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I thought the writing retreat was very beneficial and having a small group felt intimate. 
Chef James prepared amazing meals and paired with the appropriate wine  was the cherry on top. 
I enjoyed our excursions, especially the one to the water lily garden. Thank you Abby. 

Writing Your Unexpected Life

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It’s never too late to learn French — or to create the life you’ve always dreamed of.Imagine yourself in a world apart, where Château de Borie rests against a limestone cliff, embraced by forest and fields. Morning sunlight filters across the wide-plank floors as the day begins with the gentle rhythm of conversation and discovery.Here, French is learned not through drills, but through laughter, shared meals, and real-life encounters. You wander the market, greeting vendors with confidence, or relax on the terrace, practicing simple phrases over a glass of local wine. Each day brings new ways to step into France — through language, culture, and connection.In the evenings, you gather with others who share your dream of a new chapter, exchanging stories, ideas, and laughter beneath the château’s soaring beams. This is more than a retreat. It’s a chance to feel at home in France, to find your voice, and to say bonjour to the life you’ve imagined.“Learning a new language later in life is humbling — but also a beautiful chance to laugh, to grow, and to see the world with fresh eyes.”

Agen, France

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Retire and Learn French Retreat with Deborah Pham van xua

The largest available, Cygne (Swan) is a corner room on the second floor with a southern exposure, ensuring it stays bright and sunny throughout the day. It features a queen-sized bed, a single bed, a mirrored armoire, and a dresser, providing all the comforts you need. Cygne has a private bathroom down the hall, equipped with a sink, shower, toilet, and a view of the garden.

Cygne Premium Room - Single

Cygne Premium Room -Double

Almost as large as Cygne, Etoile (Star) also benefits from its second floor, southern exposure, and panoramic views, ensuring it is bright and sunny all day long. Equipped with a large double bed, a writing desk, and a dresser, this room has all the comforts and has a private bathroom down the hall equipped with a shower, sink, and toilet.

Etoile Premium Room - Single

Almost as large as Cygne, Etoile (Star) also benefits from its second floor, southern exposure and panoramic views, ensuring it is bright and sunny all day long. Equipped with a large double bed, a writing desk, and a dresser, this room offers all the comforts and includes a private bathroom down the hall with a shower, sink, and toilet.

Etoile Premium Room - Double

Jasmin, similar to Magnolia, offers a bright and airy atmosphere with a skylight featuring a remote-controlled blind and a floor-level window. The room is furnished with a cozy double bed and a stylish armoire. Notably, it is the only third-floor bedroom with a private ensuite bathroom, providing added convenience and privacy.

Jasmin Premium Room - Single

Jasmin Premium Room - Double

Gingko, a slightly smaller room compared to Cygne or Etoile, is also located on the second floor and enjoys a southern-facing view. It features a cozy double bed, a dresser, and a fireplace. The room has access to a bathroom and a separate toilet room down the hall.

Gingko Premium Room - Single

Gingko Premium Room - Double

The only bedroom on the second floor with an ensuite, Rossignol (Nightingale) is a sunny room with a small desk chair, and a closet. Its “almost” ensuite sink and toilet are located just outside the door and it has a shower room down the hall. It benefits from a southern exposure so the room is bright and airy and has a view of the environs, the pools, and the grottos.

Rossignol Premium Room - Single

Rossignol Premium Room - Double

Chouette (Owl) is a charming room with southern exposure, featuring a unique "oeil de boeuf" porthole window and elegant exposed beams. The room includes a comfortable double bed and has access to a spacious private bathroom just down the hall.

Chouette Standard Room - Single

Chouette Standard Room - Double

Colibri is a delightful third-floor room with charming southern exposure. It features two distinctive "oeil de boeuf" porthole windows and beautiful exposed beams, adding character to the space. The room is furnished with a comfortable double bed and has access to a spacious, private bathroom just down the hall.

Colibri Standard Room - Single

Colibri Standard Room - Double

Lapin (Rabbit) is a charming room with southern exposure, featuring two unique "oeil de boeuf" porthole windows and beautiful exposed beams. The room is furnished with two double beds, making it ideal for friends who wish to share the space. A spacious private bathroom is conveniently located just down the hall, providing comfort and privacy.

Lapin Standard Room - Single

Lapin Standard Room - Double

Magnolia is a charming third-floor bedroom, offering natural light through a skylight with a remote-controlled blind and a floor-level window. The room includes a comfortable double bed and a spacious armoire. A full bathroom is conveniently situated just steps away down the hall.

Magnolia Standard Room - Single

Magnolia Standard Room - Double

Paon (Peacock) is a lovely southern exposure room with one “oeil de boeuf” (port-hole window) and exposed beams. It has a comfortable double bed, plus a single bed, and a full private bathroom down the hall. This room would suit two people sharing a room.

