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A Very Happy 2008 to all who are Brittany Bound!! www.ahouseinbrittany.com...
2007 in pictures- and, looking forward to introducing more of you to the delights of Brittany and Normandy...
Well, another year has just flown by and, for the last three trips we haven't had time to do any hefty work on the house...Too much, it seems is going on on the business side of A House in Brittany and that means that more of our time has been spent visiting agents across Brittany & Normandy. We have also taken as much time as has been available to get out and about and find out a bit more about Brittany & Normandy too. And, when we're at the house over there...as soon as we turn on the electricty - the phone starts to ring in Brittany rather than Britain! And, of course it's also 'have laptops will travel' and so the process goes on much as it does when we're back in Worthing...except that you can hear and see many more wild birds...the roads are fantastically good - but with just one tenth of the traffic...For you lucky ones moving over there there will be no road tax...fuel will be cheaper and shops won't be open on Sundays. But then politics can change and so, who knows...things may be different in the future. But I can think of nowhere better in the world to spend the majority of ones time - whilst being close enough to UK to nip back as the need arises...and for folks to visit without too much concern for safety or reducing the carbon footprint. We've seen the Pines and Cedars of Lebanon on the Cotes d'Armor coast...The combine harvesters picked twilight this year to trundle past gathering in the wheat instead of the middle of the night. And, for the 3rd consecutive year we have watched the Abbey of Bon Repos burn down at midnight! It's an annual spectacle we just wouldn't want to miss...400 actors, 50 horses, 2000 costumes...so the publicity material goes. And you can picnic on the banks of the Nantes/Brest before taking your seat...Brilliant!
Early on in the year we laid the tiles throughout the lounge and dining room...Quite a feat...since, as it was a cold February, we had to buy another parafin blow heater just to get the temperature in the house up to 5degreesC, just so that the tile cement would do its job. The woodburning stove, which the delivery men from Monsieur Bricolage refused to bring into the house (much annoyance & consternation) has been fitted with only a minor reduction in life expectancy. The bedroom above the kitchen and dining room is almost OK for visitors - except that two lots have test driven it already even though the walls aren't finished and the bath still doesn't have a shower fitting!
At last we've seen our house from the 'magic hill' across the valley where, for the last 8 years we have watched the cows trundle to and from the milking parlour... as well as the hunters who wander across the scene with their guns crooked over their arms as their dogs snuffle on ahead. I usually try to wear something a bit bright whilst out walking when they're around - just in case! They look a bit trigger happy sometimes.
We've been to Lorient, Josselin, Dinard, Dinan,, Treguer, Lannion, Roche Jagu (very special), Paimpol, Dahouet, Pleneuf val Andre, Erquy... to name but a few...All are delightful and collectively they make up just a small sample of the best reasons to buy into Brittany! We've also zipped backwards and forwards to the very local attractions of Lakes Bosmeliac and Geurledan and walks along our stretch of the Rigole d'Hilvern - a 56km tree lined mini canal just behind the house.
Above is an interesting moment captured by Graham, a friend (and twitcher) visited us during October....We were eating breakfast and, unusually, I had parked the truck outside the kitchen window...Quite by chance a Kestrel dropped in to rest on the roof bar...Graham nipped off to get his camera and, by the time he got back...there were two! They were so relaxed that we got fed up of watching them after a while and carried on eating!...We have a Barn Owl roosting in our small barn and all around is abundant with birds of prey as well as all manner of samller three-toed layabouts! We've scoured Trocs & Puces for bargains, eaten heartily at village Pardons and generally had a great time during 2007. There's so much to see and do in Brittany that, combined with our client and agent liaison and website work, whether we're in France or UK, that work on the house is starting to lag behind....maybe this year! The next time you have reason to "tut-tut" at the News...click below... Chris & Micki Slade • A House in Brittany Ltd., 2 Westbrooke, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1RE • Tel:01903 202272 About us | Properties for Sale in Brittany | FAQ's | Essential Services | Links | Legal Aspects |
