour. Look closely at these and imagine how the fine and intricate detail was created long ago.

We had a visit from “Monsieur le Cure” the other day (the priest). A smiling, friendly chap with a humorous twinkle in his eye, he looked up from our entrance hall, across to the kitchen and over to St. Francois, the statue which remains in a niche and seems to look over us. “A house like this must be treated in the same way as a beautiful woman,” he said with the assured air of someone happy in their own skin. “With loving care and attention.” With a sideways glance at Mr. Fix It, I think all three of us knew he was speaking to the converted.

Every now and again I venture to our top floor, waiting patiently for the Mr. Fix It touch, and discover something new. This picture, buried beneath various Catholic missives, came to light and we vowed to find a special place for it in due course.


Descending our grey marble staircase I always pause on the landing where our massive stained glass window panel allows in the morning sunlight. This feature is one of the loveliest here and can be seen as soon as one enters the front door.



So many details of this house are stunning in their own right but when looked at as an ensemble, they give it an air of grandeur and importance. The key to renovating it with flair is to emphasise the features and build on them to make our house into an impressive but comfortable home. We strive to look at both the finer detail and the bigger picture with that goal in mind.


Alexis

The Overseas Guides Company

http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

A feeling of Spring in the air here in France!

“I can’t believe it is still only February,” remarked Mr. Fix It over the weekend, “just look at the blossom everywhere!” Nature plays by its own rules and the sight of glorious blossom in all shades of pink and white along the sides of the country roads here give us cause to feel that Spring is just around the corner. I drove over to the next village this morning: a wonderful open drive where you can see far into the distance. This one was one of those mornings when everything was crystal clear and the Pyrenees stood majestically in the distance almost willing me, it seemed, to reach out and touch them. Having returned a week ago from the UK, the sharp contrasts between these 2 countries is still uppermost in my mind. Driving is no stress; in fact it is a pleasure. The sky is almost always a strong blue; there is little dullness here. The ancient monuments stand tall, oozing their sense of history, coming into their own, we always feel, as the sun sets and they are seemingly magically up lit in a soft orange glow.

So as the days stretch out Mr. Fix It has been preparing the first stage of our kitchen renovation, clearing out the floor to prepare for the timber and joists which will play host to our huge strips of wood, waiting in the wings for their place in this house. Next will be planning the electrics, a huge task but one which affords us complete choice as to where we site sockets and lights. Mr. Fix It has a “thing” about lighting – a good thing! It is a vital part of making a house feel like a home.

Sunday saw our village come alive: a “vide grenier” or “attic sale” all along the promenade. Always on the lookout for artefacts for our house, we found a beautiful picture, some old iron “log holders” for some of our fireplaces and some exquisite linen (the French do “do” linen well). If you keep your eyes open you can usually find at least one item which may suit amongst the many stalls and the sense of community here is tangible.

We sat outside for lunch and for the first time this year, had a drink in the evening in our garden as the sun lowered. Sunset does not come till around 6.45 pm these days and if I can prise Mr. Fix It away from the “kitchen” with a tempting glass of wine (usually fairly easily achievable), then this is the time I think we both enjoy the most.

Our friends and family keep a track of our progress on this house and those who have visited thus far have immediately seen the potential offered by its huge spaces and grand proportions. It’s true to say that not everyone would have taken on such a project and we envisage quite a while until we can say it is “done” but since we have only ourselves as our judge, we can choose how we spend our time and much of that is spent enjoying life down here in the Languedoc Roussillon. A year on and life in France just gets better.

Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company
Have a look at my website at: http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Back in the UK for a brief trip – and my joyous return to France!

We have been living down here in the Languedoc Roussillon for almost a year now and with each passing month, the desire to stay grows stronger. It is as easy to take to living in France as a duck takes to water, we have found. One’s perspective on life changes and our homeland, the UK, takes on a different persona; or maybe the changes we see there each time we visit are more marked. Suffice to say that I could not wait to return home to France. As the plane sweeped over the coast at Beziers and back in to the airport mid-afternoon, the sun shone and the ocean glistened: an utter contrast to the start of my day standing on a sardine like platform waiting for the next tube and then being truly canned, sardine like again, as I entered the train. Oh, I am so glad to be back in France!

An early start this morning, easily achieved by waking up to the strong sun beckoning. I took this picture as I walked through our village to buy my morning baguette.

