Bed&Breakfast Les quatre vents

Who wijIn May 2000 we were on a short break in the Morvan. We (Paola, Serge 39 and 39) had no concrete plans for a house in the Morvan to buy. In fact, we had the whole area and were not even any real france goers. I also have a "normal" job in the healthcare and work my wife Paola "normal" in education. A second house in France for us was of course not weggelegd.Op a lovely morning we were on our way from Lormes to Avallon, for just a little to explore the region, when we passed a large dilapidated house reason (La Diligence). At the gate a cardboard sign with the text "a vendre". Now my French is not so good, but I knew that that so dilapidated house was for sale. As Paola and our two children and Jelle Yke were sleeping, I stopped to look through the broken shutters to peek. What sketched my surprise, how run it on the outside looking, inside everything was nicely furnished with the finest antiques. Only the cobwebs could see that it had long been empty staan.Toen the neighbor offered to the owner to call and simple "oui" was easy then explain that a second home for us not play because I was a "normal" job etc. had actually done was evil. The next afternoon we had an appointment with mme Collete Joublin. A 50-year-old Frenchwoman from Chablis. The daughter of the deceased owner in 1984. After 20 years have been empty, the family was finally convinced that it was better this old stop the Diligence to verkopen.Paola and I fell in love. Although no toilet and shower in the house were present and blackberries from the backyard now in the kitchen were we knew it actually immediately. This house is for us. That same afternoon we walked into the Credit Agricole and told our "conseiller" mme Jacomis us that a mortgage would be no problem. She wanted a pay stub received and it would go all the arrangements with the notary. Evening we mme Joublin called back and told that we like the house wanted to buy all the stuff on condition that they would leave. When asked what we do with that "junk" wanted, I told her that we would like the house in its original state wanted to redecorate. The furniture, some of which there were a hundred years were attached to the house and were not replaceable by copies of the Ikea or a flea market. She liked it so much that our (much lower) bid equal geaccepteerd.Op Saturday we were at the kitchen a handwritten statement signed which promised we would buy the house. Paola has this whole ritual also on the video. Mme Joublin promised us everything will settle with the notary and actually. A few weeks later we received a letter from the solicitor that we, on 13 July (8 weeks later so) at 8am were expected to sign the deed. He also said a moment that he had contacted Ms Jacomis of the bank and that he would arrange everything else with her. On 13 July 2000 we thus became the owner of our dream home. Luckily we did not then that was only the beginning of a great adventure in the French Morvan.De first summer has been dominated by cleaning and junk removal. But also delightful evenings with family and friends who came to help and to wonder about the many beautiful antique treasures we have in the various barns are encountered. Everything is now in the house and is cleaned and / or repaired (mostly by Paola). Soon we were a landmark in the village. In a few months, La Diligence transformed a derelict farm to the beautiful Maison de Maitre of old. I can still remember that I lunchtime on a ladder to paint the shutters blue stood and Paola handed me a sandwich when the neighbors just started their sumptuous meal. She looked surprised how a brush in one hand and the other hand holding the ladder used to hold and gently occasionally took a bite of the sandwich. Later it turned out that this story through the whole village was gone. That crazy Dutchman eats his "dejeuner" on a ladder! Le SabotierAnderhalf years later I was invited for a Soiree choucroute. In the middle of winter on the Marie villagers were treated to an extensive sauerkraut. That night I was also vice-president of the "Comitee the fete" to be chosen. Something I just came back a few months later. Anyway, on that night I sat next Thiery Seuvre. A delightful farmer from "les quatre vents". One of the 14 hamlets of the commune Chastellux. He told me that our house had become so beautiful, and then subtly telling that besides him stood a dilapidated farmhouse whose owner wanted it off. I promised him the next day to come and watch. My brothers had already shown us also to be a French avontuur.Zo so we arrived at our second project. Le Sabotier was bought by my brother Ralph and myself. Ralph did not want to be bound and found it pleasant burdens and desires to share. La Diligence started well on the right to come and we did have meaning again in a new avontuur.La SourceBij our village did have more empty houses, but one of them made us very curious. Right next to the source where we always get our own spring water, stood a house, at least, we saw the point of a roof and underneath was thus a house there. Because it was located somewhat lower, were the blackberries with their thick branches into the gutter and had grown as a bridge formed for all the other weeds. Every time I get to the source of my water bottles was, I thought, soon I'm going to ask the mayor whose house. One day I saw even a car and there was a passage gekap to the front door. Inside I found an old lady (from Paris, so I saw the license plate) that glass in old newspapers was packing. After a few polite questions on my part, she said: You definitely want to buy the house. She had apparently not fancy a chat polite and knew exactly what I came for. When I replied in the affirmative, she told me that her husband a few weeks ago was deceased and she finally could sell the house. He had 15 years in a nursing home located but refused to put his signature under a verkoopcontract.Ze were called by someone from the village who'd be interested. That same evening I called my oldest brother Didier and explained the situation to him. I also told him that he was so, he just needed a little cleaning and what to do in the garden. Without having seen it, he said yes and that evening was the sale with mme Le Bell closed. Three months later, my brother sign the contract in Paris and then to drive to the Morvan to see exactly what he had bought. At first he could not find the house, but after 3 laps he began slowly to suspect that mountain Bram Bushes of him. Later it turned out that we are of course very different opinions about "there so can". There was a toilet, kitchen and shower so you could so. He came from a Vinex district and obviously had very different ideas about "so there can." After three years of blood, sweat and tears is a lovely holiday geworden.La La Source La Source Forge Opposite lives Denise Millot. With its 68 years one of the youngest in the village. A typical Frenchwoman of the countryside. The whole year is devoted to make jam, vegetable pickle and dry mushrooms. She is known for her delicious "confiture the