You’re making your last visit to Laroque today, for the time being. We left 3 days ago, and now we’re in Ripon. Those last days were a furore of packing, cleaning, ‘goodbyes’ (though never, never final farewells), and two visits from the removal firm, who couldn’t fit everything in, first time round. At this moment, perhaps, the person who bought our house is planning his own removal to Laroque.
I never told you, probably out of sheer superstition, the story of the house sale. The housing market’s incredibly tough in the Ariège just now. House prices have tumbled 25% since 2008. Properties remain unsold for one, two, three years, as unhappy owners reduce the price of their homes in hopes of at last attracting a buyer.
Whereas we had nothing but luck. A man from near Paris, house-hunting here, in the area where he’d grown up, saw our house, arranged to view, and said he liked it. A week later he came again, showing his ‘coup de cœur’ off to his mum and dad. He made a low-price offer, as you do. We refused it, as you do. But we offered him our non-attached garden, being sold separately, at a generous discount, and said we’d include some of the furniture in the house sale. Reader, he offered full price, and the rest is history. Vue-vendue.
So here we are in Ripon, ready to house hunt and begin our new lives here. Oh, and there’s the Tour de France starting in Yorkshire too, in a couple of months. We’ll keep you posted.
From Pyrenees to Pennines 
hello over there, dear M&M – you’ve arrived safe, most important – thanks for the moving hint, you never know…..shall keep the trucks address carefully! now waiting for some Ripon news, take care, until soon, yours in friendship, annaxxx
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That’s a happy and lucky outcome to your house-selling! You’ve probably already mentioned this and I missed it but are you sticking with your blog title now that you’ll no longer live in Laroque?
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My husband’s suggestion won. Watch this space……
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Good by and very good road! My english is very good! Kiss you
genevieve pradettes
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Ce n’est pas ‘adieu’, seulement ‘au revoir’. On ne peut pas vous quitter. Merci beaucoup, et bises.
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You must both be exhausted. I hope someone is looking after you both? I confess I did look up your house on the internet and it wasn’t luck that sold your house, it is a beautiful house, beautifully presented. It’s the buyer who was lucky! I look forward to the UK house hunting tales but refuse to move your blog from the “Living in France” section of my filing system!
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Oh thank you. Yes, we ARE exhausted, but buoyed up by finding somewhere beautiful to rent almost as soon as we got back. Watch this space.
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