ONE hundred and fifty years ago homesteaders looking for a place to live in the Californian sun faced the same questions posed by a tough 2000-mile journey across America that confront today’s migrants to the sunspots of Europe, writes Simon Marshall.
The settlers could go DIY with their own wagons or hire wagons with or without the services of experienced wagon masters who knew the route and its dangers.
A COLLECTION of photographs showing the skies above Loubejac, in the Dordogne, and other scenes from the fields around the area.
BAGGING yourself a cut-price flight to France can be a bit of a challenge.
When you have to pick between supposed free tickets, where you pay just taxes and charges, or special deals that can only be booked during a certain period, the risk of making a mistake is high.
FOR writer Heidi Fuller-love a move to France meant dealing with a troublesome 2CV, strange bathroom arrangements and non-existent heating in a draughty house.
But when her plans to open a gite with her French partner were met with indifference, ridicule and veiled threats, most people would have headed back home.
IF you are scratching your head when it comes to understanding the French tax system, the Dordogne authorities are opening their doors once again.
Officials from the Direction des services fiscaux are to hold two English-language presentations, in the morning and afternoon, on May 5.
WITHIN a day or so of each other the BBC and French television opened up their archives on the internet, with differing degrees of success.
The BBC’s programme catalogue unfortunately only has written details of shows and news items, no actual clips to watch.
A CAMPAIGN has been launched across Europe to raise awareness of the danger to humans of tick borne diseases.
Many people who head to France know that their pets face real danger if bitten by a tick, but few know that the bugs can cause terrible illness to them as well.
THE possibility of working within French agriculture is an attractive proposition for many British farmers.
Farming in France is seen as a vitally important part of the economy even though the numbers actually working in the sector are falling.
LAST year Tracey Smith started her National Downshifting Week campaign from her farmhouse in the south west of France.
This week sees the start of her second seven-day drive to get people to think more about their lives, but this time she has swapped the Lot and Garonne for West Dorset, yet the message is still the same.
I RECENTLY received an email from a reader of the site asking me about selling their French property themselves.
The first thing to remember is that the sale will still have to go through a notaire, and there are some other legal considerations (see Selling your French property).