Dear readers and friends. She’s back! If you remember, around exactly one year ago, we had the pleasure of meeting Annemarie Rawson and her husband, Steve – as well as a host of charming friends and neighbors – in her delightful book, My French Platter. In this fun and inspiring armchair-traveler’s tale, Annemarie recounts how she and Steve packed up a quite comfortable life in New Zealand and moved to southwestern France to manage a large, countryside estate. The dream!
Already a study in courage, Annemarie’s “late-life adventure” is rendered all the more amazing as she and Steve have to tackle everything from dust and disrepair, to the ins and outs of French cooking, to wrapping their heads around the French language. While enjoying newfound friendships, and basking in the charms of French-village life, the couple is unceremoniously asked to leave their jobs at Mas de Lavande by the estate’s testy owners. Sacrebleu!
Bent but not broken, Annemarie and Steve dust off their suitcases (along with the cobwebs that hung ungraciously throughout Mas de Lavande) and start out on a new adventure – which is where My French Platter Replenished picks up. After a relaxing vacation in Tuscany, the couple returns refreshed and reinvigorated for the second chapter of their belle vie in France.
Thanks in part to their friends, Siobhan and Doug (the first people the couple met when they arrived in France), Annemarie and Steve embark on two new job assignments – a short-term post in L’Isle-sur-Tarn at Domaine de Ménerque, and subsequent full-time positions at Combe de Merigot, near Gaillac in the Tarn department. Contrary to their petulant former employer, things go swimmingly for the couple and an absolutely enviable French life unfolds before them – complete with joyful outings to the local village markets and antique fairs, invitations to more social events than they can practically keep up with, and a connection with the owners of Combe de Merigot which goes a long way to restoring Annemarie’s faith in human relations.
Of course, there is also a lot of work behind the scenes… cleaning, animal keeping, and diving deeper into the wonders of French cuisine. Along the way, the author shows us just how wonderful taking a risk, and living your dreams to the fullest, can be. In this sequel, we get a real feeling for life in the French countryside, the joys and challenges of being an expat, and, most importantly, the warm, creative spirit of our heroine shines through every page.
Mas de Combe, through the seasons.
Giveaway:
To enter to win an e-book copy of My French Platter Replenished, please leave a comment below and tell us about your favorite “move abroad” fantasy – to France or elsewhere!
One winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) on Saturday, November 20th at 12:00pm EST.
Thank you for your participation and bonne chance, good luck les amis!
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Where to pick up a copy of My French Platter Replenished:
PAPERBACK LINKS (Normal print)
Amazon UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09C1FRFGW
Amazon US: www.amazon.com/dp/B09C1FRFGW
Amazon Australia: www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09C1FRFGW
PAPERBACK LINKS (Large print)
Amazon UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09BY88MWK
Amazon US: www.amazon.com/dp/B09BY88MWK
Annemarie Rawson
Belle Provence Travels 
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