Saturday, June 11, 2011

A small cottage in Normandy

Events have rather overtaken me since DD and her husband took the grandsons home last Sunday, and the thinking time I was hoping to have, to reflect properly on our pilgrimage to Assisi, has disappeared without trace. I haven’t forgotten my promise, but it will have to wait a few more days, I’m afraid. This is partly because DH and I are gearing up for our annual visit to France, to southern Manche in Normandy to be precise, close to the border with Brittany.

One fateful Sunday afternoon, at the end of the last millennium, I happened to read an article in that day’s newspaper which turned out to have seriously far-reaching consequences for DH and me. It was about the growing number of British people who were snapping up houses in rural France at bargain prices, such bargain prices that it looked like this might even be a possibility for us too. I started to daydream about holidays in France in our own little cottage, though I must admit that DH’s eyebrows were very sceptically raised at that point.

As I have described elsewhere, he tried very hard to dissuade me and even bought a tiny campervan as a substitute.  That worked for a few months, but, as it turned out, the second long trip we had in it was the following year, during a cold, wet and windy week in February.  DH had surrendered and we were on a house-hunting expedition to southern Normandy. Not only was the ferry crossing cheaper at that time of year, but we reasoned that if we liked a place under those conditions, we would love it in summer.

During that week we looked at an interesting collection of houses, some habitable, but extremely small (our budget being equally miniscule) and some not much more than four walls and a roof. Then we struck gold.

In a small market town we went into the local estate agent’s office, to say that we had changed our minds about the house he was due to show us and did he have any others within our budget. He had two, one impossible and one which we knew, as soon as we saw it, could be the one for us.

The house when we bought it (estate agent's photo)
It was small, but not too small.  It was totally unmodernised, but had recently  had a new roof, the old one having been blown off in the great storm which ravaged much of western France in December 1999.  Best of all, it sat squarely in its good-sized patch of ground and was affordable.  We knew we would have an awful lot to do to make it properly habitable, but that didn’t matter. 

After a long evening’s discussion in the campervan, we went back first thing next morning to see the estate agent and by the end of that day we had signed the compromis de vente, the promise to buy which is the first part of the French system of house purchase.

That was eight years ago and the house still isn’t finished. But it is now habitable, and since my retirement 4 years ago we have spent every summer there, among the gentle, rolling, green hills of this beautiful and deeply rural corner of France. This time next week we will be there once again, clearing away the cobwebs and chasing out the spiders, and deciding which room we’re going to tackle this summer. But it won’t be all work and I’ll have plenty of time to blog or knit or just sit and talk. Watch this space…
Summer 2010     7 years on - a work still in progress


38 comments:

  1. How absolutely lovely. (And how brave to take the plunge and buy.) Rural Normandy is probably my favourite part of France. I suppose I know Calvados better than your corner, but I love the big brown-spotted cows, and the cider that smells of the barnyard, and the orchards, and the collapsing half-timbered barns, and the little rolling hills. And the food, of course...one doesn't go to Normandy to lose weight! Which is half the pleasure. Bon voyage et bonnes vacances.

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  2. Thanks, Dancing Beastie. Not sure about brave, but it's one of the best decisions we've ever made. It gives us so much pleasure and our visitors seem to love it and the area as much as we do. If you like Calvados, you'd love southern Manche - very unspoilt and quiet, with all the cows and hills and orchards and barns you could wish for. As for the food...:-)

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  3. It looks beautiful Perpetua. Idyllic. Enjoy your summer there xxx

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  4. It looks wonderful, Perpetua! I can just imagine what a lovely (though busy) summer you will spend there. Please do lots of blogs and include a lot of pictures so we can share your experience! And maybe in the quiet warmth of a Normandy summer, those Assisi reflections will come to you!

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  5. Everyone else has said all I wanted to say so let me just add my good wishes that you have a lovely summer, in your lovely cottage, in a lovely part of the world.
    Try noy yo make it all work.
    Blessings.

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  6. Hello Perpetua:
    We had, we believe, previously spotted your delightful looking cottage on your sidebar and wondered, as one does, whether it was yours. And now we know!

