#14 Rants & bants (The one where we consider doing Bulgarian Reno Diaries)
Episode 14, Season 1
Rants & Bants episodes are our informal, off-the-cuff chats - think of them like secretly recorded calls. Less polish, more spontaneity - but always insightful!
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It’s just Rosie and Sue this week - Micala is off doing charity work (we’ll hear all about it next time). So with no one to keep them in check, the conversation goes everywhere: renovation reality TV in Bulgaria, the murky world of YouTube chateau donors, eco villages, French new-build estates that nobody thought through, energy bills, solar panels, and a rather lovely manoir in the middle of Brittany.
Resources and things mentioned in this episode
A New Life in the Sun — the Channel 4 series following people renovating and relocating across Europe, now available to watch online.
Le Manoir Caché, Merdrignac — a beautifully renovated manoir in central Brittany run by Anoushka, a former London set designer. Available for stays, retreats and workshops.
Sue’s Kenya trip — Sue is nine days away from heading to Kenya to help build homes and support a local community project. If you’d like to contribute, you can find her Just Giving page here — even the smallest donation makes a difference.
Energy providers in France — Rosie and Sue discuss switching away from EDF and the merits of green energy suppliers. Sue managed to negotiate an 18% loyalty discount simply by asking - worth trying before you switch.
Solar panels in France — Rosie is weighing up a solar installation and mentions the current government subsidy scheme. A topic to revisit in a future episode.
Pavillon lotissements — the French new-build estate model discussed in the episode, where developers buy agricultural land, divide it into plots and sell them individually.
Please note: this episode was recorded before the start of the war in Iran. Energy prices mentioned in the show may no longer reflect current rates.
Connect
Email: frenchrenodiaries@gmail.com
Maison Bretagne (Rosie Ellis) | S.R. Charpenterie (Sue Peake-Russell) | Paul Wilkins Electricien (Micala Wilkins)