Once upon a time uncle Ruud decided to leave The Netherlands, his home country, as he had fallen in love with the golden colours and stunning hills of Southern France. Ruud arrived one year after Georges Brassens death, his favorite French singer, that in his lyrics stated: “I followed the music.”
Despite having no experience in agriculture, uncle Ruud started cultivating grapes for wine production. After several months of working in his vineyards, his son Ulysses was born in Montpelier and together with his wife Marjolein, they went back to The Netherlands. However, the relationship with Marjolein did not last long, making him return to France. In the late 80s, he bought the property we now know as the Catfarm, previously named “de Mas”. He lived and worked on the farm for 22 years, most of the time alone until his son Ulysses joined him in 2012.
Ulysses had to pay back in labor hours, what he was owing Ruud, from the parts of the cost of the recently bought ValparaĂso boat. At that time there were 12 cats (now only 3) indulging in a reign of terror by constantly walking through recently applied cement and knocking over paint cans. To make life more fun, Ulysses invited travelers from Couchsurfing to work together, and from that moment on, the project became known as the Catfarm. Ruud struggled with Alzheimer’s disease for a few years and had expressed a wish to be buried on his treasured farm after his death. He moved back to The Netherlands at the end of 2018 to spend his years in an elderly home. On November 2nd 2020, during a Full Moon night, our beloved uncle Ruud passed away. his ashes are buried next to the Peugeot 404 with a sign saying “I followed the music”.
