Little House near the Mairie - My French Farmhouse.

Airguitar · Oct 14, 2024

I have been to more than 120 places in the world, and have lived in Germany, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and now France. I've been on the move since I got my Honda MT-5 in 1980. Sometimes moving by design, sometimes out of necessity. I suppose Deneys Reitz had it right when he said that all South Africans are wanderers and gypsies at heart. We all come from stock who, one way or another came by Foot, Wagon, Boat or airplane, to South Africa.

Then, at some point, we find ourselves in another part of the world. And we ask ourselves "Well, how did I get here?"

I don't know how successful this blog will be, but at least it's a place where I can document the goings-on at my old farmhouse in Bousseviller, France, where we have put down roots, ostensibly for the last time.

Bousseviller is in the 57th province, called Moselle, and is near to the German Border at Zweibrücken. It is in a region known as "Vosges du Nord" (Pronounced VORZH). It is a beautiful region and a bikers paradise. More on that later. Th town has 163 inhabitants, 3 of which are from the good old RSA.

Here's the house.. as it was when we first went to take a look. We fell in love instantly, not only with the house but the whole region.

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It's an old farmhouse which was rebuilt after the war in 1948 after being totally destroyed. It belonged to the long-standing mayor of Bousseviller, a man by the name of Eugene Pistorius. The house style is called a F8, meaning is is an 8 room Farmhouse. Just like that old Mellencamp song.
It looks good from the outside, doesn't it?
Well it is good, kinda.. but don't let looks fool you. there's a LOT of work to be done here.

Here are some shots of the area around the house: Taken in June 2023. It took until Feb 2024 before it was ours, due to idiots in French banks.

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Just up the hill.

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Bousseviller city limits.

You can see how green and pretty it is. Everyone keeps their house in perfect shape. It's the ideal combination of German discipline and French sense of beauty.
More tomorrow