Paon Standard Room - Single

Paon Standard Room - Double

Renard (Fox) is a delightful room with southern exposure, highlighted by a distinctive "oeil de boeuf" porthole window and charming exposed beams. The room features a comfortable double bed and enjoys the convenience of a spacious private bathroom located just down the hall.

Renard Standard Room - Single

Renard Standard Room - Double

<h3>Come make art with me.</h3>For three days this spring, I'm opening up my cottage atelier at Château de Borie to just five other artists.This isn't a traditional art workshop. We'll be working side by side, each making our own art, experimenting with different materials and seeing where the work takes us.I'll share the way I approach my own paintings as we go—limited palettes, layers, contrast, composition, the law of opposites, turning things around and, quite often, painting over something and starting again. I'll demonstrate what I'm doing, talk about why I'm doing it, and be there when you want another pair of eyes on your work.You don't need to work like I do, use the same materials or have the same level of experience. Complete beginners are just as welcome as people who have been making art for years.I'll supply acrylic paints and wooden panels, and you can bring any favorite materials you'd like to use.Other than making art, the plan is pretty simple: we'll eat very well, enjoy the château in spring, and on Saturday we'll take a break from the atelier for lunch and a wander around Penne-d'Agenais.

Chateau de Borie, Pont du Casse, France

Saturday lunch

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Travel to and from Agen

Wooden painting panels, acrylic paints and shared studio supplies.

Art materials

All breakfasts

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Saturday Excursion 

Round-trip Agen train st

The Spring Atelier: Come Make Art With Me at Château de Borie

Paon (Peacock) is a lovely southern-exposure room with one “oeil de boeuf” (porthole window) and exposed beams. It has a comfortable double bed, plus a single bed, and a full private bathroom down the hall. This room would suit two people sharing a room.

Paon Room

Lapin Room

Renard Room

Chouette Room

Magnolia Room

Colibri Room

Jasmin Room

Cygne Room

Rossignol Room

Etoile Room

Gingko Room

<h3>What This Is</h3>A small group of women — five of you, and me — at my château in the south of France. Five days of morning writing sessions, one-on-one time with me, afternoon excursions into the countryside, and evenings to let the work settle over chef-prepared meals.Finding the shape of your story and getting it onto the page.By the end of five days, you will know what your story is, where it begins, and what it means. You will have written parts of it. That feeling — of having finally having a clear direction for your writing — is what you take home.The women you write alongside will become something more than fellow participants. There is something about hearing someone's intimate story — and being heard in return — that creates deep and lasting friendships.<h3>What You Will Actually Learn</h3>Before I wrote my memoir, I did courses, read widely, and sat with other writers. Here is what changed everything for me — and what we will work on together:<ul><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">How to mine your memories. We start here, on day one. Not with the story — with the raw material. Small, specific exercises, ten minutes at a time, designed to surface the moments you have stopped noticing because you have lived with them so long. What emerges in those ten minutes usually surprises people.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">How to find what your story is actually about. Most people arrive with one story in mind. Often by day two they have found the real one underneath it — the thing the surface story was pointing at all along. Helping you locate that is one of the most important things I do.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">How to find your entry point. Not at the beginning. Not at the end. Somewhere precise and charged — the moment that contains the whole story in miniature.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">The difference between memoir and journaling. A journal records what happened. Memoir asks what it meant — and it needs an arc: a before, a middle, and an after. Understanding this early saves months of confusion.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">How to handle time and memory. Memoir is not entirely chronological. Learning to compress, slow down, and move through time is one of the core skills of the form.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">How to write from inside the emotion without drowning in it. There is a difference between feeling something and rendering it on the page. We will find that line.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">What to leave out. The story you are telling is not everything that happened. Knowing what belongs on the page — and what belongs only in your memory — is a skill, and a significant one.</li></ul>

Le Refuge Au Chateau de Borie

Settle into the château. Get to know the other women, the house, the rhythm of the place. An opening conversation — no writing yet — where we take stock of where everyone is, what brought them here, and what they are carrying. Dinner together. The work begins tomorrow.

Arrival

Day 1

This is where we start. Not with the story — with the memories beneath it. Short, focused exercises, ten minutes at a time, designed to surface the specific moments, images, and details that tell you where your story actually lives. We look at different ways of collecting and sifting memory until something catches. One-on-one time with me. An afternoon excursion to let things settle.

Mining

Day 2

We write. With a clearer sense now of what the story is and where it begins, the morning session moves into drafting — finding the opening, following the arc, staying inside the voice. Optional sharing in the afternoon, always in a safe and generous circle. More one-on-one time. The story is taking shape.

Writing and Sharing

Day 3

The final full working day. We return to what has been written and go deeper — into the emotional truth of it, the structure, what belongs and what doesn't. By the end of this day, you have clarity about your story. You will understand what it means. That feeling — of having finally done it — is what you take home.

