This French Life

  • Come and join us! l’Yonne

    185671460_a2c23b2b87_mBurgundy is one of the largest regions of France and covers four departments l’Yonne, Nievre, Cote d’Or and Saone et Loire.

    Burgundy is also a rich region historically, cuturally, gastronomically and economically with each department having something different to offer visitors.

    Once Burgundy was France’s most powerful rival with territory extending well beyond its present boundaries.

    For today’s visitor there is something for everyone, centres of medieval religious faith at Vézelay, Fontenay and Cluny, the massive Morvan National Regional Park that covers all four departments, and Dijon, the capital of Burgundy as well as the Cote d’Or with its wealth of art and splendid grat palaces relating to the old Burgundian nobility, to name but a few.

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  • Winter arrives a bit earlier this year

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    Burgundy is well know for it’s extremes. We get cold winters, hot summers and spectacular thunderstorms.

    Summer can see temperatures up to around 40 degrees while winter can get down to about minus 15 degrees and when a thunderstorm is forecast people unplug computers and televisions.

    This week we had the first snow, about six inches of white, powdery stuff, which seems to emphasize things you don’t usually notice.

    Our large fir tree in the courtyard would have looked beautiful over Christmas, but with the smaller bushes it looks clean and fresh out there.

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  • Drawn to France by dreams of past

    Borrie_1201_1_10A LIFE in the countryside, where manners and respect hold sway, are the main reasons people are keen to live in France.

    Often people will say that they moved to France because they felt it was like 1950s Britain, where neighbours have time for each other and that there is a real quality to life.

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  • You, me the gatepost and settling in

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    Our first house in France. At one and the same time it was exciting and scary.

    There was work to be done without doubt. The house needed total decoration and a kitchen! We had a sink but nothing to cook on so it was a girl’s dream, retail therapy!

    We sat and wrote a list then planned our shopping trip. To start with we bought a kitchen table, a table top cooker, a microwave and fridge freezer.

    We needed to investigate the area and get to know our neighbours and the first thing we found was that rural Burgundy was like going back 40 years in England.

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  • Guide to French social security system

    Assurancemaladi170107THE social security system in France is a complex beast with often two or more different organisations handling the simplest of operations.

    It can be a challenge to understand the way that unemployment benefit is administered, or how hospital visits are arranged and the basics of the pension system.

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  • You, me and the gatepost!

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    My name is Coral Luke, I was born in Brighton Sussex in 19**! I am married to George and we are both retired.

    Well there is nothing new in retired people being in France, is there? But for me retirement means being busier than ever; just one thing that makes it a bit more difficult is that I am disabled.

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  • Cascade Catastrophe!

    185657837_1fbbc7a10e_mTake a quiet afternoon, you are talking as you tidy away the washing in the bedroom, when suddenly you hear a dripping noise.

    You check the bathroom, the toilet nothing then you reaslise it is coming from the spare bedroom. You open the door and – water is pouring through the ceiling!

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  • Working under the truffle tree

    Truffletree150107MANY people head to France with a business idea or two in an attempt to ensure they can enjoy life in their new home.

    But few will look to start a truffle farm deep in the countryside of the Gers but that is what Dick Pyle has done.

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  • Life in a chateau

    Delabarre140107ALTHOUGH it is possible to visit many of the chateaux found across France, both their restoration and day-to-day upkeep can be a real challenge.

    But that is what Marnie de Vanssay has taken on by bringing the family home of her husband, which dates from the 14th Century, back to life.

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  • Calendar for your holiday home

    Availcheck100107I HIGHLIGHTED a website a few months ago that allowed you to set up an availability calendar for your holiday home.

    A friend recently emailed me to say that they were having problems updating it and wondered if I knew of any others.

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