Mr. Fix It has been holding our French fort! I returned to a grand display of lilies, a handmade St. Valentine’s card and several noticeable signs of progress in our kitchen. The stained glass is just about in place and the plans for the design almost complete. As winter gives way to spring (it already feels much more like the latter), the sun takes up its glorious position of streaming through our front door in the mornings almost urging us to come out and play.

I am looking at the blue sky as I write and having seen a tiny bit of this in the UK (it’s not easy is it?!) I realise why it feels so different here. Why, it is a different shade of blue! It is a strong blue, almost azure. There is no grey. The task of renovating this grand house becomes easier in this climate. I think that, coupled with the space we have, the huge rooms, high ceilings and perfect tiled floors, make our project all the more joyous. We still have a long way to go but we can do it at our own pace: life is to be lived and enjoyed and living in France gives one the means to achieve this effortlessly.

We could not resist another visit to Marseillan the day I returned. As we sat in the sun with our glasses of fine French wine, we realised that the appeal of this lovely little port lies in its flavour of real life: it is not a tourist trap as such but a place where people live and work. We watched a fisherman bring in his catch and then looked up as the sun was momentarily hidden by the fine coloured spinnaker of a yacht coming in to moor up. The graceful old buildings on the other side gleamed. I could not help but compare this life with our previous one in the UK and be truly thankful that Mr. Fix It and I both hold the same dream.

Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Join me as we plan the next stage in the sun!

Every single day this week has been sunny down here in the Languedoc Roussillon. We wake up to stunning blue sky, not a cloud in sight and the days are stretching. Darkness doesn’t fall until around 6.45 pm now and the early evening light becomes golden and soft. It is easy to understand why so many painters found themselves inspired to capture this: the colours are outstanding here.

Mr. Fix It has his work cut out for him and has thus far achieved so much. So it was that we took advantage of this sublime weather (it is hard to believe it is only February) to put our heads together and think about our future plans for this house. Our top floor consists of 6 rooms and has stunning views over the terracotta rooftops and the mountains in the distance. We already have 3 large bedrooms and 3 bathrooms on our first floor and unless we were planning a hotel here, we realised we do not need, say 5 more bedrooms at the top! Mr. Fix It came up with a brilliant idea. We will open up these top rooms (many are simply stud walls) and create perhaps 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a living room. Having already taken several bookings from friends and family for the summer, this will create a fantastic atmosphere: space and privacy for everyone and enough room to host many people at the same time.

Mr. Fix It never rests for long: having pondered this idea for a while as we sat by the sea, he came straight home and put some rough sketches down on paper. One of the joys of having a house which needs work doing is being able, within reason, to plan it just as you would like it – and I can tell Mr. Fix It will enjoy making the most of the space we have at the top. Venturing up there the other day to give fruit to these preliminary thoughts, we looked down to the bottom and it is only then that the solid and perfect tiled floors come into their own. Our entrance hall is square and large and there are 2 great views from here: one to the small living room and the other through the double doors to the kitchen. I feel sure that Eddie & Alfie would agree about the space here: they seem to use a lot of it as a sort of doggie playground. Take a look!

But the sun won this week! We went to a small fishing port called Marseillan and sunbathed (yes, sunbathed in February) as we ate a delicious seafood lunch and watched the world go by. It is during these moments that we feel inspired to carry on with our renovation and although I have said it before, many times, we thank our lucky stars that we chose to come down here to the South of France to live.

Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

A peek inside our beautiful French home

It may sound rather odd when I say I am not sure exactly how many fireplaces we have here but it’s true: I think it is either fifteen or sixteen! Furthermore, all are in solid marble and all draw outstandingly well. In this house of over 3,300 sq.ft. we have, thanks to the Church from whom we bought it, so many wonderful features that we count our lucky stars every day at finding it for just €200,000. Just stop and think about that for a moment: where in the UK could you possibly find such a place, with its wealth of stunning artefacts, for such an amount? I still think of this as quite an extraordinary fact!

Scarcely a day goes by without us thinking about the potential of this house. Yes, we still have a mass of work to do to bring it up to its former glory but the square rooms, high ceilings and the stunning layout with its grand entrance hall and sweeping marble staircase give it such an air of grandeur that even in its present state of on-going renovation, it feels gloriously luxurious. I cannot emphasise enough how great space lends an air of comfort. I find I can ignore the dust and debris; even these two bugbears cannot take away from the beauty, peace and grace that seem to pervade this house. Why, even Eddie & Alfie seem to appreciate it, sitting as they often do in a sunny spot on one of the ancient tiled floors.

There is something magical about a log fire but lit or not, these old, solid marble fireplaces do take some beating. Like to see a couple of them? Coming right up!

