Reflections on our renovation

As the year comes to an end, we look back on our achievements in France. We arrived at the end of February and although the house was cold and in need of much work, its proportions were such that we knew even then, in its slightly neglected state, that we had found a great home. Those first few weeks were ones of settling in to our new life and I remember the snow blanketing our village and all around as we sat around log fires each evening and planned the first stage of the work.

One of our first major achievements was knocking the wall down between 2 rooms on the ground floor to create a huge kitchen – closely to be followed by the demolition of the pigeon tower in the garden. I remember both those times as being landmarks in our story: one can imagine the space which results from knocking down a wall but actually seeing the result is quite another thing. Thus it was that our garden took on a whole new aspect and the kitchen, with its high ceiling and great new space, already looked bright and inviting.

The tower was a big job of demolition but once down, made us realise how much light we now had coming in at all levels of the house. The ancient balcony, already crumbling, was next and the new one remains to be constructed in the year to come.

Opening out our big family bathroom was the next step ( hitherto we had had a rudimentary shower in what is now the kitchen!), closely followed by creating doors in place of windows at ground floor level in both the kitchen and the small living room. Then Mr. Fix It, always seemingly one step ahead, designed and installed our 2 ensuite bathrooms back to back.

We have had jolly times with visitors, both friends and family throughout the spring and summer; endless evenings sitting in the garden until the early hours when it was still warm until late September.

Central heating was a big job but is now safely installed. Our house, already warm with log fires each evening, took on the feel of a real home at this point.

As I write, we are staying with friends in Germany en route for England and Christmas time with family. It will be good to take stock, to plan for 2011 and for Mr. Fix It to have a time of rest, recuperation and celebration. We look forward greatly to the New Year and all it may bring, knowing that the sun will always shine on our lovely corner of the South of France and that next year our house will gradually become quite splendid.

I wish you the happiest Christmas, wherever you are and may the New Year bring you peace, prosperity and happiness.


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

The importance of light and space

It is much easier to live in a house undergoing renovation if that house offers you space: with its high ceilings, large square rooms and symmetrical layout, this house fits into that category and was one of the many attractions it held for us when we first saw it. Living in France, one notices and appreciates space so much more – probably because there is so much more of it! Natural light is so important that we could not thrive without it. A room with large windows providing natural light and fresh air means greater productivity and verve: enter Mr. Fix It who has worked tirelessly over these last few months to bring our house back to its former beauty. Having light and space has, I have no doubt, given him increased impetus to carry on.

Our large windows allow us to look at the beauty of nature around us, to watch the world go by and marvel at the huge 14th century church which sits majestically opposite our house. They somehow offer a feeling of a greater connection between the interior and the exterior. We have been blessed with full sunshine again this week, and not a day goes by without our marvelling at how very blue is the sky and how golden the light before sunset.

We count ourselves lucky to have such wonderful natural light. Perhaps this lends inspiration for lighting in our kitchen. Mr. Fix It is as I write preparing his electrical layout plan for this and I know it will be quite stunning: soft lighting under the wall cupboards to show off the granite worktops, lamps all around and small lights from the ceiling pinpointing different parts of the huge space. The importance of good lighting cannot be denied and with our temporary kitchen in place already, a couple of lamps sitting on the corner fireplace, one almost does not notice the fact that we actually have yet to fit the kitchen. Yes, lighting can transform even the dullest room.

With Christmas fast approaching we have taken time out this week to experience local festivities. The run up to Christmas starts later in France but as soon as St. Nicolas (December 6th) approaches, every little village, every town seems to put on some sort of exterior light display: and how well it is done. We visited Carcassonne and sat in the huge square watching the ice skaters uplit from the ice in changing colours. Then as night fell, the trees all around became a blaze of soft colour, the huge centrepiece statue almost seeming to dance in time with the music.

We are leaving this week in the car to drive back to the UK for Christmas with family and friends, our route taking us through Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium. Mr. Fix It can take a well-earned rest from his toils and enjoy a glass of wine or two as we catch up with everyone in England. We wonder if Eddie & Alfie will remember their young days in the UK and whether they will miss their canal side walks here in France. I have a feeling they will go with the flow however, as we have done this year since we started work on this house. A little driving adventure lies in store for them but come evening time, wherever we are, they will be snuggled up to us no doubt, happy to be anywhere that we are.

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

Fantastic Mr. Fix It in full flow!

Like a magician who astounds you with his tricks, Mr. Fix It has seemingly effortlessly started on the hard graft which involves making our kitchen into one of those rooms with the WOW factor. This, the heart of the home, means serious planning whilst the work is going on so that I can still come up with the odd casserole, roast chicken a la francaise or that great regional dish “cassoulet”, all in my mini oven which has served us so well. Thus it was this week that he has fixed us up a temporary kitchen in the dining room end of this room whilst he blitzes the future kitchen end, prepares the walls and floor for future units, oven, hob, fridge/freezer and granite worktops (can’t WAIT for those).

Nine months is a long time to last without a proper kitchen, a simply dreadful old sink and no freezer but I have always taken the view that everything is relative in life and therefore having this temporary kitchen now working, our new chunky ceramic sink plumbed in and even a cutlery drawer (!) in place, it feels positively luxurious by comparison. Naturally, we both have huge anticipation however for how it will be when completed and with 2 cast iron radiators giving out great heat, the corner fireplace begging to be lit and almost a proper worktop for preparation, we are most definitely over the worst and the transformation from its original state is quite extraordinary already.

Whilst there cannot be many of us who consider washing up to be one of life’s joys, I can honestly say that I don’t mind it in the least now, so beautiful and solid is the ceramic sink which will eventually be sited under the back window, waiting to be raised to give more light and afford us more space.

