We have recently bought a rather gorgeous house with a fair bit of land for my horses about 60 miles south-west of Bordeaux. The house, Alegria-en-Armagnac, is perfect in every way. I apologise in advance for my complete lack of objectivity – I am head-over-heels in love with it. I have been under the spell of the Landes since I was a little girl. The Landes are just south of Bordeaux and house the largest forest in Europe. The endless unspoilt silver beaches, mysterious pine forest and romantic cities like Bayonne and Biarritz always captured my imagination.

Alegria is located in deepest, rural Bas-Armagnac, amongst the oldest and best Armagnac vineyards, and on the border of the Landes and the Gers. Thermal baths abound, and Alegria is less than an hour and a half from the sea, and even closer to the uncluttered ski-slopes of the Pyrenées. The closest village is Mauleon d'Armagnac, in the Landes d'Armagnac. Estang, Cazaubon and the spa-town Barbotan-les-Thermes, each with its own bull-fighting ring, are only fifteen minutes away. The Spanish influence is very strong here, we are so close to the Spanish border that a day trip is often on the agenda.

When the new A65 autoroute is finished, Bordeaux will be just more than an hour away and Pau about half an hour, which means easy access to the UK, rest of France and the rest of the world via Paris from these two airports.

Finding a property not only in the heart of the Landes in the midst of one of the most famous French wine producing areas was an opportunity in a million. Absolutely irresistible. Charles is an enthusiastic vintner and being this close to Bordeaux and the wine culture offers him endless opportunities of expanding his wine business and benefiting from the knowledge of the many contacts he has made over the years. He is absolutely in his element charming both wine producers and merchants in ever-improving French. I sometimes get the impression he thinks he has died and gone to vineyard heaven. My permanent yearning for the vineyards of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch in South Africa has also diminished substantially.

I spent most of 2009 searching for a property to buy where I can present my residential workshops again. Once again, I will use equine-assisted experiential learning, NLP, hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy to empower workshop participants to enrich their lives. Both Charles and I attended the EAGALA training in Equine-assisted Experiential Learning. This is really the gold standard certification for any one who wants to use the unique characteristics and natural abilities of horses to help people communicate more effectively. I completed the EAGALA certification level II and Charles did Level I. It was tremendous fun. We learnt a lot about ourselves and about how we can help other people benefit from what we have learnt.

Whenever I was not looking at houses, I was structuring the courses and retreats and creating the websites that promote them: RelationshipRescueRetreat.com and Relax-and-Rejuvenate.com. 

There are spectacular views from all windows, with the Pyrenées mountain range to the south. Alegria is situated on a hill, with centuries-old oak trees offering privacy and shade. It is located at the end of its own drive, secluded but not isolated, with miles and miles of country paths to explore in all directions.

The inside of the house has already been sympathetically renovated leaving the precious and authentic features like fireplaces, beams, bread oven and well untouched. Charles has decided to create a garden to compliment the gentle but solid beauty of the house, later adding a jacuzzi and a pool – in the mean time we will just have to swim in the lake on those endless, sun-drenched summer days.

My neighbours have gone out of their way to welcome and help this strange South-African doctor with her arrogant but beautiful horses and have bent over backwards to accommodate my outlandish ideas and plans. My obstinate insistence on internet access in the middle of nowhere is giving our maire a few extra grey hairs. I had to explain that it is essential for workshop bookings and also because I sell my e-books Survive and Thrive!  and The Papillon Program online.

At the moment we are concentrating all our time and energy on creating the new business and getting the house and garden ready to present the first workshop over Easter. It is all very exciting but rather time-consuming; we regret that we have not been in contact as often as we would have liked. Hopefully we can make it up to you all this summer – we will be in the UK regularly – at least once or twice a month to attend to the marketing side of the business and I also still work as a locum doctor in psychiatry on a regular basis in London and in the south.

Looking forward to seeing you soon or even better, welcoming you at Alegria in the summer.

Dr M M de Klerk

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If you are wondering where exactly it is that we live, I hope this page will make it clearer. Most people know where in France Bordeaux is and a substantial number has visited both Bordeaux and the surrounding wine lands, but few have ventured south of the city, into the mysterious province of the Landes, impenetrable for centuries before it was drained and forested by Napoleon III.

Most French people are familiar with the Atlantic coast of the Landes - those endless silver beaches south of Bordeaux stretching down to the Pyrenées mountains, the spectacular Arcachon basin, the popular sea-side resorts and spa's like Dax and especially Hossegor, that claims to have the best surfing in Europe.

