54 French Property News August 2019 http://www.completefrance.comM
any of us dream about upping sticks
from the UK and getting away –
permanently. For most of us, however,
our family, schools and jobs mean this dream is
one that remains rooted in the future. After all,
life is settled, isn’t it? Why
move away from
everything you know and
go through all that
upheaval on a whim?
There are always
reasons not to do
something. “Aren’t you
worried about Brexit?”
people have asked me and
my partner Martin. I’ve
lived in Sussex most of
my life and it will always
have a place in my heart,
but, in recent years, I’ve
become increasingly
disillusioned with the crowded roads, absurd
property prices and relentless pace of life. I
crave a peacefulness that is getting harder to
find. As a writer, I can take my work anywhere
and, apart from the two sheep, horse, cat and
dog that form our extended family, there is no
reason why I can’t live, well, anywhere.Pets and packing
There was no question that the dog was coming
with us. Bernard is well travelled; last year, he
accompanied us on a road trip to Ibiza. Billy the
cat has gone to live with my daughter, Georgie.
The sheep have a wonderful home with our old
neighbours. And the horse, our sweet, retired
racehorse, permanently lame from being raced
as a two-year-old... we thought long and hard
about bringing her, but a friend had just bought
some land so she has gone to live with her.
Nothing was solved overnight, but there are
always solutions if you look hard enough. What
followed was a cathartic clearing out of
everything we no longer needed or used,
whittling down our stuff to fit into a
100-square-foot storage unit. While this was
going on, we had to make the house look
welcoming for potential buyers and fit in aphotoshoot with Sussex Life magazine, prior to
the publication of my next book.
Meanwhile, outside, as winter played out,
the garden was coming to life. I watched bulbs
I’ve planted send out shoots and the first
flowers appear (spring flowers are my
favourite) before
banishing sentimentality.
There were many reasons
to stay, but my inner voice
never faltered.Why France?
What’s not to love about
vast stretches of unspoilt
countryside, where the
roads are empty, and the
peace is uninterrupted by
the sound of traffic? Here
in Dordogne, it’s warmer
than the UK. Everyone
we’ve met has been
incredibly friendly and life feels simpler,
somehow. Our cost of living has substantially
dropped and, as for property prices, money
buys you so much more here. There’s the
intangible, too – the adventurous spirit some of
us can’t subdue. There’s a big world out there,
with places to see and many ways to live a life- it simply depends on what you want from it.
For now, we’re renting a character-filled
house with a vast garden, not far from the
Dordogne border with Corrèze, while we figure
out our long-term plan. In the evenings, we sit
outside on a shady terrace to watch the sun go
down, surrounded by the trees, the birds and
the breeze – and, when it’s dark, we listen to
the frog song from the pond in the next field.
We’ve window-shopped hundreds of beautiful
homes, looking for dilapidated elegance, with
thick walls to keep the heat out in summer,
exposed stone and timber, wide fireplaces, high
ceilings, distressed shutters, shaded sun
terraces – the list goes on. We’re seeking
character in abundance, land, clean air and
privacy – sought-after commodities that
command a premium in Sussex. Here they are
so much more affordable.
REAL LIFE
Sunday Times top 10 bestselling author
Debbie Howells is used to writing psychological
thrillers, but moving to Dordogne with her partner
Martin has been her greatest adventure yet
Gripping
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Sunbathing on the terraceThe peace and shade are perfect for writing outsideBernard the retriever snoozing in the mid-afternoon sunDebbie and MartinDebbie and Martin.
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