Let The Sun Shine In

Our house stands gracefully just a stone’s throw from the 14th century Church of St. Julien. Such is France’s pride in its historical monuments, permission to alter the exterior of one’s property is far stricter when that property lies so close to a Church. Thus it was that Mr. Fix It took painstaking care over his drawings and details of what we intend to do to alter the exterior of our house. This paid off: after just 5 weeks, we received notification that our plans have been approved!

Unlike the UK, you can do what you like to the interior of your property in France. When it comes to altering anything outside however, you must first apply to your local Mairie and play the waiting game in the hope that the Maire approves of your plans.

This house is unique in its design: it was built roughly 100 years ago by a Flemish businessman and one can only assume that either the rules were less stringent at that time or the Flemish businessman carried on regardless and no-one had the heart to make him rebuild it! It stands out amongst the Languedocien architectural style here, its beauty, we feel, lies in its symmetry and shape. Why, it almost looks as though it is smiling at us!



We are blessed with sun, warmth and light each day and now that our permission has come through, the tower outside will soon be no more and the pigeons will have to find a new home. Although already flooded with light in the morning, our new bedroom will retain the sun’s rays far longer once the tower is gone and we will be able to plan our garden, using the rubble from the tower as a base to level it off. When Mr. Fix It is not fixing things, he really does come up with some great ideas.

The ancient balcony, now dropping and broken, will come down and we will create a new larger one along the length of our new bedroom, with a spiral staircase running down from the first floor to the garden. I foresee mornings of sipping coffee in the sun on this new balcony, then wandering down to tender our garden. We will also create doors where there are now windows: one going out from the kitchen and one on the other side of the front door going out from the small drawing room. This beautiful Mediterranean climate means far more outdoor living and further plans include making a summer kitchen/utility room at the side of the garden and a small pool at the other end.

We sat outside our little village bar the other evening, Eddie & Alfie at our side, and tried to put into words why it is that we feel so fulfilled, so peaceful and happy here. Aside from the wonderful climate and the beauty of the hills, mountains and vineyards which surround us, there is somehow more of a feeling of mutual respect and less envy than we remember in the UK. People work to live, they don’t live to work, lunchtimes are sacred and folk look out for each other.

A friend asked me the other day if we had encountered any anti English feeling. The answer is a resounding “no”. Our village has welcomed us with seemingly open arms and we marvel at the characters we have met, from our craftsman of a carpenter in his blue overalls, to the chatty chimney sweep who popped in yesterday, enamoured of Eddie & Alfie, to the old man I met in the market the other day with his much loved Yorkshire Terrier, his constant companion, he was telling me since the death of his wife.

So I suppose it is the sun and light coupled with the sheer goodness of the people which give us a feeling of relaxation and peace here. By the time I write next week, we will have said goodbye to our tower and our evenings will be spent in the garden looking up at the strong blue sky, ready to let the sun shine in bright and early in the morning.



Alexis
http://www.francebuyingguide.com