Home Sweet Home

It's been a tiring couple of weeks but I couldn't be happier.  We are safely installed in our new home in Cognac and la vie en ville is agreeing with us both.  It's always worrying when you make such a large change to your life but I'm relieved to say that I have no doubt that we made the right choice.

A little grubby and sad but a beauty waiting to be revealed

I think the reason I never really felt quite satisfied is that I am a townie through and through and although I love the countryside and the idea of country life and I think it's fair to say that I have given it a go but I only truly feel stimulated by my surroundings when there is beautiful architecture to admire, cafés to frequent and boutique shop windows to gaze into.  The countryside is a wonderful place to visit but for me, after ten years of living in France, I feel that I have finally arrived.

So these last two weeks we've been busy unpacking just enough of our things to live comfortably without getting unnecessary items out of storage that will get in the way during the renovation process.  We've been so preoccupied with this that I've hardly had time to keep up with the numerous Christmas sales of my Etsy shop.

My new spacious office (I think I may change the wallpaper!)

And my dwindling stock (must go shopping!)

We've only just started to fully explore all the nooks and crannies of our new place and to gingerly peel back wallpaper, lift corners of lino and discuss which walls will be opened up and to what extent. That's the exciting part.

We did start by gingerly peeling back wallpaper but may
have got carried away when we found a false wall the length
 of the narrow entrance hall... not so narrow now!!!

So we have a lot of dust filled days ahead of us but the house has such wonderful original features coupled by a feeling of charm and elegance that I really don't mind going through all that upheaval again.  

The stunning marble fireplace in the living room that needs opening up
and something to be done with that 1960's chintzy inner surround!

The view of all four levels of the house from the top of our elegant
spiral staircase is definitely worth the climb!

Our cute little bedroom/cat sanctuary is just oozing with French charm

I am the first to admit that I have a terrible track record for putting down roots but I am confident that this time we have at last found our forever home and in spite of the sceptical chuckling I continue to endure from close friends and family (not to mention the chorus of "that's what you said last time!") I remain sure that I will not tire of this poor ugly duckling of a house that will, given time, blossom into a swan or for that matter the fabulous vibrant town of Cognac.  

Ne Paniquez Pas!!!

We had an unexpected phone call from the buyer of our house a few days ago informing us that the date of completion of the sale of our house had been set for the 12th November.  We had expected to be moving at the end of the month because our Notaire was struggling to get all the relevant parties for our sale and the buying of our new house together at the same time.  The Notaire's assistant was surprised, for some reason, that we wanted to complete on the new house the same day as selling our present one but having explained that we didn't fancy wandering homeless through the streets of Cognac with two dogs, three cats and four chickens she got straight on to it.

Oscar and Jake visiting their new home and backyard for the first time -
Jake looks happy but Oscar is not as easily impressed!

So this last week we've had to get ourselves into gear and have been yo-yoing between a lock up in Cognac (the owners of our new house have kindly allowed us to put our things in the garage) and home with Piggy (our new van) packed to the rafters.

After having completed about seven or eight trips we realised that as useful as Piggy is a Renault Trafic isn't really big enough to move some of the larger lumps of furniture we have acquired over the years. So we have decided to hire a large box van with a tail-lift for two days including the day of the big move.

I have been tossing and turning in bed trying to work out the logistics of the move and mulling over the best way to make the move as painless and hopefully drama free as possible for our menagerie of animals.  We decided that on the day of the move the dogs will stay with us and wait in Piggy and the cats will be shut in the kitchen until we have sold the house and then be picked up before buying the new one.  The three of them are used to being pampered (it's like a cat hotel here) are very vocal so I am dreading the chorus of cross pussy cats I will have to endure as I drive Piggy the short (but very noisy) journey to Cognac.  

Leama relaxing in the grounds!

Raoul trying out the hot tub for size!

Primrose taking advantage of the warm stone therapy on offer!

As for the chickens we are hoping the owners of the house we are buying will allow us to move them the day before the sale (by then we should have managed, with a lot of swearing I'm guessing, to erect their new flat pack home).

The ducks climbed the property ladder this morning when they were taken to their new home, the Jardin Public in Cognac, today.  They have a lovely duck pond and we were particularly keen on them being re-homed there as we love the idea that we will be able to walk the dogs and go and visit Claude and Jacques whenever we want.  They are small ornamental ducks but they are also a couple of bruisers so I'm sure they will adapt to their new pond mates in no time and be running the show after a couple of weeks.  

Big ducks in a small pond this morning!

Claude and Jacques making friends in their new elegant town pond!

So with all things considered I have decided to take a couple of weeks off from posting on my blog to settle in with our little family of furry and feathered friends.   I look forward to sharing with you over the coming year the trials and tribulations of renovating our new home and the planned expansion of my brocante business (watch this space).