After we left the house with the horses, realtor Bourdais showed us another house near Saint-Aignan that was on a steep hillside. The place needed a lot of re-decorating, and that was okay. It had a full basement, and that basement had quite a bit of water standing in it. That was a deal-breaker. Then Bourdais said he wanted to show us one more house — one even closer to Saint-Aignan. It didn't meet our specifications because it had only two bedrooms. But he thought we would like both the house and the setting. He was right. Here's what we saw, not in photos from December 2002 but in photos from June 2003, when we had just arrived and were still cleaning the place and getting moved in.
The house in June 2003
The road through the hamlet
The back yard (or garden if you prefer)
Collette the collie mix lazing in the summer sun and grass
The north side
Walt on the balcony talking on the phone
After we saw this house, I seem to have stopped taking pictures of the other half dozen houses we saw over the next couple of days. I think our minds were made up, but we were still willing to see more houses that were on the market...
I'm going to move on now to the next French gîte we stayed in. It was in the same village as the house with the horses. We stayed there when we arrived in the area in early June with our dog Collette in tow. We had no furniture — the container-load of belongings we had shipped over wouldn't arrive for at least another month. We also had to go buy all new appliances so that we'd be able to get the kitchen working as quickly as possible.
Success! I have always loved your house. And what a sweet picture of Collette.
ReplyDeleteAhh, there's Collette enjoying her new French life! Your house was waiting to be discovered. As I recall you put a sofa bed in the entryway that made for a good sleeping spot and a bit like a third bedroom.
ReplyDeleteYes, I slept there several times. No problem.
DeleteI slept also in Walt's den, which was, in fact, the second bedroom.
DeleteThe guest bed in the entryway downstairs was just a single bed that we used as a "day bed." I know I have pictures of it but I haven't been able to find them today.
DeleteBy far the best of the lot. I can't believe they showed you a house with standing water in the basement, though maybe the agent didn't know beforehand. The juniper in your yard (is it creeping juniper?) looks nice. And a big hydrangea.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to report that the big wide juniper is not long for this world. We're having it taken out this winter. It got too big and too many little trees and brambles are growing in it. I used to be about to keep those invaders cut back, but now I can't reach them. Besides, who knows what critters live in there.
DeleteAnd, what an excellent choice it was! I have enjoyed following along, over the years, as you've removed wallpaper here and there, added a staircase, completely created a new space in the attic, changed windows and slider to the patio -- it's great! And, that yard! And, the terrace!
ReplyDeleteWe've been pretty happy here. Now the stairs are becoming an issue. Who knows what we'll do next. A "stair lift"? Move to a house without stairs? We're having the terrace redone this winter.
ReplyDelete