La Forge

Who are we wijIn May 2000, for a short break in the Morvan. We (Paola, Serge 39 and 39) had no concrete plans for a house to buy in the Morvan. In fact, we knew the whole area and not france goers were not real. I also have a "normal" job in health care and work my wife Paola "normal" in education. A second home in France was not natural for us weggelegd.Op a delicious morning we were on our way of Lormes to Avallon, to just a bit to explore the region, when we passed a large dilapidated house reason (La Diligence). On the fence a cardboard sign with the text "a vendre". Now my French is not so good, but I did understand that dilapidated house so that was for sale. As Paola and our two children and Jelle Yke were sleeping, I stopped to try to peep through the broken shutters. What sketched my surprise, the void it looked on the outside, everything inside was nicely decorated with beautiful antiques. Only at the cobwebs you could see that it had long been empty staan.Toen the neighbor offered to call the owner and simple "oui" was easy to explain that a second home for us not to play because I was a "normal" job etc. it was really bad had happened. 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 the old station of the Diligence to verkopen.Paola and I fell in love. Although there is no toilet and shower in the house were present and the blackberries from the backyard now stood in the kitchen, we knew almost 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 to receive a paycheck 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 the condition that they would leave. On the question of what we do with those "junk" wanted, I told her that we love the house in its original state wanted to refurbish. The furniture, some of which there were a hundred years were joined to the house and were not replaced by copies of the Ikea or flea market. They liked it so much that our (much lower) bid was equal geaccepteerd.Op Saturday we at the kitchen table a handwritten statement signed which we promised the house would buy. Paola has this whole ritual on the video. Mme Joublin promised us everything will be controlled with the notary and yes. A few weeks later we received a letter from the solicitor that we on 13 July (8 weeks later so) at 8 am were expected to sign the deed. He also said a moment that he had contacted Mrs. Jacomis of the bank and that he would arrange everything else with her. On 13 July 2000, so we now own our dream home. Luckily we did not know that 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 of great evenings with family and friends who came to help and of 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 (often by Paola). Soon we were a landmark in the village. In a few months, La Diligence transformed from 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 was Paola and handed me a sandwich, when the neighbors just started their sumptuous meal. They looked surprised how in one hand holding a brush and the other hand used to hold the ladder and gently occasionally took a bite of the sandwich. Later I learned 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 to a Soiree choucroute. In the middle of winter on the Marie were the villagers treated to an extensive sauerkraut. That evening I was also vice president of the "comitee the fete" elected. Something I found out only a few months later. Anyway, that night I sat next to Thiery Seuvre. A charming farmer from "les quatre vents". One of the 14 hamlets of the municipality Chastellux. He told me that our house was so beautiful, then subtly telling him that besides such lapse farm whose owner was wanted on it. I promised him the next day to come and watch. My brothers had already en indicated also in for a French avontuur.Zo 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 the joys to share. La Diligence began in order to get nice and we had some meaning again in a new avontuur.La SourceBij our village did have more empty houses, however, one of which 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 below had to so a house. Because it was located somewhat lower, were the blackberries with their thick branches up in the gutter had grown and formed a bridge for all other weeds. Every time I get to the source of my water bottles stood, I thought, soon I'm going to ask the mayor whose house is. One day I saw even a car and there was a corridor gekap to the front door. Inside I found an old lady (from Paris, so I saw the license plate) that glass in old newspapers to packaging was. After a few polite questions on my part, she said: You definitely want to buy the house. She had apparently no sense in a polite conversation and knew exactly what I came for. When I replied in the affirmative, she told me a few weeks ago that her husband was deceased and she finally was able to 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 are interested. That same evening I called my oldest brother didier him and explained the situation. I also told him that he could so he just needed a little clean up the garden and what to do. Without having seen, he said yes and that same evening was the sale with mme Le Bell closed. Three months later my brother to sign the contract in Paris then to drive to the Morvan to see what he actually bought. At first he could not find the house, but after 3 rounds he slowly began to suspect that this mountain Bram Bushes were his. Later I learned that we obviously had very different ideas about "so there can be". There was a toilet, kitchen and shower so you could be so. He came from a suburb 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 country. The whole year is dedicated to making jam, canning vegetables and mushrooms dry. She is known for its delicious "jam the Coing" (kweeperenjam) and pâté Coing (small sweets kweeperendrap). During several occasions she had once said that there was a small house next to her, which has been vacant since 1984. The owners had spent a summer, but it was still difficult to reconcile with the animals crowd that summer they had left behind. In the