OIL and gas fired central heating, electric radiators and wood burning stoves are common forms of heating in a French home.
But there is a national programme to promote the use of solar energy, which may be an option especially in the south of France.
ONE of the best things about a life in France is the range of fresh produce on offer.
But being faced with an array of strange names and descriptions for everything from fish to lettuce can be a real challenge.
AS the church clock struck four in the afternoon the market opened for the sale of the day’s cèpe mushrooms.
The large, bun-like cèpes were all neatly stacked in wooden crates with official tickets detailing their weight and the sellers attentively stood by.
QUESTIONS about housing and property are sure to be zipping around your mind when you are thinking of moving to France.
A useful website that can provide help is run by the L’Agence Nationale pour l’Information sur le Logement (ANIL).
IF your restoration project is taking up more time than you planned, then spare a thought for Michel Guyot.
He has set himself the task of building a 13th Century castle in the Burgundy countryside using just the tools and techniques of the time.
Michel Guyot and a team of experts scoured the French countryside to find castles from a similar period so that they could draw up plans of their own.
WHEN buying a French property it sometimes helps to be reassured by the experience of others.
And interviews with people who have bought a place in France are one of the main features in a new book.
The French Property Buyer’s Handbook, by Natalie Avella, provides a range of useful information covering everything from tax to notaires; solar power to car insurance.
EACH year the town of Belves, in the Dordogne region, travels back in time.
INSURANCE is big business in France with many companies keen to attract new customers and extend existing policies.
WHAT makes France tick? It is a question many people ask themselves after spending some time in the country.
They wonder how the government gets away with supporting so many struggling businesses, whilst other European countries face the cold winds of market forces.
SOMETIMES the chance to capture a touch of the countryside turns up in the most bizarre situations.
After a hot summer’s day the sun was setting over the far hills and underneath this cow – an opportunity not to be missed.
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