We came to France in July 2000 having decided that office jobs were no longer for us. Both of us did the daily commute to London, and we decided to cash in our chips on the rising house market, move to the sunny south of France and do a job hanging out with people we actually wanted to spend our time with. Sidsmums is what we wanted to find, and frequently did find, when we travelled Australia and New Zealand, a small friendly hostel where we felt at home and where we appreciated the company of our hosts and other guests (special thanks to the The Tree House and Rainbow Lodge, both to be found on the North Island, New Zealand).
Georges came to join us a week after we moved in at the tender age of two months, Pudding & Pie one year later, also aged two months.
Sadly, as those of you who follow the newsletters will know, Pie moved out earlier this year, and Pudding had a deadly encounter with a toad and is with us no longer. As I have always suspected, there is a vacancies network in the animal world, and the appearance of Lucky Jim mid July, aged approximately three months and very thin and hungry, was no surprise.
The building was originally where the grapes of the village were brought to be pressed and fermented. We spent over a year converting the stable into Jan's house and the "cave" into Sid's place. The original living accommodation is now the hostel.
Although still an ongoing project, we have completed the cabins, additional toilets and showers, and a few clearings under the trees at the end of the garden for you to relax away from the buzz of the hostel and read your book or pitch a tent. We are optimistic that the barbecue area, areas for pétanque and badminton, random seating set the wooded area and slightly more sophisticated offstreet parking will be in place by the end of this summer. Sadly we think the pool will still have to wait until another year.
As Sid said at his leaving do in London, "I am never going to get rich running a hostel but it could be a fantastic lifestyle."