We bought a French property and moved to France. “What do you do with your time?” ask family, friends and visitors. Oh we sit in the sun and eat baguettes, cheese and drink wine all day long. 

Some days we do but that is not very often. There is always something to do. With the gite, our house, 3.8 hectares of land, 7 horses, 7 cats, 7 hens and 2 dogs life here is never boring. There is always something that needs, doing, making, or mending!  

My daughter is a show jumper with her own team of 4 competition horses plus another 3 ‘out’ horses on which she also competes on 2. Doug and I help with the mucking out on busy days. I do fences for Laura when she is training at home and also when we are out competing. I normally go with her. 

Doug is handyman, assistant yard manager, repair man, chief grass cutter and and domestic aide ie bathroom cleaner and chief of the ironing board. He can turn his hand to many things and when he gets stuck he knows a women who can help him out!

Me?  I am chief juggler. Washer woman, head cook, laundry assistant,  gardener, groom, assistant coach, booking agent, wine tour guide. 

The list of jobs goes on for all of us. We all have our skills and we all work together well as a team. 

In the summertime we do make an effort to get out and explore the local area. Now that Doug is here full time we have been venturing further a field visiting, Bordeaux, Spain, Fontainebleau, Paris  and soon we are off to Biarritz. 

We love going to local brocantes and looking for old mirrors and paintings. We both love food and wine and we do like nothing better than finding good restaurants and hunting out exciting wines on our research for our Wine Tours with our small business Taste The Loire.