As we bid January a somewhat fond farewell, Mr. Fix It has his work cut out for him preparing our future kitchen. He is, as I write, inserting the stained glass in what was once a door but will now simply be a feature at the side of the kitchen. Next stop will be to lay the timber and joists in readiness for our wooden floor which has lain for some months in our entrance hall, drying out and maturing. The joists must be laid ahead of the electrical layout naturally and I have every confidence in Mr. Fix It’s ability and tremendous eye to create a stunning light effect in this, the heart of the home. My task is to source the detail: taps, an oven and hob and then the fun part: wall colours and kitchen equipment, the latter of which we have mostly but I feel sure that fact will not stop me from finding the odd beautiful bowl, jug or candlestick to adorn the corner fireplace.

My dear mother in law, who is staying with us for a while, loves this French life. Naturally, she is used to her son drilling, sawing and the like and she spends many a happy hour simply people watching across from our house to the Church whilst he toils away. “Mr. Fix It is a good name for him,” she said to me the other day. “He was just the same as a little boy.” Ah, the acute memory of someone in her 90th decade!

So as the log fire burns in our sitting room each evening, we all have much to be thankful for as we watch our house become a home.

So January draws to a close, the days are stretching and we look forward to many more days pottering around the markets, quirky shops and fine French towns. Mr. Fix It as ever is still full of ideas and I admire his finesse. We have already achieved so much in this house and shall, I have no doubt, continue to enjoy the rest of what is to come.

Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company
Have a look at my website at: http://www.francebuyingguide.com

Mr. Fix It’s French finesse!

Blessed as we have been this week with wall to wall sunshine, we have taken the opportunity to go out and about, meander through the stunning French countryside catching sight of the snow-capped Pyrenees in the background, walking Eddie & Alfie along the canal, amongst the olive groves and alongside clear streams. These crisp, dry and sunny winter days seem to blow away all the cobwebs and we find ourselves with renewed vigour to continue with our house renovation.

Our kitchen plans are coming along well, yet to be put into practice since there is still much preparation work before the hard graft of putting it all in. We have very high ceilings in this grand old house and Mr. Fix It will lower the kitchen one slightly in order to effect a great lighting scheme to shine down softly on the large space. This will be partnered with table lamps above our corner fireplace and hidden spots under the cupboards. Lighting is so important: it can make or break a room. Even with our kitchen in its present unfitted state, in the evening with just a lamp or two lit, a large church candle on the fireplace and dull light from the oven, the space feels comfortable and welcoming. Mr. Fix It has a natural talent for design and it shows. He also has a tremendous eye for finding items for this house; he can spot a good one a mile away! He came back the other day, filled with joy at finding some beautiful stained glass to insert in the door we are blocking off from our entrance hall to our kitchen. “Can you believe I found two pieces with a fleur de Lys emblem and two with a Tudor rose?” How very fitting! The glass is opaque, slightly beige/yellow which will tone so well with our plans for soft colours in this room.

Looking further ahead, we have found – but not yet acquired – some elegant posts which will hold up our balcony. Whenever we go to Carcassonne or Narbonne, two beautiful towns, we look up and note the stunning wrought iron balconies and posts and brackets underneath. If you keep your eyes open, you can find all sorts of ideas when walking around this beautiful part of France. In almost every town or large village there is a “brocante” shop – a kind of antique cum junk shop and we have spent many a happy hour rummaging around some of these. Occasionally we will find something which stands out and we know immediately that it will suit. I was delighted to find a pure linen bolster cover with our own initials embroidered on it. It must have been meant: there were no other initials available! Bolsters are rarely seen these days in the UK but are still popular in France and our large square bedrooms seem to invite such old fashioned comfort.

So January draws to a close, the days are stretching and we look forward to many more days pottering around the markets, quirky shops and fine French towns. Mr. Fix It as ever is still full of ideas and I admire his finesse. We have already achieved so much in this house and shall, I have no doubt, continue to enjoy the rest of what is to come.

Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company

Have a look at my website at: http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Mediterranean winter sunshine to blow away the January blues!

I don’t know about you but I often find the middle of January to be something of a low point: Christmas is long gone, the New Year celebrations are over, the bills are coming in and those resolutions are perhaps struggling to stay intact! Having spent the holidays in England with our family and catching up with old friends, we find ourselves shaking away those January blues however now that we are safely back in our French home still marvelling at the sunny winter days. As I write, the sun is streaming in through our windows, the church lit up ahead of me as if to say “cheer up, this is going to be a good year”.

