Joigniere


	La Joigniere

These next pages show some of the images from our Normandy adventure, - our surprise purchase of an old farmhouse in the Orne several years ago. It was a surprise to us as we only made a short visit to explore the possibilities of maybe purchasing somewhere in France, only to be seduced by the region and making a snap decision to work on a restoration project of the type of property we’d never previously planned on owning.


	With retirement still many years off for both of us, the amount of work required to bring the old farmhouse back to life seemed a plausible project, as the local builder we had chosen ( or who had chosen us!) used local artisans for the heavy duty and specialist work on roofs, and the electrical and plumbing work and we anticipated just having internal finishing off jobs to tackle ourselves.


		Having always been francophiles and having spent many holidays exploring virtually every region of the country, it was maybe a surprise that we’d never contemplated purchasing a french property before. We’d never wanted to be committed to only one location for holidays and breaks, however, and were busy enough with DIY projects on our english home.

	Some more early views




	Early view of front of La Joigniere, the only inhabited part of the property when we started the project


	The small hamlet that comprises La Joigniere is made up of the farmhouse and outbuildings we purchased and an older unused property that was seriously dilapidated. Our builder/project manager had bought this property and we would be neighbours on completion of the project.


	inside the house, much needed to be done to floors, walls and ceilings. Behind the tiles and plaster are lovely stone walls and a beamed ceiling, but many months of work on this and the other rooms was ahead of us before La Joigniere began to feel like home!


	In the same room, under a cracking plaster ceiling an ancient mixture of old lathes and mice nests, hordes of nuts and debris of many decades needed clearing to reveal the future beamed ceiling that would eventually become a feature of the lounge in the house


	The space that was to become our dining room had only ever housed animals and miscellaneous assorted items and looked like this when we first saw the property. The ceiling was mostly formed out of cardboard, and the floor was just mud.....


	More before and after images to follow, watch this space!


		Village Life

	An annual tradition in Sainte Marquerite de Carrouges, our nearest village, is a summer visit from numerous ‘epouvantails’ straw people in various guises who populate the village until the autumn, when they are gathered up for another year and a celebratory meal is enjoyed by the village.


	More pictures of this year’s epouvantails


	Fete De la Chasse


	Some images from the annual Fete de la Chasse et de la Peche at Carrouges


	Kittens Gallery






			Porridge is one of several delightful felines who live with us, and this gallery has pics of Porridge and her sister Meusli when they were kittens


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