“Bon Courage!” is something people say to us A LOT in France. Literally, it means ‘good luck.’ However, in the context of our renovation project, I think what people actually mean is, “you’re going to live to regret this.” A year ago, we purchased a group of house-barn structures in a little hamlet in Southwest france, not because any of it was at all liveable. There is not a single bathroom or fully functioning door. The walls are tumbling down. The windows don’t really shut. The floors are packed soil. There is no electricity, water or more importantly, a fosse septique. In truth, we never thought of ourselves as having acquired a house. What we bought ourselves was a view. They can ‘bon courage’ us all they want. We throw a blanket down on the grass. pop the cork from a bottle of Crement, keep an eye out for snakes, and stare out over the valley. It sort of feels like we’ve already won. But of course, the battle to turn this into a place where people will actually visit us has yet to begin.
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