La Grande Challenge (Part three)

When a British couple decided to move to France and convert a semi-derelict farmhouse into a Christian holiday and retreat centre they knew they were in for a challenge - but they had no idea just how big! In the third instalment of their adventure Evelyn and Graeme struggle with planning permission delays.

As we threw open the rickety old hay doors that had been closed for many years and peered through the pale streams of winter sunlight at the vast hayloft ahead, I was filled with excitement. The potential here was endless and as I gazed up into the rafters overhead I knew that we could transform this space into something beautiful.

We wanted people to come here and find peace and quiet and time with God, but for others to come and enjoy fun and fellowship and laughter and song.

The old hayloft would give us the chance to transform this farmhouse from its original one-bedroom place into a six-bedroom house for groups of people to spend time together. It would be the key to bringing this place alive.

The plans were in at the Mairie (town hall) and all we had to do was get on with the work and wait for the right box to be ticked. A Declaration de Traveaux (declaration of work) was all that was needed and it was very straightforward (we had been assured). So we set to.

Firstly we worked out where was safe to tread and where was not and put right what was needed. As we climbed up to the top of the old 'A' frames to sweep away matted, dusty cobwebs, I wondered if this had ever been done before - or were we literally sweeping away hundreds of years of grime? What if these old beams could speak? I wondered what stories they would tell. We cleaned and sprayed and wire-brushed the old oak beams until the grain of the old wood could once again be seen in all its glory.

Then, as we were about to remove the old hay doors and replace them with new windows, we heard that our Declaration de Traveaux would not suffice. We were amazed and somewhat shocked. If we couldn't transform the hayloft into beautiful bedrooms and bathrooms then in a nutshell we simply couldn't operate. We donned our best togs and went to the Mairie. There we were told that we would need a full set of architect's drawings and full planning permission instead of the somewhat simpler Declaration de Traveaux. This would not only mean a delay of six to eight weeks but it would also mean an outlay of £2,500 we just hadn't allowed for. There was nothing we could do except employ an architect and wait. In the meantime we closed the door to the hayloft and sadly walked away.

Christmas came and so did our children from the UK. Christmas Eve was a textbook perfect day. We peeled vegetables in the morning, made pomanders from fresh oranges, cloves and red ribbon and hung them around the fireplace, walked in the freezing fog on a beach looking out towards Mont St Michel and ate fresh king prawns and fois gras for supper. All was perfect… or was it? Our son suddenly said, "Mum do you feel sick?"

"No not at all," I replied. "Why"?
"I feel awful, actually really odd," he said.

As we watched Thomas suffered his first ever anaphylactic shock. We just didn't know what to do; we didn't know how to get help. We phoned a friend and as phone calls flew backwards and forwards we finally got help for Thomas. It was a real wake up call. We just didn't know how things worked here in France and we had to learn and learn fast, being ignorant was simply wasn't good enough.

Thomas soon recovered and he and Sarah-Jane returned to UK after the Christmas break. We also received confirmation that our planning permission had been granted and we could again resume work on the hayloft. We thanked God for Thomas' good health and also for the consent to continue work and vowed to do our best to learn and understand exactly how things operated here in France. If we were going to survive, and more importantly, become part of this community, then we needed to understand what made it tick.

We asked God to open the doors for us to make good contacts with other expats and local French residents and artisans and that is exactly what He did. All we ever had to do was ask! Isn't that what Jesus tells us? "Ask and it will be given unto you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened unto you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened." Matthew 7: 7-8

Graeme and Evelyn's Holiday and Retreat Centre is now open - to book or for more details visit www.christianbreaks.com or email graeme.stewart@club-internet.fr