    How absolutely lovely it must be and set in a most attractive part of France. When we were first married we spent a summer in Normandy and got to know it as well
    as is possible in a relatively short period. We based ourseles on the coast at Arromanches in an inexpensive hotel and made forays outward. There is so much to see and so much of interest and, of course, wonderful food to be had.

    You must be very excited at the prospect of going again very soon. We shall much look forward to future posts from Normandy. And we trust that there will not be too many spiders in residence on your arrival!

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  7. What a dear little house I can see how you fell in love.

    I'm not sure if it's brave exactly either but other people always tell us it is. For us, it's much more of a 'let's see if we can' and we did and we can! And we love it too.

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  8. Thanks, Ayak. It's a lovely spot, next-door to a farm and just outside a tiny village. A much gentler landscape than Wales or Scotland.

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  9. Thanks, Kathy. We never work too hard, which is probably why it's taking us so long to finish it. One room a summer is our goal. I will certainly find time to blog and in fact plan to spend the long ferry crossing drafting some of my thoughts on Assisi while the memories are still fresh. Fingers crossed it will be warm....

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  10. Thanks, Ray. Everyone is so kind. I promise it won't be all work - it never is, but we do like to leave for home knowing we're a little closer to finishing it.

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  11. Well spotted, Jane and Lance! Our first visit to Normandy was with the children in 1984, when we stayed in a gite south of Bayeux and visited Arromanches several times.

    When we came to look for a cottage in Normandy we went further south, to an area where property as much cheaper, and found to our delight that we loved it and still do. The spiders (a peculiarly Norman variety that look more like daddy-long-legs) which colonise the house in our absence are a small price to pay. :-)

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  12. Oh, it is, Rosie. It's a typical, small Normandy farm cottage, which originally consisted of one large, square room, in which the whole family lived and slept. The loft above was used for storage, but of course we now sleep up there.

    We have't made the ultimate decision and moved to France like you - that would be a step too far for DH - but we love being there for long enough each year to feel very much at home.

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  13. Before I met Cesar and became a Spaniophile(?) I was a committed Francophile and indeed had my own cottage there - another story! - but Normandy always had a strong pull. Particularly loved Falaise. Your cottage looks absolutely perfect.
    Axxx

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  14. What a very interesting life you've led, Annie. :-) I await the other story with bated breath and would love to know where your French cottage was.

    I don't know Falaise, as it's quite a bit east of us, but mean to go there one day - once we've actually finished the work. Yes, you're right, the cottage is exactly what we need and I can't wait to get there....

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  15. What a perfect cottage - do you both speak French?

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  16. Thanks, Curate's Wife. It reminded me of a child's drawing of a house when I first saw it and I still smile whenever I see it.

    I read languages at university in the mid-60s (German and 1 year of French) and DH did A-Level French, so we both had a good grounding in the far-off past. However we were very rusty when we first bought and really struggled to understand and express ourselves. Now we are there for longer, each year we notice some improvement.

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  17. Lovely! Lucky you!

    I'm looking forward to your reflections on Assisi. On our trip to Italy last fall, my own experience there was the high point for me.

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  18. Unfortunately you will be setting off about a month too soon to take our Peugeot 106 with you, as we promised you could do once we have bought our next car. Our Ma's house will in all likelihood have been emptied, sold and paid for by 30 June, our hoped-for proposed completion date, and then we intend to look for the next car once all that kerfuffle is done and dusted.

    Perhaps we can deliver the old 106 to you when you get back and then you will have the whole of the winter to fix it up and sevice it, etc ready for 2012.

    Bon yoyage!

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  19. Thanks, Linda. I think we were very lucky to find it at a price we could afford and it's been worth all the work over the years.

    I'll come back with my reflections on Assisi as soon as I can, but it won't be until we've arrived and settled in now.

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  20. Very glad to hear that Your Ma's house sale is going through so speedily, Baby Sis. It will be a big weight off your minds when it's all settled.

    Take your time choosing the new car - not a decision to be rushed in my experience - and hope you find one you'll both enjoy. Plenty of time for the 106 when you've made your choice.

    Mind you, given the weather in Normandy at the moment (cold and wet) we may wend up wishing we were going in a month's time, especially for Mum's sake.

