No more excuses; our French stone cottage was livable and it was time to move to the French Countryside. Continue reading our final story about moving to France and to see the before and after video of “Le Petit Bijou”, my 2024 venue for Learn, Eat, and Be Well – Southwest France (2 minute read).
The summer of 2021 was full of anticipation; coordinating visas, sorting paperwork for our pets, and packing tonnes of luggage. The time had come to say good-bye to Canada and on the 1st of August, all four of us boarded a plane. Yes, we traveled with our cat Minou, our dog Bella, and 6 pieces of luggage. We flew from Montreal to Paris, and then via rental car, we drove 5 hours from Paris to our cottage in Coly.
Nothing this big is ever done without help. It is thanks to our our neighbour and friend, Patrick, in Aylmer, Quebec that we made it to the Montreal airport safely and on time. It is thanks to our friends in Coly, Sandra and Kevin, who made sure our stone cottage was aired out and that we were well fed before bed.
Fast forward to today, January 2024, and so many more renovations have been done; more roses and herbs were added to the gardens in 2021, a deck with covered terrace over the back door in 2022, and in 2023 a new entry hall with staircase to a new guest suite.
This completes the series of stories about the evolution of Le Petit Bijou and I will be moving on to stories, pictures, and videos of the field trips, the neighbourhood, and the beauty of French life in the Perigord. In the meantime, please enjoy the 2 minute slide show of the transformation of our French stone cottage; a stone wreck to “Le Petite Bijou”, my new venue for Learn, Eat, & Be Well – Southwest France, a continuing education vacation for wellness professionals.