Bon Courage!: A French Renovation in Rural Limousin

Part practical tourist guide and part autobiography, this record of a couple rebuilding their dream home in France is a tale of obstacles overcome and dreams fulfilled

A dilapidated, rat-infested stone barn might not be many people's vision of a potential dream home. But for English couple Richard and Al, the cavernous, oak-beamed building in a sleepy hamlet in the Limousin region of France is perfect. Tussles with French bureaucracy and fierce storms do little to dampen their resolve as they immerse themselves in this quiet corner of France, taking trips in Richard's balloon and starting their very own llama farm. Told by a well intentioned if often hapless do-it-yourselfer, Richard's hilarious and heartwarming tale of a new life in France resounds to the Gallic refrain, "Bon courage!"