Bonjour, Belfast!

Belfast City Hall

Hi, Guys! Welcome to my blog! For those of you who have been sharing life with me now for the last four years, it's great to hook up again and, for anyone joining us for the first time, please make yourselves at home in my, 'Empty Nest'! You are very welcome!

My name is Heather. I am a writer and lover of all things French. Since the 'young' age of 40, I have found myself feathering an empty nest.  Well, I say empty; if you look carefully in the corner behind a few twigs and a feather you'll find my husband Ron; a rather reluctant adventurer, preferring the quiet life. He has, much to his surprise, shared a wonderful three years living 'La vie en rose' with me in south west France.  

As you may guess from the title of this post, 'Bonjour, Belfast', we have been forced by circumstances beyond our control, to migrate back to our home town of Belfast. It is from our nest here in the suburbs of this interesting city that, reliving every moment of our French adventure, I have written and published, 'Bonjour Darling', the funny, poignant and amazing true story of our time in France.

Life and blogging wait for no man, however, and so I will continue to share with you my thoughts on living here in Belfast, life in my empty nest and, of course, I will share with you my reminiscences of life in France, when a rainy day in Belfast leaves my nest a bit soggy!

For now, let me leave you with a memory that transports me every time I revisit it. We are travelling home through the Loire valley on a balmy evening at the end of June. The river is wide and snakes effortlessly through the vineyards. Passing sleepy little towns, each clustered around a village square, where the spire of a tiny church marks the centre, and on, following the river as if caught up in its flow, mesmerised by its beauty. Turning a corner, the river stretches out on our left and, like a golden ball of fire, the sun sits on the horizon where the river meets the sky, creating a sparkling pathway across the water. It beckons us to stop the car and get out. Looking into the crystal clear water, the emerald green reeds obey the direction of the flow; like life, it is unstoppable on its journey. We stand in silence for a few minutes, the only sound the gentle lap of the water and then turn back to the car. At home in Belfast, as I write this post, I share with you the lesson I learnt from the river Loire that night. For a peaceful life, don't resist, just go with the flow!   

I hope you have enjoyed your visit to my empty nest and that you will call back again soon. In the meantime, please check out, 'Bonjour Darling', the true story of our French adventure. You can read the reviews and order your own copy, by clicking on the image of the book on the top right of this post.

It's Good to Walk!

Murphy - Sunset at 'The Edge of the World'

Hi, everyone! So glad you could join me this morning. I've just been listening to the latest health news on the radio; apparently a 20 minute walk a day is the key to longevity and it got me thinking.... 

I have to agree; never mind the benefit to your heart and cardiovascular system, walking has always been my way of sorting out life's problems. Every step taken, seems to put so much distance between you and what's on your mind. It's a theme explored in the new Reese Witherspoon movie, 'Wild', where she tells the true story of Cheryl Strayed who walked 1,100 miles of America's West Coast on the Pacific Crest Trail, after losing her way in life. Subsequently she finds ultimate healing through the experience.

Murphy

Of course, most of us won't ever feel such a need, but it does help demonstrate my point about the therapeutic benefit of walking.  I don't know about you, but I am sure most of us have a favourite place to walk, where we feel a spiritual connection with our surroundings. If you have read, 'Bonjour Darling', you will be aware of my constant companion, 'Murphy' the West Highland terrier, he and I spent a lot of time exploring the Charentaise countryside of south west France and shared a very special destination for our walks.  

We christened it, 'The Edge of the World'. It is briefly mentioned in chapter seventeen of the book. Before arriving at our destination, we would follow a slowly ascending track about a mile and a half long. On our left, rolling hills were dotted with terracotta roofed farmhouses and to our right the valley dropped away below us. Murphy always ran ahead, both of us separate, but always connected, until we reached the end of the track. The summit was marked with a cross and around it on either side the land dropped away, giving us 360 degree views that seemed to stretch to the edge of the world. We would sit down together, letting the silence and space take away all our cares. 

   

The Edge of the World!

It lead me to thinking; Do you have a special place to walk or a special companion?

If you would like to join Murphy and me on more of our French adventures, the book of our true story, 'Bonjour Darling' is available on Amazon. Rated 5 Stars. Just click on the book image top right, to read reviews and order your copy.