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  21. It looks just wonderful! Lucky, lucky you!

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  22. Thanks, Sue. I'm very aware how fortunate I am to have been able to realise my dream like this. We've put a lot of time and effort into the cottage and love it dearly. Some people wonder how we can keep on going back year after year to the same place, but it just suits us.

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  23. I just love the look of your cottage. Makes me long to set off to our own little piece of France in the Lot -- we'll probably cross over just before Bastille Day -- a bit late this year, with one thing and another. I'm looking forward to reading your posts while we are both there. I envy you the relatively short drive to your destination. Know exactly what you mean about the spiders -- seems to take forever to clean up those webs -- important to keep mouths closed!!!

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  24. Hello Pepetua

    I have just come across your very lovely blog and have enjoyed reading about your delightful cottage in France.

    I look forward to following your future posts.

    Bonnes vacances
    Anna

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  25. Thanks, Broad. Are you back on this side of the pond now? I'd love to see a picture of your French house sometime - they all have their own charm. Sorry for the delay in your trip this year, but I know you'll enjoy yourselves onceyou finally get there.

    Closeness to the Channel ports was one of DH's criteria when we were house-hunting. Another was a temperate climate. I'm afraid the Lot would be far too hot for us both. I gather it's going to be close to 40C there today in this mini-heatwave we're having!

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  26. Hello Anna and thanks for visiting. Glad you like what you've found and sorry for the lack of follow-up posts. It's a long story, but I should be back to posting very soon. Now off to check out your blog.

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  27. OOoh what a wonderful home you have in France. Well done on taking the plunge. I did something similar when I came up to ORkney - visited one weekend and bought a house instead of a postcard :-)

    Hope all is well, am concerned at lack of follow up posts, hope it's because you are having FUN! and relaxing?

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  28. Thanks, Sian. I loved your description of buying a house rather than a postcard :-) Like you we made a rapid decision we've never regretted and we're still enjoying it enormously, especially when the weather is a gorgeous as it has been today.

    Thanks too for your concern. Somehow life had been so full since we arrived, with all the sorting out, meeting up with friends we haven't seen since last year and also having my dear MiL staying with us, that I haven't had much thinking time so far. Fear not - I'll be back.....

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  29. Yes, I've been back in the UK since early June. I think we'll be setting off from Southport on the 9th -- but not crossing until a few days later as the Man likes to visit friends and relatives while we are in the South of England! Yes, the Lot can be very hot -- however our little corner is very green and lush and not like those area on the causses. While the temperature sometimes climbs above 35, it only lasts for a few days and then drops back to less sweltering low to mid-twenties. And fortunately, the 29 inch thick stone walls keep the downstairs of the house cool no matter what the heat.

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  30. Bon voyage when you finally manage to leave, Broad and enjoy the journey as well as the arrival. Your part of France sound lovely and I could cope with temperatures in the 20s, but not easily with 35. Doesn't it make a difference to have thick stone walls? Ours are about half a metre thick and, as with you, downstairs is cool, but the bedrooms up in the former loft can get rather hot in warm weather....

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  31. Lovely! I love being in France. Though I can't imagine having the energy and love to invest in two houses!

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  32. Thanks, Anita, we think it's lovely too. I certainly don't think I'd have had the energy for two houses when I was working and caring for a family. Now of course I'm retired, without all the calls on me that younger people have. The love would never have been a problem - I'm quite capable of loving several places at the same time :-)

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  33. Wasn't it worth jumping in with both feet!
    It looks lovely set among the trees.

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  34. Oh it was, Fly. We've never regretted doing it for a moment. The trees are one of the things we love most about the setting, especially the three big cherry trees in front. Welcome shade and endless desserts...

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  35. An architectural gem -- love small houses and especially old houses with character. thanks for sharing your find -- barbara

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    1. Hello Barbara and welcome to my blog. I'm so glad you like our little cottage, as we love it dearly and enjoy every moment we spend there.

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  36. I now see your French connection!

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    1. Not permanent residence like you, Betty, but two to three month summers every year for the last 8 years since I retired. We love it!

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