our new adventures in France
Our second year living in France is now two weeks old. This time last year France was in a strict lockdown, time outside was limited and Rochechouart felt like it was asleep. Our initial excitement was very real, but certainly tempered by the restrictions we were facing. So much has changed since then, and certainly... Continue Reading →
Life is all about making decisions. We make dozens every day. Most of them are small and largely insignificant, but others, like what country would we like to live in are a touch more life changing. Some decisions are out of our hands, but I’ve always been someone who has thought if there’s something you’re... Continue Reading →
Life has changed for us in many ways, but for us this is only the first time we have found a permanent home in a different country. For our wee dog, Pepper, this is her second such experience. Born five years ago in Serbia, her first year was an awful one resulting in her being... Continue Reading →
When we arrived in France last November our intention was to spend around a month unpacking and settling in before driving back to Edinburgh for Christmas. Heather’s daughter had her 40th birthday in late December so we wanted to celebrate that and enjoy some festive family time. Plus we left most of our furniture and... Continue Reading →
Over the last few months, with lockdown measures gradually lifting, Rochechouart has begun to come alive. Summer has approached somewhere near normality with everywhere open, and at last August has seen almost a whole month of sunshine. Pavements are adorned with tables and chairs, numerous events and attractions have been open and ‘centre ville’ has... Continue Reading →
Our days are now very nicely full. Our gite is fully booked until the beginning of September with our two latest bookings (now that quarantining is no longer required if fully vaccinated) coming from England. Our first seven guests have been and gone, with each one giving us a glowing 5-star review! Changeovers and laundry... Continue Reading →
With our first guests arriving last Thursday we had to put in a few late shifts to ensure our beautiful gite was ready. For six weeks we’ve been repairing, rebuilding, refreshing, painting and plastering, searching for new or vintage interior furnishings, doing everything we can to make sure La Terrasse du Citron lived up to... Continue Reading →
First things first, let’s get the latest on the weather out of the way. Yesterday, Bastille Day, saw the last of the rain. It has continued to pour, hard. But today has been dry and for the week ahead the forecast is nothing but sun. The rain has been unbelievable, but then we see what’s... Continue Reading →
This is getting a little tedious now. The rain. The never-ending, even though it’s now summer, not just any old rain but heavy, torrential downpours that only come in storms. After living in Scotland together we’ve come a thousand miles south to Rochechouart to discover proper rain. We were told that it was the wettest... Continue Reading →
Our first property purchase was done remotely. At least the signing part as last November France was very much locked down, so indoor tête-à-têtes were completely off the table. With some restrictions recently lifted, for our gite purchase we were able to enjoy the whole signing experience first hand, comforted by the fact that both... Continue Reading →
m'sieu-dame 