beginning we still got to keep, but how beautiful La Source was, the more Denise began to insist. She had now finally have a nice house before him and wanted also happy with her. In the end, but they themselves took the initiative and the owners called. Probably she has a good word for us (or a threat uttered), but she told us proudly that the owners wanted to sell it for what amount they had paid in 1984. If right-minded Dutch course we could not pass up our noses and we have the family Vilardie called. A week later the sale was closed and we had another piece of land of 1700 m2 in, showing a house with a lot of work and happy again veeeeeery veeeel bramen.Op May 1, 2005 we bought La Forge. Fortunately, the May holiday two weeks and had many friends like to let you know to come and help. Meanwhile we had some experience and we are not too careful to get started. We gutted the whole house, including some walls, floors, entire bathroom and kitchen stoves and the entire porch. This lasted 1 day and so we had another 13 days to 10 men with the whole house to renovate. What I had not told Paola namely, that on 14 May the first guests were coming. 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 agreed in different teams to excavate sand and junk and a big mountain to collapse. It had namely the terrace. After several hours we had only a very small piece and that was not gone unnoticed, because that was our neighbor Le Sabotier hit with a big tractor and shovel. He'd see us muddling along and go get his tractor. Anyway, 50 minutes later the whole driveway was excavated and a new terrace at the side of La Forge. It took us a bottle of whiskey. We came to the conclusion that we were already quite integrated. Now we still remained the problem of burrs. 20 years, these usurers La Forge had the opportunity to take possession. It was a pack of 40 cm of dry, dead blackberry branches already a new green generation that grew through it. Again, we were cautious and several teams began chopping, cutting, breaking and pruning. Again the shot is not very much and I searched for a way faster to get rid of this problem. With a bottle of petrol, newspapers and matches I have the problem on the outskirts of a small fire made. But to my horror was within 5 minutes the whole thing on 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 blackberry branches so rapid that a few minutes later the whole area was clean and we only had to rake. On 14 May were our first guests and Mieke Henny enjoy the beautiful view from the porch. Since then, La Forge is very popular with our guests and is from April to October, almost permanently occupied. Our neighbor Denise is totally delighted. She now has no more shacks beside him and there is a little life in the dorp.Les Quatre Vent Every summer we hire himself a house of the Dutch in another part of France. In this way we save two birds with one stone, we learn also agree to another part of france and know we can do a week's break, which is very difficult yet very healthy for ons.Daarnaast every summer we stay in each cottage . There is always something to jobs so we can 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 farm which according to our friend Thierry has been vacant since 1974. The owner was a "difficult" woman from Avallon which the possession of her father had sold several times, but so many times had to reverse the sale. 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 phoned her to finalize the sale (we were together, to be close, but I will say) she began a terrible curse. The only thing I understood is that the sale fell through 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 was with her not to. In the spring of 2005 we understood that the house of Thierry including surrounding fields was sold to a horse trader. The bargain was even passed by the notary. Thiery was quite angry, because he had since 1974 a little care for the house and he was 30 years tenant of the fields. He was "n'est pas content" that horses in the pasture next to his cows would come. Horses and cows do not seem good combination. With the success he has for sale at the notary to dissolve. In France there is a law which provides that the lessee has the right of first sale. Mme Blanc had failed him to the ground to offer. Thus, the land so owned 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 were having breakfast at 9.30 am when a small gray car drove up the mountain tje. Sure enough, she stopped for the particular farm and we came to the conclusion that this so mme Blanc in the flesh should be. I immediately go outside a little rumble in the hope that I could establish a chat with her. Soon her two (hash) dogs on me last, which I quite spontaneously quoted. The conversation was established through the dogs and when I said that our children love dogs and I were like her a cup of coffee would offer she could not actually no more zeggen.Alles succeeded: the dogs jumped right in the lap of Paola and began to lick her face, the kids gifts, very French, and a hand net and I kiss my wife reported that tribe for the class and I was a very "normal" job in health care had. She looked surprised, but happy she took it for granted and it was hash story to the land of fables. After 5 minutes of polite chatter she said promptly: you would definitely buy the house, but I'm not a penny of the purchase price accounting. When she named a price for 1 year ago 40,000 euros higher had lain, I stuck out my hand and said "auction" (sold). She turned white and realized that they had sold the house to a foreigner. The next morning we called as the notary for a preliminary purchase agreement. Since he bought the horse trader had lying around was that same afternoon the provisional deed signed and we were able again to Mme Jacomis of the Credit Agricole for our 4th mortgage. Somewhat relieved we were when Mme Jacomis have told us that the credit limit was reached and now a 5th mortgage is no longer possible was.26 december (2nd Day does not know the French) we have the keys of the notary received our fourth house.