The countryside around our village in France

Sharing my French adventure!

Welcome everyone to my first post of 2015! For me, 2014 has been a great year for writing and seeing my travel memoir, "Bonjour Darling" published at the end of October, was the icing on the cake. 

Little did I know this was only the beginning. You have taken 'The Old Presbytery' to your hearts and, as you share in my adventures there, your feedback has been wonderful. For me, this whole experience has been so much more than selling books, although that has gone amazingly well, the joy is sharing my story with other people and having strangers come up to me asking after characters and places that we now have in common. 

One of my favourite reviews on Amazon ends with these lines..

I savoured every page as I would have a marvellous box of chocolates. One only wants to come to The Old Presbytery and actually share a meal with the hosts and their charming neighbours. Thank you and ... Bravo!

This review particularly thrilled me, as I now know my readers are genuinely engaging with our story and the characters which so colourfully bring it to life. This is a place I love and also people I love; to find you too share that love is heart warming. Many of you have asked for pictures of 'The Old Presbytery', as up to now it has only existed on the pages of the book and in the corners of your imagination.  Well, to help you enjoy our true story even more, you don't have to imagine any longer. Below, I share with you a before and after picture of the house at the heart of our village and the heart of our adventure!

'The Old Presbytery' before renovation

'The Old Presbytery' after

That just leaves me to thank all of you who are enjoying the book, especially the 10 winners of the Goodreads competition. I hope your signed copies have arrived safely. I will leave you with another review from Amazon, and look forward to sharing again in my next post...

Loved it! Was so sad to reach the last page, I really thought I was in France with Heather Francis. What an idyllic life! Can't wait for the sequel.

To obtain your copy of  'Bonjour Darling', just click on the book image top right! This will take you to Amazon, where you can find out more.

Happy New Year

'Bonjour Darling', Time to Celebrate in South West France!

A warm welcome to all my readers on this special day, as you help me celebrate the launch of my book, 'Bonjour Darling', for sale on Amazon. By now, I hope you are well acquainted with 'the old presbytery' and this beautiful region of south west France where our story unfolds. I was so pleased that your were able to join me for our virtual soirée in my post, 'Join me for an Apéro in the French Countryside' - all the characters you met there and many more await you in the pages of the book.

Before I leave you with a synopsis of the book, I would briefly like to share with you the reason I have told my story.  When you read the book, it will become clear to you why my husband and I risked everything to start a new life in France, but we could never have anticipated what an adventure awaited us. It was only several years later, when family circumstances dictated I should return to Ireland, that my longing for our French life compelled me to put down on paper our life-changing story. Initially this proved an amazing therapy and, as I coped with the often grey wet days in Ireland I lost myself in this absorbing task of reliving every minute of our time in France. To my surprise, my writing style captured the humour in so many of our encounters and, as I survived my exile back home, reliving every minute of our time in France, I am sure I felt the warmth of the Charentaise sun on my back where I sat at my desk in the study.

'Bonjour Darling'  by  Heather Francis

This is the true story of a couple from Northern Ireland, whose lives having been turned upside down, feel they have nothing left to lose. Together they grasp a second chance at happiness and selling everything, purchase a run down ecclesiastical building at the heart of a tiny village in south west France. Little do they know when they arrive in Saint-Allier, on a wet and windy November evening, that the old presbytery, not unlike the wardrobe in Narnia, would turn out to be the door that fast tracks them to the heart of village life.

Once through the door, their new life is peppered with colourful characters. Take for example their next-door neighbour, the ever-present Henri, who having married a much younger second wife, is on a constant quest to hone his body to perfection. In his effort to impress all and sundry, he proudly declares at every opportunity, “Beaucoup de musculation!”  Or there is, of course, ‘Joyce’ the colourful, effervescent English lady with a mop of curly hair, who, propelled along by her two Shih Tzus, Sybil and Thorny, calls everyone 'darling'. She can be heard regularly across the supermarket, greeting the bemused French shop assistants with her theatrical cry of, “Bonjour, darling!” You must call by her little piece of England and meet her lovely husband, Jerry. The list goes on, turning this true story into a hilarious adventure that attracts comedy situations like the best French farce, culminating in a bedroom romp with a touch of ‘O, la la’, as they greet their first B&B guests!

