Optimistic in October

Bonjour Everyone

Welcome to October. A time when Autumn sets in, the days are noticeably shorter, leaves are beginning to change colour, the sedum in the garden has deepened to a rich pink, and there is marked difference to the produce at our local market. Summer fruits have gone, to be replaced with apples and pears. There are more root vegetables, parsnips, turnips and squashes are everywhere in abundance.

After various ups and downs, daily challenges and the regular bumps on our renovation and life road, I have found myself being less optimistic than I used to be. I am quite tired and the list of jobs to do often seems endless. So today I pressed pause for part of the day and Max and I took ourselves off to our pool for a swim and some time out in the sunshine. The weather here is glorious at the moment, temperatures in the 30°Cs, sunshine set against a perfect blue cloudless sky. At night it is cooler which is welcome after the heat of the summer. We have enjoyed the beautiful full moon at the end of September and stunning starry skies each night, glittering against a velvety background. We need the time to reset, to find a way through the jungle of outstanding tasks to complete alongside daily chores, administrative things that at times seem never-ending and paid work.

As I checked through emails earlier, I noticed that the Action for Happiness calendar had popped into my inbox this morning, I spotted the theme and thought the timing was perfect. Action for Happiness call it Optimistic October and I am going to share their monthly calendar with you. The aim of Action for Happiness is to bring people together to try and create a happier kinder world, something we all need. I love these monthly calendars, a way to give you a fresh and thoughtful perspective each day. If you want to find out more, their website is: (https://actionforhappiness.org/).

So here at out petit château in South West France we are going optimistic for October, and hopefully ever after too! We are looking for ways to enjoy life more, reduce the amount of time we stress about the small and large stuff and really have fun on the journey. We are very lucky to have been able to up sticks and move to France, living in a lovely, if challenging, old house in the beautiful Tarn. Don’t get me wrong we know this and appreciate it, enjoying the (mainly) peaceful countryside, fresh air and wonderful array of wildlife on our doorstep. This week we have been entertained by owls; the barn owls in the pigeonnier, the little owls and whatever other owls are flitting around our area. It has been a bit like an owl festival here – you would think the countryside was quiet but not at all! They all have different calls and we think our pigeonnier must be packed out as we have seen 3 young-ish Barn Owls sitting on the ledge of the lucarne (little window at the top of the tower), assumedly waiting for parents to return with some tasty titbits. However in spite of all of this there are times that the magnitude of what we have taken on and the relentlessly slow progress gets too much. Add in the absence of the ride-on lawnmower that has broken down, a dodgy pool filter and eternal admin and you get the picture.

So join us for an Optimistic October and maybe follow the calendar with us this month. After all our well-being is really important and often neglected, so don’t forget to make time for yourself too.

Enjoy the week ahead and let me know how you get on. More renovation and daily life news next time!

A bientôt

Ali xx