Exciting news!

So much to tell you, where to begin?

Let's start with the knitting. The top down cardigan is finished and it turned out exactly how I imagined it would (how often does that happen??)















It fits perfectly, the yarn is soft, I just love it. I'm really impressed with the Knitting Pure & Simple patterns - this is the third one I've knitted and each one has been very well written and turned out beautifully. Definitely a pattern I would knit again, and would also definitely use the Sublime yarn again.

Ok, on to the exciting news.

What happens when a dream becomes a reality? When something you've hoped for, wished for, planned for, for years is suddenly there, within your grasp? Well, we're about to find out, because in just under 13 weeks (gulp) we are moving to France.

Regular readers will remember that we went on a house hunting trip back in January, and fell in love with a small farm which was waaaay out of our price range. The agent advised us to make an offer as the owners have divorced and were keen to sell, so we offered our maximum price (25% below the asking price!) and amazingly, it was accepted! We signed the initial contracts at the end of March, and we complete the sale on 31st July. So, may I present to you A Pedemont.

The house














The barns

The lake

The view from the back of the house to the village

The view from the village to the house

As you can see, the house is perched on top of a small hill, surrounded by its own land (14 hectares). The view from the front of the house is a simply stunning panorama of the Pyrenees - so beautiful it makes me cry. So far I have singularly failed to photograph the view as the only time the mountains weren't obscured by either cloud or a heat haze I didn't have the camera with me :(

The house is a 10 minute stroll from the village of Beaumarches - a really pretty medieval village, and only a 5 minute drive from the b&b we have been staying at each time we've visited. The owners Fran & Richard have become friends and I'm so glad that we have ended up being nearby.

Ten minutes drive away is the nearest small town, Marciac, a beautiful bastide town renowned for its international jazz festival.

The house is, shall we say, a "project". It is habitable (it has electricty, gas, water, heating) but is only partly renovated. There is sooooo much work to do on it. Still, we really don't care. We can live with it how it is and we will gradually do the work as we can afford it. We think it will probably take us about 3 years. One thing I am absolutely sure of is it will be beautiful when it is finished, and the location is just so stunning. It was the location that really sold it to us - the views, within walking distance of a village, and in exactly the part of Gascony we wanted to live. Only an hour from the airport so easy for me to commute back to the UK (I will be splitting my time between France and the UK working 2 weeks in France then a week in London). Even better, Eddie will be able to give up his conference work and concentrate solely on the farm. I think the goats and sheep will love it - the land is all really good grazing, and full of wild flowers and herbs.

We have to keep pinching ourselves - we can't believe that after so long our dream is finally coming true. We went over last week for a few days and it was great to see the house again - although not quite so great to be reminded of how much work there is!

The next 13 weeks are going to be a blur - so much to organise, not just to move us but all the animals as well. Still, one step at a time.

Oh, and on Friday 27th April, we got married ;)