Don’t get me wrong, however, this is a story of light and shade. When tragedy comes to the little village of Saint-Allier, Heather and Ronnie stand shoulder to shoulder with their French neighbours. Together their voices become one, as they experience an amazing feeling of total acceptance and integration.

This book is a must read for anyone who has ever dreamed of relocating to France, as we follow our intrepid pair on their journey to full immersion into French village life. In this case, made entirely possible by a unique and beautiful property at the heart of a close-knit community. The result, a genuinely amusing true tale of how laughter, for Heather and Ronnie, did in fact turn out to be the best medicine under the sun!

To order 'Bonjour Darling' today, simply click on the book image top right.

                                 _____________________________________________

Finally, readers, I hope you really enjoy my story. It was only ever initially written for myself, but I just had to share with you my passion for this wonderful part of France and the people there who made us so welcome. I would just like to finish with a photograph of the countryside around the 'old presbytery' and to say I hope you will continue to drop by and visit me, as I carry on with my blog.

Autumn creeps in across the vineyards!

Welcome back to 'the old presbytery' in our little corner of south west France. Autumn is creeping in across the vineyards and the vines now, stripped of their precious harvest, stand resplendent in their golden leafage. At the bottom of the garden the sun sets behind the old log store. Piled high with wood dried in the baking heat of summer, it is the clue to our survival here in the French countryside, when winter temperatures often drop below -14c. 

Inside 'the old presbytery' we welcome the change of seasons, and, just as we basked in the heat of the summer sun, in the mists of Autumn our attention turns to the wood burning stove, where it sits patiently at the heart of the home. During our first winter here in the Charente, we relied, almost totally, on a rather antiquated oil-fired heating system, which battled manfully to heat the large rooms of the presbytery with their high ceilings. Not only did it fail to provide enough heat, but it soon became evident it would have required its own oil refinery to keep it supplied with fuel! We did also, optimistically, light a fire in the huge grate in the living room, which produced an impressive blaze, as it devoured the massive logs we slavishly fed it. Alas, however, our valiant efforts only served to warm the birds nesting on the chimney above, as all the heat went straight up the chimney! 

Finally, observing those who had lived here a lifetime we noticed that everyone heated their homes with wood and that the ritual of stocking the wood store over the summer months provided economical and efficient heat throughout the winter. At last, we had discovered the 'wood burning stove' and it was to transform our lives. Not only did its powerful heat fill the house with ambient warmth, but its flickering flames proved more entertaining than a night in front of the television. 

Now we say, "Roll on, Autumn!", as we close the shutters against the evening chill and share family life around the heart of our home.  There is something primaeval about a living fire that connects us with our ancestors of long ago and warms us like nothing else.

Join me for an 'Apéro' in the French countryside!

So glad you could drop by readers. With the count down to publication of my memoir, 'Bonjour Darling' well under way, why not join me for an 'Apéro' at the old presbytery. You can sample a taste of French country life in Saint-Allier, the fictional name I've given our village, to protect the identity of my dear friends and neighbours.

First of all, let me explain the meaning of the term,'Apéro'.  It is of course the shortened form of the word,'Apéritif ',meaning an alcoholic drink served before a meal. In the French countryside, however, 
the word also describes a way of entertaining guests, involving a choice of drinks and nibbles. It may or may not be followed by the host offering a meal; often guests return to their own homes to dine. It is, therefore, a great way of getting together at the end of a day, relaxing and sharing news with friends and family.

At our Apéro, while we wait for the others to arrive, I can offer you a choice of Pastis for the men, a liqueur flavoured with aniseed, which magically turns milky on the addition of water or, of course, a locally produced Cognac. Ladies, for you, I recommend a Pineau as drunk by all the women in the village, both young and old.  This fortified wine, made almost exclusively here in the Charente, is a rich golden colour and boasts quite an alcoholic kick!

If everyone has a drink now, please make yourselves at home and enjoy the ambiance of our lovely old presbytery!  Still just a little bit shabby, but, I hope you all agree, since the renovations are complete, also just a little bit chic. 

