As we walk around the village, I notice signs of renewal here and there. This is encouraging.
I see new windows, new paintwork, a newly re-pointed little stone man-cave down by the river see below left.
Houses that have stood empty show lights behind shuttered windows for the first time in years.
It’s not just Campagne, surrounding towns and villages look to be waking up from the long shadow of the slump that took so many jobs from artisanal, rural , agricultural, retail, office workers. Even the estate agents are slowly opening their doors again.
Someone must be buying, someone must be moving in. I feel positive for this region. I feel positive for La France. Good things will start to happen.
In our own restoration project, we have achieved much this year on a virtually zero budget.
So it paid, it seems, to stock pile all these paints, tiles, wood, stone, furniture and decorative pieces when we spotted them at knock down prices. If they are right for the house, they’ll be installed eventually.
I refuse to make excuses for the time it is taking to get there. The journey is all.
Blog-sur-Aude 
It certainly does feel like the engine is revving up. Let’s hope it lasts.
Your renovation is the best kind. Thoughtful, incorporating items that were chosen for their individual aesthetic value while having an overall aesthetic vision. Too many people have plenty of money but no taste; it’s better to have taste.
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With the exception of one place, all the gites/houses I’ve rented have been ‘revitalized’ properties.
I love the smell of old stone or celebrating that the old staircase (1 person wide) was made from chestnut who knows how long ago. The idiosyncrasies were what I wanted; they spoke of the past while still having room for present-day comfort. There was one house in La Roque de Fa I loved and was happy and unhappy to hear the owner was moving from Oregon to retire there. Happy for her, unhappy for me, that I could not stay there again.
Friends who wanted to see photos of my trip(s) to France were sorely disappointed to see several that explored the colors of the terra cotta roof on the building opposite that was not just the shades of the tiles but all the mosses and other growing things that would have made it a great abstract living painting. Or the terra cotta relief design of an art nouveau lady, above a front doorway.
The chateaux, the hectares of vines, all the touristy things, I can see better photos online.
One house in Caunes had been originally a stable (1800s) that did well enough that the owner built a house above it but there was still a stone wash basin (4′ x 3′ x 4′ l x w x h) and still water piped to it (if needed). A remnant of the older kitchen had a fireplace with a grillade that could have fed a dozen or more, with a goodly supply of wood, should I decided to cook. (It was July…so no thanks). My one failure was what turned out to be the basement apartment of a new build house owned by an English couple (he had been a builder) and it was horribly depressing. Very nice people but the photos showed the town itself (old) and a small nearby lake, but nothing of the
interior. I repressed the name of the town. But I can’t forget the smooth plaster walls with perfectly square corners and no trim. I don’t remember if there was anything really decorative besides…no,
can’t remember anything.
So seeing all the work you do and the wonders you accomplish restores my sense that there are enough people who do care about real things and trust their instincts/vision/dreams and hopefully others have learned and will learn from them, a small accomplishment at a time.
I include your blogger friends whose sites I visit from time to time in my appreciation.
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You’ve done so much recently. And it looks wonderful. Carry on enjoying the journey!
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Thank you P. Your support is appreciated more than you know .
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We started work in 2015 and there’s still so much to do
And yes, the change is palpable. I’ve even noticed a difference in property and rental prices around here. If the Toulouse/Castres motorway finally gets going then we’re talking a whole new world.
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Agree! On Marche! and the journey is the goal!
JP
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Thank you JP. We agree!
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“I refuse to make excuses for the time it is taking to get there. The journey is all.”
YES! It is.
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Thanks Lynda, I know that you know what we have been through, health wise and financially, and I know that you understand x
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Great news indeed! I wish it were true of the whole of France …. I hope it will spread like a good virus to the nether regions still struggling. Your own project is yours. No-one should take swipes or have opinions over what and how you are achieving it nor how long your journey is, except to take hats off and salute hard work, good taste, a refusal to compromise and beautiful results. I know I do.
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It’ s just green shoots here now, but its a start I think. As you know. I am deeply emotionally invested in this.
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I do know you are and you know the same applies here. It’s quite hard to explain to those that buy into France for different reasons that what you really want is to breathe life back in, let the locals LIVE with no worry, have places rejuvenate rather than decay. And not because you want it to be picture postcard pretty but because you care and you feel part of it. The welcome one is extended if one allows it is quite something …. I feel priviliged to live in this country and it’s nothing to do with the price of wine (or fish) 😉
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Absolutely x
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I’m noticing those changes, too. It’s nice to see village houses carefully renovated. But why would you ever apologize for the time you are taking to do the work? First of all, anybody who is looking that closely has no business doing so. Second, I have noticed that what looks slow to me, does not necessarily look that way to others. Seriously, let it go. Life has enough real problems as it is. And your before and after photos are amazing. However long it took you to get there, the end result is impressive.
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