: The best way to handle a heat wave.
: A little trip into Bascous. The heat is keeping everyone indoors, so these sleepy little villages …
: After a year off, I’m back on micro blog. Here are some of this springs projects. Mostly still in …
: I’m finally getting around to the pressed flower project I planned last spring 😆 I guess that there …
: Crowdfunding request Looking forward to lots more renovation and development work at the chateau, we are inviting …
: A lot of work and a lot of progress. We will have to pause this project for a while now, until we …
: More rocks! Eventually these will be a terrace and a greenhouse foundation!
: We went to the local raceway for the first time today. It was a lot of fun. It’s a formula one track …
: Lots of progress today! We carved a new road to the pool area from the west entrance; filled the …
: Just cute. Hibernating snails?
: During some crazy mini storms we found ourselves with an abundance of downed branches, so it was …
: Loving having family here with us.
: Preparing bee hives for winter guests
: 25m with pick axe and shovels. 🙈
: This is our hand dug trench for the new electrical conduit that is coming from the orangery to the …
: Thanks to a lovely neighbor for his help: we finally got the new wall filled with concrete. 44 bags …
: Autumn mowing. With the rains, mists and heavy dews, we waited weeks, for grass dry enough to mow. …
: We found the fosse and pool plumbing at the orangery.
: Brush cutting… slow and steady. This is where the solar panels are going.
: We have been exploring the wines From one appellation over. Madiran might actually be better than …
: Progress! The concrete pad for the new pool technical room is complete.
: Footing poured. 80 sacks of ready mix and one very long day. Sincere thanks to our wonderful …
: New bee hives! Now I just need to make them hornet proof before we invite new buzzy residents.
: Yet another really good red.
: Today I built a DIY water filter from scratch. And it works beautifully 😁
: Scavenging flat stones from all of the ditches and junk piles around the property. This place is an …
: This little spring is the reason for all the drainage work we have done
: Here’s the wood for the concrete coffrage. A big thank you to Gert the lovely gentleman who runs the …
: The piers have been dug and the ferrailles mounted in concrete.
: Next we dig the piers for the terrace.
: This year’s sloe berry harvest is going to be epic?
: It’s a good time of year for gathering medicinal herbs. So far I have a list of 58 medicinals I’ve …
: The new drain is almost closed up. Funny thing is.. they don’t call them French drains in France.😆
: We have a spring by the pool that needs to be redirected. We hired a Minipell digger to cut the …
: First use of the gite courtyard since we installed lights and grew grass.
: Sunday lunch at the village hall with all the other Seaillers. My husband pointed out that you know …
: Burning out tree stumps is hard work. 2 down 15 or so to go.🙈
: One giant old fallen umbrella pine reduced to compost and firewood…. Although I might try to make …
: We found this old metal table frame and matching chairs on the side of the road in Toulouse. Don …
: The veggie garden is coming along nicely.
: The sanglier are snuffling for roots and tubers. Ponyo, the allusive giant carp made an appearance. …
: We finally got our tractor back from the Motoculture people. They were super slow doing the …
: We lost 5 more trees in last week’s storm 🥹
: The first of this years new veggie starts are going in. So far: tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, red …
: We put up the outdoor lights in the Gite courtyard. A year of planning, three days of after work …
: Feather duster at the ready.
: The new chandeliers are finally going in!! Yay!!✨👍✨❤️
: My new willow walk is starting to bud!!
: Strangely beautiful deteriorated old plaster and in the workshop/ garage.
: Our garden is full of early spring wildflowers.
: Racing to be finished before the storm, and before the very ripe nests hatched: We removed and …
: Such a beautiful place, even in winter.
: Carnival in San Sebastián this weekend. It is a combination of Halloween, Bay to Breakers and …
: Work in progress: The friezes continued - so far you have seen the plaster work applied, and the …
: Prepping and priming the little downstairs toilet for a new coat of paint. It’s just a tiny room 1m …
: A brand new wood pile. We managed to use up the store of aged wood in the woodshed and had to buy …
: It’s been ages since I made my seed bread! Such a winter favorite!
: The chandelier for the front hall, is coming together beautifully.
: Happy New Year from all the Shefer’s and Sterns. We are so grateful for our first full year here! …
: Our shipment of light fittings finally arrived today. It took 2 years of design, manufacturing and …
: Two down, thirty-five to go. 😆 This might take a while.
: I’m creating a floral frieze around the top of the front hall. It’s based on the decorative design …
: We planted, what will eventually become a willow tunnel. It’s in the soggiest corner of the garden, …
: Flu season is upon us, so I’m making chicken soup and warm fires.
: First frost of the season. ✨ Just a little, but it is supposed to get colder over the next few days.
: So proud of our new pantry shelves!
: Putting up new pantry shelves! So needed!
: I think that I would like to make some Green tomato chutney.
: We have lost three great old oaks in the forest in the last storm, (they were like dominoes- one …
: Sloe gin recipe 1 liter bottle - wide mouth 350g of sloes 1 bottle of gin - 700 100g of sugar 50g - …
: Our burn pile is huge. We have been waiting for that perfect weather to pull the trigger on this …
: Another visit to Abbey Flarran.
: Boat gardening! 😆 This is how you weed the interior walls of a stone lined pond.
: The Ordan Larroque flower faire. It’s just one day per year, but it’s a date to not miss.
: Hunting for pipes by the swimming pool, so we can move the pools technical room out of the orangery. …
: We lost a tree in the June storm, but gained a new view of the Colombage.
: We enjoyed a lovely long weekend in Paris.
: Bouillabaisse ingredients 5 types of fish: conga, dourade, merlu, rougette. Whole fish, head. Just scale & clean. 3 …
: We have named her the SS papyrus.
: Creating an isle floatante on the pond: We wrapped a couple of polystyrene wine bottle racks in …
: Tada! It is unusual for me to post the same pictures on all my social channels- the fact that I do …
: The leaves are starting to turn!! The lime flower trees are always the first to fall. Griff is …
: Between droughts and storms we lost a dozen or more trees over the last year, leaving us with the …
: The stairs are almost finished.
: We were lucky enough to eat lunch at Sofian’s school today. The Chou pastry balls are stuffed with …
: The annual antique fair in Simorre was smaller than last year because of the rain, but still fun.
