The moment we've been waiting for has finally arrived: I'm here in France too! On Friday morning, my dad and I left the Netherlands. We split the journey into two days with an overnight stop halfway, which turned out to be a good idea because the French school holidays had just started and the roads were incredibly busy. By Saturday afternoon we finally arrived at L'École d'Isa. Danny had already made great progress clearing the house, and within minutes of unloading the car

After months of planning, dreaming, paperwork, and counting down the days, the moment finally arrived... we are officially the proud owners of our house in Riguepeu, France! But before we could celebrate this milestone, there was quite a journey to get here. Saying Goodbye Before leaving the Netherlands, we wanted to say goodbye to our family, friends, and neighbours in a special way. We organised a farewell party at our beloved home in Oosterhout, where we have lived with so

It’s the beginning of June, and the move is suddenly getting very close. Time feels like it’s flying by. Danny spends a weekend in London with his sisters, while Dad and I head “for a quick trip” to France with a trailer and a roof box packed full of belongings. We leave at midnight, and after a long, rainy day on the road, we arrive in Riguepeu at 14.30. It’s still raining heavily, and we can’t get the car up the muddy little hill. After a few attempts, we decide to drive to

I (Iris) am slowly recovering from the surgery. It is happening in small steps. Pacing myself is difficult; I notice I tend to want to do too much too soon, while my body is holding me back. It is a learning process to truly listen to what I need, as frustrating as that can sometimes be. Resting does not yet feel natural, but I am starting to understand more and more that it is part of the recovery. Meanwhile, life is not standing still. Behind the scenes, many things are bei

In the meantime, I, Iris, have undergone a second spinal surgery (spondylodesis). It has forced me to slow down at a time when so much is happening all at once. Danny and my father have, in the meantime, made a quick trip to France to carry out the first urgent repairs. The goal was simple but essential: to ensure the roof does not deteriorate further in the coming months. Not a luxury project, but a matter of necessity. Fortunately, they didn’t return only with a list of urg

The permit was submitted… and then the waiting began. It could take up to two months, but fortunately we received a response within a month. Just not the response we were hoping for. The permit had been rejected. On three points: There was insufficient capacity on the electricity grid to support our plans The outbuildings are located in a zone naturelle (nature zone), where building is not allowed There is not enough fire water available to adequately respond in case of a fir

After a lot of deliberation and quite a bit of number crunching to estimate the renovation costs, we decided to make an offer. However, we included several important conditions. One of them was a technical inspection of the façade. In addition, we required that the old classroom and the barn could officially be converted into living space, which would require a special permit. After some negotiations, our initial offer was accepted. An exciting step, but one in which we were

A long-cherished dream, one that would sometimes flare up and then fade into the background again, is finally becoming a reality. Several years ago, before my mum’s cancer had spread, the four of us (dad, mum, Danny and I) made plans to move abroad and start something like a B&B. We spent hours browsing houses and renovation projects online, imagining how we would make it all work. But during that same period, we received the devastating news that the cancer had spread. Short