Alegria is bordered by Armagnac, Cotes de Gascogne and Floc vineyards. Bas-Armagnac, and especially the Grande Bas-Armagnac, produces the best quality Armagnac of the whole Armagnac region. We are looking forward to sharing the wines and spirits of Bas-Armagnac with our guests, as well as the wines of Bordeaux, Madiran, Jurancon and the Cotes de Gascogne. We are creating a wine tour of the area that can be added to one of Margaretha's retreats, as well as something similar for golfers . There are two excellent eighteen hole golf courses within thirty minutes' drive from Alegria and lots of space to practice at Alegria. Charles plan to attend a golf instructor's course in Spain this year.

It is the very mystery, the unspoilt countryside, the gentle pace and the shy but proud people of this secret part of France that captured our hearts. Alegria-en-Armagnac clings to the eastern edge of this enormous forest, with-in walking distance of the village Mauleon d'Armagnac. This little village barely has more than a church and a post-office to recommend it, even though the church is 900 years old and listed in all the guest books. The 62 souls who live here and on the surrounding farms have courageous hearts of gold, just like the lion of Armagnac that their village was named after.

The major factor determining the climate hereabouts is the Atlantic Ocean, especially in the western area, in Bas Armagnac. The Landes forest acts as a screen against rain, like a thermal buffer. Bad weather always comes from the sea, incidentally, so all the houses in these parts, including Alegria, have their backs turned to the west. Summers are very hot, making a siesta from 12h00 to 15h00 an essential part of the day during July and Augusts and lasts roughly from March to October.

We wanted to be close to Bordeaux, to the vineyards, but also wanted to be within an hour or just more than an hour from the sea and mountains. Taking this into account, Alegria is perfectly located, isolated and private, but also with in 15 minutes of several larger towns like Eauze, the capital of Bas Armagnac. Mont de Marsan, the capital of the Landes, is thirty minutes away. This substantial town is a jewel in the middle of these endless forests, with stately late regency-style buildings reflecting the profitable pine-wood and resin business from which it derives its wealth.

Close to home is one of the most beautiful villages in France, and certainly one of the best preserved "bastide" fortified villages of the the south-west - la Bastide d'Armagnac. The purity of design in the concept of the Royal Square has inspired French King Henri 4th and his architects to the build of the famous "Place des Vosges" in Paris. Renowned for its hot springs & thermal spas, Barbotan-les-Thermes, 15 min from Alegria, has been a popular centre, with hot mud serving to soothe ailments, since Roman times.

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Many of you have asked for details about the "what, where and when" of the workshops and retreats. "Where" is easy. Having spent 2009 in the south of France where summer starts in the beginning of March and only starts to fade mid November, I was convinced that I wanted to stay in this part of the world at all cost and that it was the ideal "no traffic, no pollution, no stress and no mass tourism" environment to present my retreats. Where better could one present a relaxing residential retreat than in this sun-drenched corner of the south of France where can you unwind entirely, sleep deeply and soundly and wake up refreshed and full of energy?

About the Retreats

"When" is also quite simple. I am once again presenting the popular and successful 5 day resedential workshops.  This year I am introducing the new Relationship Enrichment Retreats - two 5-day group workshops are scheduled for 2010. The new Fine Wine and Wellness workshops are also scheduled for the summer. For the exact dates and details about reservations, CLICK HERE

"What" is a bit more complicated. The couples retreats are not just for people thinking about separating, but also for couples who want to enrich a healthy relationship and reaffirm their commitment to each other. The Relationship Enrichment Retreats are designed to help couples create lasting change and long-term growth in their relationships in the relaxed, private and beautiful environment of Alegria. Although my training is based on Virginia Satir and Carl Rogers' active listening theory, the retreats are based on Equine-assisted Experiential Learning, NLP (NeuroLinguisticProgramming), Guided Imagery and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

About Equine-assisted Experiential Learning

This promising new discipline is becoming popular amongst therapists and coaches because of its fast and lasting results. The less participants know about horses, the more effective the coaching. I have two horses: Belle, alias Beitske van't Slijt, is a pitchblack pure-bred Friesian mare who manages to be both arrogant and generous at the same time and is currently pregnant with her first foal. Beau is a retired Portugese bull-fighter – a 100% pure Vega Lusitano with a temper to match.

