Spring has arrived! I have crocus in flower, daffodils nearly in flower, and two dogs racing round the garden like mad March hares. It was so sunny this morning that I actually took the unprecedented step of heading out in my new spring coat - before realising that it may be lovely and sunny, but it's still perishing cold - and subsequently retreating inside to change back into my winter coat. Boo. Never mind, we have sun for the first time in months so all is well with the world.

So naturally when the sun comes out I immediately start thinking of summer holidays, and of course our French Master Plan - so with that in mind I'd like to share some images of a stunning modern home from The Telegraph Magazine:

Gorgeous, no? By the way, the dude on the balcony is actually fully dressed, despite evidence to the contrary. I find myself being increasingly drawn to the concept of buying some land in France and then constructing our dream contemporary house from the ground up, rather than buying an old farmhouse and renovating it. Of course the build would have to be sympathetic to the local environment - local wood, local stone, a sloping roof at an angle that compliments the slope of the rolling hills and mountains surrounding the Luberon valley, paint colours to match the surrounding olive trees and vineyards - but I think it could work...

Check out this pool:

I love the feeling of light and space in the interior:

I've been keeping an eye on the property market in the Luberon for nearly a year now - but I've been focusing on houses for sale, rather than land for sale. I think I need to broaden my focus to include terrains - and also to do some research into French planning permission (ie how challenging it would be to get permission to construct a glorious modern maison in the middle of an olive grove). Of course, Andre and I don't intend to make our minds up right now - but at least we want to have considered all the available options house-wise, you know?

What's your take on the whole modern v traditional house debate? Which kind of home do you prefer to live in? Do you think that modern houses enhance their natural surroundings, or detract from them?

I blogged the other week about our masterplan to move to France - and that the first element in the plan is saving our pennies:

No, not this Penny - we already saved her from the fate of being Some Random Person's Dog and elevated her to the status of Precious Pampered Princess. So spoiled.

It's clear to us that moving to France will require that we save a certain amount of cash under the mattress in advance. We are so not going to be one of those families you see on TV who blithely pack up their old kit bags, move across the channel, and casually expect to make enough money to support a family of four or five by running a little B&B (despite having no business or hospitality experience), or by selling olive oil or stuffed figs or some other such nonsense:

Source: Marie Claire Maison

This means that we have to be sensible about saving money over the next few years. While theoretically we will both still be able to continue working in our current jobs when we move (I work from home, for example), we'll still need some spare dineros to buy a tumbledown farmhouse and renovate it - y'know the drill:

Source: 25 Beautiful Homes

But equally, I don't want to have to sacrifice the little treats that short-term life has to offer for the sake of longer-term gain. We still want to take holidays, have nice meals out in our favourite local restaurants, buy huge floaty fifties-style skirts (me) and PC parts (Andre). I guess it's about living in the present, while keeping an eye on the future.

So for me, it all comes down to choices. Do I need something - or do I just want it?

For example - do I want a Mulberry handbag? Well, if a random stranger presented one to me in the street then I'd gladly accept it. But do I need one? Well, no. Not really.

However - the answer to the question 'do I need a gorgeous slouchy butter-soft satchel-style Radley handbag?' is... why, yes - yes, I do:

See how it works? Radley is very pretty, and a third of the price of Mulberry. It's all about choices.

I also love filling our house with flowers, and have no intention of cutting back on this:

There's nothing quite like the glorious scent of a crimson stargazer lily, is there?

And I'm obsessed with organic food (yes, I know, I'm so middle-class) and have several boxes of delicious goodies delivered to my (admittedly lazy) doorstep once a week:

Sure, I could buy cheaper in the local supermarket. But I don't want to. Simple, eh?

On the other hand, while I'd love a three-week holiday in the Maldives, this is the kind of reckless expenditure that we're trying to avoid. But a three-day holiday in Paris - now, that's a different story...

Bon weekend!

Psst! If you like this, you may also like:

Recipe: Coq au vin (it's très bien)

Interiors: French farmhouse chic

Craft: Wrapping presents in hessian, lace and twine