: Much cooler today! Thank goodness! Cool enough to actually cook meals 😆 roasted Delice squash and …
: There has been some progress on the stairs. It’s going a little slowly given that it has been 100 …
: Preparing the ground for a new flight of stairs to join the lower pond to the orangery. At the …
: Date night at ferme au buffles outside Aignan.
: Oh and you have to remember to charge the pump battery the night before.
: Watering the orchard How to get stored water from the 1000litre cuve (filled by rain water from the chapel roof over the …
: We found an ancient Templar church a couple of minutes from the Chateau. Sadly it was all locked up …
: Nesting swallows have taken over the orangery this year. They are very beautiful, and good luck I’m …
: A lovely afternoon at the Aignan lake. Super quiet at lunch time, but bustling with families by the …
: If you are interested in following us on our new instagram channel, you can now use this QR code. …
: We had a lovely weekend with dear friends in San Sebastián.
: Sloe berry picking fun. This haul took five people about 30 minutes…. It should produce about 4 …
: A big harvest from my little potager garden.
: Tiempo Latino in Vic Fezansac this evening.❤️
: Last weekend we were lucky enough to have a visit from the fabulous photographer Angharad Elliott …
: Looking for leaks in the tower roof.
: Today we added a fire pit and outdoor lounge furniture. The pieces still need to be placed, but it’s …
: One of my favorite times of year here. The bails of hay aren’t here for long, but they are so …
: We built a pergola in the gite courtyard
: Sofian’s equitherapie class.
: Driving to the Brico in Agen, followed by dinner in Aignan.
: The Tour de France was here and gone.
: And a bit more storm cleanup. We sadly lost the top of the old willow tree into the pond. 🙃
: Chicory, dandelions and self heal. The wild flowers are loving all the rains that we have been …
: We have had to do a huge amount of clean up following the storms. I’m not certain that they are over …
: The potager looking glorious
: 1-2 July Samazan Antquarian Salon / Brocant 2nd July Condom Brocant 4th July the Tour de France …
: The Tour de France is almost on our doorstep this year.
: It’s not entirely finished but good enough for initial marketing photos. These are of the ground …
: A bit more progress in the gite dining room/ kitchen. I really love this paint.. I might just paint …
: The ponds are fuller than we have ever seen them! It’s gorgeous. I wish it could be like this all …
: We lost some branches in the storm but nothing catastrophic.
: Soo much rain! The streets of local villages are strewn with downed trees this morning, but for the …
: That was quite a storm. After effects still being discovered 🤔
: I haven’t tried this restaurant yet but it looks adorable, has a yummy menu, and the pretty …
: Bedroom 2 upstairs, is coming along nicely.
: A fabulous old tree in the Nogaro children’s playground.
: I tried something completely new. It’s a store bought gluten free puff pastry. It turned out to be …
: Another seriously lovely wine.
: Orange cake continued Preheat oven 150c After liquidizing the orange Beat eggs and sugar for 2 mins …
: The Eauze Vide Grenier this morning.
: Orange Cake I love this orange cake. It has a consistency somewhere between cheesecake and moosse. Gluten free, …
: Progress in the gite. Just waiting for the last mattress!
: Well it’s warm enough if you are 10 years old perhaps.
: It’s slowly coming together.
: Brocanting weekends. We are busily searching the local equivalents of Craigslist for furniture for …
: The neighbors warned us about the pod of big hail storms in early May. I can’t say I took them all …
: Spring rains bring an assortment of mushrooms.
: Le Monastere, saint Mont. best birthday meal ever!
: Visiting a truly beautiful local chateau / monastery / spa!
: Photos from Sofian’s horse riding camp.
: Sofian’s first kid camp. First night away from home. 🥹
: burn piles Burning the numerous burn piles before the summer heat makes it too dangerous.
: first fruit The first fruit of the year! Thank you to my auntie and uncle for the lovely apricot trees. …
: old glass The beauty of old glass
: new planters We added new planters on the front of the ‘maison guardian’. They are concrete but look like stone. …
: leaves The leaves are coming in, on the driveway ‘Lime Flower’ trees. 🥰
: Eauze market between storms Dark skies and bright faces.
: amazing double rainbow Rainbows and radishes On the way to the Eauze farmers market, just one hilltop yesterday, we saw a …
: blossom tree Blossom tree. I’m not sure what it is but it smells lovely. I will use the plant identification app …
: marche aux fleur Simorre The Easter flower market in Simorre was lovely today. It was a little crowded in places, and the …
: phew Success! The egg hunt went very well.
: chasse aux oeufs demain matin Tomorrow I have 20 kid’s coming over for an Easter egg hunt 😆 I have to hide 600 chocolate eggs by …
: the new bathroom is coming together Progress on the new bathroom in the gite.
: late frost Just a touch of late frost last night. Hopefully it didn’t cause damage to the new growth.
: mowing lawns First full trim of the year for the lawns.
: orchard blossom Next up in the orchards unfolding: Three pear and three quince trees.
: wisteria just staring Today’s delicious feast for the soul.
: a new bathrooms in the gite Sometimes progress is messy.
: date night at the wine festival A little wine tasting at the local St Mont, wine coop. We walked out with four and a half cases of …
: I love finding great new local wines Yum!
: we call it the Bucky A fun new toy…. um I mean tool. Each project, out in the grounds, used to require multiple long …
: spring blooms A springtime feast of flowers. Remember all of those bulbs I planted last autumn? Well here’s the …
: another 2 wood stoves It’s 72 degrees, and the next two wood fired stoves are just going in today. It’s a bit of a shame …
: weeding forever Still weeding. 😆
: new thistle pulling tool Competitive weed pulling with the new thistle pulling tool😆 More fun than you would think possible, …
: One old apricot tree and two new ones, are the first fruit trees to flower in the newly extended …
: prepping the gite to be painted Sometimes sanded wood looks so cool it makes me consider leaving it unpainted.
: Pyrenees heights The top of the world.
: Luchon Luchon, on the Spanish border. A beautiful Belle Epoque Spa town, hidden deep in the high Pyrenees.
: new snow What a beautiful morning for skiing.
: Arreau Arreau. A Pyrenees village, about 2 hours from home. Looking picture perfect in the snow.
: new Sheetrock for the gite ceilings The sheetrock is almost done.