Mr. Fix It’s “Keep calm and carry on mug” serves as a great reminder to go with the flow during this kitchen renovation: Rome was not built in a day after all. One must not forget either that when installing a kitchen pretty much from scratch, a reward is that you can do what you like in terms of lighting, positioning of units and appliances, wall coverings and even doors and windows. We have grand double doors leading into the kitchen and another door has suddenly become somewhat redundant so we will instead make a window at the top giving on to the entrance hall and thus the whole room will seem as though it always was just that: one room and not two knocked into one. Little by little, this stage of our renovation is coming along: watch this space!

The sun continues to shine every day here in the Languedoc Roussillon and I was able to tear Mr. Fix It away from his toils one day this week to walk the dogs by a stream and indulge in one of those typically satisfying “prix fixe” menus in a local French bar cum restaurant nearby. The colours of the trees and landscape as well as the mountain views remain stunning as winter approaches and we revel in that wonderful sense of peace and space as we watch Eddie and Alfie bound along, utterly unconcerned with anything to do with our house renovation.

Not a week goes by without a comment or two from one of our neighbours or passers-by on our progress in this grand old house. Mr. Fix It can be utterly proud of himself as the work continues and we become more and more used to the French way of life. One only has to take a long view, not only through our home but through to the years to come to know that this project is turning out to be quite the most rewarding tone either of us have ever undertaken.

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

French cuisine is on its way!

Like children with a new toy, this week has seen us revel in our newly installed gas central heating. We have concrete floors which retain warmth and these old fashioned cast iron radiators chuck out wonderful and even heat. We still wake up to the sun shining through our full length windows but it is cooler now, so the incredible hard work of Mr. Fix It and Justin, our boiler engineer, was undertaken in the nick of time.

So, warm as toast and basking in the Autumn sunshine during the day, we turn our attention to our future kitchen. This is a great space, around 28 x 14 ft, widening out at the “eating end”. Although I have become used to cooking on our mini oven – indeed a casserole cooks as I write this; it is amazing what you can rustle up in such a small appliance - after 9 months of having no real kitchen to speak of, I am greatly looking forward to this next stage: planning and fitting our kitchen, putting soft lighting in, having a breakfast bar to linger at with a coffee in the mornings, listening to music from the huge speakers which Mr. Fix It has owned for many years and which will nestle underneath the units.

Mr. Fix it is raring to go (his energy is boundless) and his plan on paper looks both slick and functional. Buoyed up by thoughts of fine French cooking from the wonderful cookery book he gave me “Rotis of France”, this coming week will see him putting in the groundwork and me clearing a space at the kitchen end, ready for the wall and floor treatments ahead of the units going in. So it was that we headed off to Ikea in Montpellier to look at kitchens, find a sink, lights and the like and the planning mode will soon become execution mode.

I look back to when we first arrived here, this kitchen space we now have as 2 rooms then, almost begging to be uplifted. The day the wall came down was another one of those days to remember: here suddenly was this new space.

We already have our floor: old pine strips which Mr. Fix It will be laying in due course and I have had the happy task of sourcing taps, lights, an actual kitchen and deciding on which oven to install. The corner fireplace lends a cosy air to this space and with 2 radiators opposite, we envisage many convivial evenings around our dinner table, candles lit, music and hopefully some fine French cooking. We had a taste of what was to become when we had a visit from some of family recently. Why, even Mr. Fix It turned his hand to some cooking.

The concept of DIY is relatively new in France but it is my guess that it will become more and more popular over the next few years. There are some great appliances around however and our American fridge/freezer arrives Thursday, ready to take its place in the new kitchen. This next stage of our renovation is a big deal; after all, the kitchen is the heart of every home. With Christmas fast approaching and a visit to Germany and then to England to spend time with our family on the cards, Mr. Fix It is determined to start the process now and to have it up and running by the end of February. Watch this space!

Meanwhile, Eddie & Alfie keep us grounded. They don’t care about the kitchen and have no interest in our house renovation. They only know that they love the long walks by the canal, sitting by our log fire and tucking in to French dog food: life could be worse for them and for us.

The heat is on!

We all have days and weeks in life which turn out to be little landmarks and which we will remember in years to come. This week has been one of those for Mr. Fix It and I. Yes, you guessed it: our central heating is on, fully operational, fired up and HOT! The bespectacled “monsieur” turned up again just a few hours ago, inserted our gas meter in the wall outside and put the gas on. With a flick of a switch – actually 2 switches since we have 2 boilers in the cellar – Mr. Fix It swung the heating into action. I have watched him pottering to and fro, in and out of the rooms where he has painstakingly fitted these old radiators, as proud as a child who knows he has written a great essay at school.

We look back a mere 5 weeks and note this fine achievement: the road being dug up outside to create the gas run to our house, endless holes drilled into floors and alcoves to receive over 150 metres (!) of copper piping, 2 boilers fitted in the cellar, 9 radiators plumbed in on ground and first floor, sheer hard graft on the part of both Mr. Fix It and the lovely Justin, our English boiler engineer. I feel a small celebration coming on, perhaps that good bottle of red wine I mentioned last week. This one should do the trick…



I confess I would not know where to start when it comes to installing heating in a grand old house such as this one. Mr. Fix It never fails to amaze me with his knowledge of such basic matters. This is more than DIY. He could, in my view, so easily have been a plumber, tiler, car mechanic or heating engineer and his attention to detail is meticulous. A standing joke here in France has been when we meet friends and neighbours around the village and get chatting, as we have done this week at a huge “vide grenier” in our village and I am complimented on my French – to which Mr. Fix It chimes in: “but have you seen her plumbing? Not a pretty sight…” So yes, you guessed it again, we make a good team, he and I, and my lack of knowledge of HOW to plumb notwithstanding, I sure have learnt a lot of French plumbing vocabulary (well, you never know when you might need it).

