About us
The Scheenaard family, your hosts at La Batisse
Hello,
We are the Scheenaard family (Bart, Yvon, Kate and Emma). In April 2022, we embarked on a great adventure. We left the Netherlands behind and moved to the La Batisse estate in Saint Laurent, in the Lot-et-Garonne.
We’ve both always had a soft spot for France. First and foremost, we came to live here for the ‘à la douce France’ lifestyle. Given Bart’s long-held dream of one day starting a hotel and the Brabant hospitality that Yvon grew up with, we really enjoy running a gîte. No, it’s not a hotel, but sometimes you have to start small to be able to expand.
We both work from home for Dutch companies. As well as our ‘regular’ work, there are 1.2 hectares of garden and the house itself to maintain. If there’s any time left over, we try to do some exercise. But what we enjoy most of all is having a bite to eat and a drink in good company under the southern French sun.
Our eldest daughter Kate (born 2014) attends secondary school in Port-Sainte-Marie. She trains for gymnastics twice a week. It is therefore not unusual for a wonderful show featuring all her skills to be put on.
Our daughter Emma (2018) attends primary school in Saint-Laurent. Her hobby is being a majorette. We regularly get to go out for her performances, and we’ve already attended many village festivals.
Since November 2023, we have expanded our family to include our dog Kay (a cross between a sheepdog and ?). He really enjoys having friends (human or animal) over. Outdoors, the tennis ball is his best friend, and with his most adorable look he manages to persuade almost anyone to throw the ball so he can fetch it with great enthusiasm and bring it back. And he’d prefer to do that about 100 times a day.
The fact that we’re enjoying life at La Batisse doesn’t mean we’re giving up our hobby: travelling. So it may well be that during your stay, our hospitality will be taken over by our chosen representatives ;).