So Happy to Call France Home

Welcome to the 68th weekly post of our Baby Boomers Move to France blog.

This is our 40th week in France 5/3-5/9/26

We have been in our home in the village of Chabanais in the Charente department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region of France since the middle of December 2025. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to be reminded of how lucky we are.

This week,

More progress on our garden projects, progress on our solar energy system, Update on the driver’s license, French taxes return update and other stuff.

Our home in Chabanais, France

Things on the agenda this week:

• Garden shed update
• Solar panel app update
• Follow up on taxes
• Follow up will
• Golf
• Update workshop door painting project
• Garden work

Weather forecast:

Weather bug says we are in for a rainy week all week. High temps in the 50s and 60s Fahrenheit. The veggie patch will like it. Rosie is not happy.

Why this Blog?

Long story short, we are “Baby Boomers” that have moved from Venice, Florida to the beautiful French countryside as retirees. After a little over a year of planning and fretting we sold everything in Venice and made the move on 1 August 2025.

We publish a brief update of our adventures every Sunday to share our experiences, tips and mistakes.

If you are wondering what got into our head and inspired us to make the move, check out some of our earlier posts. Again, if you have questions about our adventure, drop your questions in the comment section below.

This Week in General

Sunday and Monday were pretty quiet

EB cut my hair as it was getting a bit long in the back and sides.

We did get some work done in the garden shed. EB had bought some heavy-duty hooks for our garden tools so getting those in place was a minor project. With the tools hanging in place it looks like we know what we are doing.

The organization of the workshop is ongoing, and we made a little progress on it Monday. Every time that we make a little improvement we feel a sense of accomplishment.

I did finally finish painting the door to the workshop. I added a handle and got our “B” hung up. We managed to have the “B” shipped from Florida without damage.

In between rain showers we moved the buffet table out of the summer house and moved it down to the laundry room. Moving that table out gives us more space in the summer house and it will get good use in the laundry room as a folding table and to store detergents and dryer sheets.

We finished Monday in the summer house and had a glass of wine and again I feel so lucky to be here in our little village in the French countryside.

Tuesday: HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO or should I say, “Cinquieme de Mai”? It is not a holiday in France yet, but I think it is good to celebrate with a glass of red wine or a cervesa. (“Celebrez avec un verre de vin rouge ou une biere”)

We woke up to a little rain and cool Tuesday.

At 11:00 the technician from Sungreen arrived in order to trouble shoot the Wi-Fi connection to the MyLight 150 app. You might remember that I mentioned this last week. We need the application set up to actually start banking our excess power production to the virtual battery. The technician figured out the problem, and the app is set up now. We can see our consumption and production. It takes 4 to 5 weeks for our excess production to show up in the virtual battery. If I’m reading the app correctly, it looks like we are producing more than we are consuming. I think that is a good thing. We will know better after a couple of months. The solar power technology is amazing though. Yes, it does have some upfront costs. It is my understanding that the cost of solar power is going down though and cost of fossil fuel-based energy is tending up. This system is supposedly good for 30 years. At that point the efficiency drops to 85% of current efficiency. By then there will probably be some new technology. Unfortunately, I will be long gone, but EB will probably still be kicking.

EB went to the boulangerie, and I went to the post office (la Poste) to mail in my FL drivers license then went over to the pharmacy then to the ATM. We each got a few steps in at least, while the rain continued on and off throughout the day.

We did notice that the rain is washing off some of the mold and growth from the roof as a result of the cleaning solution that the Sungreen guys applied when they installed the solar panels. This was part of the plan and I’m happy to see that it is working although it is a bit messy.

EB decided to cut back some of the roses that are encroaching onto the walkway. It definitely looks better now.

Wednesday:

EB volunteered at the Cancer charity store

The store called EB into work from 10 to 1. I walked Rosie over around noon so Rosie could see EB and I could check out the shop. It is a nice little store that includes used clothes, books, tchotchkes and knick-knacks. They have a great deal on used books: 5 for 1 euro. I just happened to have a 2 euro coin so we bought 10,

Paperwork for visa renewal

Annabelle notified us that we need to gather up additional information for submittal to the government for our visa renewal. I scanned it all into the computer and EB sent it off to Annabelle. Hopefully we will get a positive response in a couple of months.

The government wants to be sure that we can still support ourselves financially. It is a minor task that needs done every year.

Workshop organization

It was great to take some time to work on the workshop organization. If I do a little bit as time allows it will be in shape soon enough. I hung some tools on the wall and cleaned up the shelving. Then I moved the potting soil up to the garden shed.

I cut about 5 inches off of each end of the buffet countertop we just moved to the laundry room and sanded the edges and it fits the room much better now.

I stopped the workshop organization task to work on the blog a little and EB and I lost track of time and were late for French class.

I struggled a bit this week in class.

Ron and Elizabeth did great. It goes that way, some days. You feel like you are getting it then another day the French language humbles you. That said, every small improvement is very gratifying. In addition to the class, we are still practicing and learning using the Duo Lingo application everyday.

It was sprinkling rain a little on the walk home from class and a bit chilly. First thing was to get a fire going in the wood stove, then dinner and a glass of wine. The room warmed up nicely and all is good.

Thursday: A chilly morning, brisk walk and MARKET DAY

We woke up to a chilly and partly cloudy day with some sunshine on Thursday. We did our “horse pasture walk” which includes a walk past the horse pasture and then over the river on pedestrian bridge over the Vienne River and then over the main bridge to the Thursday farmers’ market. Since it is the first Thursday of the month our market is bigger than the rest of the month. We browsed the clothing section first. There are some good buys by the way. We bought some goat cheese, strawberries, veggies and headed home. Rosie came with us riding in her backpack most of the way.

