NO matter what you do, no matter how much money you have, no matter how many trips to the plastic surgeon you make, you can't escape the great cycle of life, and within that cycle there seem to be many mini-cycles that we spin off on.

At the moment we seem to be on an upward part of a cycle. We are struggling to build a very small empire within our hamlet, and have the loans to prove it. It feels like upwards not least because we are hoping to make an improvement in our lives, but mainly because it is really hard work, as any trip uphill usually is.

Our friends Guillaume and Katrine, being a few years older than us, find themselves at a somewhat different point in the cycle. They moved down from Paris more than 10 years ago and have since developed their small hamlet into a miniature holiday complex with chambre d'hôte rooms and gîtes, with the subsequent loans to prove it. Having done the hard work, they have now decided to profit from it and try to enjoy the downhill ride by selling parts of it off.

The first part did very little to help the journey. They sold off a barn to the in-laws, who reneged on the deal and left them minus one barn, minus one sister and brother in-law (no great loss, I never liked them), and not much better off financially. They have since proceeded to sell off the principal house while they move down the hill to the old farmhouse that Guillaume converted into gîtes four years ago.

Guillaume is obviously a glutton for punishment. Not only does he work with an Englishman, he has sold his house to two English couples who will be his new next-door neighbours, and on top of that he has just come back from a holiday in England.

There is a substantial amount of work ahead for us to convert the gîtes into a home fit for a family, and so it is all hands on deck, and labour is being roped in from all quarters. One addition to the crew is Guillaume's younger brother Gaultier, who has descended from his perch up in the Cévennes. He could definitely be described as a Baba Cool (the French word for hippy), dressing organically, and smoking rather organically as well. He is on a brief working trip with us before fleeing the French winter for warmer climes. He will be leaving in January for his holiday home.

That does sound rather unlike a real Baba Cool. In fact it sounds downright middle class, until you find out where his second home is. Not for Gaultier a timeshare on the Algarve or even a hut in Goa. He has definitely eschewed the beaten track as his second home is in Burkina Faso. Beat that!

Not only have you probably never heard of it, you probably don't ever want to go there. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, and is in West Africa. One of the less stable countries, on an unstable continent, and full of tropical diseases.

But there are benefits. Unlike a holiday in England a euro goes a very long way, and you are 100 per cent guaranteed to lose weight during your stay.

As to what part of the cycle Gaultier finds himself on, I couldn't even hazard a guess: those Baba Cool wheels turn in mysterious ways.