played. By the time the break was over I felt like we were old friends. For the next fifteen minutes we talked about our new life.
  When I got back to base Aideen danced around with delight.
  'You were amazing!' she said. I blushed. Aideen is a professional life coach and great at providing feedback. That week she did wonders for me, boosting my confidence that had plummeted in a year of rolling paint and changing nappies.
  'How did you do it?' she asked. 'You sounded so natural. I was jumping round the room the entire time you were on air.'
  It was easier than any other interview or professional talk I had done, perhaps because I was talking about our life and passion.
  'The only mistake you made was using some French words without translating them.'
  That evening I found myself telling them about how the chai was isolated instead of how the winery was insulated: I was becoming more French than I realised. We sat down to dinner and Sean phoned.
  'We've got sixty orders and I haven't even sent the offer to the Christmas customers yet,' he said. So much for his worries.
When I got back, the rhythm of our new farm life felt right. Washing, labelling and capsuling wine bottles for the new order was far more comfortable in early spring than it had been in the winter. We finished the operation in a couple of days. To top the success of the trip we received a copy of a letter to Barry appointing him as our tax representative. At last we were official and could make our wine offers whenever we wished.
Chapter 7
Poil de Vache
Shipping wine to end customers was important but direct sales at the property were also a key part of our plan. We had to get the grounds looking more presentable for the tourist season. The region of Aquitaine and the department of the Dordogne are much-loved tourist destinations for French and foreign alike. They are renowned for history, beauty and fine food and wine. Just over an hour's drive from us could be found delights like the prehistoric cave art of Lascaux, called the 'Sistine Chapel of Prehistoric Art', and Richard the Lionheart's castle of Beynac where he lived for much of the last fifteen years of his life. Within five minutes' drive of us were ancient castles including the oldest dungeon in the Dordogne at Gageac Castle, gourmet restaurants, picturesque vineyards and even an international competition-level twenty-seven-hole golf course.
  Sean bought a large brush cutter from a local DIY shop so he could tackle the places he couldn't reach with the field mower. The brush cutter worked for 50 centimetres then stopped. After dropping Sean and the girls at the E. Leclerc supermarket to do the weekly shopping I made a dash for the DIY shop on the other side of Bergerac. I waited at the counter for twenty minutes before a shop assistant appeared. He took me and the machine to the back of the shop where he verified that it was not working.
  'You have to go to service après vente .'
  'Where is it?' I asked, expecting him to point to a convenient after sales service kiosk.
  'Poil de Vache.'
  'Comment?' I said.
  'Poil de Vache,' he said, a little louder.
  'It's not in this shop?' I said, somewhat taken aback and beginning to wonder if he was swearing at me for being a foreigner rather than telling me where to go. I had a vague recollection that vache meant cow but could also be used in a less savoury context.
  'No, it's on the road to Sarlat about ten minutes from here,' he said even louder.
  'Quoi?' I said, certain I had misheard despite the amplification.
  'You need to take it to Agnostini Garage in Poil de Vache,' he yelled. 'He will fix it for you. He's our service après vente . It's near the road to Sarlat about ten minutes from here. Look, I'll draw a map so you can find it.'
  Too dumbfounded to reply I took the scruffy map and set off. About ten
  When I got back to base Aideen danced around with delight.
  'You were amazing!' she said. I blushed. Aideen is a professional life coach and great at providing feedback. That week she did wonders for me, boosting my confidence that had plummeted in a year of rolling paint and changing nappies.
  'How did you do it?' she asked. 'You sounded so natural. I was jumping round the room the entire time you were on air.'
  It was easier than any other interview or professional talk I had done, perhaps because I was talking about our life and passion.
  'The only mistake you made was using some French words without translating them.'
  That evening I found myself telling them about how the chai was isolated instead of how the winery was insulated: I was becoming more French than I realised. We sat down to dinner and Sean phoned.
  'We've got sixty orders and I haven't even sent the offer to the Christmas customers yet,' he said. So much for his worries.
When I got back, the rhythm of our new farm life felt right. Washing, labelling and capsuling wine bottles for the new order was far more comfortable in early spring than it had been in the winter. We finished the operation in a couple of days. To top the success of the trip we received a copy of a letter to Barry appointing him as our tax representative. At last we were official and could make our wine offers whenever we wished.
Chapter 7
Poil de Vache
Shipping wine to end customers was important but direct sales at the property were also a key part of our plan. We had to get the grounds looking more presentable for the tourist season. The region of Aquitaine and the department of the Dordogne are much-loved tourist destinations for French and foreign alike. They are renowned for history, beauty and fine food and wine. Just over an hour's drive from us could be found delights like the prehistoric cave art of Lascaux, called the 'Sistine Chapel of Prehistoric Art', and Richard the Lionheart's castle of Beynac where he lived for much of the last fifteen years of his life. Within five minutes' drive of us were ancient castles including the oldest dungeon in the Dordogne at Gageac Castle, gourmet restaurants, picturesque vineyards and even an international competition-level twenty-seven-hole golf course.
  Sean bought a large brush cutter from a local DIY shop so he could tackle the places he couldn't reach with the field mower. The brush cutter worked for 50 centimetres then stopped. After dropping Sean and the girls at the E. Leclerc supermarket to do the weekly shopping I made a dash for the DIY shop on the other side of Bergerac. I waited at the counter for twenty minutes before a shop assistant appeared. He took me and the machine to the back of the shop where he verified that it was not working.
  'You have to go to service après vente .'
  'Where is it?' I asked, expecting him to point to a convenient after sales service kiosk.
  'Poil de Vache.'
  'Comment?' I said.
  'Poil de Vache,' he said, a little louder.
  'It's not in this shop?' I said, somewhat taken aback and beginning to wonder if he was swearing at me for being a foreigner rather than telling me where to go. I had a vague recollection that vache meant cow but could also be used in a less savoury context.
  'No, it's on the road to Sarlat about ten minutes from here,' he said even louder.
  'Quoi?' I said, certain I had misheard despite the amplification.
  'You need to take it to Agnostini Garage in Poil de Vache,' he yelled. 'He will fix it for you. He's our service après vente . It's near the road to Sarlat about ten minutes from here. Look, I'll draw a map so you can find it.'
  Too dumbfounded to reply I took the scruffy map and set off. About ten
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