The season lasts from October until February and during this time, it’s your chance to try the wild pheasant or the wild pigs at the local restaurants.   Fresh, sumptious pates made from local meats on home made bread are the carnivore’s dream.

At the same time, for those of you who aren’t used to a hunting season, there is good reason to be cautious while taking long walks in the countryside.  First, the hunters priority is finding the prey….so if you are out enjoying a Saturday afternoon stroll, stay clear of any forested areas unless you are wearing neon colors and making enough noise to be heard.  Second, hunters are respectful, but priority is the animal…so go with caution.  Really.

If you are lucky you will be able to enjoy the beautiful changing leaves of the fall season along with a warm Percheron meal at dinner.

A typical start is at 7am when you can find all the little treasures that can be renovated or reworked or even resold at bigger city antique marts.   You never know where you will find your next pearl in the rough.  The best part of these markets is the lunch break where you will find most people circling a smokey barbeque with a refreshing glass of kir and eating a delicious juicy saucisse merguez sandwich (small spicey sausage sandwich) chatting with friends and family.

Normandy publishes an annual calendar for interested parties…but even easier is maybe going to this website… www.info-brocantes.com or many of the other available websites.

Happy Shopping!

The amazing blender, courtesy of Ms. Laura Wells, has been dusted, re-cleaned and polished for margarita season.  Tequila, Triple Sec, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, lemons, limes,salt and all the other accountrements are now in stock.

The glasses have been taken out and today the cantina is open as margaritas will start their season.

Come to La Musardiere for Anne’s duplicitous margaritas and enjoy a weekend of sun, outdoor dining, margaritas, long walks, chateau visits, and more.

Margaritas are officially “In-Season!”

Do you know where to get a good butcher?  Will the mayor will be receptive to your proposal?  Which castle is the best one to visit?  Which foie gras is the best? 

Count on word of mouth to help you in your discovery of the region. 

Many have come to the area  to live or visit  the French countryside.  Some struggle to get ahead because of cultural inflexibility and as we all know….it’s not always easy getting started.   But people here are warm and welcoming and word of mouth works well!  Phew….

For those of you who do not speak French, the trick is, ALWAYS (under every circumstance) greet someone with a Bonjour Madame or Bonjour Monsieur (or Bonsoir, etc…).    

This is the first step to getting anywhere.   It will automatically trigger a favorable response and most likely a desire to help you.  

Help is what everyone needs and wants to offer.   Word of mouth will buy you a house, build you a pool, get you a job, and send you to the best restaurants.

Word of mouth will get you everywhere.

Our home in Soize

If you have been thinking about buying that old French country farmhouse for a long time and always thought it would be impossible, now is the right time to do it.  Prices are coming down little by little and there are networks of people to help you through the process. 

The key is figuring out where exactly you want to live.    The Centre is rich with great locations but it can be as easy to find one place as another.  The key to finding out exactly what  the culture of the town is, visit the local cafe and town hall.  If you find people in these two locations are welcoming and want to help you in your efforts, you will find that everyone else will help too. 

Finding someone who speaks English isn’t always easy, but if you know at least a little French, this will open the door and you will quickly discover that everyone speaks enough English to be able to get the information you need.

Also very important is a great realtor, notary (notaire) and banker.   Our realtor was truly phenomenal.  After 5 months and only one initial conversation, I received a call saying the realtor had a property with all our criteria.  We actually thought she had forgotten us, but in fact, she was true to her word and found exactly what we wanted.  We signed on the first visit and within hours we were looking for financing, notaires, and more.

Our agent also suggested one of the local banks in the same plaza and when we walked in were delighted to meet someone not only more than helpful, welcoming, thorough, but that also spoke English.  She was another confirmation that the area was the right one for us. 

For those interested in hearing more about our experience and what one needs to do to buy locally, please let me know and I will continue to provide updates.

Photo courtesy Ateliers Couleurs

This week I discovered my sanctuary only 10 minutes away…. Atelier Couleurs, a beautiful home and garden decoration boutique, which features stunning home furnishings and decorative objects in the Perche area.   As I understand it, it started out as a fabulous restoration workship and now became a boutique with rustic appeal based in an old farmhouse in the heart of the countryside.  Atelier Couleurs will definitely win the heart of any home decorator with a flair for country living and antiquities.  A broad assortment of decorations, antiques,  and home furnishings, I found everything I could ever want in this little paradise.  Highly recommend it for those of you in the area or desiring to purchase from the store via email.  Even better, they ofter interior design consulting support for those moving into the area or living in Paris region…. 

Many years ago, my great grandfather was living in a quiet country community in the nearby town of Arrou.  In this small, rural community, a common man transcended the everyday village life to become General Consul of France in the far away Pacific.  While he traveled the world and left his vivid accounts of daily life in Asia, his legacy to his family was the place he, Alphonse Guerin, and his brother, Alexandre Guerin, built for our summers, Le Fournil.  My grandmother, Marie-Gisele Marguerite Renee Guerin Dubois left this house full of memories to her seven children and grandchildren.

Over time, it became obvious that all of the cousins held this place near and dear.  But eventually the family disengaged from the old house, which in turn left our hearts.  When the opportunity finally presented itself to come back to the region, my husband, Rick, and I landed not too far away…in the nearby Perche area.

Although not the same, le Perche is located only fifteen minutes from Arrou and it offers visitors spectacular days filled with rolling hills, traditional farmhouses, cheese, apples, cider, pate, horses, kayaking, hiking, artistry and beautiful sunsets day after day.

My hope is that over time, as people read my blog, they will come to love the Centre of My France as I have.