Hello and here is our 2026 update
Hello, everyone, and once again, my apologies for this latest delay in posting my blog articles. Ever since I moved here in 2024, it feels like my life has been flying by, and I simply haven’t had a minute to sit down and quickly jot down a few posts. In any case, that’s going to change now, and throughout this winter, I’ll be working on writing posts about what happened here at Finders Keepers France in 2026, what we have planned for this winter, and what 2027 will look like. So, make yourself comfortable, relax, and enjoy the first of my many updates.
Unfortunately, 2026 did not start as planned, as we were hit hard by Storm Nils on February 12, 2026. It caused flooding and winds reaching 150 km/h. We were put to the test, and Shady Rest (our recreational barn) sustained severe damage; we lost our new 6 x 4 m pool, many trees fell, the patio furniture and decks were damaged, and the lake was truly at the brim. We had a tremendous amount of work to do before we could reopen our doors in May. Just cutting up and removing the large fallen trees was a colossal task. While we did salvage a lot of wood for years to come, we lost some magnificent old ornamental trees. It’s truly very sad for the gardens.
Due to the large number of repairs that needed to be completed, we had to postpone the season’s opening date. Instead of opening in May, we had to wait until July.
After Storm Nils, a heat wave set in. It was extremely hot from early April and continued until mid September! We had to deal with all those repairs, on top of the heat. Poor Darren had to climb onto the barn roof in temperatures over 40 degrees. He had to lift and replace broken roofing tiles and repair the damaged wood. This year has been a real ordeal, not only for our mental health but also for our relationship, ha ha ha. The stress was immense. Not only because we were pressed for time, but also because of the colossal workload. We already had a long to-do list even before the storm hit. How were we going to pull it off?…… Well, we managed it, and here we are today to tell the story. It’s a story we look back on and wonder how on earth we pulled it off, but we did.
Darren re-roofed the main barn and installed new wooden beams and new fascia boards. He replaced the damaged section of the deck and installed new sun shades. We cut up the fallen trees and stacked them in preparation for 2027. The damaged pool was replaced with a new one, and all flooded areas were cleaned up and restored once the water had reduced. Alongside these major projects, we also managed to complete the following projects before we opened for the season on July 1, 2026.Updates will follow on these changes in my upcoming blog posts.
Decorated Marcadis Gite
Levelled 3 tent plots
Levelled and installed a new 3 x 4m pool
Installed and opened 3 new tents
Built a new games room
So, here we are in October 2026 following another fabulous season despite the major events thrown at us throughout the year.
My next blog will be all about the development of Walnut Grove. Where we were in 2025, what we have completed in 2026 and what 2027 brings. Here is a little taster of our new tents.
Thank you for reading our latest blog. I look forward to updating you all about the glamping/camping here @Finders Keepers France in my next blog.
Take care and see you all very soon
Paula and Darren