I am not sure how comfortable it would have been living without heating until mid-November in the UK. Lovely though it is to be up and running, we have in truth not really needed it to date; such is the mild climate down here in the Languedoc Roussillon. Each day has offered full sun, the colours remain outstanding and the sunsets magical. November 11th was a holiday here, to remember the Armistice of the First World War. The weather was sublime and we had a day out in the lovely city of Narbonne.

Village celebrations continue as the lovely autumn season is now in full flow and Friday night we attended a wonderful “soiree deguisee” or fancy dress evening at our local bar. I had no qualms about dressing up as a Spanish dancer, sleeveless in the mild evening air. Mr. Fix It was a cowboy, a persona that does not become him: his work is of anything but a cowboy! We danced the night away, Mr. Fix It’s French coming along apace now as he enjoyed a well-deserved glass or two of red wine. I am not sure I can say the same about my plumbing ability but please continue to watch this space: you just never know.



Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company
Have you been to the main site yet? http://www.francebuyingguide.com

Sunny Autumn days in the South of France

It is hard to believe we are now well into November as the sun blazes down over the colourful vineyards each day. Mr. Fix It flew back to the UK for his dear daughter Rosie’s graduation ceremony at the beginning of the week so for 3 days it was just Eddie, Alfie and I scrunching the leaves along the canal, basking in the autumn sunshine and sitting by a log fire in the evening.

Aside from being a proud Dad back in the UK, this trip gave Mr. Fix It the chance to fall back and regroup, play about with our kitchen plan on paper as he flew north and soothe the callouses which have appeared on his hands from using heavy power tools to drill holes for all the pipe connections to our radiators. Putting central heating in a huge property such as this is a big deal and as proud as Mr. Fix It is of Rosie, I too am proud of him: not only of his ability and foresight (the first time we ever saw this house he clocked the small alcoves in many rooms, as if tailor made to receive pipe runs between floors) but of his energy and enthusiasm to get this huge job done and dusted.

Such is the bureaucracy in France (one does get used to it!), we were obliged to wait for the “monsieur” from Gaz de France to sign off our works and issue a “Certificat de Conformite”: the pipes underground, the location for the boiler, the flue etc. A rather serious, bespectacled chap turned up and gave us the “ok”. Next step: to make an account with one of the 5 gas companies who estimate future usage from the size of the property and await another visit, no doubt from another bespectacled “monsieur” for our meter to be installed in the box outside our gates and finally, for the gas to be put on. This is imminent and no doubt the day it happens will see Mr. Fix It opening one of his finer bottles of Minervois wine.

Meanwhile not a day goes by without my amazement at the balmy days and truly fantastic colours in this, our first autumn season in the South of France. Nature offers us great ideas, I have always thought and as I drove twice to Toulouse Airport to take and pick up Mr. Fix It for his trip to the UK, I marvelled at the sheer reds and burnt oranges all along the way. Even the middle section of the autoroute boasted glorious colour and I began to plan for our future decoration and paint colours as I listened to classic romantic French songs on the radio. Space and stunning surroundings offer inspiration.

Mr. Fix It returned from his trip, happy to be home. “Three days there was enough” he said, “it was so busy, I had forgotten how people race around and how congested the roads are in England. Plus it is at least ten degrees warmer here in France.” The sun shone as he emerged from arrivals and it was hard to know who was the happier to see him: me, Eddie or Alfie.

I am not sure how long it takes to truly integrate into another country. Maybe the length of time is different for each one of us. Both of us having always been truly committed Francophiles, we have taken to French life as a duck takes to water. The secret is to love the differences, all of them, and take the whole package on board. This we have done with gusto as we continue to work on this beautiful house, always taking time to look up at the blue sky, along the tree line and down into the canal waters and thus see this autumn season in its full glory.

Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company
Visit the main website at: http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Another little view of our French home!

As we continue with our huge renovation project down here in the Languedoc Roussillon, we have nonetheless taken time out every now and then over the last 8 months or so to welcome friends and family down here. This, we find, is one of the joys of living in France. Rather than spending just an evening together as we did in the UK, we can spend real time with our friends and enjoy their company as well as revel in their interest in our work. Mr. Fix It is more than happy occasionally to down tools, tootle off to some neighbouring village for lunch and enjoy the company of old friends with a fine glass of Minervois. This week saw us doing just that as we welcomed some of our family down here for a few days. We paid a visit to the old Cathar stronghold of Lastours where we happened upon a Michelin starred restaurant, set on the site of an old factory, nestling beneath 2 Cathar chateaux. Life could be worse!


“This house is splendid,” mused Steven, a lawyer by trade and therefore not one to offer false compliments. We showed them around proudly and sat at our kitchen table for the first time. A log fire in the corner, soft candles and lighting, a little music, some robust red wine and delicious delicacies from the wonderful market in Narbonne: why, we almost forgot we don’t actually have a kitchen fitted yet! So this was a landmark for us: we could see how convivial, warm and cosy this space will be when it is properly up and running.


Our rooms are mostly square and large with high ceilings, our floors splendidly tiled and intact. Although we have a great deal still to do, this house becomes somehow more “lived in” each day. Standing majestically opposite the 14th century church of St. Julien, it invites great interest from passing folk, its Flemish architecture standing out amongst the French houses alongside it. We often wonder about its history, a mission for me in store whilst Mr. Fix It continues to pipe in our remaining cast iron radiators in the entrance hall, kitchen and one of the bedrooms and we await the final “oui” from the monsieur at Gaz de France.

