Put Your Feet Up

Relax and put your feet up

It’s what they say to you when you are off on holiday – ‘relax and put your feet up!’. For many people, that’s the ideal break from the morning commute, the humdrum meetings and the admin of working life. Or maybe it’s getting the kids up and dressed, the lunches packed and fighting the school run traffic.

And where better to holiday and put your feet up than at Fontalbe. It’s a perfect place to relax and unwind from the stress of day-to-day life.

I’m not usually very good at relaxing and putting my feet up as I usually have a list of things to do, including picking figs to make fig jam for the welcome pack, weeding the flower beds, clearing the apartment ready for a makeover (more of that soon) and upcycling some lovely new furniture I’d acquired, to name but a few. But I was being forced to relax and put my feet up, not because I wanted to, but because I’d fallen and broken my foot!

Being told you have to put your feet up for someone like me, whose relaxation is about exploring new places, walking the dogs, projects around the ground and garden, was not something I was relishing.

Reading By the Pool

Our wonderful pool at Fontalbe is surrounded by sun loungers, and it’s a spot where our guests love to relax, sunbathe, read a book, or sip a cool drink. So, I thought I’d start there. It is September, and we are still enjoying wonderful summer temperatures. So I put my feet up by the pool and watched on as Peter planted some beautiful new roses we’d bought. While it was relaxing not to be the one digging the holes (not that that’s ever my job !) it was frustrating not to be able to have my opinion on exactly where it should be planted. Either I wasn’t shouting loud enough, or Peter was choosing not to hear me. Maybe my inability to get around was less frustrating for him than it was for me!

Next, I decided to put my feet up and read a book. I rummaged through our bookshelves, which are always full of the most up-to-date books. Peter is an avid reader but has migrated to a Kindle, whereas our wonderful friend Linnie still likes a book in her hands, and we benefit from her hand-me-downs. I picked up one called Bonne Chance – building a life in rural France. Sounded interesting. But after a few chapters of catastrophes as the author attempted to renovate a farmhouse, I felt anything but relaxed. So, I reached out for the most recent Martin Walker book. Set in the nearby town of Le Bugue, the hero, Bruno, the community detective, solves murders and international crimes whilst rustling up amazing regional recipes using his homegrown produce, charms the local ladies, coaches junior tennis, and walks his dog and rides his horse every morning in the local countryside. Where did he find the time! It’s the Dordogne’s version of Midsommer murders. Much more relaxing and worth putting your feet up for.

Selection of holiday reading books on a table

A Relaxing Swim

Murder solved, beautiful woman won over and the international crime ring behind bars, I look for something else to do. The pool looks really inviting, and I could swim and do my physio at the same time. Technically, this is not putting my feet up, but it was certainly doing my aching foot good. I might not be good at sitting still, but I love being in our wonderful saltwater pool at Fontalbe. With the trees and blue sky overhead, the sun streaming down, it is a perfect place to float on your back, swim a few lengths and forget about everything!

Luxury sheet swimming pool in the Dordogne

Relaxing with Fig and Bonnie

While I’ve been passing the day quietly, the new addition to our family, Fig, a black Spring Ador, has been anything but relaxed. We have fostered Fig, and she has been with us for six months so far. She loves running around the grounds at Fontalbe and will chase a ball for hours.

So, as I have time to kill, I pass the time throwing. She just hasn’t quite mastered the art yet of dropping the ball close enough for me to pick it up. Well, we have time to work on that! Bonnie, on the other hand, has been stretched out lying on the grass most of the afternoon. Now she could teach Fig and me a thing or two about relaxing!

Relaxing under the Wisteria Terrace

It’s late afternoon now – sundowner time, and where better to put your feet up with a glass of wine in your hand than under the wisteria terrace overlooking the pool. The wisteria is still in bloom despite it being late summer, and there’s not a sound to be heard apart from the splash of swallows swooping in and out of the pool, enjoying an early evening dip!

A few minutes later Peter arrives with a beer and the Bretts crisps. The peace is shattered by the sound of crunching, but they are well worth it! I’m beginning to get the hang of relaxing.

Beautiful wisteria growing on the gite wall

Relaxing by the BBQ

One of the benefits of having a broken foot is that I don’t have to do the cooking, and Peter is a pretty good cook – great at curries and a bit of a master on the BBQ. So I hobble over to the bar area to put my feet up while he turns on the BBQ. It looks like prawns to start, with a glass of crémant, followed by duck. My favourite. I think he’s feeling sorry for me!

And to accompany the duck, a delicious glass of Pecharmant, with the sound of the river flowing by, where better to have your feet up. As the evening progresses, the light dips and the owls can be heard hooting nearby.

An evening barbecue on the terrace at the gite

Relaxing under the Stars

As night sets in, we head back to the poolside to put our feet up again and watch the night sky. There are a million stars, and the Milky Way is clear. What a way to end the day.

Only another three weeks in a boot! I think I might get the hang of relaxing and putting my feet up after all!