: flight time 20 mins A little flight around the chateau with pilot Sofian.
: going for a ride Sitting in the back of a pickup truck, exploring a neighbor’s land with them.
: no straight lines or right angles Mounting sheet rock, to a ceiling, in subzero temperatures, without a single straight line or right …
: intricately carved stone We discovered this today in yet another old garbage dump in our woods! Carved stone. It’s the most …
: new insulation for the gite ceilings Gite insulation done. Tomorrow we start to install the sheet rock / drywall.
: Auch cathedral A trip into the Auch cathedral. Just a quick look around but enough to make me eager to return to …
: so much rubbish Clearing yet more trash out of the woods. There has been so much weird stuff in there. It is very …
: glorious Good morning, glorious day.
: snow rain snow rain It’s snowing!! And raining alternately☔️🌧️❄️🌨️
: new waterways This weeks storms have brought down a lot of branches, moved some roof tiles around and refilled the …
: puppy heaven Someone likes wood shavings a lot!
: sand… wash… prime… Sand… wash…. Prime… prime… prime. Sand… wash…. Prime… prime… prime. Sand… wash…. Prime… prime… …
: the dig Sofian’s latest project.
: our budding archeologist First he declared himself an archeologist and then he went and found an old ruin (foundations and …
: the Sabazan church The 13th century church at Sabazan is the cutest in the area. The local chateau also makes an …
: new sign for the chateau WIP
: happy new year Happy New Year friends.
: good wine Another yummy wine.
: bahhh Sheep in the vines. It was a funny sight so we stopped to take a picture, then Sofian “bahed” at …
: views from the new drone A drone’s eye view offering amazing new perspectives.
: views of the new drone We got a drone for Christmas!!! Amazing shots from the drone to follow, but here are some pics of …
: Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to you all. 🤗✨🎄
: We finally got the new living room curtains up!!
: Painting the kitchen cabinets from the gite, one door / drawer at a time. One undercoat done…… Ok …
: Necessities of the season…. Also fun new toy!
: We just went up for the day but we are already planning more trips to the snow.
: The beautiful road up to the ski slopes today.
: Wonderful low lying mists at dawn and dusk today but with a lovely warm clear day in between.
: They are now randomly sprinkled around the house and entrances.
: My mum and I joined a Christmas wreath making party with a bunch of local ladies. The haul of shared …
: Today we are sandblasting the big beams in the gite. They were black with age and presumably from …
: Installing our fist wood stove… definitely more to follow now that we know that there are actually …
: The sugar maple has dropping the last of its leaves.
: We ate most of that Christmas cake before I thought to take a photo 😆
: Time for making the first of the Christmas cakes. 1000g of mixed dry fruit, heavy on the cherries …
: Misty loveliness. The frozen mists are settling in for the duration now… it’s that time of year.
: Don found this amazing 1950s arial photo of the property: Long since forgotten roads, buildings that …
: Spending the day spreading 3 cubic meters of gravel on the ¼ km driveway to fill in all the …
: Sanding down the cabinets in the kitchen of the gite. Yes it was painted coral orange under that …
: We had a lovely dinner party with our delightful neighbors last night. It was the first dinner held …
: Last weeks storm brought down one of a dozen or more dead trees in the garden. It gave us the …
: After the fall harvest we were visited by a rather large number of field mice. We bought live traps …
: Ok the bulbs are all in the ground! Phew but that was a lot of work. Next year more big bulbs like …
: A little furniture painting: We have restored these cute little bedside tables For use in the gite. …
: We headed out to yet another vide maison to buy some dining chairs. The chairs were a great find, at …
: The storms this week are likely to bring down the last of the beautiful autumn leaves in the garden. …
: It is too hot in summer to have rhododendrons out in the sun, so I’m planting them in dappled sun in …
: Another really good local wine. I used to think that Gers wine was lousy, but they are getting …
: The weeks before the rains start in earnest, is the best time to plant your orchard, hedge, new …
: Putting on the heating for the first time this year. We carefully put little plastic bowls under 20+ …
: Guy fawkes night at the local British pub, deep in the French countryside, but only 7 minutes from …
: We have been joined by three new barn cats. They are only kittens, (and a touch feral), so we are …
: I went to another vide maison yesterday. The surprise was, that it was at an ancient chateau that we …
: Our neighbor flies small planes out of a local recreational airport, and was kind enough to offer my …
: We found an enormous pile of old trash under a bramble we were clearing today. Pulling each oil can …
: Sorry these pics are a bit dark, but it will give you an idea of it. 😁
: Visiting a local ferronier (blacksmith), who fixed the ironwork on our ancient front doors. He is …
: I’m looking for inspiration, for the creation of a logo for the events business I want to start next …
: The summer season is over, but the locals still fill the Auch restaurants at lunchtime, even mid …
: More and more walnuts, and still lots more to collect.
: A new view of the pigeonaire from ground level. This old retaining wall has a couple of little stone …
: My favorite way to roast potatoes.
: Clearing the brush from another little woodland beside the orangery.
: A very good morning for seeing the Pyrenees.🥰
: It’s getting dark earlier now. This is the lovely sight that greets me when I return from my after …
: Thai eggplant with basil and homemade hoisin sauce. From the garden.
: Happy birthday to my darling boy.
: Exploring the local wines. Yum!
: First time back on a horse in more than 2.5 years.
: New salon paint job completed!
: Mondays are market days in Aignan. We had lunch at the Bistro Brocant, and ran into many of our …
: Lunch at the Henri 5 restaurant in Eauze.
