The house, though previously renovated from a ruin, wasn't entirely to our taste. Jean Claude, a now single man after a rather messy divorce, had completed all the major jobs. A new roof, septic tank, rewire, new floors etc, however it lacked a certain je ne sais quoi! It looked more like student accommodation, with its mish mash of furniture and stark white walls. The original fireplace had been ripped out and expertly replaced with a fake brick, diagonally breasted, state of the art monstrosity. And the house not only lacked the woman's touch but craved the weighty swing of a sledge hammer in more than the odd place. It was perfect! I had bags of one and Brian had a sledge hammer and was definitely willing to travel.

We tried to restrain our interest, and returned to Jarnac for deliberation. It wasn't hard; we wanted the house, now all we had to do was find the cash!

We honored the other viewings out of politeness, though for us, none of them even came close. Mark showed us several fabulous properties, all within our chosen price range, but we had made our minds up. It was to be Le Pont de Vinade or nothing!