A Taste of the Berry

Were we having a daydream, entertaining a romantic notion of packing it all up and moving to another country? This delightful narrative of an adventurous (or foolish) couple in the autumn of their lives, who desire a lifestyle change, begins in 1992. He a skeptical, flamboyant American, and I, still clinging to a British passport and three dogs, knowing no French, make a bold decision to abandon California for an unspoiled village in the heart of the French countryside. Once the germ of the idea becomes firmly rooted, we begin to realize the myriad obstacles and complications that must be addressed to lay the foundation for such a move. This valuable information is laid out in a light-hearted way, and gives the reader some insight as to what actually must be done to buy a foreign property and make a move, as well as a sense of our determination and fortitude to follow the dream.
The story truly unfolds once the interminable bureaucracy is behind us and our feet touch French soil on a frosty winter morning. Our first night does not go as planned, as the rented van becomes trapped in a watery ditch in the sparsely populated countryside, cloaked in black Our lives are quite unsettled that first month, as all our belongings are sailing the high seas, and we