OUR KIDS LIFE IN FRANCE, AND OURS - signing the legal contract

The plans were coming on leaps & bounds, and we kept in constant contact with the parents-in-law emailing copies of the intended works. The summer was very hot, so in between time we had to take time out to take the kids out, mainly to the beach, as it was too hot to play in the garden. Mum had a swimming pool, which was nice but the children were too young to be left alone in it. The eldest could swim but was not a particularly strong swimmer, and the twins were just learning, doing very well, but still just learning. I talked to them a lot in French to try to maintain a good standard for them as they hadn't yet started the new school, not long to go now though.

My husbands parents had booked their ferry ready for the signing, just 2 weeks away, so we made out a check list just to be sure that we hadn't overlooked anything. The phone number had been changed and ready to go for D day, and we were meeting the electricity and water board at the house the day before the signing to get everything switched on. There was no mains gas to our house but that didn't matter as the central heating was fuel and/or wood, and for the cooker , we'd use bottled, no odds!

We took the children with us on the day of the signing, as they were curious to see the old owners. I had agreed on the proviso that they were seen and not heard and on their absolute best behaviour. Our notaire came down from the Loire Valley to act on our behalf. My husbands parents didn't speak French, bar a couple of words, (and phrases from Del Boy), so I did most of the translating, although the notaire did speak a little English. Two hours, 20 signatures (each!), and three hot, bored and agitated kids later the deal was sealed. The keys were placed in our hands and we were, all four of us, new home owners with a new project. We went into the centre of town and found a bar in a square, overlooking the beautiful cathedral and treated the kids to an ice cream. As for us, we had a well earned glass of something a little more interesting.............