Saturday, 4 July 2009

House Hunting Part One

HOUSE HUNTING  PART ONE

I have spent a lot of time on the internet searching for a house to buy. I have been looking in Norfolk and Suffolk in England for 'a pied a terre',  as well as in various regions of France for a 'maison secondaire'.  Since I sold my property in England about four years ago we have been living very happily here with excellent friends, but I would like my own property.

Captain Sensible and I have thoroughly enjoyed renovating his French cottage whilst experiencing our new lifestyle with fascinating people, interesting places and a thousand and one things to do in Europe.

Many years ago Myalgic Encephamolitis, combined with severe long-term work-related issues (too much of a historical novel to bore you with the saga now!) created the consequence of a complete emotional breakdown making me too dysfunctional to continue in a career which I loved. A double prolapse and hysterectomy operation just three weeks before moving day resulted in a non-functioning bladder. On top of worry about offspring and a neighbour who wanted to claim some of my flying freehold (she knocked a hole-in-the-wall to prove her point) I know my experiences are nothing compared to others.  In between all that I broke some ribs from 'flying around' on anti-depressant medication, which I subsequently stopped (not a good idea to do this all in one go, but who needs drugs?).  More recently, a bunion op curtailed any opportunity to be physically and mentally active.  Time left for thinking about property purchase has been somewhat diminished but also I have not been decisive as to where to buy a house. My genealogical roots from both sets of grandparents have been from Sudbury, Southwold and Walberswick in Suffolk, and distant family comes from Nîmes et Nantes in France, and Edinburgh, Scotland.  I feel ever drawn to the Suffolk coastline. I feel I belong more in France than in England but I miss my family and particularly my new and only grand-child. But I do know that I want to travel around France and Europe.

I have asked myself so many questions about 
'What kind of house do I want to buy?' 
'Where do I want to buy a house?' 
'Why do I want to buy it?
'What shall I do with it?'
'Will I have enough money?'

Logic hasn't always prevailed  since being ill and although not a very brilliant home-maker, even though I am a Cancerian, I search for somewhere to feel content, somewhere that could be let out to earn an income, somewhere where it is MY home and not the home that I share with my partner and lover. 

Last November we found a renovation project in Saxtead and dashed over to UK, only to discover the noise and the speed of traffic on the road was worse than indicated. 

I went back to UK in March 2009 and after a week of looking at a variety of possibilities in Norwich, Norfolk and my beloved region of Suffolk to see what feels like a comfortable idea, I gave up!  I was on my return journey to my cousin's house in Southwold  about 6 o'clock  in the evening, when I decided and said to myself out loud in the car, "Ça y est'! That's it!  I will look for a house in France. I'm getting too stressed here in England and I can't find what I like at a price I can afford, so I'll go back and search again in France." 


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