top cx logo
cx logo
Explorearrow down
search icon
Explore
arrow down

Home Sweet Home - April 2017

We asked readers living in France to tell us what they like most about their home – here Jim and Jackie Buck speak about their house in Hérault

We bought our house in Nébian as a holiday home 1983 but, in 1992 following retirement, we moved permanently.

I discovered Languedoc in 1949 on a school exchange in Pézenas. It had a style of living never previously imag­ined; three return visits followed, then in 1960 for our honeymoon in Agde.
Our three sons also loved the area so in 1983 we bought our house after a fruitless week of visits in 28 villages. Then we heard of a house in Nébian.
It was in a placette near the church: the owner opened the shutter, golden light flooded the room: we were sold.

We looked to retire near Reading but property was very dear and as we were not churchgoers, did not play golf or bridge and had not voted for Maggie Thatcher we did not seem to fit in.
Jackie suggested moving to France so from August 23, 1992, to October 19 we walked from Ouistreham, Caen to Marseillan Plage, 1,268km, a sort of pilgrimage ‘Manche-Méditerranée’.
Both from Buckinghamshire, we moved to Berkshire for work and I vividly remember returning from France to Reading in about 1980 when I said it did not seem like going home.
Now, my heart gives a bound when we return from holiday and reach the point where the Hérault valley is laid out before us with hills to the north.

We were warmly welcomed into village life. I was president and Jackie treasurer of the Troisième Age club and together we organised the Téléthon for five years. I was also a local councillor.
We like classical music and there is a fine orchestra and opera in Montpellier plus a local GP and gifted musician has created an arts centre in a chateau here.

We both like Nébian better than anywhere else we have lived, it is home.

Tell us in 250 words what makes your home in France special and send a photo of it and yourself to news@connexionfrance.com  Any we publish will receive a year’s free subscription or a year’s extension if already a subscriber!

Resident or second-home owner in France?
Benefit from our daily digest of headlines and how-to's to help you make the most of life in France
By joining the newsletter, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
See more popular articles
The Connexion Help Guides
featured helpguide
Income Tax in France 2023 (for 2022 income)*
Featured Help Guide
- Primarily aimed at Britons, covers pensions, rent, ISAs, shares, savings and interest - but also contains significant general information pertinent to readers of other nationalities - Overview of online declarations + step-by-step guide to the French printed forms - Includes updates given automatically after this year's site opened
Get news, views and information from France