I have a feeling that the logistics to moving our four dogs, seven cats and four kittens to our new home is going to prove a tad challenging. While all the felines can certainly travel in Gus the Bus, it’s the number of cat baskets we’ll need that’s slightly daunting. Having said that I think we have as many computers as animals now and finding packing boxes for them should prove an interesting exercise. Various coloured folders are now on my desk filled with an assortment of action plans, To Do lists, maps and property details. Staying focussed will be essential but, unlike many people when they move, we are not tied to a deadline - though I would like to be ‘in’ by Christmas . . .

Nigel and I have decided that our best course of action is to rent a place initially. Like intrepid adventurers our first trip will be one of reconnoitring the lay of the land and seeing what kind of properties exist. Shall we buy a ruin or something partly renovated? There again, moving straight in without having to do any DIY or building work might suit us best. Above all, there must be an internet connection. It will also be important that we work with a truly trust-worthy estate agent and while using the internet as a basis for my property research has been a god-send, dealing with a professional but caring team will be essential to the positive success of our venture.

I must admit that the thought of moving from here scares me a little but at the same time, fills me with a sense of anticipation and excitement. The Lot and Garonne/Dordogne region of Aquitaine, known as the Other South of France, is a land rich in chateaux, medieval villages and architectural sites so I’ll feel right at home there. In fact, Nigel and I made a brief visit there in August 2004 to interview the very charming Polly Platt and vowed to return to discover the region in more detail. Four years on here we are planning to move there. Funny old world.

Further afield is the Gironde and the Atlantic coastline and Arcachon Bay that claims to have Europe’s largest sand dune, the Dune de Pyla, whose tip is called rather brilliantly Cap Ferrat. After the pebble beaches of Nice it will be fun to discover over 3 kms of uninterrupted and beautiful golden sands. I hasten to add that this is not one of my photos but one found on the internet. I look forward to the day when I shall stand in that same spot, sand creeping through my toes, and take a photo myself.