Hints for avoiding French telephone salesmen
In France it is important not to actually answer the phone when it rings because you will then spend half an hour trying to evade a pushy salesman who wants to sell you photovoltaic panels or a computer voice that wants to tell your fortune. It is much better to have an answering machine deal [...]
Five years of France This Way
Although we’ve lived in France for 10 years, it took me a long time to work out how much fun it could be sitting inside playing on the computer (I spent the first few years in France on building and renovation work) so it is this week that both France This Way and this blog [...]
History of an ancient oak tree
1562-1598 The final decades of the 16th century were a terrible time in France, with the catholics and protestants fighting for control of the country. Many bloody battles were fought across the country and many thousands of people were slaughtered.
All cars in France must carry alcohol breath tests
You are probably aware that all cars in France have to always carry a bright yellow waistcoat and a warning triangle in case of night time emergencies. But one new rule that has perhaps received less publicity than it could have done is the requirement that drivers in France are now obliged to carry an [...]
Best places in France to live?
Ok it doesn’t sound like a particularly sensible question in the middle of November with a recession setting in (again) but our website statistics show that lots of people are asking that exact question. Perhaps it is winter setting in that reminds people that they quite like the sunshine? Perhaps the recent TV programmes about [...]
Happy 10th anniversary?
It is now only a couple of weeks until the 10 year anniversary of our move to France – perhaps the decision we planned to make after two years about whether to stay in France is slightly overdue! Of course we didn’t really know what to expect out of the move – or at least [...]
Balmy summer nights in France
Living in France we tend to get so occupied in work, schools and business that we forget why we came here in the first place, so it’s nice occasionally to do something that reminds us why we are here. This week the holidaymakers were still playing happily in the pool when we set off for [...]
Let them eat cake
Our local town is pretty small, about 1500 people including those of us who live scattered in the surrounding fields. So it is slightly remarkable that in the town we have: three estate agents at least three beauticians and between four and six hairdressers two supermarkets and two diy stores three bakers and two wine [...]
Cheer up, things could be worse
Just in case there wasn’t enough in the world to be miserable about at the moment, the BMC has just released a report on depression levels around the world - and it seems that France is the most depressing country of all!
Seeking the Real France
Last week a couple of my French cycling buddies stopped by to entice me out on an ‘arduous’ ride through the countryside. Their rides are always entertaining even if the main focus isn’t always on hard exercise, so off I went. The ride had its usual little diversions to take attention away from our aching [...]
It never rains but it pours
The weather has been very odd here for the last few days, with spring rain unexpectedly turning up after three months of early summer, in the form of storms and torrential showers. Last Saturday we had 8cm of rain in less than an hour (the most I’ve ever seen) which started about an hour before [...]
Using BBC iplayer abroad
There are a couple of things we expats get used to that people in Blighty might not be aware of – and I don’t just mean sunshine and alcohol poisoning. There is a great invention called the BBC iplayer that lets viewers watch programmes on their computer when they want and where they want, or [...]
French drought and bonfire warnings
Mrs B is looking nervously out of the window today – the weather forecast was for possible showers after a very long warm dry spell, and she is hoping the garden will at last get some rain. Can’t say I’m convinced, it looks a bit cloudy, not very lovely for a bike ride, but I [...]
Time for a French pop song?
There is one thing that it seems almost everyone agrees on, whether French or otherwise – that French pop music isn’t really very good. But is it true? Despite the personal risks involved – being isolated from friends and society, and ridiculed by pretty much everyone in the western world - I’ve exposed myself to [...]
Getting the gites ready for spring
One of the most surprising things about Miami was the large number of French people in the city. We didn’t hear any Germans, Italians or Spanish, although there were a few English accents to be heard, but everywhere we went there seemed to be people speaking French.
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