Introduction

Eleven months ago Stephen and Madeleine Kear left behind them busy London lives to live in a remote rural hamlet running holiday gites in the La Vienne region of the Poitou Charente, in France. With them came their two daughters aged eight and nine, Stephen's seventy-six year old mother - and Maggie their Battersea dog. .
The change had been precipitated by many things. Stephen, a violinist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, had tired of a gruelling schedule of world tours and concerts in London and UK. Combined with terrible constant back pain his job was becoming more and more difficult. Stephen and Madeleine took the journey out to France to look for properties the week the Iraq war started. They spent five days looking at properties from the area of the Pyrenees right as high as the Charente. The tour did not yield much at all until they arrived at La Faye - a 17th century farmhouse set in rural heartland of La Vienne - the last property on their scheduled list.
Only three miles away from Antigny - a pretty village set by the river with a lovely church housing romanesque frescoes the property was beautiful and remote but within easy access to exquisite medieval towns and villages. They put in an offer immediately. Back in UK the housing market seemed to have slowed over night. It took them several months to sell their property and in the end they had to very much reduce the price in order to meet their deadline for the french property. In the meantime a MMR scan revealed that Stephen's back pain was due to a tumour in the spine. It was as if everything were conspiring against them and there were some very dark times. However, on the 28th of January the family complete with chicken house and dog left London in the midst of snow storms to start their new life in France. They took possession of the house on a Friday - the following Monday the children were attending the local village school this step marking their entry into the local community. A few British send their children to private schools outside the village - Stephen and Madeleine's decision to place their children locally paid off in many ways, the most profitable being the way in which the community welcomed them. Within days they had children to the house to play - and invitations to join in various local events. An evening at the Sal de Fete saw them playing loto - french bingo - a great way to learn those covoluted french numbers. However, there were anxious times to come.
In March Stephen had to return to Britain to have his back operation which carried possible risk of nerve damage. Luckily the operation done at London's Stanmore hospital went very well with very minor nerve damage suffered - nothing, anyway, that prevented Stephen from getting on his tractor mower when he got home. With the operation out of the way the family began their life in earnest in France - getting on top of the complicated health system, working out how to get french registration for the car and getting french architects on board to draw up plans for a three bedroom property to be let out for the summer. A year later and the work has not yet started due to the well documented bureaucracy the french so love. Also a challenge is finding the funds for the build as the family found their reserves quickly dried up. It will be difficult for Stephen to find the time to do some of the build when he is also returning to the UK for work. These are some of the challenges the family now face. However, even with so much still to achieve before they can truly feel at home here and as if they are secure they are happy they have made the move. They feel their quality of life has improved enormously and they are enjoying the opportunity to learn a different language and live in a rural environment. There is a lot yet to achieve but they are adamant they have made the right decision. 'It feels like home here now,' Stephen says, 'When I come back here having been in London I really appreciate how magical it is. I think we are incredibly lucky to be here.