Holiday Or Not ?

Well, that was it - we had bought a new house, but still had a house and job in the UK. Do we move over permanently or use it as a holiday home ? To be honest the latter was never really the idea, but the Housing Market in the UK was at such a level that selling there was never going to be quick, so for the next three years, we travelled as much as work commitments would allow over to France.

We bought a Transit van, and packed it full each visit. It was a good buy, but the biggest issue that eventually made us laugh, because there was little point in moaning about it, was the fact that we were stopped at Customs EVERY SINGLE TIME on the way to France. I'm not sure what they expected us to be carrying, but we even got to the point, where one of the officials recognised us ! Were we carrying any sharp objects, we were asked ? No, just chain saws, axes, and other necessary tools for the renovation ......

The other laughable - well we can laugh about it now ! - problem with the van was that the passenger window would fall down into the door unexpectedly - usually when it was raining, so we had to hold it up, or wedge it with card.

It was a huge asset to us at the time though, as we could carry so much more, so many bigger items, and avoid damaging the car that we had to use day to day in the UK.

The first few visits were interesting, and exhausting, as we were finding our feet, exploring the area, getting to know the neighbours, and cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. We were very concerned with the security, as we were bringing lots of our belongings, tools etc here, and then leaving for a few months at a time.

Our first bedroom was made downstairs with an airbed, but Craig made it very cosy with a couple of boxes for bedside cabinets, a couple of bedside lamps which helped with the ambience, and we even had a small TV and DVD. The plan was, that even if we were cold, we could go to bed and at least be warm there. In fact, I can't think of any nights, when once were we in bed we were cold, even if was freezing in the rest of the house.

We managed to get the telephone sorted quite quickly, so that we would feel less isolated, but we had no Internet facilities until we moved here permanently three years later. That was our choice though, as we felt there was no need to pay a monthly charge when we were here for such a short visit each time. However, this did mean that it was very quiet here during the day - at night we could watch a DVD, but in the day, we listened to CD's or the French radio stations - not really recommended. Their playlists appear to be very limited, so once the same song had come round for the third or fourth time, we switched to a CD !!

We were woken one morning by a small bird tapping on the window, presumably 'talking' to his reflection, but a rude awakening nevertheless at 6.30am in the morning. We named him 'Billy', as in 'Billy no Mates', as he presumably had no other friends.

We made contact early on with the Mairie. We knew that we would need planning permission for our alterations, so thought a visit would be good. We met with Monsieur Le Maire, who already knew who we were, and had driven past to see what we had been up to. There's no hiding here !!! He was very positive though, which I suppose is understandable, as our house is right on the road, so any improvements can only be for the better. He gave us verbal permission (which we now know isn't enough!) to demolish one of the hangers on the side of the house, which we did as soon as we got back to the house.

You can see the before and after pictures here - although there was a lot of clearing up, and a huge bonfire in between !

I think one of first big issues here, and that we are still struggling to get used to is the fact that everywhere shuts for lunch, and all day on a Sunday. Its quite quaint when you are on holiday, but its a pain when you need supplies for on going works. One shop that always makes me laugh though is the local shop called 'Huit a 8' (Eight til eight), which opens after eight, shuts for lunch, and then closes before eight in the evening !

I am enjoying writing this blog, as it brings back quite a few memories, and also shows me how far we have come. I hope you enjoy reading it too !

New Beginnings (Part Three)

It took several months to get to the signing stage of the sale - well 5 in total, but we got there in the end. The date was set as January 11th, but we hadn't allowed for the fact that the ferries adopt a Winter Timetable, and the flights were not on the appropriate days, so we ended up using the Channel Tunnel and then subsequently the drive from Calais to Huelgoat. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone - especially with a tight schedule, and we actually forfeited the return ticket and booked a ferry from Caen to Portsmouth to get back to the UK.

We stayed at Hotel du Lac in Huelgoat, and excitedly met the Estate Agent at his office on the morning of the signing. He came with us to the Notaires, and we were surprised to meet up with the sellers at this point. They were two brothers, who had inherited the house from their Uncle. He had died in the local retirement home, but we have heard several stories about him since - not nasty, I hasten to add !

The signing was quite elongated, and we were very grateful for the services of the Agent (who was English, and could speak a little French), and the Notaire (who was French, but could speak a little English !). There were a lot of signatures to be completed and a lot of initialling - all of which appeared to lean towards the males first - I was an afterthought, I think !

Afterwards, the two brothers took us all for a meal - how civilised is that ! We did have some photographs of this occasion, but sadly they have disappeared in a puff of smoke - or in this case in a cracked CD Rom (HINT - back up all photographs in as many ways as possible!).

After the meal, we all went to our new house, and they showed us round, introduced us to the neighbours, showed us which apples trees were best for jam, and handed over the keys - when I think of the English system of handing the keys over to a Solicitor or an Estate Agent, this seems so much more friendly.

We were given this photograph of the house taken in 1943, which we fully intend to frame at some point. We believe that the couple on the left are the owners, and the man on the horse, may be their son, who COULD be the Uncle that the house was inherited from. I feel quite privileged to have this picture, and would love to discover more of the history at some point. We do have a great piece of history from the War era, which I will share in another blog though.

Anyway, the house is ours............and the adventures begin...........

New Beginnings (Part Two)

The first house that we arrived at, was everything we didn't want ! It was the middle one of a block of three, with access to it over the neighbours land, and its own land a few miles away (or so it seemed !). I didn't even bother to go inside it - it was just not right.

The Agent rang his office for directions to the second, and at the same time as he got them, Craig spotted the house about 500 metres further along the road. What a coincidence. Both houses so close together.

We pulled up outside, and went inside the house - that was it - Craig had gone, exploring !

I think he knew straight away that this was to be the one. I looked at the Agent, and he looked at me, and we nodded.

It was a beautiful day, which of course made a world of difference too, but the house looked a bit sorry for itself, and unloved - how sentimental am I ? And we wanted to help it !

We went back to the B and B, and decided to drive back out to the house by ourselves. Obviously we couldn't go back inside, but plans were taking shape in Craig's head.

By the next morning, Craig had redesigned inside and out, on the back of a cigarette packet. He was brimming with ideas, which he bombarded me with, as I opened my eyes. I'm not at my best first thing in the morning - well, who is ? Anyway, we took another drive out, with Craig pacing out measurements, and pointing out where improvements could be made. I find imagining these sort of things quite difficult, so I'm not sure I took it in..........

Next thing to do - well, put in an offer of course !

We were told that this wasn't usual practice at the time, but never mind. We did it anyway, and then had to wait.

I can't remember how long it took to get a response, but we were back at home in the UK. The first reply was negative, but the Agent suggested a small increase. He said that as the buyers had taken a long time to deliberate over the offer, it suggested that they were close to agreeing, so we took his advice, upped the offer slightly, and - Hey Presto - the sale was going through !