pandejonesadventure

This blog is a way of sharing the experiences of a not-so-young couple who have decided to try ‘living the dream’ in France – and, we hope, many other places.

Eric and I bought Les Bruyeres in 1989 when Helen was a newborn, and have been going there ever since – first in the long summer vacations from our jobs in Bahrain, and then, when based in Liverpool from 1999 onwards, several times a year.

Right: the cottage as we first saw it, an empty shell  in danger of disappearing behind  ivy and uncut grass – summer 1989.

Over the years there were improvements – a new roof and windows, a kitchen and micro-bathroom, a spiral staircase to the upstairs room that had previously been a hayloft; much later, a better bathroom and division of the upstairs bedroom into two.  In the early years, all the furniture was second-hand and donated by family members. A lot of the work was carried out  for us by Eric’s brother David, the multi-talented handyman and electrician who can build, make and fix just about anything.  From being very slightly more comfortable than camping, Les Bruyeres gradually became a proper home.  The main problem was that we kept having to go away and leave it!

So, this move really is something we’ve been dreaming of for 26 years.

Left: the four of us  in summer 1995, on holiday from Bahrain.