Down and Dirty in the Dordogne: An author, a ruin and a new life in France ...

This is the story of how two middle-aged Brits gave up a nice life in Blighty after falling in love with a delightfully dilapidated old French property. It's no mean feat trying to restore a cavernous barn of a house (hovel) during the worst financial crisis of the modern age, especially when you're faced with dodgy builders, red tape, rowdy locals, health problems, recalcitrant relatives, a house in England that simply won't sell, and a multitude of escapologist cats - not to mention some resident skeletons. Andrea Frazer gives the lowdown on the ups and downs that befall two fish out of water as the couple take the plunge and move across the Channel.