Now in the heart of the Autumn season, fetes and gatherings abound in the villages surrounding us and the colours on the rural landscape are quite astounding: reds, oranges, yellows, browns each take their place and sometimes mingle amongst the trees, vineyards and leaves. The sun is still with us, now lower in the sky but still bright and golden until early evening.

The long views over the hills and mountains which surround our village render us humble: there is a real feeling here of humans having worked the land for over two thousand years. As we continue to bring this house back to its former glory, we marvel at the Cathar monuments, often seemingly precariously placed at the top of a craggy rock, and wonder at their ability to build so magnificently in those ancient times. Mr. Fix It can take heart: his knowledge of house renovation is paying off bit by bit and as the work continues, we revel in this Autumn season here in the South of France.

Alexis
The Overseas Guides Company
Visit my main website at: http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Come with me inside our French home!

Excitement mounts this week as one by one, thanks to Mr. Fix It and Justin working happily in tandem, the radiators are being piped in and we look forward to finally having gas central heating installed in our house. I marvel at their speed and when that Friday feeling came, we went to our little bar for lunch, a welcome and richly deserved break for these two hard workers. With Autumn now upon us, the vines and plane trees have turned to burnt oranges and reds and yet we are still blessed with strong sunshine each day and count ourselves lucky to be living in this bright and beautiful climate. Nonetheless, we have sat by a log fire most evenings now that the air has turned a little cooler.

Mr. Fix It can be justifiably proud of the work he has done, the progress he has made throughout the last 8 months. He is a member of the “old school”, that is to say his motto seems to be that if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well: a fine attitude. It takes time and energy to be meticulous but it pays off in the end and so it is that over the next couple of weeks I invite you on a mini tour of parts of our house where huge improvement has been made so that you can see for yourself.

Come with me now and step inside for a peek!

Small sitting room with fleur de lys tiled floor, marble fireplace, cast iron radiator piped in


Bedroom overlooking the garden, another radiator piped in and another marble fireplace

One of the ensuites, large soft tiles and oblong shower tray

The other ensuite, almost a luxurious bathroom!

Another bedroom, light flooding in from the left where we created a new window to receive the morning sun (and another marble fireplace)

There is something magical about this house: the atmosphere is one of peace and space and I have yet to meet anyone, be it our visitors from the UK or French friends, who has not looked up with an expression approaching awe, not only at the scale and proportion of the rooms but at the amount of work there appears to be in store! Yet it is because of those two things: scale and proportion, that we find it easy to live amongst the dust and debris. Renovating any property can bring with it moments of hardship and I will be the first to admit that I look forward greatly to having an actual kitchen and good lighting. But notwithstanding its present state – work in progress – we feel comfortable and nurtured here. I can only imagine how glorious it will be when it is finished, our balcony in place and garden landscaped.

That day, whenever it will be, is a long way off and in the meantime life down here in the Languedoc Roussillon continues to be full of happiness for us both. Creating a beautiful home, particularly in this stunning part of France, is something I would not change for the world.

Alexis
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

It's a gas (naturally)!

Heating a grand old house such as this one takes some planning. Mr. Fix It, as thorough (and knowledgeable) as ever, has given much thought to this very important stage of our renovation. Having scoured “Le Bon Coin”, the French internet selling site, for cast iron old fashioned radiators, we now have 11 of these ready to be fired up. We will need more in the future of course – our top floor has yet to receive the magic Mr. Fix It touch – but it has been all systems go this week to work out the pipe runs, the location for our 2 boilers and the positioning of each radiator on both ground and first floors. We have a huge cellar! So the boilers will be sited there, vented to the outside with a grille at garden level.

Next step: finding someone to help Mr. Fix It get it all working. Here is where it pays to make an effort to ask around, get talking to people, be sociable. Now Mr. Fix It’s French is not perfect by any means but he is well passed that elementary “restaurant French” stage (as he would put it) and so it was that we found ourselves chatting to an enormously likeable Frenchman at our bar recently who was, like most people here, very interested in our house renovation. His face lit up as though he had discovered some new invention: “Vous allez rire,” (You will laugh) he said, “Je connais un anglais tres sympa qui pourra vous aider” (I know a very nice Englishman who will be able to help you) Enter Justin, who lives in Carcassonne with his wife and young family. He has advised us well and this week sees Justin and Mr. Fix It working each day to get the heating system up and running. “I love it here,” he offered one day, “I do go back to the UK to visit family occasionally but can never see myself living there again.” We could not help but agree with him.



Not one to be standing idly by, I suppose I could call myself Mr. Fix It’s mate this week. As the gas connection finally went through to the cellar, there was plenty of clearing up to do: every little helps as they say.

Meanwhile the vines, now emptied of their grapes, are turning a glorious colour of burnt red and the French Autumn sun has become golden. It still streams through our bedroom window in the early morning and stays with us till 7 each evening, giving a soft, gentle light as it goes down. Eddie & Alfie enjoy long walks crunching through the leaves beside the canal and this beautiful season is here to be enjoyed, as yet unsullied by thoughts of Christmas. We had a great day out in Caunes Minervois one day, meandering around the old streets and celebrating the “chestnut” fete. Who on earth would think of arranging a fete around chestnuts but the French, we asked ourselves! Quirky it may have been but the atmosphere was so special: generations mixing, a small band playing and a general feeling of relaxation.

Thanks to our lovely Mayor, who contacted Gaz de France to hurry them along, we will have our natural gas connected this week and the boilers will start to hum. We have been lucky, we know that: not everywhere in France has natural gas and to have been able to establish this here is something for which we will be eternally grateful.

