THERE is a brutally honest piece on the Daily Mail website by journalist Lauren Booth, who lives in the Dordogne, about the pressures of life in France.
Lauren writes about the difficulties of her having to work in the UK a few times a month, whilst her husband, who suffered a motorbiking accident that has left him unable to drive, stays back in France looking after their home and two children.
THE healthcare system in France is widely regarded as one of the best in the world, indeed many Brits are or have moved to France to take advantage of this system, writes Tristan Freer.
Why then should expats be worried about medical insurance?
The number of British people living and working abroad has, in recent years increased exponentially.
A POSTHUMOUS award has been given to Sister Agnes Walsh, who sheltered a Jewish family from December 1943 in a convent in Cadouin, in the Dordogne.
At the launch of a new award that recognised Britons who saved the lives of Jews during the Holocaust, UK prime Minister Gordon Brown said that the 27 individuals honoured were ‘shining beacons of hope in the midst of terrible evil’.
The story of Sister Agnes has been traced by the Catholic Herald, who tells of how a Jewish mother and her three children were hidden in the convent in Cadouin.
Sister Agnes, originally from Hull, was recognised as Righteous among Nations by the Holocaust remembrance authority, Yad Vashem, in 1990 at the age of 94. She died in 1993 in Mill Hill, London.
WHILST out on an early morning walk through a field here in Loubejac (map), I tried to capture the sounds of bird song.
Unfortunately I only had a mobile phone to hand so you may have to turn up the speakers on your computer, but I hope it offers a little insight into the French countryside.
THIS car reminded me of the secret reconnaissance of war films, but the Peugeot 203 first came out in 1948, writes Carol Miers.
I spoke recently to a man, a former member of the Resistance, who having been denounced was facing a death sentence but was exchanged for a German, walking out along a road thinking it was his last, to be met by friends instead.
THE new France-UK Double Tax Treaty (DTT) signed between France and the UK on June 19, 2008 came into force in France on January 1, 2010 and will be effective from April 6, 2010 in the UK.
Virginie Deflassieux, of French tax advisors PKF Guernsey, offers a summary of the main changes which will affect British citizens living in France:
Scope of the DTT
The Contribution Sociale Généralisée and Contribution au Remboursement de la Dette Sociale as well as the additional taxes to French corporation tax are clearly included in the scope of the new agreement.
AFTER a hot n’ sweaty six hours in the saddle, I arrived at a faux Louis IV château, ringed by huge oaks. Stone cottages straight out of ‘French Country quaint’ dotted the grassy, adjacent park, writes Christopher Strong.
And set, ever so tastefully in the midst, an azur swimming pool beckoned. Cigales chattered in the pines beyond. Hey – this could be do-able!
I announced myself to the receptionist. A barely adolescent Catherine Deneuve clone. She arched an obviously artificial eyebrow, while favouring me with a smile and a “bonjour” of the same quality.
PEOPLE across France will be looking to the skies at the moment watching the magnificent sight of the migratory flight of the crane, or la grue.
After a winter in southern Spain they make their way northwards in massive flocks, flying at an altitude of between 200m and 1km, arriving in Germany and Scandinavia for the summer months.
LA tempête Xynthia, which ripped through south west France during Saturday night and Sunday morning, has been declared a catastrophe naturelle by prime minister François Fillon.
This means insurance companies are obliged to take into account flood damage and the government will publish details of the areas covered in the next 48 hours.
It is believed around 50 people lost their lives as winds touching 159 km/h battered the coast with La Rochelle suffering particularly heavy flooding.
WITH poor savings interest, a struggling pound and an increasing cost in the price of essentials, older couples are opening their doors to help French people with their English.
That’s what the Expatica website is reporting as couples help French students with their studies with brief immersion classes, offering language help and advice.
The article says the courses in western France are the brainchild of Christine Predery, who set up a not-for-profit organisation called Bringing People Together to help French anglophiles get in touch with English families.