REPORT – Xmas 2002 
Overview
Well, that was a year, that was!
When at work I was sometimes characterised
by the trendier disciples of Modern Management as “resistant to change” – when
my attitude really was “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”. Well, in our case,
several things were broke; the house we lived in was too big for us and we were
becoming increasingly disenchanted by the overcrowded South East of England,
the appalling traffic, the breakdown in law and order, the pitifully
under-funded health service and the rise of the ridiculous rules of Political
Correctness. So we decided to do something about it, effectively throwing our
lives in the air and trying to catch the possessions we wanted as they fell and
letting the others drop. Our “baby” Peter had suddenly become a young man and
would reach his majority in 2002, so we felt able to branch out.
There were two principal contenders for our
new life – Australia and France. Australia had a lot going for it, not the
least being our familiarity with the country, but it’s a very long way away,
there would have been visa problems, and maybe there was an element of “been
there, done that”!
France is a country we’ve grown to love from
our holidays there, most areas have the same relaxed, friendly atmosphere as
Oz, the scenery is marvellous, the weather is generally better than Blighty and
it has a rich cultural and culinary heritage. The people tend to be reserved as
we are but have always been universally friendly to us and pleased by our
attempts to use their language. Maybe it’s also an easy option, the change can
be gradual, easily reversed if necessary and low-cost flights make commuting
between countries a practical proposition.
So, as forewarned last year, we put the
house on the market …..
Sale of 13 Holt Drive
We were fortunate to have neighbours who had
long wanted the extra space and larger garden that our house could offer, so in
February they agreed to buy our place at the asking price. We then spent
several months of trips to the tip and car-boot sales trying to get rid of the
rubbish we had accumulated, but these were the only real problems. We had
decided to sell the house and move into the caravan, avoiding bridging loans
and giving us the bargaining advantage of cash buyers, but introducing some
storage problems. We completed the sale in mid-August and moved into Colchester
Caravan Park.
Buying
the « Pied à Terre »
Part of The Grand Plan was to buy a small, low
maintenance house within reach of
The
Dreamers’ Tour
We were fortunate to have corresponded with a lovely
group of people in an Internet group called “Dreamers of South West France”, comprising
those people who are dreaming of moving and those people who have moved. We
wandered from person to person and from place to place, having a lovely time
but gaining experience and viewing properties as we did so.
We’d been told that when we saw “the” place that we’d
know it, and so it was. It’s located 8 km South West of the pleasant town of Villeneuve-sur-Lot
in the Lot & Garonne (about half-way between
With the “Promesse de Vente” under our belts and the
deposit paid we headed back to the
Moving
in to UK
After a couple of weeks we “Completed” the purchase of
the Wivenhoe house on November 1st and moved in a week later, the
delay being to allow for the purchase of a double bed and the need to hack away
the Leylandii hedge
bordering the drive to allow the caravan to be parked in the drive. Our
furniture was removed from storage and some used to furnish UK Base, with the
rest disappearing to storage in
The house proved to be snug and comfortable with its
double-glazing and central heating. A rather dark kitchen was lightened up with
a lick of paint, a new floor and the bright white washer drier, fridge and
cooker.
The
Move to France
The Move to
But the trip has been rescheduled, catching the ferry
to take the caravan across the channel on New Year’s Eve – so we will be
starting the New Year with a significant step!
Meanwhile,
Back in The Real World…
….we carried on with our traditional activities;
notably our usual skiing, caravan rallying including a trip to
The skiing this year was to Megève, a pleasant but
(fortunately) uneventful trip which afforded some wonderful views of Mont Blanc
and the Aiguille du Midi. Peter came along with us as part of his 18th
birthday present.
Notable caravan rallies were to Herefordshire,
Footnote
Since I’m writing this on a laptop with limited
facilities and time, it’s been necessarily abbreviated. However I’ve got
copious notes and ideas for further details of a write-up on “Buying a House in