We look forward to having our heating up and running very soon but meanwhile marvel, along with the animals, at the gentle sunlight which graces this beautiful village every day.

Alexis
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Creating Connections in France

We have watched the guys from Gaz de France work tirelessly this week digging up the road, inserting our meter in the wall outside our gate and installing the pipe run which will run the natural gas to our house. A great and very jolly bunch of guys, they offered to dig through further to reach our cellar where the pipe will connect to the 2 boilers and afford us central heating. Admittedly, these situations are helped by being able to joke with them in French. A smile goes a long way, a “petit café” even further and thereby we have a great connection.



We have been down here in the Languedoc Roussillon for almost 8 months now and have yet to experience the Autumn season. The air temperature is a little cooler now but the sun is still hot and golden. We have watched the leaves slowly fall, the shadows still long beneath them, their colour rust hued. Autumn fetes abound in local villages: the chestnut fete, the lemon fete, the garlic fete: people go to great lengths in these communities to involve the locality and we have felt very much a part of it. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why we love our life here: we seem to have established a connection with people that was harder to find in the UK. I still love the way everyone says “bonjour” when you enter a shop or meet in the street. It is so simple to make friends here.

October 5th was a special day for Mr. Fix It and me. Having known each other for several years through friends, this date 2 years ago was our first proper meeting on our own and what a day it was: an instant connection! So now in France, we decided to celebrate this great day and drove to Narbonne for a wonderful evening. Built by decree from Rome in 118 BC as a trading post along the then newly constructed Via Dolmitia, this city grew to become the capital of the Roman province of Narbonensis and one of the most important cities of southern Gaul, as it then was. Now, it is a beautiful city, graced by wonderful architecture and rightly proud of its situation alongside the Canal du Midi.

Autumn brings its own rewards, the colours on the landscape here in the South of France become golden and thoughts turn to log fires in the evening. Our kitchen awaits the Mr. Fix It touch: plans for its design are already prepared on paper and I look forward to the day I can indulge in some great culinary delights in what I know will be a wonderful room. But for the moment, as always, we are determined to enjoy our life here whilst planning the next stage of our renovation. This huge project would not be for everyone and if I had a pound (or a euro) for every French friend who has walked into our hallway with that very French “drying thumb” gesture, I would be a rich lady! Little by little, however, our house is taking shape and the space and grandeur of this building go a long way to making up for its present – and temporary – shortcomings.

We feel a huge connection with the French way of life already and still marvel at the strength of the blue sky above us. Why, even one rose has stayed with us as summer fades away.



Alexis
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Mr. Fix It and Family

Familiarising ourselves with the French way and becoming a real part of the village seems to have come easily to us. This has been largely helped by our 2 cocker spaniels, Eddie & Alfie, who greet everyone they meet with loving wags and licks. Thus it was that we met Justin the other day in our local bar, a young English boiler engineer and dog lover. Mr. Fix It was in planning mode (as he frequently is) and although his French is coming on apace, it was with some relief that he was able to discuss our heating requirements with a fellow Englishman, well established in the area and totally au fait with the “normes” or general requirements in France for where and how to site boilers, pipes and the like.

We have a huge, dry cellar and Justin advised us that we should go for 2, rather than 1, boilers side by side, to be placed in the larger part of the cellar with flues giving out to the garden. “November was glorious here last year,” he offered smiling. “But you are wise to get this going now; you will be warm as toast throughout the winter with these grand radiators and a few log fires on the go.” Mr. Fix It is justifiably proud of the 9 cast iron radiators he bought on line and seemingly magically connected the first one in our large entrance hall just this week. Neither of us have any doubt that if the dogs could do, they would help and so their interfering noses as he worked on this first one endeared us to them even more.



The soft late summer sun continues to shine, the last few tractors are still harvesting the grapes and we continue to meet Dutch, German, Spanish and English people on late summer breaks by the canal. Somehow one feels much more centred living down here in the Languedoc Roussillon: there is a vibrancy that comes from mixing with our fellow Europeans. Friends who visited us this week looked in awe at this grand house as they walked in: it seems that everyone is bitten by the same lovely French bug when they come here and we found ourselves looking in estate agents’ windows to encourage their dream of buying a property down here. One of them said we were brave taking this on – there is still a huge amount to do – but could see the continual reward which comes as each improvement is made.

Our evening barbeques are not yet over, it is still warm enough to sit outside until late and although our mini oven serves us well, I start to look forward to the day when our kitchen will go in. I can visualise black granite worktops, sleek finishes and soft lighting as I make our morning coffee watching the sun rise in the east. The plans are down on paper, the logistics left in Mr. Fix It’s capable hands. I know this will be quite a stunning space.

Meanwhile Eddie & Alfie, our immediate family here now, with our adult children spread around the globe, help us in a way they cannot understand. Happy to be wherever we are, they have somehow enabled us to integrate into this little community perhaps more easily than we would have done otherwise: France is a dog loving country. One only has to look into their soulful eyes to realise that being here in the Mediterranean sunshine with them as we continue with our renovation has an added meaning. It all seems so easy.



Alexis
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Taking a Long View

Late September has always been a favourite time of mine. Not only is it my birthday month but each one brings forth memories of cold crispy Autumn weather in England when I was a child. Here in the South of France however, the sun continues to shine, unwilling to let go of the summer and as I write this morning sitting at our garden table watching the morning light softly bathing the Church, a handful of metres away, I know there is nowhere else I would rather be.

