OUR KIDS LIFE IN FRANCE, AND OURS - building the swimming pool

We decided to build the pool ourselves as it was much cheaper, although it would take longer and would be very hard work. We had a JCB come in and dig the hole, and what a big pile of earth!!

When we unloaded the pallet and laid all the parts to the pool out in the garden we stood there stunned for about 1/2 an hour. It was like a jigsaw puzzle, and in true kit 'anything' fashion the instructions were as clear as mud. I felt quite fortunate at this point, as I was leaving for work and could leave the men to get on with it...If they could!! First they had to dig a trench around the hole to stand the sides in, fix together and make sure they were level. I make it sound so easy, don't I, but it was very difficult, and the heat of the sun pounding down and reflecting off the metal was almost unbearable. The kids got over excited thinking that as it's a kit it would fit together like a Macdonald's toy and would be ready for them to test drive as soon as they got home from school. So you can imagine their disappointment when they got home, especially as they had invited all their friends to come round and see the new pool. Unfortunately all they got to see was a huge pile of earth and a muddy hole, which filled with water would be the perfect swimming pool.....if you were a hippopotamus!!!

OUR KIDS LIFE IN FRANCE, AND OURS - the renovation begins

The pictures show the interior and exterior of our project just as we were about to begin the works. The building, a cowshed, is 120m2 and we had our work cut out. My parents-in-law came back from the UK a couple of months later, ready to start the work. We had received the planning permission just days ago, a lot longer than we had anticipated due to the usual French overload of paperwork and admin disorganisation. I was very fortunate to have my mother-in-law there at the time to help with the kids, as my working hours became more and more difficult.

The men set to gutting the cowshed of all the troughs and old wooden hay baskets which ran the whole length of the barn all the way round. The troughs being the more difficult as the were made of solid concrete. On the floor there was a large kind of canal, if you like, running down the whole centre of the barn which needed to be filled with cement to level the floor. This was obviously to drain away water when they hosed down all the cow poos. The beams were in pretty good condition but needed pressure washing, and the roof tiles appeared to be good too. The weather was still hot, and we waited weeks for the first rains to come so as to test the roof for leaks. When it did finally come...wow, did it come. We had 2 days of almost torrential rain, and if that wasn't test enough for the roof, then nothing was. Phew, no leaks...brilliant! That in itself was a cost and time cutter.

The children helped, or tried to, when they were at home, at least at first. Once the novelty wore off, they contented themselves riding their bikes or playing with their friends. They would be more excited when the works on the swimming pool started, that was the star attraction for them. The eldest was often away for hours riding his bike around from village to village, and , like a Magpie, arrived home every time with something he had found, or something somebody in the village had given him. In consequence, I now have a shed full of broken items such as a broken record player, (remember those??), number plates, trolleys, broken bikes etc. He even came home one day with a Vespa moped, and a very odd looking man!!! The man, a neighbour whom we had not yet met, said he didn't want it and that our son had taken a shine to it. That was broken too and we still have it. The twins were too young to go off on their own, which caused many arguments, but at least they had each other when their friends could not play. Provided they could get on for more than an hour!!!

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.............