Sunday 30 November 2003

Gem of an Idea! - November 2003

Our adventure and the very early steps that would lead to us to successfully build a home in France really started during a damp November in 2003, as I faced up to the prospect of reaching my 50 years milestone and contemplated what the future would hold and how I wanted to shape the next phase of our life.

Linda, Joshua and I lived in a great part of England and life was good. We were about to start some building work on our home that would lead to us being even more settled and had no intention of moving, before or even after retirement, which I knew was some time away, but planning for the future rather than let life drift seemed important at that stage in my life.

Our holidays in recent years had been spent in the UK, other than visits to relations abroad. None of us are ‘sun worshippers’ who wish to spend multiple days on a beach. This coupled with the difficulties presented by Joshua’s food allergies restricted the appeal of the normal two week break in the sun.

So, one day we discussed the prospect of us being able to find a ‘little place’ in France that we could use as a family holiday retreat and somewhere we could spend time together, and enjoy local food and encourage Joshua to learn to cook.