New Year's letter, 2007

Another year has passed and we continue to enjoy the experience of living in a French village and sharing the opportunity with family, old friends and new found ones. The novelty has not worn off, partly due to the stories that are told by those who have stayed at the house. There continues to be a growing affection between the villagers and “les canadiens”.

Changes are slowly happening in both the village and our house. Construction for the new autoroute from Paris has begun near Pezenas; renovations to the “piscine” have begun so there will be an indoor swimming pool by 2009 in the village; a new boulangerie has opened on the Grand Rue.

We have been hard at work renovating the “grenier” (attic) to create a place for guests to gather. Our hope is to provide an extra bedroom and lounge area for guests who want to watch TV and movies. The renovation is providing the opportunity to try our hand at skills not often used in Canada like stonework and 220 volt electricity!

Andy and Andrea Swan