Coming back to our imposing house, hungry again for the Mr. Fix It touch, we are relishing anew the space and warmth within its walls. Yes, winter is still here for a while but bright sunshine brings with it an immediate sense of happiness and Mr. Fix It is rightly proud of his efforts to install our central heating which works so well. Our house has very high ceilings and many people remarked that the heating may not be as effective as one would have liked for this reason. But it does! It is dry down here and those old cast iron radiators work so well. Coming down our marble staircase in the morning I often stop on the half landing to admire the beautiful stained glass window through which the sun streams.

It seems to us that French life is very much focussed on appreciating what the country has to offer: beaches, mountains, fine architecture, a wealth of history, wine, culture, cooking and traditions which date back several centuries. Sometimes the French can seem very set in their ways and reluctant to effect change. But we have found this is part of the charm of living here. Life is full of variety and in general the lifestyle is very relaxed. Lunchtime is still an important part of the day. At least one person each day says to us around mid-day “bon appetit”. Yes, there are fine restaurants but also excellent bistros and small restaurants with a “prix fixe” menu offering marvellous value.

Rome was not built in a day, as the saying goes, and thus we are taking our time over our house renovation, eager to get it all right. A year on, we have achieved a great deal but there remains much to be done. One thing we do know however is that we have no desire to live again in the UK, life here suits us – and so many others, young and old alike – very well. There is a feeling of stimulation undergoing a project such as this one and that, coupled with continually maintaining a feeling of still being on holiday, is what makes our lives here so joyous. Tempted to do the same? I do not think you will regret it!

Mr. Fix It and I wish you an easy passage through January – soon Spring will be on its way but for now the winter does not seem so bad, blessed as we are with that lovely Mediterranean sunshine.

Alexis

The Overseas Guides Company

Have a look at my website at: http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Looking forward to a very French 2011

As each year passes and a new one begins, most of us take time to reflect on what has been, what we have done and achieved and then to plan for what is to come. Mr. Fix It and I have enjoyed an extended break back in the UK to spend time with family and friends over Christmas and the New Year. We travelled through from our home in the Languedoc Roussillon by car, passing through 4 more countries en route for England, Eddie & Alfie sweetly ignorant of their increasing cultural experiences.

It occurred to us en route that we now feel very much a part of central Europe; that our perspectives have changed since we have been living down in the South of France for the best part of 2010. We feel as though we are on some sort of adventure and our connection with different European nationalities gives us great stimulus.

We achieved a great deal in this huge house in just under a year. A few weeks’ break from hard toil for Mr. Fix It can only have done him good: we come back refreshed, with renewed vitality and great anticipation for the year ahead. First stop: the kitchen! I confess to being extremely excited at the thought of finally opening my library of cook books and being able to rustle up a variety of dishes. Cassoulet, a hearty casserole from our region, has always been a favourite of mine and I have already decided that this will be my first “proper” meal once our kitchen is in. I will have to wait a little longer however: Mr. Fix It, ever in planning mode, is deciding on lighting, positions for appliances and sockets and heights of both worktops and “L” shaped breakfast bar. Yes, we still have a lot to do in the heart of our home but we will get there: watch this space!

Christmas in the snow with our family was a very welcome break. Mr. Fix It, ever the handyman, powered up a remote control helicopter on Christmas Day to entertain our small nephews and nieces although in truth, it was my 85 year old father (along with Mr. Fix It) who enjoyed it the most: there is a little child lurking deep inside us all!

The seasons in the Languedoc Roussillon are marked and individual and although it is quite a few degrees warmer than the UK and Northern Europe, the winter is still winter: crisp, cold dry air. One thing we notice though, since being away for a few weeks, is the sun: there is simply more of it here! Even a cold wintry day is usually bright and the sky is rarely overcast.

So we are happy to come back and set our minds to elevating this beautiful house to the level which it deserves. Even though the New Year has just begun, we already have several “bookings” from friends and family for the Spring and Summer months. Looking back for a moment and remembering visits from 2010, what we remember most is that without exception, each of our visitors has loved their time with us. Everyone, it seems, likes an adventure, many of us would like to do so. Perhaps it will be your time this year to buy your dream home in France?

I wish you much joy and happiness for the year ahead. I hope it brings you everything you choose.

We are happy to be back in this country of space and beauty. Mr. Fix It and I hope your dreams also come true in 2011.


Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company
Have a look at my website at: http://www.francebuyingguide.com/