Community Spirit

It’s been a very strange week and one which has made me really think about what I am thankful for.  

Coincidentally it was Thanksgiving in America!

We love living in the community of Olonzac and this week we saw how a community like this pulls together when someone needs their help.  A friend lost her partner suddenly in a car accident and there has been no question about everyone wanting to do whatever they can to make her life a little easier in the lead up to Christmas.

It’s made my heart sing...a reminder of human nature at it’s best!  Instead of words I thought I would share some photos that have made me smile this week...

Our very own grapevine...
just had a hard prune today but hopefully
 it will come back bigger and better next summer!

Reminded of one of the roses in our courtyard...
during the pruning...

Our kitchen window...LOVE the smell of fresh basil...

We found two lots of pears on the tables in our courtyard
when we got home one day and discovered later
they were from a neighbour :-)

Regis, the friendly cheese man at the market who makes us laugh every week!

Hope you all see something that makes you smile this week...

Armistice Day (Jour de l'Armistice de 1918) in Olonzac

Well, we're off and running with our website, blog, twitter, facebook and pinterest!! Phew!! Thanks for your support...

After the last blog was published we headed off to join the village for the Armistice Day memorial service. This was our first year so we didn't know what to expect...we just knew we wanted to be there.

We didn't understand much but could feel the sense of what was being said.  We did find out later that this is the first year that France is also acknowledging people that have been lost in all wars and not just the first world war as has previously been.  This is something that most countries are used to so we were glad this has become the way in France.

There was a special merit presentation during the ceremony...this was quite moving as everyone involved looked so proud and there was total mutual respect.

Jean Coupet was decorated with the medal of Knight in the National Order of Merit.

They laid flowers and wreaths at the village memorial and it was wonderful to see the kids proudly involved...

                  

When the service finished some of the old boys went to the local cemetery to lay flowers on their friend's graves...then everyone headed to the Mairie (town hall) to be together...

The council provided local wine, soft drinks, tea & coffee and a massive quiche (!) and the place was buzzing - French, English, German, Dutch...we all drifted off after an hour or so and Mark & I reflected on our first Armistice Day in Olonzac...

Bonjour & Bienvenue

Bonjour & bienvenue - hello and welcome to the very first blog!  Today’s a huge day for us at Sainte-Hélène...our website goes live!  Exciting and scary and everything in between.  We moved to France in March with a dream to set up a bed & breakfast that felt like home but had all the creature comforts (read: luxury!) we had come to enjoy while travelling.

The next six months went by in a blur as we added new bathrooms, updated existing bathrooms, moved walls, created new rooms, stripped wallpaper, plastered, undercoated, painted, repainted...and all while the temperatures soared to highs of 40!

We’ve already had a few paying customers in both the apartment and chambres d’hôtes but haven’t felt like we were ‘official’ because we couldn’t show other people a website when they asked to see what it was like.  Today we can!

The purpose of the blog is to share the goings on in this little corner of the world as we get to enjoy them - we’ll try not to be ‘just another blog about the south of France’ although it’s hard not to want to spread the word like everyone else is doing!

Who are the ‘we’?: Mark & Kay Williams and Monsieur Gaby, our beautiful adopted cat.

So for now we will say au revoir as we head off to the village Armistice Day celebrations (more on that later!).

www.sainte-helene.com

BEFORE - Chambre Verdelet En-Suite

 AFTER - Chambre Verdelet En-Suite

BEFORE - Chambre Picholine

AFTER - Chambre Picholine

Monsieur Gaby