Margaux enjoyed playing in a sandpit/ play area in a park near to where we were staying, however her daredevil antics lead one Frenchman to describe her as a kamikaze! They also thought she was a boy, despite her pink tracksuit and pink shoes... honestly, stereotyping has some serious implications. Yes, girls do go hurtling down slides face first; they do try to climb down elevated, near-vertical stairs without assistance; they do literally roll in the sand; and they do try to use equipment and games that are designed for much older kids!
I have a 'thing' about her being called a boy ALL the time. Thomas tells me I should get over it, but it still hurts a little. Unfortunately she pulls out any clips or headbands I put in her hair, and I'm not ready for her to have her ears pierced, so maybe I will just have to succumb to the perceptions of others. What a pain.
Anyway... Here's a little vid of our time there - Margaux playing, our trip to the Eiffel Tower, and a couple of views from a day-time walk we did.
We set off early the next morning for the rest of our trip towards Sarlat, where we arrived at a lovely hotel essentially opposite our land. Thomas had secured a child minder for the days that we would be in meetings, so we left her (rather unwillingly, from her side) with Maeva. After the initial hesitation Margaux loved spending time with her. She took Margaux to a place that was catered for childcare, and Margaux was able to play with a boy who was about her age. We booked Maeva for 4 days, and by the end of it Margaux was unwilling to leave!
Thomas and I had two very productive meetings with Helene, the architect, and one with Moilamain, the Permaculturalist.
With Helene we had some very exciting throwing around of ideas regarding the layout, structure, and content of the gite. It's still to be finalised, but we came a long way. Hooray for us!
We met Moilamain on our property, where he literally pegged out the house and gite, which was rather exciting, to be honest. We could actually walk through what we know will be a bedroom or the kitchen or whatever. He also indicated where there would be a drive/ path from the house down to the marshy area - for a possible amphitheatre..? Well, it's not really marshy, it's just got a pond and not a whole lot of sunlight.
Anyway... The fourth meeting was with Phillipe and was all rather technical so I pottered off and did my own thing while Margaux was in Maeva's capable hands.
While we were in Sarlat I made contact with Enasha (seen in the main picture of the collage above with her husband, Steve, and their son, Xavier). Enasha is British and moved to Sarlat a few years ago, and we all got along like a house on fire. It's lovely to have already made a connection there; after all, it's the people who will make you feel like you belong (or don't) whenever you settle somewhere.
After 10 days our trip was up and it was time to make the 8-hour journey back to Roncq. With Thomas at the helm we arrived back to Jean-Paul and Rita's in time for dinner. Perfect.
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