Having already transformed our house from a rather sad individual, seemingly craving attention, to a warm and welcoming home over the last 7 months we are able to sit back and take a good view in our minds as to the next stage of renovation. Although we have a very long way to go (we have yet to touch our huge top floor with its views over the rooftops) we have taken the view that it is important to enjoy life and do as the French do: work to live, not live to work. The view of our visitors is interesting too. Having had several members of our family and dear friends to stay over the last few months, Mr. Fix It and I noticed that every one of them seems relaxed and happy here. We don’t have a kitchen yet, no wardrobes to speak of, the garden is yet to be tackled and the sun lights up the dust and dirt but the only comments we have had from our guests have been along the lines of “This is wonderful, I wish we could stay longer.” “The house is fabulous, what a find, I wish we could do something like this.” It is a delight to see our house through the eyes of others.

Last weekend was a celebration of “patrimoine” or heritage. France’s Heritage Days give visitors a chance to peep behind the doors of many historical monuments and thus it was that the Mayor offered guided visits up to the bell tower of our Church. Mr. Fix It climbed the 200 steps to the top with his camera – he had always wanted to inspect the roof of our house. “To have a bird’s eye view for a minute was stunning,” he reported. “What a sight!”



Thanks to a good word from our Mayor, Gaz de France will start the work to connect natural gas to our house on October 11th. An extremely jolly little man turned up on Monday with plans and photographs of the existing gas point and the run through to our house. He told me he had been to see the Mayor who had pretty much told him to “get on with it” since the village will be making improvements to the paving in due course between our house and the Church and the gas connection must of course be carried out in advance. We have 9 cast iron radiators ready to go and now must source a boiler and work out pipe runs under the kitchen floor – easily done at this stage. Although it is hard to imagine needing heating as I write in the sunshine, I think back to early March when we arrived here, lighting 4 log fires each evening to keep warm. What a joy it will be to have central heating this coming winter!

Meanwhile we take great delight in taking a long view, looking at the larger picture and a birthday trip to the Pyrenees this week allowed us to do so in style. There is so very much to be enjoyed in this beautiful country.



Alexis
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Letting in the late summer sun

Renovating a large house such as this one takes time, thought and massive energy. Being blessed by the Mediterranean sunshine every day however, fuels all three. Mr. Fix It continues to amaze me with his effortless enthusiasm and ability to restore our property sympathetically. This week he has worked tirelessly to fine tune the 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms we now have up and running. Although it will be some time before they are “finished” (we have yet to decorate, put in wardrobes, finish off the lighting etc.) they are each beginning to look rather like some grand country house hotel rooms and we take great delight in choosing a different bedroom now and again in which to sleep. Little touches like towel rails, loo roll holders, shower fixtures, glass shelves make such a difference and Mr. Fix It seems to somehow magically deal with such detail, anticipating my desires. Everyone needs a Mr. Fix It!

The sun continues to shine and our evenings are blessed with soft peachy light as the moon takes hold and Venus shows us its glory in the western sky. Whilst Mr. Fix It has been – well fixing it – I have taken it upon myself to thoroughly clean some of our windows, many of which are full length. I have always loved full length windows, they lend a glamorous aspect to any property and in this climate they truly show off their glory. Our garden bedroom, still awaiting its balcony outside, sees the sun dancing in from early morning and sweeping away the dust from the huge windows has made a great difference as we awake. I look forward to the day, still some way off, when we plan our top floor with its 6 or 7 rooms waiting for the Mr. Fix It touch.

It’s true that one can get used to pretty much anything in time and so we have hardly noticed the pile of rubble which has remained in our garden, there being plenty of space to BBQ and sit outside in the evening warmth. Still, it was with a great sense of joy that I watched our builders finally removing this earlier this week and now we can see the space we have outside and begin to make our garden design. Before that however, we await our gas connection – helped by our Mayor who has put in a good word for us to Gaz de France – and it will soon be all systems go to install gas central heating ready for the winter.

Every sunset this week has been stunning but on Tuesday it truly took our breath away. We walked by the Canal du Midi with Eddie & Alfie and were astounded to see the entire sky develop the most beautiful colours I have ever seen: a vibrant blue, sharp pink and soft orange seemed to mingle together. There was no wind, the canal simply reflected the colours and it seemed as though everyone there was united in awe at this, one of nature’s spectacles. As the sun slowly lowered over the horizon and we watched the stars appear in this seemingly huge sky, we counted our blessings and wished that all of our loved ones could be with us to experience this, really quite spiritual moment.

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Two Fortuitous – and Very French - Meetings

Mr. Fix It picked up a call from Sandrine at the Mairie on Tuesday. We had heard word of plans to improve the area outside our house and in front of the Church (less than a stone’s throw away) and we were invited to meet right there at 6 pm with the Mayor, various neighbours and others, to find out what was planned and offer our views. This was the first time I had met our Mayor, a lovely teddy-bear like cuddly chap with a firm handshake. “Vous avez une belle maison la,” he told us (as if we didn’t know) “Le village vous plait?”. A resounding yes from us, many handshakes later, our views of the proposed improvements taken into account, we looked forward to a one to one meeting at the Mairie a couple of days later.

This first meeting was fortuitous because we were able to mention our application to have natural gas installed up to our house ahead of the winter. Since the Mairie are planning works to improve the “place de l’Eglise”, our application would surely be met with some interest and priority.

So it was that yesterday we had an audience with the Mayor in his office. He had already been in touch with “Gaz de France” to ask them to treat our application with some urgency. Digging up the road outside to connect our gas should obviously be done ahead of the proposed works for the village. Time and chance was again on our side.

