Let the Project begin!

Thomas, Margaux and I set out on Thursday for our first big meeting with all the specialists in Sarlat who will be guiding us, advising us, educating us, and working with us to get our project from paper to straw, as it were.

Margaux and I meet Thomas at the airport, where we boarded the plane to Toulouse. We met Mammy and Pappy there, who were delighted to see Margaux. It was a two-and-a-half hour drive to Sarlat, which Margaux endured wonderfully well – as did the rest of us.

I had a rather nervous moment on Thursday night, full of apprehension about what our work with the specialists would involve, how I would fit in, how I see the project, and – very importantly – how I would cope with it all in French. Thomas reassured me that everything would be fine.

And then it was the Big Day! At 09:30 on Friday Helene, the architect; Moilamain, the Permaculturalist; Phillipe, the straw-bale house designer-builder; Jean-Paul; Thomas; Rita; Margaux; and I met at Helene’s office. We had a very brief hello between us all before Margaux was too agitated and Rita had to leave with her.

 

 

We key stakeholders continued, with a very interesting and involved meeting, beginning with a more detailed introduction of our specialty, our perspective of the project, and how we believe we will be able to contribute. I struggled with the French, unsurprisingly, but Thomas translated where needed and made sure I was part of the discussion.

We all visited the land and viewed it through each specialist’s eyes, which was great for some collective brainstorming. In fact, that’s what the whole day was: a collective brainstorming dump of information.

When lunchtime came I was quite relieved at the prospect of having some family time… only I suddenly found out that we were all having lunch together. All of us, including Rita and Margaux, who were inseparable. Poor Margaux wanted to get out and explore on her hands and knees, but that was impossible. I could see that she was so tired of being cooped up in the pram all day, so I carried her for a meander around the old town.

After lunch it was back to work, this time focussing on the house. We continued to brainstorm and dump, with Helene and Phillipe working to problem-solve and develop ideas for what will become our home.

By the end of the day I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and in tears. It was extremely productive and wonderful in that sense, but the continuous French from 09:30-16:30, the lack of time with Margaux, and the information overload was all a bit much in the end.

Thomas, Margaux and I enjoyed dinner that night at one of the few restaurants that offered more than one vegetarian dish (Sarlat being the capital of foie gras), which was fabulous - both the down-time for us and the food! We were having far too good a time to take photos...