EB received an email form Annabelle of French Connections HCB stating that all of our paperwork for the visa renewal is perfect and has been submitted.

EB cut some gorgeous roses from the garden for the dining room table.

We noticed that Cafe de Sport was putting tables and chairs outside on the square in front of the restaurant. As the weather warms up it will be a very popular place to stop.

Cafe Lillian is still closed. I think Ian and Penny went back to the UK for a daughter’s wedding. We expect they will be open again by next week.

Cleaning of the pellet and wood stoves is part of the experience.

The stoves efficiently warm the house, and I love the cozy feeling and ambience that they provide. It doesn’t take too long to clean them either. We have a shop vac that is ideal for the task of removing the ash and a small paint brush is good for removing any ash on the inside walls of the stove. A microfiber cloth with some warm water does a very good job of cleaning the viewing glass. I have a dedicated piece of cardboard to use to protect the floor when cleaning the stoves.

EB dropped me off at Chez Francis and Ron and I played 2 golf courses and had a lot of fun. EB arrived at around 4:30 and she and Michelle did some work on doctor’s appointment then moved to the “donkey room” with some wine. Ron and I joined them for a few minutes then Elizabeth and I had to get back home.

Friday: French taxes

I had received a notification that our French tax return was ready for our signatures. I downloaded something like a 65-page return and printed all for our signatures. It is all in French so we would have to translate it just so we have an idea what we are signing.

Time for a break. We couldn’t resist the beautiful weather and having a beer at the outdoor seating area at Cafe des Sport. We found a table in the sun and had a glass of Pelforth. We chatted about potential plans for a soap box derby party at our house for our friends, Ron and Michell, and maybe Allen and Deb and Perry and Pam if everyone is in town. Chabanais is hosting a soap box derby on June 6th. The course is one block from our house. It is a pretty steep hill so the derby should be wild and a great excuse to have a party.

Back home we organized the tax return paperwork and signed all. Then a cup of tea and chill time.

Saturday: Beautiful, warm, sunny day

We woke up to an absolutely gorgeous day with temperature getting up to around 75F.

EB was scheduled to work at the cancer charity shop so was off to work after our coffee, yogurt, honey and granola. She is enjoying the three-hour work schedule and the ladies that she is working with. They had a big morning having sold over 100 euros worth of good deals.

After my Duo Lingo French lesson, I went to the Super U for groceries. It is about a mile away and easy.

I got back home in time to get Rosie on her leash, and we walked over to meet EB after her shift at the charity store. All of the ladies in the store went gaga over Rosie. of course.

The day was so nice we didn’t want to go directly home so we stopped at the Cafe des Sport for a beer. We sat outside and Rosie was a hit with anyone that walked by.

After a quick snack at home, I finally cleaned the pellet stove. I have been talking about it all week. As my very wise sister Cindy would say, “I was too busy being retired to get around to it sooner.”

Elizabeth worked on her crochet project. She completed the covers for the arms of our Salon couch and chairs, so she is back on her sweaer project.

It is time for me to work on the blog and get a little banjo practice in.

By the way, the veggie patch is looking good. The rain and now the sunshine is working the magic.

So that was our week.

A little yard work and organizing projects. Finalized French taxes and prep to send everything in by May 19. I played golf at Ron’s on Thursday and got my first ever EAGLE! Weather was super nice on Friday and Saturday.

French Lifestyle and Culture

Speaking of outdoor cafe’s

The big cities like Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse and others actually have a sidewalk cafe culture even in less-than-ideal weather. In Chabanais, Cafe des Sport was the only cafe with outside tables on Friday. Even they don’t make it a thing. Probably there will be more action as the weather warms up. The Barrier Cafe had a couple of tables outside the other day, and they are opening up the Terrasse (terrace) soon. We are looking forward to checking it out when it opens. We have reservations for dinner at the Barrier for dinner on Monday. To be fair, the Barrier serves coffee inside the shop, and we have had a cup there. It is good, but not the same as out on the sidewalk.

A little research reveals that the whole concept of sidewalk cafes emerged in the 17th century in Europe. According to tasteofparis.com, sidewalk cafes are synonymous with relaxation, conversation and a comforting cup of coffee. Istanbul, Turkey is the home of the first coffee shop in 1475. However, sidewalk cafes came in the 17th century in Europe in places like Vienna and Paris. The culture part is that coffee in a cafe is to be savored, enjoyed slowly over conversation, and people watching. It is my kind of culture! We enjoy coffee, beer or wine at a sidewalk cafe whenever we can.

French Holidays in May 2026

This year there are 4 public holidays in France: Great opportunities for long weekends.

• Friday 1 May (Labour Day) La Fete du Travail
• Friday 8 May (Victory Day 1945) Fete de la Victorie. Celebration of the end of World War 2 in Europe
• Thursday 14 May (Ascension Day) Jour de l’Ascension
• Monday 25 May (Whit Monday) Lundi de Pentecote

Next Week (la Semaine Prochaine)

• Mail in the French tax return
• Follow up on US tax return
• Maybe a little work in the garden
• French lesson
• Follow up wills
• Golf with Ron on Thursday
• Follow up garden terrace project
• EB volunteer at the Cancer Services of France store

Weather forecast for next week

Chance of rain all week except for Tuesday which is supposed to be mostly sunny. Temps in the 60s are expected. The veggie patch will be happy.

Signing off for the week

As always, we sign off wishing you all a good week and remind you to take care of yourselves and your family.

Keep in touch and leave questions, suggestions and comments below. We really enjoy hearing from you all.

Wishing you a good week (Bonne Semaine)

Mark and Elizabeth Beiley

Babyboomersmovetofrance.com