This French Life

  • Changing village life

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    THE Telegraph website provides an interesting look at the growing number of people from the UK moving to France and the impact they have on crumbling villages.

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  • Be in when you’re out

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    ONE of the things you should consider when using a website to promote your holiday home is to automate as much of it as possible.

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  • Easing the strain of French life

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    ALTHOUGH many people head to France hoping to get away from the stresses and strains of life this sometimes does not happen.

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  • OK pour le chien

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    DOGS have a real place in French life, be they muscular gun-dogs chasing down wild boar or little poodles draped over a chic arm in a café.

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  • Tales from the tableau noir

    downie_front1904.jpgUPPING sticks and moving your young family to France can pose many challenges, both at home and in the schoolyard.

    Graham Downie settled near the town of Cognac last year with his wife and two young daughters – escaping the exhausting world of the property business in the UK.

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  • Silence brings a golden chance

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    THERE are many charitable organisations set-up by British property owners that work alongside their French counter-parts.

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  • Under a full moon

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    ONE of the pleasures of countryside life is the purity of the sky at night; free from the light pollution that blights many towns.

    And this evening a full moon hangs in the night sky with just a few clouds for company, its glow lighting up the darkness.

    Please click on the thumbnail image for the larger version of this photograph.

  • A natural risk

    flood_risk_one0204.jpgALTHOUGH many people head to France to bask in the sunshine and enjoy a relaxing time, things can and do go wrong.

    Flooding, strong winds and heavy snowfall can be just some of the natural disasters that may put a brake on your plans.

    But by using the internet, and if your French is not too bad, you can find a wealth of useful information on the government’s environmental website.

    One of the biggest fears for people moving to a new place is the risk of flood water filling their home and ending their dream.

    Heavy rainfall at the end of last year caused problems in the south east and near the Loire region.

    flood_risk0204.jpgThere is a page on the site that provides information on the risk from natural disasters including floods, forest fires and even earthquakes.

    Elsewhere on the site there is a section that deals specifically with water and biodiversity.

    There are also monthly reports (Le bulletin hydrologique mensuel) that provides an insight to the regions.

  • Words with a French smile

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    ONE of the best ways to learn a language, French included, is to spice up your study with something a little different.

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  • Running an artistic course in Dordogne

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    THE landscape and villages of the Dordogne are an inspiration for many artists but for one businesswoman they are key to her plans.

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