Deepening & Completion

Day 4

People leave before noon. There is coffee, a slow breakfast, time to sit with what the week has been. No agenda. Just the particular quiet of a group of women who have done something together that they didn't quite believe they could.

Departure

Day 5

Writing Your Unexpected Life 2027

France

I’m Abby, an author, painter, and seeker of the extraordinary. Welcome to Chateau de Borie, a charming retreat nestled in the French countryside.Inspired by my own journey and driven by a desire to create something meaningful, I envisioned Chateau de Borie as a sanctuary for people navigating life’s transitions. Here, you'll find a place to reconnect with your creativity, heal your soul, and forge new paths.Widowed at 35 with two small children, I was thrust into what I called “my unintentional life.” Through this journey, I discovered the power of creativity to heal and transform. I believe we are all creative beings, and by embracing our creativity, we can overcome whatever challenges life presents.Join me at Chateau de Borie and let’s explore this transformative journey together.

Abigail Carter

At Château de Borie, nestled between forest and limestone cliffs, the days follow a quieter rhythm. Morning light shifts across stone walls, birds call at dawn, and time feels less hurried. Here, artists of all levels come together for a week devoted to light and color—learning to see more clearly, to work with honesty, and to share the simple rhythms of meals, walks, and painting side by side.&nbsp; Here, you’ll immerse yourself in a transformative art retreat where light and color become your guides—beyond labels, beyond habit—toward honest, vivid seeing.Under the mentorship of Michael Ryan, you’ll learn to perceive the world as it truly is: not “trees,” “grass,” or “eyes,” but colored shapes in relationship. From short morning walking meditations to afternoons composing figures and portraits in the landscape, the week connects your practice to the pure beauty of the French countryside—and to a supportive community that shares meals, laughter, and inspiration at day’s end.<h3>What You Will Actually Learn</h3>Before I wrote my memoir, I did courses, read widely, and sat with other writers. Here is what changed everything for me — and what we will work on together:<ul><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">How to mine your memories. We start here, on day one. Not with the story — with the raw material. Small, specific exercises, ten minutes at a time, designed to surface the moments you have stopped noticing because you have lived with them so long. What emerges in those ten minutes usually surprises people.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">How to find what your story is actually about. Most people arrive with one story in mind. Often by day two they have found the real one underneath it — the thing the surface story was pointing at all along. Helping you locate that is one of the most important things I do.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">How to find your entry point. Not at the beginning. Not at the end. Somewhere precise and charged — the moment that contains the whole story in miniature.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">The difference between memoir and journaling. A journal records what happened. Memoir asks what it meant — and it needs an arc: a before, a middle, and an after. Understanding this early saves months of confusion.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">How to handle time and memory. Memoir is not entirely chronological. Learning to compress, slow down, and move through time is one of the core skills of the form.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">How to write from inside the emotion without drowning in it. There is a difference between feeling something and rendering it on the page. We will find that line.</li><li class="ui-30d40835-py-17 ui-30d40835-bg-gray-400 ui-30d40835-border-gray-400">What to leave out. The story you are telling is not everything that happened. Knowing what belongs on the page — and what belongs only in your memory — is a skill, and a significant one.</li></ul>

Arrivals 12:00 Charcuterie 5:00 Welcome Mtg/Icebreaker6:00 Aperitifs7:00 Dinner at Borie

8-8:45 Meditation Walk9:00 B'fast9:30 Check-in Grand Salon10:00-1:00: Painting1:00 Lunch at Borie3-5 Painting6:00 Aperitifs7:00 Dinner at Borie

Chateau de Borie

8-8:45 Meditation Walk9:00 B'fast9:30 Check-in Grand Salon10:00-1:00: Painting1:00 Lunch at Borie3-5 Painting/optional massage6:00 Sommelier7:00 Dinner at Borie

8-8:45 Meditation Walk9:00 B'fast9:30 Check-in11:00 Depart for Pujols11:30 Arrive at Pujols12:00 Lunch on own2:00 Depart Pujols3:30-5:30 Painting6:00 Aperitifs7:00 Dinner at Borie

8-8:45 Meditation Walk9:00 B'fast9:30 Check-in Grand Salon10:00-1:00: Painting1:00 Lunch at Borie3-5 Painting/optional massage6:00 Aperitifs7:00 Dinner at Borie

8-8:45 Meditation Walk9:00 B'fast10-12: check-in/Sketching1:00 Lunch at Borie2-4:00 Agen Art Museum4:30-7:00 - Free time7:00 Depart for Restaurant7:30-Dinner at Restaurant

Agen

Day 6

Celebrating Light and Color: The Figure in Nature With Michael Ryan

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