: We had a visitor: One of our neighbors lost all five of his hunting dogs when they escaped today. …
: Who knew that fresh walnuts smell like limes!🤯😲😮
: Wood storage shed complete. In the process, we found that the area that we call the old depot, has a …
: We were just discussing the need for us to adopt some château cats, when at that exact moment this …
: After a lot of work clearing and cleaning, our woodland walks are looking great. The next part of …
: We are preparing to build a wood storage shed to house the wood cut to fit in the new wood stove. We …
: The annual Hunt began in ernest this week. The autumn stillness is broken by gunfire a dozen times a …
: We passed the Highway Code portion of our driving test!! Yay!🤪 so delighted to be done with this …
: With a lot of huffing and puffing we got the new 140kg wood stove, out of the car and into its place …
: Our friend and owner of the local wood mill, sold me 50 oak planks to repair our wood paneling. …
: Don’s in Paris for a conference, so I have been moving forward with clearing, planting and other …
: It turn out that the best place to buy inexpensive plants is the supermarket
: The morning mists have been marvelous the last couple of days. That rosy autumnal glow is …
: The trail blazing, strimming and weed pulling continues apace in the woods and bassin. We are deeply …
: More bramble bashing in the forest. Clearing through to the other side of the new Bassin. It turns …
: We drove down to Pau today to do our Highway Code test. 🤞 The scenery on the way down was gorgeous …
: The new flag stones have been laid and grouted in the mews. Hopefully this, together with the new …
: From the outside of the woods, we snuck into a new part, by crawling through an animal track through …
: We found pieces of hand carved stone in the undergrowth in the area of the woods we are clearing …
: There is an area in the woods with no trees. It is about 100ft square and filled with brambles and …
: We found, what at first appeared to be a dirty old bathroom medicine cabinet. It turned out to be an …
: Lunch at ‘Cafe Curry’, at a chateau in Lannemazan.
: A day of floor sanding in the Gite. It is slowly getting better and better.
: Measuring the stairs for stair runners. 25 perfectly irregular, inconsistent gorgeous stairs.
: Did you know that putting concrete next to a stone wall, causes moisture trapped under the concrete …
: Slack line fun in the garden.
: Sofian’s first day of school in France. Complexity abounds. Nothing is simple, but little by little …
: Processing the wood from the tree that we had taken down last week.
: Our friend Gert owns and operates this amazing old saw mill. The mill itself was portable. It still …
: A foggy morning after a little rain.
: European firebugs. Not dangerous or damaging to plants or animals, and kind of cute, for an insect. …
: We had these guys take down a tree that was overhanging the orangery roof. It would have caused …
: From the apple trees. They aren’t really eating apples so we will make apple sauce and jar them.
: Remote control electric speed boat on the pond. Thank you Mart for an incredible gift.
: Today we measured the well. It is 19m of stone lined beauty. A really lovely construction. It only …
: Dress up. Yes we have a dragon themed dress up bin.
: This evening’s sunset: Just wow!
: More plaster removal reveals a fabulously weird combination of building materials. Ancient and …
: The Gardien’ cottage is a 4 bedroom house, that sits beside the Chateau, with its own interior …
: Zip lines in the tree tops. We return to the Aignan lake zip lines every opportunity we get, before …
: Loving our visit with Martin and Miche.
: Fabulous lighting storm The lightening tonight is almost continuous I have never seen anything like it. The flashes are …
: Exploring the interior of the Chai. This big old barn is full of fabulous old windows and doors. We …
: Today we had lunch with my cousin Sue’s dearest friend from Paris. By a wonderful coincidence she …
: The local zip line park was having a little 2cv party. Soo cute.
: The veggie bins are starting to provide us with meaningful contributions to meals: 2lbs of green …
: Its 85f at 10pm😆 We are having a shadow puppet show in a tent on the lawn. We have an incredible …
: Still no oars but it is lovely to sit and bob about.
: We bought a boat: Both ponds are stone lined. This one, has lovely old stone walls at one end, that drop 6’ to the …
: The heat has eased a little today. But we still spent it hiding in the cool of the stone walls …
: The Gers is very rural, but horse and cart is still a rare sight.
: The sequoia nursery: From even before we found the house we knew that we wanted to plant Sequoias …
: I’m sooo proud of the veggie garden 🥰. The new irrigation system for the veggies is almost finished …
: Yesterday we went to IKEA… again. This time for metal shelves and work table for the workshop. I …
: We found what we think is an old Roman road that runs between the fields from just beyond our …
: Donnie worked soo hard on the beautiful big hedge in the front park… (you just can’t call 7 acres a …
: Rescue operation this morning: a beautiful owl had somehow managed to get itself stuck between an …
: The sofas arrived!!! They are gorgeous, and enormous 😆
: It’s ok. He can have the sock… he already chewed up the matching one anyway.
: My favorite little local brocant. We picked up a set of drawers for Sof’s room and a cute little …
: Remote control, high tech garbage collection in Auch.
: First day with a relatively clean new (to us) pool. The liner won’t last more than a year or two, …
: Yup, I think that we have enough bedding.
: Still sorting through the library…. and I haven’t even opened a single box of our books yet.😆
: 106F today. Yuck! Thank goodness it will start cooling down tomorrow. The wind is up and change is …
: Who ate all the figs? One day we had a tree full of almost ripe black figs, the next they were all …
: The apples are almost ripe… but not quite. I noticed today that all of the windfall apples are eaten …
: We made it home just in time for the harvest of our hay!
: The view of the Pyrenees from Tarbes airport is really quite stunning. Oh and this little local …
: Thank you Victor for your warmth, hospitality and kindness.
: I hadn’t seen some of these lovely women since we were 16 or so. Funny how the intervening years …
: We had a really lovely mini More House reuinion. It was a beautiful afternoon catching up with old …
: Dippy the Diplodocus at the natural history museum in South Kensington.
: Sof and Calvin hadn’t seen one another for almost a year!
: The London science museum was awesome yesterday.
: So lovely to be in London with Sonya and family.
: One of the new water lilies is flowering, and the lawn is golden with dandelions.
: This puppy is exhausting. It took us all day to figure out that he was acting crazy (crazier than …
: The dog seems to enjoy fruit. Anything below 3’ has been eaten: pears, gooseberries, red currants …
: Sof has had a high fever for the last 24 hrs. Not Covid, but something else. His fever just broke …
: The local canal joins the navigable part of the Baise river to the Garonne River and on to the Canal …
: My lovely aunt and uncle are here with us this week.
: Hopefully tomorrow will be cooler.
: It is going to be another scorcher. Early morning watering is a chore but it’s one of my favorite …
: It also has some interesting art installations hidden in the jungle.
: Le Jardin Exotique is a tropical botanical garden about 15 mins from us. It has its own …
: The local market square offers games for the public to enjoy for free.
: Looking for inspiration for rug designs among the patterns on the Chateau’s floors and walls.
: Two big walnut trees, two apple, two fig and two olive, all loaded with the promise of harvest …
: The weather is starting to warm up. It was probably close to 90F today, although it was cold and …
: Our fabulous house guests are full of fun.