I asked our Mayor if he was happy about so many English people coming to live in this beautiful part of France. “We welcome English people” he told me. “People are people and the English folk who live here are happy to integrate into the French way of life. I hope you are happy here too” he said with a twinkle in his eye. I told him about this blog and he was keen to include it in our village website. It takes two to tango, I thought. If you are prepared to take an interest in your surroundings, the people who live in your community in France, you will be rewarded with friendliness and warmth.

So we await our gas connection and meanwhile can look ahead to a warm winter, log fires in every room and the ambient background heat from our future central heating. For the moment, however, the sun still shines bright and strong, summer is not yet over and the shadows in the early evening sun are long.

The wine harvest has begun in earnest and we have watched many a tall tractor go by ready to pick up the heavy grapes from the vines to take back to the “caves” which abound in this area. The vines last some 25 years or more, grow for around 2 to 3 years before they are harvested and we are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a decent bottle. This, after all, is the largest wine growing area in France.

Yesterday evening I took a walk around our village as the sun gave out its last peachy rays. This is always a special time here: the light is soft and warm and one is unlikely to see more than a tractor or grape picker on the roads. I arrived back at our house to see the sun flooding through the stained glass window on the half landing from the west. Aside from realising that our marble staircase could do with a dust or two (a minor impediment in the greater scheme of things), I thought to myself that here is where I would rather be: we have the time and energy to nurture this house and Mr. Fix It and I consider that we have found our home.

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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/

Beauty and the Heat

Mr. Fix It and I drove out of our village yesterday and across country to the market in nearby Rieux Minervois. The beauty of the hills, vineyards and olive groves in the strong sunshine is simply breath-taking and we were lost together in the same thoughts: how lucky we are to be surrounded by such rich and stunning countryside. Looking long into the distance, seeing the tips of the Pyrenees and the earthy colours of this Mediterranean landscape would warm the heart of the toughest soul. We determined silently to retain our huge appreciation of this region, however long we live here.

The weather is glorious: very hot, very sunny and clear blue sky every day. I walked to the edge of our village this morning and snapped a few shots before the real heat of the day took over. Being so far south means that the contrast between sun and shadow is far sharper than ever we have known in the UK.

With temperatures no less than 35 and many days up to 40 degrees, Mr. Fix It has had a week of relative rest and we spend each evening until late sitting outside and planning our next stage of restoration of our beautiful home. I say relative rest since one day he drove up to Toulouse to take possession of 9 cast iron radiators which we had found on the site “Au Bon Coin” at a knock down price. As Ludo, our lovely friend and owner of our bar, helped Mr. Fix It take the radiators off the van, I was suddenly rather glad to be female: these radiators are a dead weight. For now they stand alone in our garden but once painted and in place they will enhance the character of this old house. We await hearing from Gaz de France regarding extending the natural gas and then we will be sourcing a boiler which will be sited in our huge cellar with natural vent to ground floor level. In this heat it is somehow hard to imagine needing any heating at all and winters are not usually freezing cold here but this is a large house and not to install any heating, despite our numerous fireplaces, would be a little foolhardy. When we arrived here in March there was thick dry snow for a few days, for example, and although this is unusual here, present day weather patterns are ever changing all over the world.

Aside from the beauty of our surroundings which always give us cause to celebrate, this week saw our Renault go back to her French roots! The process of changing the matriculation from English to French number plates is somewhat lengthy but we followed every step and went to the Prefecture in Carcassonne to collect our “Carte Grise” or log book and receive our new number: AY-130-PR. The new number plates in France have the department number written on the right-hand side and it was joyous to see Alain, our friendly mechanic, drill the plates on – a process which took around 3 minutes after months of administration!


On Tuesday evening, the full moon shone brightly above us. Mr. Fix It and I lingered outside as we do and thought of our good fortune in finding this house, this village, this region. To see the Church at night, no more than 20 metres from our front door, softly up lit and standing so majestically really does takes one’s breath away.

A Little Planning, A Little Stock-Taking

They say time flies when you are having a good time. We realised this week that we have been down here in the sunny South of France for almost 6 months now and that phrase does ring true with us. It seems as though with each week which passes, time speeds up. One of Mr. Fix It’s favourite phrases of late is: “I still feel as though I am on holiday.” This, despite the enormous tasks he has already undertaken to restore our beautiful house, tells a tale of its own: if life feels like a holiday, it cannot be bad.

Settling back into our house after the joys of my daughter’s wedding in Kent, we have this week taken time to plan our next stage and also look back on what we have achieved so far. The sun continues to shine, the temperatures remain very high and Eddie & Alfie still rejoice in their regular walk by the canal.



Having achieved a great deal in the last few months, our attention now turns to planning our kitchen and putting in heating. Our kitchen is large and light. Now that we have a door and 2 graceful steps giving out to the garden, I can easily visualise warm gatherings around our table as the sun streams in from the west in the evening. The kitchen part will cover around a third of the space, with an L shaped granite worktop serving as a natural break between this and the dining area with corner fireplace. We found a beautiful black glass topped dining table some time ago which will fit perfectly in this space. A true bargain, we went back to buy another which will stay outside where we sit these days with our wine until late most evenings. We already have our floor: old pine planks waiting in our entrance hall until we are ready to start. Our carpenter, Jean-Louis, found this for us: local recommendation is always the best.

A neighbour of ours was telling me about “Au Bon Coin” – a tremendous internet site for anyone undergoing house renovation in France. Mr. Fix It spent a day looking at second-hand old-fashioned radiators and found 9 which will suit us at a real knockdown price and not too far away in Toulouse, for him to go and pick up. My task was to find out if we can connect gas to our property. Not everywhere in France has natural gas but we knew it is already connected in parts of our village. A trip to the Mairie was my start followed by a visit from a chap at “Gaz de France” to locate the nearest point to our house for the gas. This bore fruit: if the existing point is no more than 35 metres from your property, they will connect it at little cost and happily we fit into that category. We will not need the heating for some time but planning ahead, particularly in France with its extensive bureaucracy, does make sense.

