Hi there,

Welcome back and a big bienvenue to all our new subscribers!

Today is la Fête du Travail (Labour Day) in France, a national holiday, bien sûr. There’s also a lovely tradition of offering small bunches of lily of the valley to celebrate the arrival of May – and if not readily available in your vicinity, they’re often easy to find at one of the many vide greniers or brocantes happening all over the country today.  

Recently, a bit of a kerfuffle broke out in the media over whether boulangerie are permitted to open on 1 May, with some facing hefty fines. Considering it’s a big, €70 million, day for boulangerie, my money’s on the baguette winning on this one!

Let’s begin…

Aletheax

Ps: The competition to win a three-night stay at La Petite Maison closes on 13 May 2025, so you still have time to enter! Details here: competition page.

Rain, sunshine, rocks & axes

Ten days ago, parts of the Dordogne experienced severe flooding. It was far worse in the North, but even in our vicinity it was quite dramatic. Our favourite local wild swimming spot, the Ceou by Daglan, was wild (video here). Some villages were underwater. Awful. Here, we all feel fortunate to be living on a hill. 

A week later, it was back to weather as usual - balmy, sunny early Summer. Or with my current obsession, peak grass growing time! Last Autumn, Enedis (the electricity people) set about installing power to La Petite Grange. A huge win, and I remain delighted that this is set-up and ready to go. It was a big, messy job as they’d had to dig from the top of the meadow, across, and all down the side of the lane. However, I wasn’t so delighted at the visible leftover trench work all around the property, ugly grey rock shrapnel. 

Most importantly, last Saturday, Campagnac Les Quercy hosted its first Fête du Printemps. A great opportunity to meet up with everyone in the commune, the event was a testament to just how many small, brilliant enterprises there are in our tiny village. Adults, children, dogs and goats (!) congregated around the old church to watch various demonstrations from clubs and local businesses. 

The team from La Frontiere Outils demonstrated the power, precision and speed of their traditional tools. It was amazing to watch. Thibaud and his small team are passionate about traditional skills and craftsmanship, and their products clearly resonate, capturing this corner of the market across Europe. You can learn more, or order, here. 

And finally, this week I also caught up with Rupert and Franck, owners of Le Mas et Le Mazet, and founders of Gîte Guru. More on that below, ⬇️ in The Pensieve.

Whether it’s discovering unique work by artists and designers from near and far or rummaging through vide greniers, brocantes, and hidden treasure troves, I’m always on the lookout! I’ll be sharing my favourite artists, designers and sourcing spots here 😄 

Team Artisan

This edition, I wanted to share a ‘sourcing tale’ around people, expertise and teamwork. Let’s be clear, this is not an auto-renovation story – my DIY talents remain firmly in decor related categories! This renovation could not have happened without an extraordinary team of amazing artisans whose skill and hard work made it possible - and to whom I am incredibly grateful.  

But how many artisans, exactly? 

102 

Yes, really! I can scarcely believe it myself. Over the past 18 months, a staggering one hundred and two artisans have worked on this renovation – to date. A truly incredible figure, but an accurate one. No wonder it has felt so busy here! Within a month of starting the renovation work, I quickly realised I needed to keep a record of all the teams and artisan’s names. Let me explain why… 

Reason one: The ultra specialised French artisan eco-system 

At first, I was flummoxed by the highly segmented nature of the artisan eco-system in France. Each artisan tends to operate very specifically in their metier, and (generally, although not in all cases) will have a very high level of knowledge and experience in it. Unlike previous projects where I’ve worked with a single building company that provided everything under one umbrella, this renovation has been a patchwork of mostly, small, specialised teams, often just one or two people each. This way of working is one of the key reasons behind that 102 person figure. 

Reason two: False starts 

Unfortunately, there were some false starts, and incompetence, at the beginning of the project. So those individuals had to be replaced with artisans who actually knew what they were doing, and (grr) even had to re-do the work. I talk about this a bit here. 

Reason three: Surprises! 

It’s an old property, dating from 1730. As such, surprises lurk under every floorboard and in every wall. All of which added another layer of work, (and of course, cost 🤦‍♀️ ) and the necessity for other expertise, along the way. And since it was also a relatively big project, we occasionally needed more than one artisan in the same trade, for example: with tiling. 

Reason four: The vision (!) 

Sometimes, (apparently!) I had some very specific ideas that required unique solutions. Like the double door to the guest loo, made by Matias, to mirror the ancient, original joinery. Or the zinc roofing work surface in the buanderie, which had to be hauled to the charpentier’s workshop to be bashed into shape (it looks great BTW, very utilitarian!). I may well have to add a postscript here once R, the (good, new) maitre d’oeuvre reads this! 🤣 

Down the rabbit-hole of stats… 

Once I’d double-checked the 102 figure, I couldn’t resist diving deeper into the project stats! Here’s a few more on the team theme: 

• 12: Nationalities represented amongst the artisans. While most were French, as you’d expect, even here, deep in rural France, we still managed to create an international team: Argentinian, British, Czech, Dutch, German, Indian, Lebanese, Moroccan, Romanian, Polish and Portuguese artisans all left their mark on the project. Though much like the UN (haha) the official chantier language was most definitely French! 

• 8: Women (nine if you include me!) worked on the project. A small, and essential presence. 

• 9: Vans - the most vans we had on site in one day. It was… intense. 

