Bonjour again

My goodness, I haven't chatted with you all since the end of December 2021, a whole other year!

2021is indeed in the past and a lot has happened in this the first month of 2022, by jove it has! I've just seen an instagram post stating that the year is almost over as we head to Valentines day, Easter, Summer, Halloween and Christmas! I had to laugh! Eeeeeee we really shouldn't wish our lives away, but personally, I will be super happy just to get to the end of the year in one piece and Covid begone!

The positive first?

Yes well, the 12000 days of January haven't really lingered too much, which is unusual and there's definitely a light at the end of the proverbial January tunnel! Him and I are missing life in France a lot more than we thought and especially those pink Charente sunsets! We will be back but until then we are in damp dreary Middle England plodding on. The French plates for the lorry have finally arrived, just yesterday, but he's now not keen on sitting in a customs queue for 16 hours! I don't blame him, but we do have a full kitchen living in the lorry that needs to get to The French Wreck and soon!

I actually don't think I'm going to go with him this time? There's the dogs to consider and obviously work going on in this house too. I also don't think I should take the car on top of him taking the lorry as I really want to save the pennies this year. I have however got busy booking our summer accommodation in France which is that much needed 'something to look forward to'! Maybe we will go for Easter too?

Anyway, the lighter, much shorter month of February beckons and I'm always happy to get January done and dusted! Also, we have finally started 'weekending' again and I mean, getting out and about enjoying ourselves rather than working. We have been in a pre move, post move fog since September, then there was the teens party, Christmas and new year. It's been interesting! We've been exhausted, cranky and a bit lost, but we are healing the best we can. One thing I do know, is that we are in dire need of that 'forever home' before we loose our marbles permanently. With each move I really do loose a little bit of my soul! It never gets any easier coping with this moving lark and to be brutally honest, it takes me longer to recover with every move.

To keep going I've been prescribed the wonderful Stephanie Jarvis and the 'Chateau Diaries' on YouTube and also 'Doing it For Ourselves' starring my favourite Chateau chap and his family, Micheal Petherick! It's one hundred percent better than listening to the dreary news on a loop and they both do a fabulous job of inviting us all into their chateau lives. According to my husband, watching them will keep my French dream alive and he's not wrong. It did stop me sitting and moaning about the horrid laundry room we have here and I've finally got going with my mini makeover project. I think, I will keep going throughout the year, it will keep me 'sane ish'! Although, he says I'm a very messy painter and need lessons in prepping a room for decorating! Oh well! I do need him to cut in as I tried and it looks like a child did it, so best keep him on side eh!

January has also been busy with the re branding of our fledgling magazine. There's a lot to say but if I've learnt anything from being a public figure in the last ten years, it's that we can't always out people for their poor choices! I'm tempted as we were very much held to ransom, but there's little point other than making me feel better I suppose! Suffice to say, Tia and I were left with a mess to mop up and we are still mopping it up with the usual gumption that's inbred in us both, to work, succeed and do more than just survive. We won't let it get us down.We might not be everyone's cuppa tea but we don't really think about that much anymore, we just keep the end game in sight and keep trucking.I'm very thankful for the old and new guard that always have our backs. Online Expat life is never easy, is it?

There's always a positive in being able to rebrand, even if we had no choice in the matter and that's I don't have to type a hundred words to get to the URL anymore! Simply Living France is simple and sweet! I rather like it!

At the beginning of January, Tia and I didn't know if we could manage the magazine with such a small team but we have surprised ourselves and of course the proof will be in the pudding on the 1st of February! One thing we have both insisted on is that all those checks needed to keep it typo free bath, blah....are actually done and in good time! Of course there's a whole team of wonderful volunteer writers behind the magazine and we are so grateful that they didn't miss a beat! Rather than feeling angst at the unfortunate situation we found ourselves in, we feel pretty blessed. We wrestled the brand back into our hands where it should have been and we can now make sure it goes out with all those boxes ticked!

These things happen for a reason I guess and we've also used the re branding opportunity to employ some common sense by making the magazine bi monthly, giving us all a little time back in the bank to have an actual life, for Tia and I were really missing our evenings, weekends and our usual routines. Onwards and upwards as they say.

Back here at our temporary home, the dogs have finally had a proper groom and no longer resemble Big Foot's hairy little cousins and we have a wonderful carpenter fresh from France creating some much needed storage for us. The ex Teen is back at uni, accommodation swap done and seems to be settling well. She's passing her Law exams and balancing those commitments with the usual partying! I'd say this semester will be much easier than the first! She's also chatting about travelling with friends in the summer and maybe at Christmas and we are cheering her on. Go live your best life my love!

Okay, that's my little catch up done! Best crack on with my day and speak soon!

D x