I am English and my husband is French. The cottage that we let is part of our old stone Normandy house where we have lived for nearly 25 years. Georges is now retired from a long teaching career as a French language teacher abroad and as a primary school teacher in Normandy. I have always worked with textiles and have taught patchwork and quilting classes as well as creative textiles. We both enjoy time working on our creative projects - Georges being a water-colour painter.
I love my garden where I work on a regular basis. The vegetable garden supplies us with organic produce which I am willing to share with our guests when possible. The garden is totally chemical free.
We walk on a daily basis in the different country tracks which surround our house and criss-cross the whole valley. There is a wonderful coast-line with long sandy beaches, broken from time to time with rocks and rock pools.
The excellent local sea food (oysters, fish, shell-fish etc) as well as local meat and fruit and vegetables give us a varied and healthy diet easily sourced and a well-equipped kitchen enables guests to return from the market and prepare delicious meals and, in the summer time, eat outside.

We came to live in Normandy and found our house in what we consider an ideal spot, when Georges obtained a post as a primary school teacher in Quettehou, the nearby town. We were very taken with the countryside around the house as it has not been spoiled. Small fields with hedges, pasture for sheep and cows and horses, plenty of bird and animal life. The sea is only a few kilometers away and the long coast line running round the peninsular gives us varied and beautiful walks and places to swim or fish. We did not hesitate to settle in the little hamlet of Joulines with its 2 farms and a handful of houses. It remains a quiet place and young families have settled here for the quality of life it brings. We wake to birdsong or the sound of the sheep or the cows. Our garden is a haven for animals and birds as we do not use pesticides or herbicides.
At the same time we are only 5 minutes away from Quettehou in the car. There you can find a big supermarket, a market on Tuesday, a butcher, 2 bakers, chemist, post office, bank etc.
The little sea-port of St Vaast la Hougue is 10 minutes away and there are plenty of restaurants and shops to enjoy and fish to be bought on the quayside. A little further north there are some wonderful beaches ideal for families with small children or for long walks with a dog.

Many of our guests have the feeling of "coming home" when they return from a day out. The cottage is decorated very simply. The inside is plaisant as well as comfortable and is not pretentious. Both of us are interested in cooking so we have provided a good basic equipment to enable guests to prepare their meals, as well as a micro-wave oven for those who are having a rest from cooking!
There is plenty of space to store clothes and suitcases etc. The cottage is functional and easy to keep clean.
Outside the back door guests will find a sheltered spot to sit or eat in. It is possible to limit the access so that parents can look over into our part of the garden but contain their children within the cottage's private area.