Now that I’ve caught the stats bug, I’ll share more in future editions.

VIDEO overview of the huge amount of work - click here 🎦 

Wildlife encounters at Les Plonges | #1 Serpents

It’s Summer 2023. My friend V is staying, and other friends M and C (the kitchen designers), are visiting for lunch, along with their dog, Florian. Suddenly, there is a high-pitched shriek from the terrace. V rushes into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her. “Get the dogs in quick, there’s a huge snake.” The rest of us rush outside, calling the dogs inside in harried Dutch. What happened?  

Poisonous, venomous or completely harmless it doesn’t matter, I’m not a fan of being in close proximity to either snakes or spiders. I have a too vivid childhood memory of bouncing ahead across a rope and plank bridge in the Drakensberg and skidding to a halt in front of an enormous, coiled snake, head semi-reared and clearly unhappy with this small human interloper. Snake ahead, scary rope bridge behind and bush either side. We had just had a lesson at school on what to do in such a situation. I froze. Seconds, which felt like minutes, passed by before I was scooped up and the snake, later identified as a puff adder, was scared off.

After that encounter, I paid close attention in wildlife safety classes. I learned which spiders to avoid, which lizards and bugs were safe to touch, and how to recognise garden telltale signs of danger, like certain droppings or nests. However, that flash of frozen, yet searing hot fear definitely imprinted! Habits that have stayed with me, and rather randomly (and unnecessarily!) been extended to any country, include checking the loo (stories of spitting cobras with a penchant for coiling under the cool ceramic rim), shaking out towels (lesson learned the painful way with a scorpion) and storing boots upside down (all manner of creatures).

Therefore, I wasn’t too thrilled by this addition to the regular wildlife at Les Plonges. Fortunately, we quickly identified the suspect: a couleuvre. A harmless green and brown snake, far more frightened of us than we were of it.

Our serpent friend was spotted several more times that Summer. Nearly two metres long, it seemed to have taken a particular liking to the dense, bushy climbing roses. This in turn necessitating a new reflex: every time I descended the stairs to the lawn beneath the hanging canopy of roses, I instinctively looked up first – just in case.

Come Autumn, I set about making the area below the terrace less inviting for any snake considering a long-term stay. By the following Summer, it seemed to have worked: the snake appeared (shedded skins) to have relocated closer to the woods. There was just one close encounter near the pool area – and let’s just say, I discovered a whole new level of speed and agility I didn’t know I possessed!

Ps: Fortunately, so far, I’ve not seen any vipers. A little more concerning, poisonous, and also native to this region.

More Snapshots of the Domaine Les Plonges ‘journey’ every week. 

Possibly you found your way here via Instagram? @domainelesplonges? If so, an extra Bienvenue! You’ll already know I love a good visual. So here I’ll share others and a little more context behind the images…

Maintaining confidence in your plans

Ever had a brilliant idea, set it in motion and then… way down the line, and once you’re too far invested to turn back, start waking at 3am with a jolt of panic, thinking: “what if this doesn’t work?” 

I’m hoping some of you will relate! This project has felt pretty overwhelming recently, and I’ve definitely been battling those kinds of doubts. I think it’s partly because the first big milestone (finishing the main house) is within reach, yet not quite ‘there’. I can see the finish line, but the remaining hurdles feel huge – especially with the added layer, and restrictions, of head injury recovery.   

They visited Les Plonges soon after I bought it, pre any renovation, and have provided great insights and advice. During our latest chat, I was able to voice my biggest concern: Is this ‘brilliant’ plan of mine, combining creative ateliers, vacation rentals and location shoots, really going to work?

Their resounding “yes” paired with practical advice offered not just reassurance but left me feeling calmer, clearer and with restored faith in my plans. Thank you! 🤗 It also reminded me how essential it is to share our doubts as well as our dreams.

I’d love to know, how do you steady yourself when facing a confidence wobble?

My lovely friend M responded very kindly on how to ‘get over’ that fear of personal project promotion: “Your newsletter provides a lovely insight into a different life, perhaps that’s the way to think of self promotion. You’re not promoting, you’re sharing.” Thank you so much, I will go with that!!

Ps: A reminder that the fabulous illustrations dotted throughout my newsletters are the work of my talented friend, Lara - not, sadly, my own artistic efforts!

Shortly, I’m recording for my friend Noelle’s brilliant podcast: Journeys Through Change - Inspiration for women to create a life they love. Established two years ago, and now with over 100 episodes, Noelle’s podcast has a loyal listener base and great back catalogue - check it out! Given the pressure, I’ll probably end up talking about the dog! 🤣 

There are also two artist / artisan interviews ‘en cours’ and in true French style, they will be ready when they are ready! I look forward to sharing their brilliance with you soon!

Why Subscribe, even though this Newsletter is free?

Simply put, for two key reasons:

1. Safety - it helps me know who’s reading.

2. Support - it plays a role in building the business side of Les Plonges.

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New disclaimer: If big life stuff happens, I’m giving myself permission to deliver this newsletter a day or even a week late!

Pps: If you’re interested in the tech I’m using for this, it’s Beehiiv. I did a LOT of research on platforms and I’m happy to explain why etc in more detail, just ask. They’ve also given me a partner link, and this gives anyone using the link a 30-day free trial and 20% off your first three months on any paid plan. Note, it’s an affiliate link and I may receive commission on any purchases made through it.

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