SESSION Abstract: Leaps of Faith and French Mistakes: Rewriting the Script in Your 50s and 60s
In your mid-50s, and when the children have left home and you start to travel more, you fall in love with France and have grandiose ideas of living there.
That was me! With a husband (Steve) who was practically fluent in French, I answered an on-line advertisement for private estate managers in the South of France who would cook, manage the house and gardens and care for any guests who came to the property. We were the successful applicants.
The cars were sold; all our worldly possessions were packed and sent into storage and the house was rented out. A new life awaited us in France.
What could possibly go wrong? Let me tell you …
Then, back in New Zealand, your husband is made redundant at 61. Knowing how ageist New Zealand was, I knew it would be difficult for him to attain a similar role in Auckland. What could we do?
More cajoling...Why not move to London? Steve had a British passport, and I could fly on his coat tails as his wife. So we did it all again, sold the cars, put all our worldly possessions into storage, rented a friend’s flat, sight unseen, in London – all with no job prospects.
And how did that go, Annemarie?
Date: Wednesday 23rd September, 2026
Time & Format: The workshop will start at 10am, with a coffee and tea break followed by a lively facilitated discussion to answer all your curious questions. The workshop will finish at 12pm.
Location: We are delighted to be hosting at Hygge at Clifton Bay, 468 Clifton Road, Te Awanga 4180
About the expert
Annemarie Rawson
In her fifties, Annemarie and her husband, Steve, exchanged corporate city life for an adventure in Southwest France, where they became estate managers for private families. Surrounded by vineyards, ancient villages and the rhythms of rural life, their experiences inspired her first two books, My French Platter and My French Platter Replenished.
A passionate traveller, storyteller and lover of bringing people together around a table, Annemarie believes food, friendship and shared experiences create lasting connections. She is endlessly fascinated by the stories behind the people and places she encounters.
At sixty, she and Steve embarked on another adventure, relocating to London and using it as a base to explore Britain and Europe. Those travels inspired her Late Life Adventures series, which blends history, humour, curiosity and practical travel insights with the memorable moments that make every journey unique
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