Time to begin our DIY adventure in France! But where to begin? So much to do, we have lots of know-how but our tools haven’t arrived yet. Decisions to be made and a few lessons in negotiating the DIY path in a new country to learn!
The wardrobe story
In previous posts you’ll have seen that Jean-Louis and I had been on the hunt for various items of furniture, but the all-important wardrobe was proving to be illusive. We were feeling quite frustrated and definitely rather tired of living out of our suitcases!
Join us on our hunt through antique and brocante stores in Provence to find the perfect wardrobe.
The bargain hunting begins
Having just arrived in our recently acquired house in Provence, with just a couple of suitcases and a pillow each, it was time to get started on finding furniture and whatever else we felt we needed along the way – and we were keen! Watch out antique and brocante stores in Provence – here we come!
On rue Saint Pierre
We left Australia in mid-April and, after a brief stay in Bordeaux, we collected our car and, with much anticipation, drove directly to Provence. We arrived in the south of France with several suitcases and a carton of kitchen and cleaning essentials, then, on the morning of 28th of April, we entered and had the key to, our very own home in Provence!
Provence here we come!
After finding an ideal house in the lovely village of Jouques in Provence, Jean-Louis and I had returned home to Perth, Western Australia, to pack-up our lives and make the move to France. No easy task as we had gone on holiday within weeks of moving house, leaving our two bedroom, one bathroom town house crammed full of furniture and boxes from our recently sold, four bedroom, three bathroom, two living-room family home. We had even left a pool table taking up the entire dining room!
A house in Provence
We were raring to go but, I have to admit, I was just a little bit apprehensive, but also excited at the ‘grande aventure’ that lay ahead. While the cliché ‘you only live once’ was resounding in our heads, we new that our stay in France would be much more than just a holiday and the path ahead was so unknown!
The hidden gem
So we were, finally, heading to THAT village in Provence! The one that my husband had been talking about for four years and which we might move to if I also liked it. Time to check it out and see if our lives would change forever!
Following the dream
To one day live in another country, where the sun shines, a lot, the sky seems to be eternally blue, the food is good and the wine even better!
Perhaps not everyone’s dream includes Provence as the destination, but for us it was always France, specifically Provence – that group of departments in the country’s south that collectively make up one of the most visited and travelled places in the world.