: A little tree identification walk this morning with the help of the plant net app. We have yew and …
: We started the mammoth task of cutting trails through the woodlands. In the process we are finding …
: The most amazing Leclerc super hyper mega store in Toulouse. It was like a grocery store swallowed a …
: Ouch. I fell down the stairs. No broken bones, just some heavy bruising. It only hurts when I laugh, …
: My new veggie bins are ready for compost. Half filled with branches and hay, they will have a 18” …
: Squelching clay between my fingers. I’m cleaning pebbles, roots and plants out of the clay from the …
: Latour-Marliac water lily cultivation, gardens, and museum in Le Temple-sur-Lot. Well worth the 3 …
: We took griff to the vet for an introductory check up today, (inspired by all the weird crap this …
: Another brocant, this one in Vic-fezansac. Nice stuff but really expensive! I liked the little …
: So the pool cleaning proved to be something of a miner disaster… the pool guy didn’t know that you …
: The local zip line parcourt park, borders a lovely swimming lake, has a paint ball forest, and of …
: Today we bought a bunch of water plants for the lower pond: water lilies and water lettuce. Still …
: More mowing reveals a lovely shady spot below the pool that might make a good pétanque pitch / place …
: Happy birthday to my dearest mama🥰
: Don calls it my new “lady chainsaw”.😆 I love it! It’s brilliant for pruning and clearing brush and …
: Who ever heard of wild gladioli? Slightly smaller blooms and more resilient / longer lasting as cut …
: The library curation project continues: We have made an appointment with a friend who is an …
: We met a lovely local family who live a couple of hundred yards from out southern edge. They have a …
: We went to a fun local horse race. Deep in the countryside with fields all around, there is, what …
: Doggie aka griff, aka grufalo, is getting comfortable in his new home.
: My herb garden. Behind the chapel, there is an enclosed courtyard bounded by the back of the …
: We spent a couple of hours getting to know the lovely local mayor and his sweet Israeli French …
: Then we went and picked up our new puppy. We are delighted to introduce ‘Griffin’. (Provisional name …
: Then… finally, and very belatedly the mattresses were delivered!!! Yay! So we disassembled the old …
: Then I bought some plants and filled 6 large empty planters with little palms, hibiscus, strawberry …
: Have you ever had a day that felt like 3 days? In the early am we drove to an estate sale. We spent …
: Brocanting day. Still looking for drawers and side tables, dining table, outdoor seating etc etc.
: I think we need grazing animals!
: We drove up to Agen to pick up my Cart de Sejour! Such a pretty drive.
: Another brocant. We are looking for drawers and have decided that brocant is way better than ikea, …
: We also got one more bed built, and picked up a nice table for the entrance hall. Happy birthday to …
: Today we set to work, trimming the low hanging branches that obstructed so many of the paths and …
: One bed done. (It only took 4 people 3 hours). Three more beds to build. No mattresses yet. Tomorrow …
: Work in progress. Hopefully the mattresses will arrive today also.
: IKEA again for kitchen wares, towels and hangers. The shippers say that our container is finally on …
: Lots and lots of beautiful big empty spaces: The walls behind, where the furniture and art used to …
: It has been a very long, wonderful day. We spent at least 6 hours cleaning; 5 hours driving around …
: House purchase achieved. It’s gorgeous, and it is really hard to believe that it’s ours. I imagine …
: A little brocanting along the way:
: We traveled From Pamplona back into France today. Travel Day 3:3 Tomorrow is the big day. We pick up …
: Madrid to Pamplona. Day 2:3 Madrid is a massive, sprawling city, with the most complex and non …
: Headed north. Day 1:3 Mile upon mile of olive trees. Ancient gnarled beauty erupting from rough …
: The last day of the grand tour. Wrapping it up in style, with a day at the Alhambra in Grenada.
: And lastly, an unexpectedly fine dinner in the plaza square of a hill village on the way home from …
: After lunch we met up with one of my childhood friends, who lives not far from Banus, with his …
: When I was a child we visited Puerto Banus near Marbella, on many a family holiday. Staying on …
: About 6000 years ago a megalithic peoples constructed a 100ft long barrow on a hill top. Oriented …
: Great date night in the Granada old town. We spent the day trying to drive the big minivan into …
: Another travel day: East from Seville to Granada. The plains give way to low hills. You drive for an …
: 20 mins to drive its entire circumference. And then an hour to inch through customs and passport …
: Gibraltar A great rock rising out of the sea. At its summit, scrub brush and mean monkeys. At its margins, a …
: Seville’s Alcazar: Mesmerizing beauty. Artisanship that boggles the mind. A depth and breadth of …
: Cadiz is an ancient port town about an hour west of Gibraltar. It sits on a narrow spit of land …
: Seville is stupid hot. 80f by about 10am😆. It makes the three giant bags of coats, hats and scarves …
: A gentle ride around Seville:
: On the road again. Today we are headed to Seville. With a little coastal sight seeing along the way, …
: Family Mini golf at the beautiful Vilamoura Marina.
: We took a fun speedboat tour along the magical coastline of this part of the Algarve. Visiting a …
: Shopping for curtain fabric: It sounds like an odd thing to do on vacation, but the Portuguese make …
: Compared to our recent adventures, a day at the mall may sound a bit plebeian, but we thoroughly …
: Far out on the most south westerly point of Portugal, is a little peninsula called Sagres. Braving …
: One of the loveliest European beaches I have ever encountered. 45 mins east of Faro, this sleepy …
: New house, new region. This week we are in the Algarve. 🥰 Something in the air holds a memory of …
: Sintra: A half hour west of Lisbon, there is a hilly neighborhood with views of the coast. Clearly …
: Lisboa from a different perspective:
: Glorious Lisbon. Today we took a 2 hour tuck tuck ride around the center of Lisbon. It was rather …
: It was truly difficult to walk away from all of the beautiful animals. My 9 year old was in tears …
: We had the amazing good fortune to find that this week’s rental just south of Lisbon, is only …
: Kite surfers abound. Lagoa Albufeira is an enclosed lagoon within a circle of golden beach. Strong …
: Today is another travel day! Leaving Figuera da Foz and Coimbra and headed to the beaches just south …
: In love with Portuguese cobble stones. We spend a lot of time lately, discussing where at the new …
: Castelo Montemor o Velho Build in the 10th and 11th centuries as the border between Christian and …
: Another amazing plant nursery. Most comprehensive collection of temperate plants and trees you can …
: Ancient salt pans of nucleo museologico do sal.
