by domelvin on May 18, 2012
So I was away in Ibiza for 3 weeks working on the new Cyberdog shop which was a great opportunity to reflect on my life and situation, as the island can have this magical effect on you (and i’m not talking about clubs and drugs)
I came back to France last week and for the first time in 4 months actually realised i was home, France isn’t an easy country to adjust to, especially coming from the heart of London and moving in to the countryside of south France, It’s conservative, quiet and the shops are shut half the time, but now i’m adjusting and seeing it for the beautiful place it is – just need to get to grips on the language so the locals don’t visibly cringe while i hack at their lovely idiom..
We got approval from the planning office to join the mains sewage.. too much information i hear you say! but believe me it’s important lol!! and after four days on adobe illustrator and photoshop, I have finally done the architectural plans for the modifications to the barn which were highly detailed to scale specs of what we are doing and it’s impact on the local environment. So fingers crossed we get approval from the planning office as what we are doing is gorgeous and i’m not changing it 
Pixel by pixel.. stone by stone we will bring this thing to life and in the mean time as if i don’t have enough to do, i’m looking to exhibit some of my art locally and making some new sculptures in the spanking brand new art studio I just built in the garage.. watch this space
by domelvin on March 29, 2012
Spring is here and major work has started on building our house. My stone wall building is a bit rusty after 20 years, but the instinct is coming back quickly (it’s kind of like Tetris but with real blocks and more organic) there is something very primal about building things from the ground up.. Especially if it’s your own house.
Still feeling a little bit isolated in the countryside although it is absolutely stunning where we live. The salad and vegetables are mostly locally grown and still has the dirt on.. Still washing what i think is insect poo off the lettuce and still super paranoid about ingesting something I shouldn’t.. You can take the Londoner out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the Londoner. I can now definitely feel why we made such a radical decision to move abroad and completely change our lifestyle and it will be a year or two before we can relax a bit to enjoy the fruits of our labour.
‘Life is what we make it’ the mantra keeps telling us, but in the end it’s about belief in our own abilities and having the courage to realize dreams and ambitions.. One of the more endearing qualities of human nature that still makes me believe in the future of humanity
by domelvin on January 4, 2012
2012 looks like it’s going to be as interesting and volatile as 2011, but for me it’s really going to be different, in exactly one week I leave London for good for a new life in the south of France. Already boxed and bagged my London life ready to ship and already saying au revoir! to friends and colleagues. It’s so easy to take friendships for granted when you have access to them whenever you like, but close to leaving, I am reflecting and realise what amazing friends and relationships i do have with the people i care about, they can’t be bought or ego massaged.. there is an element of unconditional understanding, tolerance, forgiveness, love and laughter.. A history together! long term friendships grow without knowing it and then when they are not on tap 24/7 the importance of them kicks in.. I’m very lucky to have such strong and valuable friendships and I guess with this in mind no distance on the planet is going to change that.. I look forward to summer visits
