People all over the world are being shaken by the pandemic and nothing that happens in the world simply passes Mongrenier by. Even though we have been spared illnesses so far, different attitudes to the measures imposed are having an onerous effect on our group.

We feel the burden of the departures. Those who are still here take on the work and the financial obligations as well as the further development of the project. The pioneering energy that has carried us so far is to be transformed into a sustaining energy of consolidation.

In addition, some of them have obligations towards their families of origin and this leads to longer absences from the farm.

In spring and autumn, together with Judith Goldblat (from "Schloss Tempelhof" in Germany), we do two WIR processes of several days to strengthen our sense of community.

Tom and Karin leave the community.

The Müller Lüscher family moves here in the summer to try out living here. After much deliberation, however, they decide to move on in November.

Pierre, who has been living with us as a volunteer, takes on a newly created so-called project membership. He becomes responsible for the vegetable gardens, the sheep, the maintenance of machines and repairs. The East Garden is getting a new shape that will make it easier to work and water in.

Structurally, 2 major projects are planned and implemented:

• In the large communal kitchen, the open fireplace will be replaced by a large seat stove with fireclay bricks. With the help of laid water pipes, additional heat will be fed into the existing central heating pipes.

• The beautiful with time rather dilapidated pool is renovated.

Conny returns to her family in Germany.

We move the theme of "finding new contributors" into focus for this year.

All of us, except Pierre, are older than 60, some well over. We come to the conclusion that a new crew is needed on Mongrenier. As the old farmer hands over the farm to the young, we want to hand over the project. That is why we are now focusing on groups who are looking for a project farm.

Or the individual applicants who are still visiting us in great numbers manage to form a new group and start one or several projects together in this location.

Pierre is terminating his project membership at the end of September.

With the call for new contributors or even a new group, many individual interested people and a whole group came forward and they were all received and informed.

A great transformation of the group and the project has begun.

People from this new group lived with us on the farm for 7 months. We trusted their assurances that they would be able to take over the whole project (also financially). All of us who wanted to stay were welcome.

Well, that went reasonably well until the payment dates.  They all missed them and had to leave the farm again.

In the meantime, some of us are thinking about a new start of our own.

We are still looking for willing contributors who see the great potential that exists and has been created. Mongrenier really lends itself to a collective life, with its own land, large houses and unique location.

Not everyone wants to wait for new collectives and wants to sell the property to conventional buyers. We will see which is more likely to happen.

This year the east garden was redone (this time it is round) and enlarged. With irrigation facilities, it has been redesigned to be very productive. The south garden is also in full swing. Meanwhile, many hundreds of almond and hazelnut trees have been planted and are already starting to bear fruit.

In the fields there was a really nice harvest of durum wheat.

Peter and Regina returned to Switzerland at the beginning of February. The two-track life on the one hand in the collective in France and on the other hand with the old family members in Switzerland became too exhausting.

However, both are still active in the project and firmly believe that the future will be challenging and living together is a good alternative in the face of global stress.

The sales project is initially put on hold during a meeting at the beginning of the year. It seems more important to those who remained on site to continue involving people of all ages in the project. Members who are no longer active explain that they appreciate how the original spirit behind the creation of the Mongrenier collective is being preserved. It is agreed to review the accounts in January 2025 and assess whether the business can be maintained or whether it should ultimately be sold.

At the beginning of the new year, a new project comes to life, which is expected to generate a small income. Each farm in France is entitled to six camper pitches. Félix decides to set them up for the upcoming summer season. In the meantime, two composting toilets and an outdoor shower have been built. As early as March, the first guests begin to arrive. Later, a group of like-minded people use the site for a meeting on the theme of collective building.

It is also through these camper pitches that two young winemakers, who have been traveling around the country for years in their camper van and were looking for work in the region, join us. They set up their bus on the farm and now take part in horticulture and many other tasks. Their names are Colyne and Julie. A wonderful atmosphere of renewal and creativity has taken hold. We are forming a real team.

In April, there is a new surge of energy. The days become almost summery. We therefore decide to redesign the large barn with furniture, a bar, a stage, new lighting, a pool table, and a dartboard. Our new housemate Emmanuel takes charge of this task. From now on, small cultural events will once again take place regularly. The reopening is led by the two bands “Jazz for Fun” and “Balagan.” It is a great success.

To better secure our finances, we decide no longer to leave the Maison Gardien empty, but to rent it out to a family. At first, the tenant Liliane, a mother with two daughters, assures us that she is also very interested in collective activities. However, it quickly turns out that she does not have the capacity for this. Tensions arise and she moves out in December. We learn from this that tenants who have no connection to our project are not well suited to living with us. In the end, both parties suffer from the situation. You live and you learn.

Other people regularly join us temporarily to share part of the journey with us. We hope that more people will join—not only to make better use of the site’s potential, but also to take over from those who have returned to Switzerland. There are still many possibilities to initiate new projects or further develop the existing ones.

In the meantime, Felix has found a partner, Margaret, who comes from Scotland. She spends a lot of time with us and wishes to become a permanent member in 2025.

Another person decides to stay with us: Vincenzo, an Italo-Frenchman—or perhaps the other way around. He arrives as a volunteer through WWOOFing and joins the ACM in winter.

Other interested people come and go; everything remains in motion.

In the autumn, Martin, the gardener, moves into the neighboring farm, and Julie and Colyne have to leave us for northern France, as they need salaried work. However, we remain in contact, and the last word has not yet been spoken.

In January, Margaret moves in with us and immediately begins to expand our tourism branch. Everyone is actively helping to renovate the Maison Chéri and the Maison Gardien in order to be able to welcome new and hopefully many guests in the spring.

In February, there will be a new general assembly of the SCI members. There are two developments:

1. Karin, who inherited the shares of co-founder Tom, who unfortunately passed away, wants to cede them to Felix and Margaret so that the Mongrenier project has a better chance of continuing. The residents are very grateful.

2. A small group of members living in Switzerland instructs several brokers to put the domain up for sale. We would all like to know what the whole property is worth at this point in time. Whether we actually sell it in the event of a concrete offer will depend on the circumstances prevailing at that time.

In the second half of the year, new complications arise. Margaret is expecting a child, but is unable to register and take out health insurance in France because of her British nationality. Thus, she and Felix are forced to leave Mongrenier again and start their small family somewhere else. They decide to go to Germany.

In addition, Ines decides to move back to Switzerland in 2026.

Now only Herbie, Béatrice, Bettina and Lasse remain on site in whole or in part. In the meantime, Emmanuel is involved in the search for new members. He organizes a getting-to-know-you week, with very positive results. There are now 5 new housemates: Cyril, Joel with daughter Nayati, and Laure with her son Robin.

Sarah is also back again, she wants to try to develop her professional career here in the area. Her children Maja and Antoine, who live in Albi, will spend their holidays here.

Then there is François from Marseille, who rents a room and divides his life between Marseille and Mongrenier.

Our few rooms that are still available are still open to interested visitors and, hopefully soon, to other new housemates.

We are currently writing this chapter!