: Coimbra museum of Portugal, for little ones. Amazing reproduction of a dozen or more famous …
: The Roman ruins of Conimbriga, just outside Coimbra. I have never seen anything like it. Many more …
: We bumbled into a classy restaurant in Figuera da Foz. Being sweet Portuguese people, they opened …
: Another boat tour on the upper Douro river. This is the area with all the vineyards where the port …
: Date night for Don and I, in Porto. These people know how to live! These crowds of people were …
: Yesterday’s river trip in Porto.
: Morning walk on the local beach. The waves are huge here. Fabulous sets line up beautifully, break …
: Tonight we went to an exhibition Fado concert. It introduced us to the beauty, art and history of …
: We went down to the quai to pick up a boat for a little 1 hr tour cruise, but parking our big …
: Porto is my new favorite city! We took a tour in a tuck tuck all around the old city. It was …
: Landing with our proverbial bums in the butter. Our apartment is directly on the beach behind the …
: We are all packed up again and headed to Portugal.
: Corcubion: one of the most westerly points of Spain.
: We drove into Santiago de Compostella, the 8th century town at the conclusion of the way of Saint …
: If any Bay Area friends, reading this, feel like they might be able to spare a couple of hours today …
: Today is the day! The shippers are coming to pick up our worldly belongings and transfer them to the …
: We stopped for lunch at a little restaurant across from the beach. Once again google translate had a …
: Our very nice rental is in Laxe, a seaside town on the western edge of Galicia. Probably a good deal …
: We got totally lost trying to find our new rental. 3 lovely old Galician ladies tried very hard to …
: Dinner in the coolest street in Orviedo. Wow, what a buzz! We ate ridiculously early by Spanish …
: Heading onwards to Galicia via Orviedo today.
: Followed by a nice lunch at our favorite restaurant in Monflanqin.
: Carte de Sejour interview day, at the Lot et Garonne prefecture in Agen.
: Back up to Lot et Garonne. This beautiful Dutch owned airbnb is really exceptional. Domaine l’Esprit …
: The first basque village that we have liked. It seems that there are only a very few medieval …
: Lunch in the home town of Balenciaga
: 1kg of steak. 1kg of turbot. Marinated and Barbecued to perfection. Sooo good. Mission accomplished. …
: Runner beans and Chorizo. noglu-nomoo.com/runner-be…
: Then there was Altamira: Like the Lascaux caves, that we visited in the Dordogne last week, this …
: We feel so ambivalent about this place. The natural beauty is incredible, monumental, dramatic, …
: A nice day out, driving the coast.
: The war in the Ukraine: It feels so strange to be vacationing, while not very far away people are …
: I keep meaning to post about the spectacular food. I do mean to take photos, and then the food …
: My Spanish is rusty but there are at least some words rattling around in the back of my brain. …
: View from the rental apartment in the Urdaibai biosphere, on the Bay of Biscaye, Cantabrian Coast.
: The drive down to Spain: I love the Pyrenees. The land itself is beautiful, but the border towns …
: The amount of stuff we have accumulated in 6 months is staggering. Tomorrow we leave for Spain with …
: We are working on getting everyone haircuts. Two down three to go.
: Visiting our friendly neighborhood cat in Monflanquin.
: I finally got my appointment for a Carte de Sejour appointment! It is set for the 11th of March. It …
: It is getting real! Our first of many trips to IKEA for supples for the new house. Don’t panic, I …
: And then the beautiful drive home.
: art préhistorique incroyable The amazing Lacaux caves. Well worth the drive up into the Dordogne. I only wish that my French were …
: 2.5 hours drive to Seailles to meet the mayor, only to be stood up. Grrr. Then of course 2.5 hours …
: A fabulous plant nursery near Villeneuve sur lot.
: Our plan is to sleep for one more week, and then head out for 2 months of exploring and vacationing …
: On the plus side, our Compromis de Vent was signed today. Our countdown for taking possession of the …
: In summary, thanks to Covid we missed Don’s birthday and Valentine’s Day, coughed, wheezed and …
: Covid has struck our little pod. Yuck!
: Coming back from the grocery run.
: Gasping lungfuls of kinship. A memory of connection, wholeness stepping forward, rising up, down, …
: .. or not. The centrifugal wind, momentum expressing light and shadow towards the fringes of …
: The Dance: A juicy, tender, erratic whirlwind of deep play, or just life. Propelling, excreting …
: Chickens. The house we have been staying at for the last few months has 9 sweet brown hens. They sit …
: Day four of my six day Open Floor teacher training has drawn to a close. (1st of 8 workshops): My …
: We went for a drive along the road between Montpazier and Cahors. Dodging rain clouds and …
: An ice glazed world. Such tender glittery perfection.
: Saturday market in Villereal.
: It has been a hard week: On Monday I checked with the notair that we could, most likely close the …
: Montuban’s new town square paving project is coming along. We watched as they used a suction device …
: It’s Sunday so it must be Issigeac.
: Property #49: Between Riberac and Aubetter sur Dronne. Two very lovely towns. 1.5 hrs from Bordeaux …
: The presale contract is scheduled for January 27th! Yes, it has taken 2 months to even get our …
: This €4 bottle of wine, was really fantastic. If someone had told me it was a $30 bottle, I wouldn’t …
: Details from the extraordinary interior:
: Through a very foggy, frozen landscape down to #32 again to meet with roofers and painters.
: Views of the Pyrenees from #32
: A day out between the rains:
: Another brocant - this one outside Fleurance. Lively collections of copper and coffee grinders. The …
: 2.5 hrs south to Auch. This will be our closest largish town, from the new house. It has a lovely …
: Out … finally… after 3+ hours of driving, to Soulac sur Mer on the Atlantic coast. A ridiculously …
: Next we went in search of Tich Nat Han’s monastery, which turns out to be an hour west of us. …
: Castellones. Heading west from Monflanquin we went through this pretty little village. A sweet old …
: Certainly too good for the stew.
