January 2020 - what a fabulous Decade

Drive to La Bastide in the beautiful Tarn

Our local town - Lautrec

Farmhouse and Grange 2015

2020 and the start of another decade. The last one saw us move to France for a new  life.  Working in the UK and the gites was exhausting, so it was great to retire and work harder just on the gites.  We have undergone a major upgrade removing anything English and finding typical French furniture and fittings.  A different kind of work but very rewarding.

Outside the laundry room

Under-barn kitchen - nearly finished

We are putting the final work into the new Under-barn (our fourth gite): a modern two bedroom gite with underfloor heating which means it can be used year round.  It will have a huge wooden deck with views over the valley.  We plan to complete in the next few months ready for the 2020 season.

My daughter already wants to move in!

Albi

Castres

Carcassonne

The move means that the family all speak fluent French apart from me, enjoy the French way of life, the food and of course wine (not the kids).   Since we moved we have noticed a move towards Bio (organic) food and wine, in the supermarkets especially!

However, I still prefer to buy seasonal food at the markets which are vibrant exciting places.

It's great to sit at a café outside, drink a coffee (or beer) and watch the world go by.

Great French food

Brexit, yes this will be talked  about for the next ten years:  Janine will take French nationality so the kids can be educated and work anywhere in Europe.  It is an on-going saga that even now brexiteers still do not seen to have a solid vision.  All I know is that it will become generally more expensive and the pound will not be as strong for some time as it was when we moved!  As I post this on the 2nd February, we (the UK) have left the EU after 47 years.  Boris Johnson seemed embarrassed in the short video he made.  Surely Brexit was worth a public address, but Boris probably would not have been able to answer questions without getting tongue tied!  We will see how leaving the EU will affect us all during the next few years.   For me it was a sad day, reduced to a soundbite.....Whatever happens we are all in it together.

The death of so many musicians was a feature in the last decade, iconic people like David Bowie, Prince, George Michael who made the world a better plac,e was very poignant.  Judging by the older rockers left, the next decade will see a few more!

Winter visitor

Sunflowers - worth a visit in July

France has been good for me especially the medical help   As I have ataxia it is good to get operations arranged in a few weeks and see specialists quickly.  A friend of mine has had a tumour removed and chemotherapy at an excellent hospital in Toulouse.  Without the speed at which he received excellent treatment he believes that in the UK he may not have had such a good outcome.

Life here is less stressed and more relaxed, it's a great pace of life that allows you to reflect on life's achievements.  Having kids was a major milestone and the best thing that's happened to me.  Moving to France, giving up work in my business or just sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee and deciding what to do for the day.....perfect.

My kids are starting to listen to my music, (Tom even knows Led Zeppelin) they watch great classic films (so I get to see them again) and do the things I did as a kid - swimming, cycling, walking, sport, climb trees, watch and collect wildlife. (especially Evie)  and something's I didn't do: message their friends wherever in the world, play video games and chat in English or French.  Microsoft and Nintendo have a-lot to answer for!  Our oldest, Tom, has a phone at 12 with limited use.  Fine for calling his mum or I or the odd message, but not for using the internet.

Cattle with cattle egrets

It is January and despite the odd cold morning frost, the weather has been blue skies, sunny days with temperatures up around 15 degrees.  Gardening outdoors is a joy.  I have pruned the grape vine around the farmhouse and grange, tidied up the flower beds and will shortly cut the grass and trim the hedges.

Over the years we have been fortunate with many visits, from friends and family, which has kept the freezer full of bacon and the kitchen with tea.   Some have stayed for extended periods, provided moral support and helped by working on the gites, gardening or doing chores like digging out the hole for the in-ground trampoline.  Special thanks to Neil Scott who has toiled here most years and loves La Bastide, almost as much as me.

We have also made good friends with gite guests, some who come for a holiday every year and some we visit and stay with in the UK.   We have made some fabulous memories and I think as they get older the children will think their home at La Bastide is magical.

Video of La Bastide filmed by my friend Paul Ridout.