REAL LIFE
else,” the estate agent said. Dan couldn’t view it because it was occupied, but it fitted our specifications so he said “yes!”. It all seemed to be coming together. Now we had an address, we could apply for school places for our boys at the local mairie and arrange for our stuff to be shipped. When moving day finally
arrived, it was a bit of an anti-climax – it just involved travelling and waiting around. The exciting bit came the next day. We collected a hire car and drove to our brand-new house, which none of us had ever seen, in a city we had been to for one day three years ago. The sat-nav said, “one minute to go!” but we were on a tiny track in a field. At the end of this road, to the right, were masses of cacti and a perfect view of the snow- topped Canigou mountain to the left. Wow! We drove past the cacti, over
a level crossing and arrived in our tiny village. The estate agent turned up with the key and a few hours later the van arrived with all our belongings. We’d made it, we’d moved to France! What now?
THAT HOLIDAY FEELING Every weekend of those first few spring months felt like we were on holiday. We spent a lot of time at the beach and were also surprised at how many
but Percy’s class was chosen to receive a government-funded three-day ski trip! None of us had ever tried skiing before so this felt like a massive opportunity that would never have happened in England. They both got involved in
Percy and Eric enjoy painting the views across the surrounding fields
“We spent a lot of time at the beach and were surprised at how many local festivals there were”
small outdoor space that was only built in 2020. Downstairs is open-plan, and upstairs there are three really good- sized rooms. The boys share a room, which gives us space for a shared office and art studio space. My favourite feature is the electric shutters that fully shut out all light at the touch of a button. The boys, who were seven
Castelling is an ancient spectacle The open-plan kitchen/dining room
local festivals there were in the surrounding villages. The most memorable one was in St-Cyprien, where we watched barrel rollers jumping over moving barrels. It’s the kind of thing two pub employees would invent on their break in a pub car park, except it’s a serious cultural sport. We also saw the ancient art of castelling, or forming a human pyramid of up to six layers. The summer holiday was
Cosy: the lounge has a woodburner A study space in the third bedroom
the hardest point; seven weeks of trying to entertain the boys without playdates because we didn’t know anyone. It was much hotter than we had expected, too. Some days we went out in the morning and sat by a field and painted the view. We’d spend the rest of the day indoors with the aircon on. The house is a modern three-bedroom one with a
42 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: September/October 2023 Fideuà with giant prawns at the village’s Bastille Day feast
HANNAH’S TOP TIPS FOR RENTING IN FRANCE
If it’s possible to go in person, you’re likely to have more luck.
Typically, French rentals are for one year if furnished and three years if unfurnished, so if you want more long-term security, it’s best to go unfurnished.
If you don’t have a French guarantor there are companies that can provide that service, for a fee.
and four, seemed to settle well into the local school. They were thrilled to discover there’s no school on Wednesdays! They went on quite a few little trips,
sport for the first time. Percy was close to writing off sport, when he discovered a lot of French kids do basketball. In September there’s a kind of freshers’ fair for all ages. All the little towns and villages have stalls advertising the different clubs you can join; sports, drama, dance, art, and so on. We saw a few demonstrations, then Percy signed up for basketball and Eric chose rugby. In July a slip came through
our door inviting us to the village’s Bastille Day celebrations. We turned up in the square as the sun was setting on the 14 July. We had no idea what to expect but, it seemed the whole village was there. We were served fideuà, with giant prawns, a side of bread and cheese, and an apple flan along with several drinks all for free. Then the band started playing and our boys danced with their friends from school. At the end of the night there was a fireworks display. I miss a lot of things about
my old life, but I will always be glad we chose to step out into this unknown adventure.■
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