Welcome

Maison des Marguerites, our tiny farmhouse, is on a lane called Champ de la Grange, in a hamlet in the village of Chassignolles-en-Berry.

This website is where you will find updates about life on Champ de la Grange lane, playlists to accompany the seasons, frugal living ideas & serenity strategies for living at a slower pace.

Self- Development

Info about Ruth’s Everyday Mindful Living, Mindful Thinking, and Seeking Serenity courses can be found here. Join a session combining Mindfulness, Positive Psychology and ACT (Acceptance & Committment Therapy). What is it that makes ‘a good day’ ? What maximizes our chances of being happy?

This is practical mindfulness for everyday life with a multi-sensory approach to mindful moments. this used to be called ‘contemplation’ and it’s good word.

Ruth pulls on the work at Penn State on ‘Happiness’ in life. We each have our ‘signature strengths.’ Fordyce’s 14 Fudamentals of Happiness are explored in a course with an informal, supportive style. Ruth’s MA is in Professional Training & Development, and she has a special interest in reflective practice and mentorship.

Stay at Champ de la Grange?

Visitors to the Gîte and the glamping bell tent (our new project) will find more information here than on the Air BnB site where you can book a stay.

“Home from Home”

Welcome to our hidden corner of France where we  seek a simple, slower lifestyle. We both still work, and there are challenges every month, but the calm of the countryside gives a slower pace.

The dream was for a place in the countryside which could be made into a haven where we could make a “home from home” and see the stars in the night sky. We bought in Indre, part of the Centre -Val-de-Loire region.

A traditional Berry “longere” dating from 1865. Maison des Marguerites is a small farmouse and directly  opposite is the “Grange” or Barn which contains a Gite. In effect the Gite is our spare bedroom (Barn Bedroom).

The property is set around a grassy courtyard and the Barn Bedroom is only a short step from the house. It’s called Masion des Marguerites as daisies are the only flower which blooms every month of the year.

The house and gite are simply but carefully furnished. The idea was for a home from home retreat.

A French Country Journal – Nature Notes

On you tube you can watch the seasons change in this special place – wild boar, woodpeckers, deer, glow-worms, pheasants, hedgehogs and other creatures visit the garden.  

Meet a French tabby cat Sybil, who arrived one day in a pitiful state and stayed, making her home here.

Follow  the aromatic herb garden, potager and our tiny woodland grove as they develop.  We share nature notes on the changing seasons and the countryside charm of garden, wildlife and woodland. 

The Frugal French Homestead channel is a mix, or ‘melange’ (in French), of farmhouse kitchen recipes, gardening, crafts, mindful moments  and frugal living tips.

The younger sister channel Sérénité is about living mindfully and sharing strategies to reduce stress and be happier.

Ruth also writes posts on Substack with more detail about life on Champ de la Grange lane. The articles are free, though there is an option to subscribe.

Why not stay a few days?

If you visit you can have any of the workshops with Ruth in a one to one or small group.

You can also learn a little French if you choose!

Travel

Limoges Airport is only 90 minutes away with roads that are normally very quiet between the house and Limoges. Tours and Poitiers airports are about 2 hours away. Caen is the nearest port and less than a 5 hour drive and Calais less than 7 hours (both of which can be reached without having to brave the traffic of Paris). Paris is about 2.5 to 3 hours away.

We moved here permanently in 2019 and now live here developing the gardens and property little by little every year, having been adopted by our cat Sybil.