AuvergneCottage - Newsletter

Newsletter

Dear AuvergneCottage guest, As 2007 draws to a close, we would like to share with you some of the news from our end of the world, both on a professional and personal note.
Get thee to a nunnery! In 2007 we added a new gite to our portfolio, this time in Chantelle, where we have now lived for almost 3 years. The cottage is called La Maison des Benedictines and – as you might have guessed – used to belong to the local nunnery. Not for the first time - or the last - we finished just in the nick of time for the first guests, even succeeding in hosting a housewarming party on the evening before their arrival! It was all hands on deck with our daughter and son-in-law, but the result is definitely worth it, as some of you have already kindly told us. The cottage is in a part of Chantelle which we are trying to re-vamp, Le Quartier du Cul de Sac, as it has some extremely interesting 15th century buildings and boasts a staggering view over the river Bouble and the fields on the other side. When there are no guests in it, we have been known to go there ourselves for the evening aperitif, just to enjoy the magnificent sun-set…

		Location, location, location La Maison des Benedictines is the first step in our future project, which is to increasingly concentrate our cottages in Chantelle and Bellenaves, as it is easier for us to manage. We have therefore decided to put our 2 cottages in Charroux – La Maison d’Ulysse and La Maison du Chameau – up for sale. If you are interested, you can see more on our website at the usual address: www.auvergnecottage.com/for_sale

"The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know" However, we cannot remain idle restoration-wise for very long, so we have 4 projects on the go at the moment. Two of these are in the afore-mentioned Quartier du Cul de Sac in Chantelle, where we are working on La Maison de Marreine and La Maison des Benedictines Bis (working title), as part of our plans to concentrate on something closer to home. Having said that, we must confess that we have also fallen head over heals for 2 buildings in other locations. One is an old vicarage in Taxat which we have christened Le Presbytere and the other a former leather tannery in Charroux, which looked more like a huge bush when we discovered it, logically called La Tannerie. So watch this space...
		Chase the Tour The Tour de France has often been passing through our beautiful region, but 2008 is a double whammy: we get to see them twice! On 10 July, the race comes through Super-Besse on their way to the South of France, and on their way back towards Paris they go via Montluçon on 25 July.
RyanAir Rumour has it that RyanAir are negotiating with Clermont-Ferrand and are planning to open a route from Stansted from March 2008. This would mean a much shorter journey for those of you coming from the UK. We are keeping our fingers crossed!
		New price structure Next year will see a change in our price structure, as we have decided to now include bed linen, towels and cleaning upon departure in the price. We have therefore increased the prices slightly.
Long Winter Lets If you would like to get away from it all this winter, maybe take a long holiday or a much needed sabbatical, La Maison du Bailli has central heating and a lovely large fire-place. The price of €1600 per month (between November and April) includes fuel and fire-wood. We cannot guarantee a winter wonderland like the one pictured here (taken last Christmas just below La Maison des Benedictines), but we shall do our very best! We had our first snow on 15 November, so who knows, maybe we’ll have a White Christmas?
		Constance Amélie Last but not least, we would like to end on a more personal note and share with you the fantastic news of the arrival of our very first grand-child, Constance. She was born in Montluçon on 17 August and we therefore had the joy of having her (and her parents) for several weeks, before they returned home to London. Objectively speaking, we think she is the most beautiful little girl in the world! And another reason for hoping that the RyanAir rumours are true…
		We wish you all a Joyeux Noël and a Bonne Année. May 2008 bring you all kinds of happiness and joys. Kind regards, Silva & Henrik Olesen AuvergneCottage