coing" (kweeperenjam) and pate de coing (small sweets kweeperendrap). During several occasions she had once said that besides its a small house stood, which has been vacant since 1984. The owners had spent one summer, but it turned out to be difficult to reconcile with the multitude of animals that summer they had left behind. In the beginning we knew it still nice to hold, but the nicer La Source was, the more Denise began to insist. She had now finally a beautiful house opposite him and wanted also like beside her. Eventually they themselves but took the initiative and called the owners. Probably she has a good word for us (or a threat uttered), but they told us proudly that the owners wanted to sell it for the amount that they paid for it in 1984. As a true Dutch course we could not pass up our noses and we have the family Vilardie called. A week later, the deal was closed and we had another piece of land of 1700 m2 with, showing a house with a lot of work and happy again heeeeeel veeeel bramen.Op May 1, 2005, we purchased La Forge. Luckily it was two weeks May holiday and had many friends know like to come and help. Meanwhile we had some experience and we are not too careful to get started. We stripped the whole house, including some walls, flooring, all bathroom and kitchen stoves and the entire porch. This lasted one day and so we had another 13 days with 10 men the whole cottage to renovate. What I had not told Paola namely, that on 14 May the first guests would arrive. You do remember the "normal" job and there was also money to be made to the bank again to solve. In the house is actually everything went well. In the garden was a somewhat different story. At first the driveway had to be excavated and leveled. We had arranged in different teams to excavate sand and junk and a big mountain to collapse. That had en the terrace. After a few hours we had only a very small piece done and it was not gone unnoticed, because that was our neighbor Le Sabotier hit with a big tractor and loader. He had seen us and was muddling his tractor to fetch. Anyway, 50 minutes later the whole driveway was excavated and a new terrace at the side of La Forge. It took us only a bottle of whiskey. We came to the conclusion that we were already quite integrated. Now we still remained the problem of burrs. For 20 years, these usurers La Forge had the opportunity to take possession. It was a pack of 40 cm dry, dead blackberry branches already a new green generation that grew through it. Again we were carefully placed in different teams started chopping, cutting, breaking and pruning. Again shot not mind and I searched for a way faster to get rid of this problem. With a bottle of gasoline, matches, newspapers and I on the edge of a small fire made the problem. However, to my horror was within five minutes the whole piece into the fire and it was absolutely out of control. Even the oak at the edge of the garden began to crackle. Fortunately burned the blanket of dry bramble branches so quickly, that a few minutes later, the entire property was clean and we only had to rake. On 14 May were our first guests Mieke Henny and enjoy the beautiful view from the porch. Since then, La Forge is very popular with our guests and it is from April to October almost permanently occupied. Our neighbor Denise was totally delighted her. She now has no more shacks beside him and there is a bit of life in the dorp.Les Quatre Vent Every summer we rent myself a house of Dutch in another part of France. In this way we save two birds with one stone, we learn also consider another part of France to know one week and we can do nothing, which is very difficult but also very healthy for ons.Daarnaast we stay every summer in each cabin . There is always something to jobs and so we also find out what can be improved in the cottage. In the summer of 2005 we stayed the last week in Le Sabotier. Opposite Le Sabotier was a beautiful farmhouse which our friend Thiery been vacant since 1974. The owner was a "difficult" woman from Avallon who holds her father had sold it several times, but so many times the sale had to turn back. Also we had experienced in the summer of 2004 already allowed to experience. We had called her and had ended up in a negotiation. When I called to her to complete the sale (we were approached close together, so to speak), she began cursing terribly. The only thing I understood was that the sale was canceled and that I could call her again. Later I heard from Thiery that she had heard that we made money in the hashish trade and that they obviously wanted nothing to do with it. The story of our "normal" job went to her not to. In the spring of 2005, we understood that the house of Thiery including surrounding fields was sold to a horse trader. The sale was even passed by the notary. Thiery here was very angry, because he had since 1974 a little care for the house and he was already 30 years tenant of the meadows. He was also "n'est pas content" that horses in the meadows beside his cows would come. Horses and cows do not seem good combination. With success, he has the sale at the notary let dissolve. In France there is a law which provides that the lessee has the right of first refusal. Mme Blanc had failed him to the ground to offer. Thus, the land so held by Thiery and sat mme Blanc with a farm with "only" 2000 m2 garden. In the said last week of the summer 2005 so we sat at 9.30am for breakfast when a small gray car tje came riding up the mountain. Actually she stopped for the conscious farm and we came to the conclusion that this so mme Blanc in person should be. I immediately outside a little play around in the hope that I could talk to her establishment. Soon her two (hash) dogs on me last, that I spontaneously quoted. The conversation was over the dogs came about and when I told our kids were crazy about dogs and I like her a cup of coffee would offer she could not really no more zeggen.Alles succeeded: the dogs jumped right in the lap of Paola and began to lick her face, the children gave, very French, net a hand and kiss and I strain my wife reported that for the class and I was quite "normal" job in healthcare had. She looked surprised, but fortunately she took it for granted and it was hashish story to the land of fables. After 5 minutes of polite chatter said they prompt you to definitely buy the house, but I'm not one cent of the purchase price down. When she called the price one year ago 40,000 euros higher had lain, I stuck out my hand and said, "auction" (sold). She turned white and realized that she had sold the house to a foreigner. The next morning we like the notary called for a provisional deed. Because he bought the horse trader had lying around was that same afternoon the preliminary purchase contract signed and we were able again to Mme Jacomis the Crédit Agricole for our 4th mortgage. Somewhat relieved we were or when Mme Jacomis told us that the credit limit was reached and now a 5th mortgage impossible was.26 December (2nd Christmas know the French do not) we have at the notary the keys to our fourth house given.