We decided to live the good life and grow our own fruit and veg, keep chickens, ducks and geese and be as self-sufficient as possible. Imagine dirt floors, freezing winters and a badly behaved septic tank and you get some idea of the horrors the old barn presented to its new owners. During the whole month, we shared our tips with our Instagram community to help them ditch plastic too. Although I have yet to meet Janine Marsh in person (and I do hope it happens one day), I can say with 100% confidence that she is funny, humble and slightly crazy. I do not like taking the ferry boats that the Brits frequent -- they seem slow-moving and make me anxious, and I have taken them from Portsmouth, Folkestone, and Dover.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Marsh does some of that, and she takes the reader with her adventure to resettle in France from her busy work life in London, a rather popular theme among those ex-pats in France and Italy and other places. In fact the 'Allo 'Allo type narration is a little bit cringe worthy in places, I think i'd have preferred the author to actually narrate this herself but c'est la vie (see what I did there). All in all, a lovely book, some sad parts with the loss of family members but on the whole, a lovely read, thank you. He told me he wanted us to take a risk, to change our lives so we could see more of each other, do something different.I began by listening to French radio online and watching films and TV in French with English subtitles. With her sharp insight after many years as an ex-pat in France and her engaging sense of humour, Marsh takes us on the bumpy road of highs and lows restoring a "truly awful" (her words) property in the north of France that captured her heart. This delightfully in-depth book of everyday life in France takes the reader from the early days of Janine and Mark’s self doubt on the wisdom of their move, complicated home renovations and navigating their way through often times tricky French bureaucracy to a comfortable and semi-sustainable country life surrounded by animals and friends. She gave up a sensible job in London, where she was born, to renovate a bargain basement barn and turn it into a home – an ongoing project. Many are mediocre accounts of tussles with the legendary bureaucracy (as if we don’t have such a thing at home), strained relationships with local dignitaries and neighbours, and, for some, an inevitable surrender and retreat.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. After recently posting some photos of my handmade wreath on my fireplace at Christmas time, many of you asked for more information on how I made my wreath. In 2012, Marsh started writing her blog “The Good Life France” to keep in touch with family and friends in the United Kingdom (UK) while the couple was in the middle of their farmhouse restoration and renovation.We'll discuss the role of bread in daily French life and how it reflects the values and rhythms of French society. We’re loving a new YouTube Channel created by a young couple from New Zealand who are doing just that. Of this last group many are just a little bit mad, often leaving a comfortable life at home surrounded by jobs, family and friends to start up new lives often with no jobs, no family and possibly only the hint of a new career.

How many of us have dreamed about having a second home in another country to escape the hustle and bustle of urban reality and enjoy the sweet life in a country setting? With sneak peeks into the Mexican themed party, complete with castle owner and hostess dressed as a cactus, the elderly sexy barmaid and the vet who, in disbelieve, cares for the stray cats and dogs Janine collects, you will want to pack up sticks and move to France yourself. Along the way she became maid to six cats, three dogs, fifty chickens and ducks, and four mad geese. I enjoy being a contributor to The Good Life France and getting to know Janine and the other contributors. What is so often missed is the need to go to live in France as French people, not as Brits (or whatever).Country people in France, as in other countries, tend to be kinder and more helpful, often with a truculent sense of humour. I want something light yet intelligent, not gooey but meaningful, and loaded with local-color, and this book had my interest with that. I've been eagerly awaiting the publication of Janine Marsh's memoir, My Good Life in France, and was honoured to receive an ARC for an honest review. The property bought By Janine Marsh and her husband did not in any way fit into the romantic châteaux diet that we Brits have been fed on.