Posted on July 12 2022

So here we are, coming up to our full ninth year in August ‘22 at Canal Cottage in rural Brittany. We are still loving it here and still ‘living the dream’ especially as a result of happenings in the UK since our 4^th blog namely Brexit.

Over the past years we thought, as mentioned in the last post, we would have been able to start and relax a bit – no, not the case, we have been busy over the years making improvements to the house and garden but this year we have decided not to work as much but to start and enjoy what we have. We have changed our enjoyment of 2-wheel motorcycles for a 3-wheel trike, which means we can get out and enjoy a little more.

Viv has been able to spend more time on her hobby of ‘Crafts’ and has developed quite a portfolio of pottery figurines, flowers, plaques etc. all very useful to enhance the house and garden. Mosaics is still high on Viv’s pleasure scale and she has enjoyed it when friends and renting guests have wanted to try.

Our neighbours are still as good as ever, we still have many gatherings through the year, weekends away etc, all seasons, to enjoy each other’s company

We have been successful in securing a grant to aid the installation of a new pellet boiler which will supplement the existing log-burner and provide us with all the heat needed for our house, the apartment, hot tub and hot water. Winter of 2022/23 will see the first years use and trials to get the programming right.

2/3 years ago, we helped, with our neighbours, to fell 25 trees for one of our neighbours who has changed from log-fires to pellet-fires and therefore did not want any more firewood. The wood being split between 5 families, gave us a quantity of logs that overspilled the log store and is now drying in stacks in the garden. The use of the pellet boiler should see the logs we now have last a good 5 years or more.

The French language is still difficult, and we are continually trying to learn more, but we do get by easier than when we first arrived, Viv has made mega steps forward. We still look back on the moving process with dismay and think of the changes from then until now.

We changed the car 2 years ago from the right-hand drive that we bought over from the UK to a left-hand drive and although it took a few days driving to get used to the change, all is good now. Thankfully we changed to an automatic so gear changing with the other hand was not an issue to overcome.

Since we changed our rental platform from French Connections to VRBO (part of the Expedia Group) we have seen a nice increase in enquiries and bookings. Helped by the fact that our English generated rental site is translated into French and appears on the French equivalent to VRBO – Abritel. So, during the past few years of restrictions due to Covid, we have seen a good increase of French bookings (certainly outstripping the number of English) and we have also enjoyed visitors from Switzerland, Spain, America, Ireland and the Czech Republic.

The rear and two sides of the cottage have now been repointed, with just the front left to do. We are hoping to start on this in the Autumn when it is not so hot. In addition, probably next year, the two entrance doors on the front (roadside) of the property will be changed to windows…….. until next time perhaps!!!