I probably should back up a little here because I missed the two days of cleaning I undertook with my friend, Wendy before I officially moved into the house. Because of the bank account debacle, and the ensuing lack of electricity, we made the decision not to move into the house until the electricity could be turned on (wishful thinking). I found a hotel, not far from the Chateau that had a pool and given the plus 100-degree temps, a pool sounded divine. We moved from our cute Airbnb in Agen to this strange hotel where there was barely enough room for the bed, let alone a suitcase which we had ..read more

I probably should back up a little here because I missed the two days of cleaning I undertook with my friend, Wendy before I officially moved into the house. Because of the bank account debacle, and the ensuing lack of electricity, we made the decision not to move into the house until the electricity could be turned on (wishful thinking). I found a hotel, not far from the Chateau that had a pool and given the plus 100-degree temps, a pool sounded divine. We moved from our cute Airbnb in Agen to this strange hotel where there was barely enough room for the bed, let alone a suitcase which we had ..read more

Struggling to keep the blog up to date. I wish I was writing every day, but the reality is that my days are jam-packed and I fall into bed at night, with no time to write. I have a quiet Saturday morning now, having just dropped my son off at the train station. He’s been here a week, but I have to go back in time to the first night, my daughter and her boyfriend are still asleep… The first night, I still had no electricity. Luckily, knowing this, I bought a cheap Bluetooth speaker that doubled as a lantern, so it came with me everywhere as it got dark. I had bought a small wine fridge to bide ..read more

Continuing from Part 1… After the walkthrough, the scramble for acquiring basic necessities continued, but once I received the results of the meter readings I had what I thought I needed to sign up for both water service and electricity. I was able to sign up online for water service without incident. Electricity was another story. As I had been learning, French websites are an exercise in frustration, everything from impossible CAPTCHAs to the necessity for obscure information. Almost all websites want your birthday and the city of your birth. your “nom” which is your last name, but now I nee ..read more

I wish I had been writing every day from the moment I got here, to keep a record, but it’s been a whirlwind. I will try and encapsulate my first 2 weeks in France here, though I will need to break it into two parts so I don’t ramble on too long. So far, I’ve encountered a series of roadblocks and obstacles which I suppose I was expecting, given what I have learned about France and knowing what it was like living in Belgium. Things here take the time they take and it’s not worth protesting, as you’ll just waste your breath. But, dear God, these two weeks have tested me hard. The send off The A ..read more

Only two days to go before I jump on an airplane across the world! It doesn’t seem possible! I’ve had months of sleepless nights making lists in my head – lists of things I must wait to execute. But there are a few things I have stuffed into my suitcase, most pertaining to Chloe (my Boston Terrier) who I have decided to bring with me to France because a) she gets weird and depressed when I’m gone; b) to see how well she travels and to see how well I travel with her. She is only 12 lbs, so she fits easily in a bag under a seat on the airplane. If I am going to make this trip frequently, I figu ..read more

A study of the Chateau de Borie from afar by Abigail Carter. Each day, I seem to inch closer to actually owning a French Chateau, though it feels painfully slow. I initially thought that we were due to sign the “Promesse de Vente” on June 20th. I have to say, “Promesse de Vente” sounds so much more romantic than “Purchase Agreement.” Because I couldn’t be there in person, this involved signing a “Procuration Pour Acquierir” (a Power of Attorney). But the days kept slipping by and I still had yet to hear from the “Notaire” (who works on behalf of both the seller and the buyer since the governm ..read more

On my first trip to France, I booked a visit to Chateau Lalande on what turned out to be their last day of guests for the season. I visited in hopes of meeting the YouTube famous Stephanie Jarvis and talk with her about the experience of owning a chateau in France as a single woman. Stephanie is one of the YouTubers who enabled my pandemic addiction that ultimately has led to my chateau insantity. My visit was wonderful and while I was there, I did a little drawing of Lalande, and Stephanie scurried by as I was drawing it to see what I was up to. We had a brief conversation and she was on her ..read more

A run-down Maison de Maitre in Avignon The secret garden in Avignon So much style and charm Our personal outdoor dining experience (and our nightly bottle of rosé!) Chateau Ladausse hospitality! Chateau Borie A view of the house coming up the driveway The caretaker’s house (left) built into the cliff wall There’s quite a bit to catch up on… First off, I took another trip to France in May 2022 and this time my niece joined me. She had just finished her first year at Dalhousie University and a planned trip to Europe with friends fell through, so I leaped at the chance to have company on ..read more

Jet lag has me awake every morning at 4:30 am, so I’ve had rather a lot of time to toss and turn and try to sort through my last two weeks in France traipsing through the French countryside looking at properties. If I had hoped that my trip might extinguish my little chateau obsession, I was sorely mistaken. If anything, it’s kindled it. I’m right back on all the French real estate websites, seeking new listings, or re-contemplating some of the properties I didn’t have a chance to see. My friend Kristine who lives her life by way of spreadsheets (it a good way) helped me begin to articulate my ..read more