Planning the plan
what to do…
…Where to go…
…What to see…
September, 2015. The keys on the laptop went silent and there they were, staring at us from the glaring screen. When we first googled properties-to-buy-in-France, we were looking for a small house, a place we could rent out when we weren’t there. At that point, a chateau was merely a charming delusion, not an idea to take seriously.
The idea for our future French house was constantly “evolving”. There were endless questions but not yet any answers. What is it going to be then? A dreamy spot, a family retreat, a secluded oasis of tranquil pastures? Or more like a retirement plan, a family business, maybe land with a few gites —a French rental cottage; the word means “shelter” in French — ?
Are we ready to tackle a blank canvas, a building project, a rescue mission to satisfy our philanthropic selves? Or should we be limited to some basic decorating and gardening tasks? For sanity’s sake, we put away the iPads and, old-fashioned as we sometimes are, we turned to pen and paper to outline the idea before we started making plans —there is a reason why first things are always first, after all.
A six-bedroom home set in two-to-three acres of land, avec swimming pool of course, is all we needed to escape to from the routine of London daily life. A spot to go with friends. A family hub. The perfect backdrop for our parties and celebrations. A nest for new old memories.
Are six bedroom enough? How many outbuildings should we have?
Speaking of nesting memories, we could host weddings…
Then, suddenly . . .
How about we just buy a castle!
