ALTHOUGH the spring sunshine is welcomed by many, it is not greeted as warmly by those people who suffer from hay fever.
Le Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique (RNSA) website is a useful stop for hay fever sufferers as there are guides and regular updates available.
A FEW days ago I chatted with freelance journalist Gabrielle Jaffe about this French life of mine, speaking about the website but also the world of blogging.
Gabrielle has published the audio recording so you can take a listen, but do check out the other stories on the Francofile website.
Drawing on her journalism training, Gabrielle recently looked at the contrast in coverage of Europe between the UK and French press and you will also see links to many newspaper websites on her site.
A RECENT article published in Le Figaro described how a simple administrative discrepancy during a property purchase procedure could result in the sale of allegedly the most expensive villa in the world falling through, writes Guillaume Barlet.
Mikhaïl Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire, agreed to purchase the luxurious property named Leopolda in Cap Ferret for the modest price of €390 million.
MANY a postcard in France features the cute, sugar-coated, image of a kitten looking out of a basket of flowers, but behind such village scenes the problem of feral cats can be a real issue.
And whilst there are many animal rescue centres able to help out, the fact that cat numbers are rarely controlled causes problems for both local people and the mairie.
Lynn Stone, of the charity Les Amis des Chats, is involved in a project in the Lot et Garonne that aims to tackle the issue where the plan is to trap, neuter and return the cats.
LA Semaine de la Langue Française is an annual event and this year runs from March 16 to 23.
The week is seen as a way to promote the French language, with local associations such as libraries and schools organising special events to emphasise the importance of languages.
A key part of the festival is the announcement of ten words that, this year, relate to the environment, science, imagination and culture; ailleurs, capteur, clair de Terre, clic, compatible, désirer, génome, pérenne, transformer and vision.
The Semaine de la Langue Française website provides background information on each word, but also lets you search for events close to home.
HAVING received an A grade for my ceramic alligator in high school art class (so good my Mother never believed I made it) and able to change guitar strings unaided, it did occur to me that a film destined for a predominately English speaking market, should present a majority of English speakers, writes Christopher Strong.
So, in a Provençal village, one sweltering July day, I posed the non-musical question: “Yo dude. Where be da English speakers?”
THE joys of a glass of red are often stressed by people living in France, but for some a drink or two can begin to take over their life.
There are a number of Alcoholics Anonymous groups in France that meet on a regular basis and offer support to English speaking people.
Some meetings are closed and require people to contact organisers in advance, but there are open events and entrance is free, just bring along ‘a desire to stop drinking’.
More on the help offered by the AA in France.
THE present UK government does not like expats, they obviously constitute a huge threat, they are people with the gumption to get up and go, and tries at every opportunity to discriminate against them, writes Anita Rieu-Sicart.
The majority of people who have emigrated in the past few years, and hundreds of thousands have done just that including the younger, talented ones with skills to countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA etc. have little to lose in pension benefits.
THE seven day cooling off period that allows the buyer of a French property to withdraw from a sale contract of a residential property can prove very helpful.
Here Guillaume Barlet offers some advice on how it works and the options available if living overseas.
Enforcement of the decree of December 19, 2008 regarding the cooling-off period granted to a non-professional buyer was awaited since the National Pledge for Housing Act of July 13, 2006 (engagement national pour le logement or ENL) in order to set the practicalities of the notice and of the handover of the contract to the buyer.
THERE is a very interesting, and in-depth, piece by Jon Doust on his blog about installing a Godin stove and solar water heating in his home in the Vendée.
The opportunity to make these change to your home is sure to appeal to many, especially as the price of oil and gas may rise in the near future and people have an increased awareness of their carbon footprint.