: Hi there. I haven’t forgotten about you:) We have been lazing about at home this week, but will be …
: Chestnut pudding with crème anglais port poached pears and chestnut cake. …
: A few pics on the way to Toulouse this am. We felt like intrepid explorers venturing into the frozen …
: We went into Toulouse today to visit our BNP bank manager in preparation for buying the house. Our …
: Danish / Norwegian Seed and Nut Brød. noglu-nomoo.com/norse-sty…
: Heading into Bergerac again, to visit my parents optician.
: Another gorgeous foggy morning.
: Ok maybe it is a little early for Christmas cake, but it is delicious anyway :p …
: An incredible ArtNouveau classic in the heart of Agen. It’s an apartment building and is for sale 😲
: An afternoon exploring Agen.
: Experimenting with Clafoutis. One of my favorite deserts, made dairy and gluten free of course. This …
: A wintry walk through the nighttime streets of Agen.
: Property #49: Very nearly right. 3 sided mas with 2 towers. 9 bedrooms. Two lovely ones and a bunch …
: Even though we have an accepted offer on 32 we continue to look at properties for 2 reasons: 1) the …
: Christmas markets are popping up in every little town. Here are some pics from yesterday’s trip into …
: We have an accepted offer on #32. ✨🌸🙏🏻🎏🍁✨
: Property #48: 39 hectares of forest, a river, mill, ancient forge and 17thC chateau. Gorgeous …
: More photos of 47. Another heartbreaker.
: Property #47: A working vineyard of 9 hcts. With a lovely 19C house. No heating, all single paned …
: Lunch in Carcasonne on the way back up to the house.
: So the medical exams went well. Paperwork in hand we move on to the next step of our residency …
: We have traveled back down to the Mediterranean coast to attend a medical exam for our long term …
: The pretty medieval village of Gordon on a frosty grey afternoon.
: Property #46: Into the wilds of Correze. This listed Templar castle was both too medieval and beset …
: Property #45: Amazing perigordine stone rooves on super cute 16C fairytale house and gite. Ceilings …
: Back to Sarlat. A fabulous decommissioned church with a farmers market inside. It specializes in …
: Property #44: Road noise. Road noise. Road noise. Historically listed manoir, with very well …
: Property #43: Soo ‘Home and Garden’. The dead animals were awful. The house was cute but too small.
: Property #42: Gorgeous 16th century chateau with 5 towers, remade in the 18thC. On a limestone …
: Frog #41: if we could just be less picky… no never mind, even then we wouldn’t be interested in this …
: Martel: cute town east of Sarlat with an abundance of really good restaurants.
: Property #40: So sad when the nicest ones have wrap around roads.
: Property #39: the most perfect venue space we have seen so far. 2 lovely gite, but main house to …
: The village of Lallind. An old canal and disused canal port, feed a series of man made runnels that …
: Building pillow forts on a quiet day in, as we rest up before a busy few days.
: Property #38: Amazing piece of land (29hectars) on the southern edge of the Dordogne. Another mixed …
: Ongoing discussions about the sleepy bucolic Gers (specifically the remote location of #32), Vs the …
: Property #37: Back into the northern Gers, very near our last rental. This true castle is a crazy …
: November holiday festival in Duras.
: Troglodyte city: Inhabited from prehistory (55,000 years ago) through the Middle Ages.
: Sarlat Caneda: Such an adorable town. Awake, alive, busy and vibrant. Lots of restaurants and stores …
: Our host took Sofian for a ride on a great big tractor and let the 9 year old drive! He was in hog …
: Returned to #32 again. Really a remarkable property. It has everything on our wish list: woodlands, …
: Property #36: Light and clean, well renovated shabby chic on a lovely hill top in the southern Gers …
: Issigeac farmers market was chilly but buzzing with activity this morning. Quite beautiful, with a …
: Property 35: pretty, well renovated Chartreuse house with views, seemed like a possibility until too …
: We also decided to explore a new section of the Garonne river valley on the journey home, the …
: The city of Liborne lies in the valley to the NE. of Bordeaux amongst the vineyards of the mighty …
: An evening stroll through the wintry streets of the village of Issigeac.
: Property #34: rather similar to #33 but on a smaller piece of land. No road noise but no gites …
: Property #33. Beautiful old Georgian style house. Pool, tennis crt., 2 gite, stables, lake, but no …
: Evening light and ground fog. Last night we had some lovely rain, so this evening as the sun was …
: Today we journeyed up to Perigeaux and then to Riberac. Perigeaux was very urban in the least pretty …
: The tour of the Plus Beaux Village continues. Today, in Monpazier, we had the honor of supporting a …
: Another month another house. We moved again. This time we are in a huge old farm house, between two …
: Property #32: It’s really hard falling in love every other day. It’s an emotional roller coaster, …
: Property #31: Isn’t it strange how something can check all the boxes in theory and yet not make an …
: Property #30: This one was certainly a show stopper. A touch outside our budget, not close to any of …
: The gorgeous farmers market in Eauze this morning. Strangely we have not made it to a lot of farmers …
: A little geographical context:
: Someone asked for a more in-depth look at what ‘needs everything’ means, in terms of cost. 🤣 …
: Property 29 also had another ancient medieval stone wash basin in the forest. Spring fed, very much …
: Property #29: Oh my goodness. It’s gorgeous, huge and amazing value! 12 hectares of forest, meadow, …
: This is our last week in the Gers before we head up to explore the Lot et Garonne / Girond and …
: Today I did battle with the French postal service. I’m not sure if I shall emerge victorious. I will …
: Property #28: Condom area. A converted factory made into a nice industrial modern home. Lots of …
: Bergerac: I like this little city. It has a lot of character but is very natural. Not at all …
: Property #27: Elegant chateau, on white stone bluff overlooking a valley. Unfortunately industrial …
: #25 didn’t post last night. Oops. Fabulous views. No ground floor apartment, but a very beautiful …
: Property #26: I want it! I want it! It has my dance floor, and venue, and beautiful volumes. But …
: Monflaquin: A tres baux village. One of the signature villages of the south west. Charming, …
: Happy birthday to my darling boy! Sofian is 9 today!