Despite days when we feel we have not achieved a great deal, we looked back this week at all the improvements we have carried out to date: the demolition of the tower in the garden, opening up the kitchen, installing 2 ensuite bathrooms, creating doors where there were windows at ground floor level, creating a large window in one of the bedrooms has been no mean feat.



All the way through however, we have taken time out to live and enjoy this lovely area of France. One never tires of seeing the strong sun glinting through the majestic plane trees.

It is Mr. Fix It who deserves a large pat on the back, I am so happy for him that life feels like one big holiday.

Alexis
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

A Joyous Celebration Away From The Brickdust

We left the sunshine and the brick dust behind for a few days and flew to the UK to attend my daughter Natasha’s wedding to Sam. Sometimes in life we make our own luck and so it was that this beautiful celebration at a romantic outdoors location in Kent was perfect in every way. As the early evening sun came out to join us, I felt a moment of sheer joy as I watched my dear daughter sing and dance in her wedding dress.



To watch our extended families celebrating this, the happiest of marriages, was a delight. Natasha simply glowed and as I helped her get ready during her last moments of being single, I thought back to the day she was born and wondered where the time had gone. Occasions such as this happy one allow us to take stock and remember that life is to be enjoyed.



Having welcomed my son and his girlfriend Ana to our home ahead of the wedding, our good friends who came to take care of Eddie & Alfie enjoyed a week of celebration here in our village. The summer fete took place the weekend we were away and they were struck by the friendly and safe atmosphere all around us. Having renovated the house to at least a functional level so far, with 3 beautiful and spacious bedrooms to choose from, it was heart-warming to know that our dogs could stay in their own space and that our friends could enjoy something of a holiday as well.

We were welcomed home by 2 wet noses and 2 helicopter tails. To be back in the warm air of the South of France makes us happy and Mr. Fix It is now planning what he calls his “second phase”. Our kitchen design will be high on our list of priorities as well as installing heating ahead of the winter. This week sees us sourcing radiators, air conditioning units and the like.

Having had such a wonderful family time we are also planning ahead to next summer when we hope to welcome as many of them as would like to come. The house is large, open and welcoming and we have yet to meet anyone who has not been open mouthed in admiration at its proportions. Since the day we moved in here I have dreamed of a time when we can welcome everyone to this beautiful part of France.

Many people think of moving to France at some stage in their lives and I am truly lucky that Mr. Fix It and I shared just the same dream. When we drove down here on March 1st this year I can remember wondering what I would miss about the UK and hoping that the huge project we were taking on would not cause us to wonder if we were doing the right thing. I can say with hand on heart that I have not and do not miss one single aspect of life in the UK – and I know Mr. Fix It agrees. Even when it snowed in those early days here and we had to light 4 log fires to keep warm, I have never wanted to leave. Now that we have enjoyed the company of our family and friends and they know they can come and visit us here, that feeling is simply reinforced.

So as we toast my daughter Natasha and her husband Sam at the start of their married life together, we also toast ourselves, this house in all its grandeur and our own contentment at knowing this is our real home.



Alexis
http://www.francebuyingguide.com/

Time Out With Family

Renovating such a grand and beautiful house as this one takes time. The beauty of it is that we are not “under the gun” and are able to enjoy the journey, have some leisure time and savour every moment. Now that the first floor (thanks to Mr. Fix It) is largely rewired, replumbed and, dare I say it, reasonably clean, we rejoice in being able to welcome friends and family to witness the fruits of our labours.

So it was this week that my son, his girlfriend and cousin, came to visit us. As with all our visitors who have followed this blog, seen pictures and even movies of our home, they are still incredulous when they first set sight on this house. “Is that it?” asked my son Saul. “That’s it,” I said. “It’s huge!”

The days before they arrived saw Mr. Fix It fine tuning the ensuites, the bedrooms and – quite incredibly – even finding time to plumb in our new dishwasher. Lights on, beds made, fluffy towels on the rails and even a rose or two in vases in the bedrooms gave us a great feeling of happiness: now the house can show herself off and the sense of space lends a feeling of grandeur. Why, even Alfie seems to notice how hard we have worked.



This coming week we shall be going back to the UK for my daughter’s wedding. Scattered around the globe as many families now are, it will be thrilling to be together again and celebrate Natasha’s happiness on her big day. Eddie & Alfie will stay in their home here in France and we have now been joined by friends who will take care of them in our absence. As Mr. Fix It barbequed countless chicken legs and sausages outside last night, we toasted our good fortune with our family and friends. Coming from New York, Brazil and the UK, the magic of this wonderful corner of France has worked on all of them. We have had a few days of great company, fine food and wine as well as laughter and warmth.

The sun continues to shine, the brick dust becomes less as we go on and although we have yet to plan our garden and have become somewhat used to our mountain of rubble, we feel an enormous sense of pride at what we have achieved over the last 5 months. Summer is now in full flow, fetes abound in all the little villages here and the sun continues to shine until late in the evening.

Life is about moments and this week we have had several to cherish. As we toast my daughter on her big day, my dream is one day to have all of our extended family come and stay. Our top floor remains untouched, dusty, almost ghost-like but each time I venture up there I sense that it is waiting for its moment to shine out.

Pictures can speak a thousand words and our special time this week with some of our family will remain in our thoughts as we continue to renovate this beautiful house.



Alexis
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