Surprisingly, both are excellent co-facilitators, especially Beau who still has the hot-blooded temperament of a stallion. He lost his equipment on Valentines Day 2007 at the age of 12, too late for this to calm him down in any way. Despite his unpredictability, he is an excellent coach, who loves his work and who can, against all expectations to the contrary, be infinitely patient and tolerant when the occasion warrants it. Belle's beauty and insatiable curiosity makes her a firm favourite with every-one, including Beau.

During an Equine-assisted Learning (EAL) session, the horses play an active role in the coaching process by continually offering honest and accurate feedback on body language and non-verbal messages. Horses, especially my two, insist that participants communicate their needs clearly and consistently. Working with these generous and compassionate animals provides natural opportunities for personal growth, relationship enhancement and lasting stress relief. 

Equine-assisted Learning activities take place in a shaded, fenced paddock and with both participants' and facilitators' feet firmly on the ground. Horses instinctively identify stressors and can initiate new ways of communication. If there is unresolved internal conflict, horses quickly brings this to light. Therefore all exercises and activities also include an extensive debriefing period – offering participants the opportunity to discuss and learn from the experience. 

Both Charles and I will be on hand to ensure that each workshop and retreat is especially memorable. Why not seize this exceptional opportunity to spend a week or more at an innovative retreat centre NOW and benefit from the peace, personal attention and privacy that only such an exclusive establishment can offer?

I also have a blog - it's called "the Best Personal Development Blog in Blue ". Initially, it was called the Best Personal Development Blog, but that sounded a bit pretentious even in these days of exaggerated internet advertising and even though it has a large following, so I added "in blue". I collect quotes, mostly inspirational and motivational, but all sorts really - and I publish them here. Virginia Satir's poem "I am" features prominently.

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Gascony was a surprise to me, I never dreamed such a magical country existed right under my nose. I was looking for a home my horses and discovered Gascony completely by accident, purely because it has 300 days of sunshine a year and produces the liquid gold liquor, Armagnac. I first looked around the Cognac area, but couldn't find anything suitable, when a friend mentioned in an absent-minded sort of way that, actually, he preferred Armagnac anyway. Ah bon? I said. And where do they make Armagnac? Somewhere in the south-east of France, came the answer. And the rest is history.

Somewhere in the south of France turned out to be in Gascony, one of the best-kept secrets in the whole country. Nearly 90% of visitors to Gascony are French, and they come in great numbers. This is the home of d'Artagnan, one of Alexandre Dumas' musketeers, of Armagnac, of Floc de Gascogne, of Pousse Rapiere, of foie gras...it is the ultimate source of douceur de vivre or the simple sweetness of life. Le Bonheur est dans le Pré, a very famous French film, was shot here.

Here I found peace and quiet in abundance. Gascony is one of the least populated regions in Western Europe. And lots of green rolling hills as well as the ever-present and majestic Pyrenées stretching from east to west on the southern border of this ancient province. The perfect home for a retreat, the area well-known since gallo-roman times for the healing properties of its spring waters. Three Spa towns dominate the scene, Castera-Verduzan, Barbotan-les-Termes and Lectoure, each famous in its own right for treatment of specific illnesses. And it remains popular, there was a 20% increase over the last two years in spa-goers to the area.

I was enchanted, from the first moment I crossed the border into Gers en Gascogne. What a strange and mysterious country! Bullfights, flamenco, jazz and latin music festivals, siestas, food for kings and wine for angels - where was I all these years?

Definitely the right spot for my retreat. It took me a long time to find the perfect property, due to my rather exacting requirements. I was every estate agents nightmare. How many times did I hear but Madame, no property is perfect! I wanted a property with land, 8 or more acres, for my growing herd of Friesian horses and to ensure my and my guests' privacy. But it also had to be close to a village with a few shops and located close to several of the areas tourist highlights.

The house itself needed to be large, and old, and renovated to a high standard, with lots of rooms for my guests. Furthermore, it needed to be easily accessible by plane, train and car and have one or more natural springs on the property. And pasture for the horses and outbuildings for stables. And space for my running/cycling/walking circuit, on site, as well as bridle paths and walking/cycling routes close by. And a room with a view for the gym. Another for the giftshop.

Of course, I did not mention all this at once to the poor unsuspecting estate agents, they would have given up on the spot. I hoped to find a property with as many of these criteria as possible. Alegria exceeded all my expectations, in every single way. It had every thing I ever wanted, and much more besides.

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