

Ever since I bought the Chatette in 2002, I fell in love with this beautiful barn behind us.
When Dali, Sam and I came in 2006 to be full-time French Girls after Katrina, I was often the only person on the road. I believed and felt that the barn should be part of us!
All that pondering, kissing, conversations, and divining worked. In 2009, the barn was offered to us for a very good price.
From the get go, she had problems with her roof, some of the inside beams, and vines were everywhere. I do what I can.
The Barn or "La Grange Dentelle" as I came to call it (Lacy Barn) became part of our WE during 2010.


Most of you know the many stories.
At the moment, the biggest issue is seeing if I can afford to make the repairs on the barn.
For the first time in a long time...
...it might be possible!


When Monsieur Freres was here on Friday, I asked him to look at the barn and give me a devis (Estimate) for what the work would cost. Of course, WE are special. The train tracks run between the Chatette and the barn. The barn is on a hill and surrounded by cliffs and other stone structures.

He didn't know that the barn was mine. His first words were: Elle est Malade! (She is sick!) All I could say is: Je sais! (I know!) The first thing he told me was that the walnut tree has to go. Then, he looked around to see if he would be able to get materials in. He measured. We talked tiles. The wooden supports on the front and the back for the roof will need to be replaced and 50% of the beams in the back will need to be replaced as well. I will need to be sitting down when I get the devis, I'm sure.
I was feeling a little grim as we walked back. Monsieur Freres then asked about the train.
I told him some of my train stories from the early days, but his were better!


Monsieur Freres grew up in St. Pierre Toirac and still lives there today. As a child, he often rode the train and passed by US regularly.
He told me how as kids, they would catch the train at the St. Pierre Toirac train station and ride to Cajarc for school, shopping and going to the piscine (swimming pool) in the summer. He painted such a sweet and romantic picture of life in the Lot for me, that our place was and is a part of.

Let's hope there is a way for me to scramble and scrounge the money together to save the barn. There may need to be more workshops in my future. Send us all the positive scrambling and scrounging energy you can muster for us!
Happy Monday!