With guests beginning to arrive, it's simply left up to me to introduce a few of the characters you will meet in the book. 'Je vous présente' my neighbour, the handsome Mayor of our village, Monsieur Gilles Charbonnet and his lovely wife, Danielle. Henri Buisson, my neighbour on the other side, who in his mid-forties is proud to present his twenty-three year old trophy wife, Chantal and their daughter, Amélie. Pierre Junot can't fail to impress you with his American English, learnt during his service in the French navy - Ladies prepare to be impressed by his movie star good looks and immaculate quiff! And how could I forget the flamboyant Joyce, who, representing the ex-pat community, greets both French and English with a hearty, 'Bonjour, Darling!', which she reckons keeps everyone happy!

Well folks, I'll leave you to mingle, until the book is finally published, when I invite you to discover how two Irish people give up everything, for a second chance of happiness in the French countryside, only to discover that laughter is the best medicine under the sun!

Saint-Emilion, at the heart of French country life!

Welcome back, readers! So glad you dropped by for another taste of French country life. Today, I invite you to join me on a short trip, just 50 minutes from our village, to the beautiful medieval town of Saint-Emilion. Before we arrive, I thought it might be helpful to give you a quick potted history of this amazing place, at the heart of one of the most famous wine producing regions in the world.

Entrance to L'Eglise Monolithe

As the guide books tell us, the first human settlements around Saint-Emilion can be traced back to between 35,000 and 10,000 BC. It wasn't until the Roman occupation began in 27 BC, however, that the first vines were planted around the town. Christian monasteries and churches began to appear at the beginning of the 7th century, as the region was on the pilgrims' route to Santiago de Compostela and from the 11th century onwards the region experienced great prosperity. During the course of the Hundred Years War, Saint-Emilion changed hands many times between the English and French, finally becoming permanently French in 1453. The town remained fortified until the end of the 18th century when the fortifications were dismantled, all of which had an adverse effect on the vineyards. It was not until 1853 that Saint-Emilion started to recover due to the success of the vineyards, which now produced wine recognised across the world as exceptional.


Driving through the valley towards Saint-Emilion, we get our first glimpse of the town clinging to the hillside overlooking the vineyards. One writer describes it, as being built with solid ochre limestone extracted from the kilometres of local underground galleries, the result being a medieval village whose subtle harmony of warm colours, varies in shade with the intensity of light as the day progresses. It is interesting to note at this point that Saint-Emilion is a 'World Heritage Site', famous for its catacombs under the town and resplendent in its position high above the Dordogne Valley.

Steep cobbled streets of St Emilion

As visitors we can discover the amazing 'Eglise Monolithe', whose impressive belfry peaks 133 metres above the roofs of Saint-Emilion. Below, hewn into the rock, this troglodyte chapel is the oldest building in the village, housing the burial place of Saint Emilion himself, the monk after whom the town is named, whose followers began producing wine here commercially in the 8th century. Exploring the steep winding, cobbled streets, known locally as tertres, we will discover fascinating houses, Romanesque remains and amongst the many wine outlets offering tastings, there are art galleries and craft shops galore.

Our trip to Saint-Emilion would not be complete, however, without mentioning the wine industry. Much of the local wine is produced at the many Chateaux surrounding the town. The majority of these will offer wine tasting and guided tours of the vineyards providing the visitor with a fascinating glimpse into the world of viticulture. You will discover the main grape varieties of the region to be Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a sprinkling of Cabernet Sauvignon. I won't go any further into the actual wines produced, in this post, but for those with an interest in wine who wish to know more, I recommend checking out ;
http://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-emilion/

Chateau Canon St Emilion

As we take our leave of this magical place, I would add for those wishing to discover Saint-Emilion for themselves, the town boasts a wide selection of restaurants and hotels offering wonderful hospitality to the traveller.

Well, readers, I hope I have whetted your appetite for this beautiful historical town, that has a very special place in my heart. Someday soon, you too may watch the sunset over the Dordogne Valley and from within the ramparts of  Saint-Emilion, raise a toast to some of the best wine in the world!