Marianne

Life before Gascony?

On leaving school, I went to university in London to train to teach but soon discovered my impatience with children was not the best characteristic for a teacher!
Struggling to change the course of my career, I spent most of my twenties managing a pub and restaurant within a family-owned world-renowned concert hall and shopping complex in Suffolk.  All the long hours and hard work financed my passion for travelling the world.
Returning home, I settled down for a time, working for a small company fabricating outdoor pig huts, my first steps into the world of house selling! On deciding that I really needed more sunshine in my life, I decided to move to SW France and more importantly the Gers which is an agricultural department but sadly lacking in pigs.
Perhaps that is why I applied for a job with an estate agency, same job, different clientele?  Who knows, but after 16 years of working with that same agency, I was lucky enough to be offered the amazing opportunity to become part of the Bliss team …..

What do you enjoy most about being a part of Bliss?

I love the freedom to be the best I can be at Bliss.  I feel like I have been encouraged to spread my wings and fly.  The team is made up of lovely people, all with different talents, so we can really offer the vendors and buyers the best of the best.

Your Perfect Day in Gascony?

My Perfect Day in Gascony would start with a coffee and croissant, sitting in the sunshine, watching the world go by, preferably on market day somewhere.  The rest of the day is pretty much what I do all day for Bliss, driving around the fabulous countryside, occasionally stopping to admire the mountains which look so near but are actually far enough away for us not to suffer the cooler temperatures.  The evening would be spent sitting on the terrace with a glass of wine in hand, watching the sun go down.

How has living in Gascony changed you?

Living in Gascony has made me slow down the pace of life, to appreciate what life has to offer, and to absolutely love sunshine and the warmer climate!

Secret Squirrel tip for a hot place to eat?

My Secret Squirrel place is so secret, I’m not going to tell you because I don’t want it to become spoiled lol.

Something you have done in Gascony
you would never have done in your previous life?

Become an estate agent!!!  I would never have contemplated being an estate agent in my previous life, yet now I absolutely love it …..

Funniest thing to have happened to you in Gascony?

Where to start?!  Probably one of the funniest was me showing off in a soft-top car.  I left work in Montauban in brilliant sunshine but by the time I got to Beaumont de Lomagne, a storm descended so quickly that I couldn’t get the roof up (actually I didn’t know how to put the roof up!) so I was a drowned rat sitting at the traffic lights while everyone laughed at me …..  There really has been so many things that I am seriously considering writing a book!

What advice would you give
to someone moving to Gascony?

Consider if you are the sort of person who loves a quiet rural life in winter, which contrasts with the busy summer fêtes an influx of people from all around the world.
Endeavour to learn French – a glass of wine in your hand helps. (Or anything cold and alcoholic).

Your favourite local wine?

Pellehaut

Your favourite local dish?

Saucisse de Toulouse and lentilles, or purée.

Your favourite month of the year?

July for the-sunflowers, and August because it’s the last month of the year before I add another year to my age!