Chez Nous

​Steele Von Hoff, two-time Australian Criterium champion, took the photo of the pool above after a long day of cutting brush. The fire-pit was built by New Zealand's Common Wealth Games gold medallist Tom Scully as part of an equally hard day of chores. (Everybody pulls his or her weight around here, even the pros.) The round, white rocks are common in fields down by the rivers and, along with the famous "pink brick" of Toulouse, are found in most all the old bridges, walls and buildings.

Dakota always finds a warm spot to take a nap--this was in the atrium during one of our regular sunny winter days after a run to the river.

We enjoy five types of cherries from six or seven cherry trees, apples, pears, plums, mulberries (white and red), raspberries, strawberries (over 100 pieds) and, of course--it being France and all--many varieties of grapes. We also have a walnut tree and lots of hazelnut trees. If there are vegetables you particularly like and they're in-season, you can probably find them growing in our gardens. With that in mind, you're welcome to join in the hoeing and the fruits of the harvest. Our private guest suit includes a bedroom, toilet, bath and terrace. There's even a 100-some-year old piano we brought with us from the States. (There's a story if you care to hear it--but first make sure your wine glass is full.)

​Our dog, Dakota, and cat, Snow, are among the many creatures that call Sunflower Cycling home. We have fish, birds, frogs (it's France, right?) bugs (not a lot due to the frogs) and enough escargot to feed a family of four--they eat our flowers and vegetables; we don't eat them but folks around here do. Nos chere voisin, the propriétaire of La Ferme des Cabanes up the hill, provides children with the opportunity to "visit" animals of all shapes and sizes: horses, donkeys, ponies, sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, ducks, geese. The animals, on occasion, visit us.

The photo of the Ariège river was taken just down the path from our house. On quiet evenings, you can hear the rapids. It depends on the weather, but quite often the majesty of the Pyrenees Mountains is in full panoramic view. On such days as these, you may feel as if you could simply take a short walk and arrive at their feet. While you probably don't want to walk, you can climb on your bike and be there in just under two hours. The photo of the snowcapped mountains was taken from the terrace of the guest suite (below) one particularly clear morning. Below are also photos of our newly remodelled bedroom and bath.

The Private Guest Suite.

Feel Free To Take A "Around"