After several years living abroad, I really never thought I would go back to live in France... but the birth of our children shook everything up! In England, having to work full time just to pay the bills, and having no time to raise the children just didn’t feel right. Surely there was better way - one that was also less influenced by our consumer society. But where? And how? In Canada, or in France? In the mountains or by the sea? Certainly not in a city, but somewhere where there was sun, not too isolated, with a good school, a place where we could set ourselves up using our professional skills. Through a process of elimination we ended up in one of the Massat valleys, an area where everyone seemed to be different, a place to live without having to fit into a box, and away from the hurly-burly of life. There we fell in love with a house and barn in an isolated hamlet with fantastic views of the mountains, so we naïvely dived into a new adventure ……
With absolutely no experience of renovating houses, the restoration turned out to be a real challenge! Our third daughter was born the week after we moved in, after which we did whatever work we could find: travelling to other parts of France for John (or even abroad) or having activities linked with photography such as running workshops locally (for me). We also built a gîte (a self-catering apartment), and restored the barn to make a second gite. With our noses to the grindstone we raised our 3 girls ……
For many years school determined the rhythm of our daily lives (particularly the school runs). There was looking after the land as well, cutting trees, the daily chores, so there was hardly any spare time in the end!
20 years have passed and we can honestly say that it has been the right place to raise our girls; a place with not too many temptations, somewhere where one learns to be self-reliant very early. From the age of 2 they knew few restrictions, being able to walk out of the front door and go anywhere they wanted in the surrounding fields. At their primary school the teachers were stimulating and the classes multi-year. Independence increased as they got older with a motorbike to ride about on or hitch-hiking (the local means of getting around) to go and visit friends. Older still and they travel to other continents with the money that they earn working…
Space, silence, unspoilt nature, the company and warmth of the open fire, the marked difference in the seasons, swimming in the rivers or in the mountain lakes, walks in the mountains in the company of friends, wonderful encounters with our visitors to our gites - these are the real pleasures in life. It’s an environment rich on the human level, with a real group spirit and lots of communal help. But it’s not all roses! Having help at hand is essential when one lives in such isolation, where nature can suddenly turn on you. While winter can be beautiful and poetic, it’s often best not to move! Distances isolate us from one another also. You try to combine tasks when you go somewhere but all too often you end up not going out at all, not attending any cultural events, not seeing friends, not doing things often enough that are good for the soul.
In addition, here is a place where if you don’t watch out you can run into trouble in other ways. Life here can be so sheltered, so cosy and idyllic that it is often difficult to leave, and without you noticing it you suffocate! To really appreciate life here, you have to leave and go to other places. So to meet some of my aspirations, I’ve been doing photo projects abroad, in Morocco in particular… It’s a new rhythm, but a necessary one to keep my horizons open and stimulating. And there is nothing quite like the quietness, nature, and a feeling of freedom and contentment when I return here from my journeys.
Then, as a photographer, I spend hours in front of the computer which often cuts me off from the world outside. The house has become an extension of my studio/ office, so there’s no real separation between work-time and ‘down time’. I find I’m not spending enough time trying to achieve some kind of symbiosis with the environment around me. There are no half measures here: the minute one tries to spread yourself too thin, you are no longer effective in anything in particular!
My new challenge? To SLOW DOWN without feeling the pressure of time! Now that the girls are leaving and the gîtes are more lucrative, I hope to be able to rearrange and fine-tune my choices: choose projects that feed the soul, have more time for friends, family, travels, being by the sea and listen to my own body and soul to sustain my creativity and well-being…