After months of hard work, we are now ready again for a new season at Moulin de chez Joyeux. Today, the first guests are arriving, and we already have quite a few bookings from both old and new guests until September; some weeks are even fully booked. We're excited to get started again. A few months ago, we were already well underway with renovating the pool, so you might wonder why we were still working so hard? That's because we didn't really stop and rest after the previous season but kept busy because there's always plenty to do around here. Herman always has jobs to do in and around the house and he loves gardening, and Johannetta has her educational consultancy work. Additionally, we had winter guests from Romania for the first few months of the year, who came to work in the area. It was a pleasant to have them here in the winter period.
And then, we had some setbacks just when the pool renovation was nearly finished. The day had come to replace the liner, but when the old liner was removed, it turned out that there was rust buildup on the pool walls, so they had to be treated before the new liner could be installed. There we were with an empty pool, fearing it might collapse without water. Fortunately, that didn't happen, and Herman got to work with a sander and anti-rust paint.
But that wasn't all, because one day we woke up to find the pool full. The river in our garden had flooded! Fortunately, this rarely happens, but with a long day of heavy rain, it did indeed occur. According to the mayor, who came to check how we were doing, the water level was higher than the record set in 1982. Luckily, we didn't have any real damage, just a lot of mess. And perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that the new liner hadn't been installed yet. So, after everything was cleaned up, Herman could continue finishing the walls, and we waited for a warm day to have the liner installed. That day arrived just in time and after that we could fill the pool again, and the final touches could be made.
In March, we celebrated our one-year anniversary of living here. Now we've seen the garden and surroundings in all seasons and are experiencing spring for the second time. It is so beautiful to see everything turning green again and all the flowers and plants coming to life. It's truly enjoyable to take a stroll in the garden every day and see what's new. The forest looked like a fairy tale forest when the wild bluebells bloomed everywhere again. And what a surprise to see the wisteria flowering this year with long bunches of fragrant lilac flowers, so beautiful! Despite all the existing beauty in the garden, we also enjoy visiting the plant markets in the area during this time. But it does make you want to buy everything ;-)
And now, we're waiting for the summer weather. We've already had some nice naturist days, even reaching 28 degrees earlier in April. But we're really looking forward to summer. The pool is still very cold right now. It's nice after a sauna and hot tub session, but nothing compared to getting up on summer mornings and taking a few laps.
Are you also looking forward to summer and don't you have any plans yet? Several weeks are already fully booked in June, July, and August, but feel free to inquire about availability. We'd love to have you!