A new life in France by Kerry McDermott-Lunn

This week, I am lucky to have a post written by my guest writer, Kerry McDermott-Lunn. Kerry is the wife of my cousin Jeremy. When my family emigrated from England to Australia, Jeremy was not yet born and we have never met. However, through the power of social media, we connected two years ago and I look forward to meeting them in person and staying in this beautifully restored property.

Please enjoy Kerry’s story about their new life in South West France, accompanied by the fabulous photos that she has provided.

Kerry’s story:

I don’t know the exact date and time when we both decided that France was where we wanted to be. We had spent many holidays and mini breaks travelling both around and through all the regions of France, as well as for onward journeys to Spain, Italy and Belgium.

We had travelled from our home in the New Forest, UK to the Euro Tunnel and on into France on numerous occasions over the years. Visiting the Mediterranean coastline, breathtaking gorges with its turquoise waters, skiing in the mountains, historical walled cities, magnificent châteaux, stunning cathedrals, medieval towns, and sights of famous battles in European history including the very moving Somme.

We have visited various vineyards and distilleries and enjoyed many food markets with their fresh seafood, local produce, veal and sanglier, pates and local cheeses, colourful fruit and vegetables and of course fresh baguettes.

Whenever we were travelling back home after our trips through France, we longed to be back. Our busy lives in the UK consisted of us both heavily commuting in each of our jobs, spending nights in separate hotels, days in meetings and evenings reading reports glued to our laptops and mobiles.

We travelled once a year to exotic countries for the white sandy beaches, complete escapism and to recharge much needed batteries and whilst they were memorable holidays there was and still is always something about driving out of the Eurotunnel, off the train and onto the Autoroute in France. That immediate feeling of the weight and pressure from our busy lives lifting off our shoulders and looking forward to stopping in a French cafe for coffee and croissant.

The sunflowers when in bloom in the surrounding fields

So, in 2014, we took the plunge and did what many others before us had done. We sold our home, packed up our belongings, gave up our careers and moved to South West France.

The church, which is just at the end of our lane. You can see the church spire from our bedroom windows and the bells chime every hour, every day and it's wonderful to hear.

The river, which runs at the back of our house.

It was daunting but exciting. Our new home was old, dilapidated in parts, in need of renovation and restoration but it had enormous character, beauty and opportunities for us to finally have our home for life. It was built in 1851, the date is etched into the stone wall of the facade of this Maison de Maître (literally translated means Master’s House, owned once by town or village nobles). With its strong historical connections to farming, being based in this agricultural region, its beauty not only lies in its building, but also in its tranquillity of being situated at the Impasse (end of a lane in a small hamlet). The house, its gite and its outbuildings sit in the centre of the grounds and an old barn with remnants of its past rural life stands at the end of the drive.

‘Before’ photo of Maison de Maître that, literally translated, means Master’s House, once owned by town or village nobles, the Blanchard family.

We of course did our research and did not take our decision to renovate lightly. It has taken patience, time, and hard work but at the same time, it has been enjoyable, fascinating, challenging and rewarding. Retaining original features, finding gems hidden in the attic to restore and upcycle and the sheer pleasure of seeing the end results.

We have settled well into our village life, integrating with our French friends and neighbours, joining into community, markets, and fetes, being invited to aperitifs, and attending Vin d’honneur ceremonies. We are both now elected members of our local Comité des fêtes, with myself being treasurer and we have actively engaged in supporting local village life. Of course, learning the language has been key, for my husband this has come a lot easier, but I am improving all the time and our French friends and neighbours are hugely encouraging.

Venise Verte (Green Venice) is a 40km drive from home — *Venise Verte* (Green Venice) is a 40km drive from home

Life in France is now working from home (both of us set up as consultants) but we no longer work to live, we have found that balance where working is sitting out on the terrace with a laptop, warmed by the sun with long lunches and early aperitifs.