This French Life

  • Driving tips in France

    Carheadlight1708_4AS the summer holiday season approaches many people will be heading over to France with their cars.

    But a few simple checks before departure will ensure your trip runs smoothly and doesn’t get stuck in a pothole or two.

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  • Poetic music of Grand Corps Malade

    GrandcorpsmaladeI WAS browsing around a few internet music sites recently and crossed a French musician whose work is so different to that you normally hear.

    Fabien Marsaud is described as a slam poet and works under the name Grand Corps Malade, a reference to an accident that means he now has difficulty walking.

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  • Solar power appeals to French

    Solarfrance030606THE appeal of solar power in France saw a 134 per cent increase in sales last year, in comparison to 2004 a study has revealed.

    Tecsol, a French company that studies the solar energy market, says that across Europe there was a surge in sales of 18 per cent.

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  • Keeping your computer safe

    Emailscam1002I AM often asked about safe computing when in France and a recent story on the BBC highlights the dangers out there.

    Hackers were able to hijack the computer of a woman in Rochdale and put her personal files behind a password that could only be unlocked if she paid a ransom.

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  • Dordogne scenes for Louis


    IN memory of Louis Macnamara, of St Cernin de l’Herm, who died in a road accident this weekend

  • Tips to improve your holiday home website

    Computingfrance260506IS your holiday home website getting the attention it deserves? If not it may be because it is suffering from some common mistakes, writes Bob Toovey.

    For gite and holiday rental owners your website is your shop window and often is the only way a potential client can see what they are going to get.

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  • Keeping la chasse off your land

    Catkins1907_12IT can come as a bit of a shock to see a hunter crossing your property with a gun slung over a shoulder and a pack of dogs in tow.

    But there is a way to ensure your land is not used by la chasse and here environmentalist Chris Luck outlines the basic steps.

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  • Expat property insurance in France

    Intasureadvert180706INTASURE’S property insurance is designed for expatriate owners of property in France.

    Their property insurance is designed specifically for expatriates living in France. It offers comprehensive cover underwritten by one of the world’s leading insurers, Norwich Union, that includes essential features such as cover during letting and protection when the property is unoccupied.

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  • Use of wood for heating increases

    Wood_0410AS the cost of oil and gas gets more expensive, the increased popularity of wood burning stoves and heating has seen a 23 per cent rise in their use in France.

    Figures from ADEME, the energy ministry, show that in 2005 sales of wood burning stoves, fireplace inserts and boilers topped more than 430,000, in the previous year the figure was 348,000.

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  • Pigs in France take flight

    Pigsinfrance170506WHEN Simon Longe suffered a serious car accident, and spent five years in a wheelchair, the decision to move his family to France was not as straightforward as that of others.

    But having come from an agricultural background, and in particular farming rare breed pigs, the accident did not stop him from establishing a farm in France and a reputation as the person to talk to for all things pig.

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