A Very French Affair

A transatlantic, romantic memoir in the vein of A Year in Provence and Eat, Pray, Love.

What do you say when a man you've dated a handful of times asks you to go live with him in a mill by a river in France? The obvious answer is, 'Are you out of your mind?' Mine was, 'Okay.'

At the age 63 I left my life in Auckland - my daughters, our dog, my friends, a beautiful rental by a beach and everything I'd loved for more than two decades - to settle in a tiny French village with a partner I barely knew. What could possibly go wrong?

I arrived with trepidation but also a little bravado - after all, with a degree in French I was confident about communicating with the locals. And yes - that part was mostly fine (apart from some amusing faux pas). The true challenge was twofold: 1) learning to communicate with my new partner James (we were smitten with one another, but also sitting on a pile of baggage and emotional wounds) and 2) adapting to life in a remote hamlet when my idea of a great day out is shopping, lunch in a bustling café, and a movie. Did I have it in me to persevere? To make good friends and truly feel at home? Crucially, have I made another terrible romantic mistake - or am I finally growing and learning what it means to move beyond the infatuation stage and make a relationship work?

My tale is about grabbing life with both hands whatever your age, what it means to belong, how to make a great bourguignon, the joys and frustrations of French living, and why you should always look closely at a map before emigrating. Ultimately, though, it is a story about the greatest adventure of all. Love.