We'd been here about six months. As you can see, the house was in good shape when we bought it. But in a few months, we would have to replace all the windows on the back (west) side because they were far from airtight and not even watertight.
Still, it was pretty nice. We had had the deck tiled in September, and who cared if the fireplace didn't work? We were experiencing our first winter in the Saint-Aignan area. We remarked that the landscapes — woods, fields, vineyards — were pretty here even in winter.
We enjoyed the sunrises and the sunsets. We had (and still have) clear views of both from the windows. We were just getting used to how short the hours of daylight were in December. It's hard to believe that this is our 14th winter here. Time flies...
It is a very European looking house, and of course so it should be. If the house was properly oriented in Australia, the almost windowless wall would face the west, protecting the house from the from the hot summer sun in the afternoon and the front would face the north, to capture winter summer sun. I suppose it would be the opposite there, if heat was a problem but capturing winter sun is surely desirable.
ReplyDeleteI wish our house faced west instead of east. We'd have great views of the back yard and the vineyard. But having the terrace in full afternoon sun in the summer might mean it would be too hot to enjoy spending time out there. Not that we have hot weather every summer... The sun here is to the south, not the north. We get a lot of heat from the glass block windows on sunny winter days.
DeleteSuch a fine house. Such a good decision to live in France. Next week the days will slowly lengthen. Time flies.
ReplyDeleteYes, we are looking forward to lengthening days.
DeleteYou should be proud of yourselves for so many things ... you found an excellent home, you made it lovely as I see from recent photos and you have made a home somewhere that can be difficult at times to feel "at home" ... I know a lot of that has to do with Who you are "at home" with and I am happy for you both for all those reasons .. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you two and Callie and all ..
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