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Once again we are back in France and it is freezing!! We were travelling to India for business and I talked Nic into going the extra miles to France on the seemingly elusive job of house hunting.
We have been looking for several years but none have been in our budget or at least none that make our hearts thump. I had 15 houses on my list of possibilities this time and my reasoning was that if we get in before summer we have more of a chance of finding one and being able to negotiate before the summer groups arrive and drive up prices. The economy there is still very low, which has a positive impact on our dollar, making the houses more affordable. We are able to purchase a house in France without any special permit but are only able to stay for 3 months each year without a visa.
After I talk Nic into the minor detour we struck trouble at the start of the trip whereby Nic had to change his ticket and come a week later as one of our Indian containers arrived late and Nic had to be there to open it. I travelled to India alone for the first time and did all the buying. In some ways it was easier as we didn’t need to make decisions together, It was however lonely and I realized how well Nic and I work together. I still managed pretty well except for the minor detail of my bag not turning up the day I arrived in Delhi. I spent 5 days with very little clothing, makeup, computer charges and shoes. It did give me the opportunity to buy some new outfits though! There was a whole different vibe to the experience. I visited Delhi for 2 days to purchase xmas stock, met suppliers and generally managed to get things done quickly.
After a successful few days in India I flew to Paris and trained down to Bordeaux to meet with Nic. As the train passed through fields of brown leafless trees, stumpy black grapevine trunks, grey wet skies and a sun that looked more like a car light in the fog, I wondered what on earth I was doing here. At least I would be seeing the houses at their worst I thought.