: Pics of Mauvezin, just east of Auch. It is pretty and quite dynamic for a little place. With nice …
: They are not all gorgeous: as we explore villages to find an area we would like to live in, I would …
: Property #24: Medieval manor with gargantuan fire places, low ceilings, even lower doorways. Don had …
: Property #23 A heartbreaking property. Exquisite, neglected, ancient, with orangery, pigeonaire and …
: Yesterday we went down to Mont de Marsan and Saint Sever. This area would theoretically be …
: Property #22 The village chateau in Fources. A 13th - 16th Century gothic stone castle, on a river. …
: And Arcachon: A lovely old beach resort town on a bay to the south west of Bordeaux.
: Today we went to Bordeaux. Wow. An ancient and gloriously beautiful city on the banks of the vast …
: Sofian’s birthday is fast approaching and Autumn is in the air. I love this time of year. We put …
: Property #21: Another very elegant house in good general condition, in a private park with no close …
: Property #20: A beautiful house between Nerac and Castlejaloux, with fantastic private park, on the …
: We decided to explore the areas a couple of hours north of where we are staying. Today we went to …
: Fources: The village closest to our rented house, is very quaint and enterprising. There were 3 …
: Montreal du Gers. Where we had our daily helping of duck and steak.
: We returned to property #13 to ask some more questions. Don asks that we re-number them so that this …
: Property #19: it’s got a lake, an amazing view, 2 gites and a nice house, but it’s criss crossed by …
: From the year 1062 the cloisters of La Romieu are still graceful and serene after more than a …
: Les Jardins de Corsiana: Beautiful planting in the style of an English country garden. A privately …
: Back to the Gers for a month long rental in a luxurious house near Condom. Our Airbnb accommodations …
: Ceret: Once home to Pablo Picasso and a host of his contemporaries, this hill village above Couliure …
: Property #18: We drove all the way to Couliure and then an hour west into the most outstanding hills …
: Couliure: Quintessential Mediterranean seaside village. Glam and gorgeous.
: Property #17: Back to Castelnaudary area again to see this 19th century mas conversion. Almost worth …
: Perpignan: Now this is a city I would like to live near.
: Property #16: Magnificent landscape of Cathar country. Huge house with several abandoned barns for …
: Narbonne food market yesterday:
: Tonight we are near the Mediterranean coast close to Perpignan. The landscape is spectacular, the …
: We spent yesterday exploring the area around property #13. Particularly the cafes & brocant …
: Property #15: in the heart of the pine forest of Les Landes. This old convent from the late 1800 is …
: Property #14: Also really beautiful. An old Armagnac distillery. 10’ wood barrels fill a huge old …
: Property 13: A firm maybe! Between Fleurance and Lectour. Two of the most beautiful villages. This …
: We drove up to Marmand, half way to Bordeaux today. It’s a big town on the Garonne river. Very …
: Nerac is the most beautiful little river side town. With a medieval heart, a renaissance royal …
: Property #12: Vast, beautiful unusable spaces. House with close agricultural neighbors, in a village …
: A trip into Condom: An ancient and beautiful town in the Northern Gers. By my count it had 5 …
: Property #11. A gorgeous renovation of a Maison de Maitre. One nice big gite, but lots of big …
: Property #10. Is 12 bedrooms too many.. ? ok I think maybe it is. Look out for the 18’ ceilings, and …
: Even though it is a gorgeous area, we decided that we are going to stay clear of the nuclear power …
: We dropped off our rental car, picked up our new Peugeot space ship and headed up to Montouban to do …
: An after lunch drive. The sky cleared and then clouded over again and again. The weather is so vivid …
: The lovely town of Nay: Our French pass Sanitair finally came through, which allowed us to eat out …
: Today we drove up into the mountains to visit a Neolithic dolmen. Built by mankind 80,000 - 100,000 …
: Property #9 Zigzagging 3 hours back into the Ariege to see a beautiful 19th century chateau built on …
: Lourdes in the rain. We didn’t go down to the sanctuary. We are saving that for another day. We just …
: A random grocery store by the Biarritz airport. I would consider living in this neighborhood just to …
: A day trip to the beautiful Saint Jean de Luz. Just minutes from the Spanish boarder, this little …
: The sale of our house closed today ! We stayed at our Airbnb, drank champagne, cooked up a wonderful …
: And we visited Pau, a little Paris hidden in the foothill of the Pyrenees. Elegant and cosmopolitan, …
: But, oh my goodness the scenery was beautiful.
: Today we went back to property #8 to drive around the area. Unfortunately this lovely house is a …
: Property #8: A new favorite… again. An amazing restoration project by a very talented couple. They …
: Property #7: It looks stunning from a distance but the workmanship is appalling. High quality …
: The first agent that we have seen in this area assures us that, because it is so wet and warm here, …
: The change of scenery and climate is startling as we shift gears from the Langudoc to Jurancon, …
: Property #6 Wow. This one is special! From the early 1700s, this Maison de Maitre has had some …
: Property #5 A petite chateau on the edge of a lovely little village. The wonderful old lady who owns …
: We drove north to Mazamet, taking the twisty road through the tall pine forest of the black …
: Property #4 Castelnaudary Not a bad house, with lots of space to build gites, and a venue space, but …
: Today we returned to property #2, to chat with the owner and his wife and ask a bunch of additional …
: We only have a couple of days left in the Aude. We have not seen nearly as many properties as we had …
: This afternoon we drove the hour out to Narbonne. I had not been there since my teens. The old …
: Property number 3: Castres. Wow what a contrast! Pristine, ultra modern renovation of an old Maison …
: Property number 2: Castelnaudary. Oh my goodness, I’m in love! Did someone say that you shouldn’t …
: A busy day: While the real estate agents were closed for the weekend, we visited the brocant market …
: From the Southern edge of the Aude to the north of the Ariege district. Beautiful rolling hills and …
: The first property we looked at: Puylaurens. Fabulously elegant petite chateau, with two gite, a …
: Revel, a beautiful old town, at the edge of the Haut Garonne and the Tarn regions.
: Welcome to the South West of France.
: Barcelona to Toulouse today.
: Hotel rooms with heaps of giant pillows are awesome.
: Dear New Owners, We have loved this house and we hope you love it too. Please take care of the …
: Counter offer accepted on my parents house!!! 38 Alexander
: Tout ira bien. Respire profondement!
: Just sold!! We had the best agent ever. Phoebe took really good care of us. 2 spruce